Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V: Presage of Malevolence
by Frost190
Summary: Sequel to Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V: Bonds of Pendulum. A year has passed, Leo Corporation excavates a lost civilization that opens the path for new enemies from different dimension to attack. Yuya and his friends go to the new dimension, and plunge themselves into a new war against a far darker and sinister force that are connected to them and the four dragons more than they expected.
1. Ancient Hunters

**Hello! Frost190 is here! I've said that I will take a break for a month or so...but I just can't stop writing! The urge to start writing the sequel as soon as possible won't leave me and I can't stop but wanting to write the whole chapters I've thought up! That's why I'm publishing the sequel of _Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V: Bonds of Pendulum and Presage of Malevolence: Prologue_ , this fanfic _Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V:_ _Presage of Malevolence,_ NOW! My hand just won't stop typing ideas and chapters...I wonder if this is a side-effect of regularly writing and updating the previous series...**

 **Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy reading this first chapter of _Presage of Malevolence_!**

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 **A WEEK AGO – EXCAVATION SITE – OUTSKIRT – MAIAMI CITY – ARC-V**

"Here it is! We finally found it!" A worker said to his fellow workers, pointing at the hole he just dug.

Since two month ago, Leo Corporation men were digging at a wide land after a researcher found a signal of a wormhole there. When they arrived, there was no wormhole anywhere, but the radar they have created got the signal from the underground, which mean there was something beneath the land. Hearing this, Reiji has ordered for the place to be excavated. As there is a possible involvement with dimensions, the Leo Corporation President enlisted help from a former Lancers Duelist, Shun Kurosaki, in case something unwanted happened. After days digging, they finally reached the end. What they discovered underground, however, was beyond their imagination.

It was a small town deeply buried within the earth. But the most surprising thing that they found from the town's remains was the town has more advanced technologies more than any technology that can be found in this era. They even found a Duel Disk, computer, and various things they have in the current era but far more advanced. The town could be described as metropolitan, with its gleaming white, free-form buildings standing on the uneven slopes.

"This town…it has been buried for around a thousand of years ago. Or maybe even more…" One of the archeologists said while he checked the remains.

"A thousand years ago or more?! That's impossible!" Shun exclaimed in disbelief. There has to be some kind of mistake. How an apparently ancient site has technologies more advanced than theirs?

"I don't think it's impossible." Reiji said from Shun's two-way radio transceiver. The said president was waiting in the command room. "We have most likely found the remains of the hyper advanced pre-historic civilizations."

"What's that?" Shun asked as he raised his transceiver.

"There are those who believe that there were civilizations even more advanced than ours that thrived long before our recorded history. Ages ago they reached the summit of civilized development, and then for some reason collapsed. Our civilization basically had to start from scratch." Reiji explained, observing the ancient site from the monitor.

"Looks like we just proved that this pre-historic civilization did exist, and this place is one of the artifacts." Shun remarked while looking around the site. The town has been covered by thick layers of ashes and dirt for thousands of years but it has been preserved because of the long lack of air and moisture.

"Still, am I really necessary to be here? I know a signal of a wormhole possibly lead to another dimension outside ours and we, Lancers, have experience in dimensional travel, but I don't see anything so dangerous in excavating ancient site that it required a Duelist." Shun questioned Reiji.

"I have a strong bad feeling that I can't shake. You're the only one I can count on right now." Reiji replied, uneasiness evident in his tone.

"President Akaba! Kurosaki-san! I think I've found the source of the wormhole signal!" A worker told them in hurry through the walkie-talkie, waving his hand from the quite faraway location.

Shun went to the said location while leaving the other workers to do their own respective work. The worker with his designated group led Shun to a stair that leading down to another wide area, and they found what seemed to be an old temple. Being a temple, it has less modern design than the town. The temple itself was made from polished black-colored obsidian that was studded with gems. It was etched with ancient hieroglyphics and pictographs they have never seen. When they went inside, there were a number of chambers, interlinked by tunnels.

"Here it is!" The worker stopped as the device he was holding was beeping at a green round wormhole at the end of a chamber.

"So this is the wormhole… Do you think this lead to some other dimension that we don't know about?" Shun asked Reiji. However, the response he got was a buzzing sound from the transceiver. It seemed the signal has weakened. At the same time, the monitors in the command room showed nothing.

The air became tense when they heard something coming from the wormhole. Shun told the workers to get behind him and he raised his Duel Disk, preparing for anything that will come that possibly dangerous. And then, from the wormhole, something came out. A hand. Along with the hand was a cold hostile intent. Before shun realized it, he was sweating. Whoever was going to come out is dangerous. He just knew it.

"All of you get out of here! Tell the others to leave too! Now!" Shun told the workers behind him.

Already filled with fear, they all nodded and ran out without hesitation, leaving Shun alone to confront who appears to be an enemy. They immediately did as Shun told them to, telling the other workers to leave the site at once and informed Reiji of what happened. Not too long after they warned everyone, a blast came out from the temple's roof. The blast reached the sky, visible to everyone in Maiami City. By that time, the monitor in Leo Corporation's command room finally working again, allowing Reiji and everyone inside to see the blast.

"W-what is this?!" Nakajima exclaimed as he looked at the monitor that showed the blast.

"Kurosaki? Can you hear me? What happened there?! Kurosaki!" Reiji shouted, trying to connect with Shun. However, he didn't receive any respond, only buzzing sounds.

Within the temple where the wormhole was, Shun was nowhere to be found, only his transceiver lying on the floor with a splash of fresh blood.

 **PRESENT TIME – BEDROOM – APARTMENT – DEN CITY**

"Yukiya, I'm going to the mall now. Are you–"

A girl with long grey hair opened the door that led to her younger brother, Yukiya's, room. She stuck her head inside to find her younger brother has fallen asleep on his bed. She sighed with a smile and decided not to bother her brother's sleep so she quietly closed the door and left.

When Yukiya opened his eyes, he was inside a stadium he was positive he had never seen, but yet it felt familiar. He looked at himself and he realized he was taking a form of his avatar in LINK VRAINS, but he wasn't wearing his blue glasses. His attention turned to the person in front of him. It was a boy around his age in real life. He has green and red hair like a tomato, wearing a goggle, white jacket uniform with tight orange shirt and dark green pants. The boy was crying, and seeing that made his heart ache.

 _"What's wrong? Why are you crying?"_ Zarc asked. His lips were moving without his consent.

The boy smiled sadly _. "We finally get to know the two of you properly… But now…we must separate…"_ He replied. Zarc blinked and finally realized there was someone beside him and the boy. Beside him was his best friend's avatar, Ray. Beside the boy was a pink haired girl who was also crying like the boy.

 _"We can't…see you again…"_ The pink haired girl said.

Zarc and Ray's eyes softened at the boy and girl. They smiled kindly as they pulled them into their arms, patting their heads and backs. After a while, Zarc and Ray pulled them away but didn't let go of their shoulders. They then placed their foreheads against them.

 _"We understand. We wish we could stay a bit longer. But our time has come and that's how it supposed to be. Do not be sad for us. Please be happy for us."_ Zarc told the boy, wiping a tear from his face.

 _"You set me free from the darkness. You helped me remember my true wish and rekindle everything I had believed. Now, I can finally rest in peace."_ Zarc then pointed at the pendant around the boy's neck and made the boy to look at his eyes.

 _"Yuya, you may have surpassed me, but the path we walk is still the same. Never forget that hope can turn into despair in the blink of an eye, just like a pendulum. By surpassing me, you have become a 'Supreme King' in your own story. While we, entertainers, must fight for people's desire to make them happy, we too must fight for what we believe in. Always remember that, otherwise it won't be long before you turn into a demon like I did, or even more horrifying than I ever was. Never let your conviction wavers."_ Zarc told the boy. While he didn't know why he felt that way or what exactly happened, he hoped that this boy in front of him wouldn't fall to the same path as him. He prays that this boy will accomplish what he couldn't.

 _"Yeah. I will! I promise!"_ The boy said, smiling again as he wiped his tears.

 _"We are truly grateful to the both of you. No, I mean to all of you. Thanks to you we have finally fulfilled our dream and promise. Now we can let go of the past that had bound us."_ Ray removed herself from the pink haired girl to look at who seemed to be their families and friends who have gathered and waiting for them.

 _"Reiji, Reira, please take care of Father. Help him return to the way he was, just like Yuya and Yuzu did for us."_ Ray pleaded to a young man with glasses wearing blue-sleeved shirt with red scarf around his neck and a little girl holding a teddy bear.

 _"Yes. Regardless of what happened, we are still family after all."_ The young man, Reiji, gave Ray his words, and the little girl, Reira, also promised the same without voicing it.

 _"Continue to bring smiles with your Dueling, Yuya."_ Zarc told the boy, Yuya, for one last time.

 _"Now and always!"_ Yuya replied cheerfully before Zarc's surrounding became all white.

Yukiya awoke slowly to the flickering light of his room. He let out a tiny gasp—for just a moment, ghost pains assaulted his brain, and he lay there paralyzed. And then it all disappeared, and he was left lying on his comfy bed, staring forward at the dark tree canopy outside his window, fluttering in a night breeze that let some of the stars peek between the leaves.

"That dream again…"Yukiya mumbled while covering his eyes with his right arm. Yukiya flexed his fingers, and they responded easily. His body felt all right, he thought as he slowly sat up. No dizziness. He must have gotten a lot of sleep.

"How many times I have that already…" Yukiya wondered. Ever since a week ago, every time he falls asleep, he would always dream about this boy, Yuya. Even though he was positive he never met this Yuya person before let alone in his Zarc identity, the boy was strangely familiar to him. It was like he had known this Yuya for long time already yet he couldn't remember. How was that even possible?

Yukiya turned to the clock on his table. It was already 11.00 AM. Time for his usual schedule. He looked at a photo beside his clock. A photo himself together with his best friend. She has long, maroon and dark red colored hair tied-up into a long ponytail. Both of them were wearing a uniform consisted of a slate-colored jacket with light blue trim over a white dress shirt with a blue tie and a pair of black pants for Yukiya and a black skirt for the girl who was wearing a necklace with a shape of her name – Sara.

"I'm coming to see you now, Sara."

 **SAKAKI RESIDENCE – MAIAMI CITY – ARC-V**

Yuya blinked at a pile of books and pamphlets placed by his mother on the living room table right after lunch.

"Mom, what is this pile that is taller than me when I'm sitting?" Yuya asked while looking at the pile.

"Choices of high school to attend and tutoring for high school entrance exam." Yoko said, huffing while crossing her arms.

"Do I really need these many?" Yuya asked. He sweat dropped at the amount of the piling papers and books.

"Isn't it obvious? Considering the scores of certain subjects you got are below average, this is necessary!" Yoko said while leaning her face close to her son and pointed his forehead with her finger.

A year has passed since the four dimensions became one. After many complications, representatives from the whole countries have all finally settled everything and everyone is now living in peace. Yuya, who became a Pro Duelist a year ago, not to mention being hailed as a war hero after the dimension war, instantly became famous around the world. He received many challenges from other Duelists who are interested in his strength from many different countries. There were also many people who came to Maiami City simply to see him and such. The many Duel challenges gave him difficulty to balance with his school life. While he is actually quite pretty much already a working boy as being a Pro Duelist and winning many challenges earned him lots of money, his mother won't have it.

" _Duel Champion or Pro Duelist or not, you're still young who has a lot to learn! I won't let you neglect your study!"_ That's what Yoko said to Yuya when Sora suggested that Yuya should just quit school.

And that was why Yuya still regularly go to school like normal students does. Yusho and Yoko needed a lot of persuasion to convince Nico Smiley, who proclaimed himself as Yuya's sponsor, to discuss any Duel schedule with them first, and Yoko even almost resorted to use her old connection with her biker gang to threaten Nico if she has to. Fortunately for Nico, Yusho managed to find a peaceful solution to this problem for both sides. Yuya was grateful to this since as much as he loves dueling and makes many people and monsters happy, he also needs a long break to catch up with his studies. He would sometimes ask for his friends' help with his studies; Yuzu and Yuto in particular, are good tutors.

"I won't let you making excuses to skip your studies or quitting school altogether! Education is important in life! Plus, school is an important part of youth that you mustn't miss!" Yoko argued, smacking her son's back that caused him to wince.

"Okay, okay, I got it! I'll read them a bit…" Yuya sighed while taking one of the pamphlets to look.

"Good. Now I'm going to go shopping for dinner. We'll have curry for tonight. See you later!"

"Okay~" Yuya replied lazily while reading the pamphlet. He then moved next to read the second pamphlet and blinked.

"This school… Yuzu said she is going to go to this school…" Yuya mused as he looked at the pamphlet. He happened to overhear Yuzu's choice of high school when a classmate asked her. It's rather obvious, but if they move to different schools, he won't be able to eat lunch with Yuzu or going home with her so often like they always do since elementary school. That made him sad…

Yuya slump his face to the table. Last year he finally realized his feeling for Yuzu. She who he used to consider as best friend and older sister has now became the girl he likes. But since then, nothing big happened in their relationship. They passed their days as usual, not so different from when he still thought of her as a friend. He just couldn't do something romantic like in romance manga. It was too embarrassing! He was also afraid if she doesn't reciprocate his feeling and it may change their relationship if he confesses, so he has stayed quiet until now.

"Maybe I should try to apply this high school too…" Yuya thought, but he wasn't so sure. The high school Yuzu chose isn't exactly a high level school, but with his low grades, it'll be hard for him. And choosing high school with 'impure' motive like this doesn't seem to be right.

"I'm such an idiot…" Yuya sighed dejectedly at himself and forced himself to read the pamphlets again.

"Argh! Just seeing this pile exploding my head! I'm gonna take a walk outside!" Yuya stood up, deciding to read the rest of pile later. He needed fresh air.

Wearing his roller boots, Yuya opened the door, ready to go – only to come face to face with Yuzu who was standing on the other side, her hand was raised as she was about to knock the door. Yuya's face heat up upon seeing Yuzu's face and instinctively, he slammed the door close again, shocking the pink haired girl and he leaned on the door while the girl was banging it.

"Yuya?! What's wrong?! Why are you closing the door again?! Hey!" Yuzu asked. She was a bit offended that Yuya closed the door right after he saw her. What did she do wrong?

"S-sorry…! Please just give me ten seconds!" Yuya replied nervously. His heart was pounding hard and he clutched his chest to calm it down.

" _Great! Why she is here now of all times?!"_

 **OFFICE – LEO CORPORATION – MAIAMI CITY – ARC-V**

"How is the situation of the wormhole today?" Reiji asked Nakajima.

"I'm afraid nothing has yet change, President. The wormhole is still unstable. We also haven't find any sign of Kurosaki's location." Nakajima answered, holding the report from the site.

"How about the hieroglyph and pictograph? Have you deciphered them?" Reiji asked again. The hieroglyph and pictograph were their only clues to find out what exactly happened in the past and hopefully about the wormhole itself.

"They said they are close in completing it." Nakajima answered again.

"I see. Inform me for any update." Reiji covered his face with his hand. This was the first time ever since the war he has been this worried. He just hoped that there won't be a second dimensional war. People were already suffering enough with the first.

Reiji and Nakajima were interrupted by LDS worker who slammed the door opened in hurry. He panted for breath, having run to the room as fast as he could.

"President! There are signals of Duels from four different places at the same time! The power of the summoning performed by the Duelists has the same power as the energy coming from the wormhole!" The worker told them, shocking the two.

"What?! Where are they?!" Reiji questioned, standing up from his seat with his hand on the table.

 **SHOPPING DISTRICT – MAIAMI CITY – ARC-V**

Yuzu went to Yuya's house to invite him to go shopping with her. Since he wanted to go out anyway, Yuya accepted her invitation. Yuya was walking with Yuzu beside him, but the girl realized he was making quite a distance between them, which was unusual and plain strange for him. Another thing, Yuya's face was all red and he avoided making eye contact with her. Yuzu thought it was due to summer heat, so she decided not to press it so much.

"Yuya watch out!" Yuzu yelled when she realized where Yuya was walking to.

Yuya spun around quickly, almost crashing into the people that were walking by. He was so deep in thought that he didn't realized he nearly bumped into lamp post. He looked around before turning another corner into the bustling street. It was teeming with people buying food and meat produce. There was not a single place on the street that was not filled with people. He gave a long tired sigh, its summer season and in the middle of crowds with high temperature didn't really please him, but it was better than staying at home with that pile of books and papers.

"What's wrong with you today? You're being even more a klutz than before." Yuzu asked in concern, sighing exasperatedly.

"I'm not a klutz! I-I'm just wondering about something!" Yuya retorted and just ushered her to continue shopping. Yuya then meekly glanced at Yuzu who was busy looking some clothes.

" _Confession, huh… Nope. No way after all. If I confess, I wonder if anything would change… Should I do it?"_ Yuya contemplated while staring at Yuzu. Noticing his stare, Yuzu turned to him.

"Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something?" Yuzu asked.

"No. Sorry, it's nothing." Yuya looked away again. _"It's impossible! Super impossible!"_

Yuya inwardly cried out. His head was about to burst just thinking about confessing. After all, what if she says no? Can he face her again? He'd seriously die! But at the same time, he was also curious how her reaction would be.

" _I wonder if she'll be happy, or if she'll be annoyed. Wait, why am I seriously considering about this?! I'm such an idiot! Calm thy self, Yuya Sakaki!"_ Yuya scolded embarrassedly at himself.

"Hey, Yuya, four months from now Leo Corporation will be holding Maiami Championship again." Yuzu started a new conversation.

"Y-yeah. I didn't realize it'll be so soon." Yuya replied.

"This year, I'll definitely win the championship and advance to Youth Class." Yuzu then turned to Yuya, confident smile on her face. "Just watch! I'll catch up to you soon! Then, we'll have a rematch as Pro Duelists!"

Yuya's cheeks reddened seeing her like that, but her words saved him from being so nervous. Instead, he chuckled and returned her smile with his own.

"Yeah! I'll be waiting! And I will win again!" Yuya replied.

Yuzu giggled and smiled in relief. "You finally look at me and smile." She said.

"Huh?"

"You've been thinking about something for the past few days now, haven't you? If it's something I can help you with, I'll try to help you, so don't hesitate to ask, okay?" Yuzu told Yuya, and the latter sighed. He made her worry because he was thinking too much. He was so stupid.

"Nah…I'm just thinking about high school and my future afterwards…" Yuya finally answered. He half lied. There's no way he would talk to her about his feeling for her that will be the same as confessing.

"That's surprising. I didn't expect you to think about that." Yuzu blinked, completely surprised by the answer.

"Rude! My future is important you know!" Yuya retorted.

"Well yeah, but…we're not even a high school student yet. I don't think you need to think much about it. Just take it easy for now. I'm sure it'll turn out all right." Yuzu patted Yuya's back in assurance.

"Take it easy, huh…" Yuya repeated in wonder.

Yuya, Yuzu, and Gongenzaka have reached their third year in middle school. They were 15 years old now. For the last year, nothing in particular happened and he and his friends begun moving on with their normal lives as graduation steadily approaches. It almost felt the dimensional war was like a dream if it were not his ability to communicate with his monsters that keeps reminding him. Fighting in the war was hard, but now he felt that growing up is just as hard as dueling while risking lives on the line. It doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy the life he has now. He definitely enjoys it. But lately he felt something was bothering him yet he couldn't put it into words.

"Maybe I should try to convene with Gongenzaka or the others about this too…" Yuya first tried to contact Yuto. However, he received no answer. Now thinking about it, Yuto hasn't reply his call or messages for the past week. He also tried to call Ruri and Shun, but they didn't answer his call too. This happened the day after a mysterious blast was seen at the outskirt of Maiami City. He heard that Leo Corporation has something to do with it and he had asked Reiji, but the latter said he was stil investigating it himself and didn't share more. It was unusual, and Yuya was honestly worried.

Yuya shook his head, giving up to continued making assumptions or speculations or else he might lose his hair for thinking too much. Reiji will tell him eventually when he is ready. Yuto and the others must be so busy with something that they can't give him any reply. He can see them any time anyway. For now, he'll just focus on his own problem. But first, he'll refresh his mind with a bit snack.

Just as he let himself be pushed into the crowd,

"Having fun, Yuya Sakaki?"

Yuya and Yuzu stopped walking, not minding anyone bumped into them. They froze as they heard the cold eerie voice. They were too afraid to move as they felt another person stand beside Yuya. Without looking, they knows whoever it was, this person was planning something not good from his presence. The presence was cold that it made them shivered. They noticed a real gun in his hand, but not pointing and pull the trigger…yet. Not with so many people around them.

"Who are you?" Yuya asked.

"Let's just say…I'm one of the people who caused the blast you saw a week ago and I cam from another dimension." The guy replied.

"The blast?! You mean the one at the excavation site?!" Yuzu quietly exclaimed, unconsciously holding Yuya's hand tightly. The guy nodded in reply.

"And from another dimension...?! You mean there is still another dimension other than ARC-V?" Yuya glanced at the guy in disbelief.

"ARC-V? So this dimension is now called 'ARC-V', huh?" The guy made interested sound. "We can talk about that later, but first let's have a talk, shall we?"

"Yuzu, go on ahead and tell Reiji." Yuya told Yuzu.

"What?! There's no way I can leave you alone!" Yuzu insisted, tightening her grip on Yuya's hand.

"I suggest you do as the boy said, Yuzu Hiiragi. You don't want…an accident to happen to some of these people walking by, don't you?" The guy warned her, making Yuya and Yuzu's face went white.

"Yuzu, I'm okay. Just go! I promise I'll see you again!" Yuya firmly told her, freeing his hand from her grip.

Yuzu looked conflicted. She didn't want to leave Yuya alone with such a dangerous person, but she also didn't want any harm to come to the people around them. Locking gaze with Yuya whose eyes telling her to go, Yuzu bit her lip and clenched her fists before she finally left the shopping district, running to the Leo Corporation as fast as she could.

"Good boy. Though, it's not like I'll let you get away." He grabbed Yuya's arm tightly, making the Entermate user winced a bit by his strong grip.

Yuya slowly faced the guy in the eyes, this time without fear and instead it was bravery and valor within those eyes. Now that he looked at him, he was wearing hooded orange clothing that covered his face, but since they were close, Yuya could see his menacing green eyes. The guy smiled passively as he faced Yuya back, letting go of his arm. Yuya rubbed his arm that was gripped. It was red, proving that the grip was very strong.

"Not here, let's talk somewhere else." Yuya requested.

"I figure out you will say that." The guy said again.

"Let's go, but first I warn you," The guy motioned the Entermate user to follow. When he turned around, it took everything Yuya had not to fall into his knees by his gaze and murderous intent. The guy's green eyes had deepened, darkening, and his mouth slowly parted into bloodthirsty, losing all of the previous passiveness.

"This won't be just a nice talk." He told Yuya. As he said so, Odd-Eyes within Yuya's Deck began to glow.

 **HOUSE – ISOLATED FUSION ISLAND – ARC-V**

"The academy is going to hold a Duel Festival next month." Serena revealed while making coffee for her two friends who were playing chess at the moment.

"Fufufu. It's my turn to shine. In the festival, I will steal the visitors' hearts with my show! My fans around the world will come to see me, so I have to do my best." Dennis said, not looking up from the chessboard. Yuri moved a piece from his side. He remained silent as Dennis moved his knight.

"You mean thanks to the announcement you made in your blog? Just don't go showing off too much. Give the other students a chance to shine. It's for their career too." Serena said with a sigh at her orange-haired friend.

A year after Yuri has been exiled for unknown times, it has finally been settled that Yuri will stay in exile for two more years before he is allowed to be free. Normally, the sentence should be 10 years, so they were glad to hear this as it was far shorter and far better. Yuri didn't seem to mind it as well. However, somehow Serena felt that something wasn't right.

"Yeah, whatever – checkmate! Looks like I win this round!" Dennis said triumphantly as he leaned back on his chair.

"I beg to differ," Yuri murmured as he made his move. "Checkmate," he said.

"Darn it!" Dennis cursed. "When did you get this good in chess?" he demanded.

Yuri crossed his arms smugly "It's given since I was born. Want another round?"

"No thanks." Dennis replied flatly.

"Loser." Yuri teased. Serena smiled as she served the beverages to the two before putting back the chess pieces. When she was about to put back the chess, a burst of coffee splattered on her shirt from her left side.

"What?! How can anyone like this thing?" Dennis riddled in his head as the beverage swished within his mouth, earning a smack from Serena. She wiped herself with a small towel before smacking Dennis again.

"Rude! I tried my best! You should thank me that I even bother to make a drink for you!" Serena exclaimed. For once she thought of making a drink for her friends, and this is what she got?

"My bad Serena, but Dennis is speaking my words here. This is terrible." Yuri agreed with the Entermage user. He effortlessly dodged Serena's smack as he enjoyed his sandwich. "You'll need a lot of practice if you want to serve this ever again."

"S-shut up! I'm trying my best you know!" Serena said, preparing another coffee.

"Wait, you're still making that? I don't wanna! Plus, this lady-like thing is so not your thing, Serena-chan!" Dennis pushed his mug back to Serena.

"Hey, you're the one who wants a help to ease your muscles since you were so tired after taking a job from Reiji! If you don't like it, then why don't you ask Yuri for an advice?" Serena pointed toward the Predator Plants user.

"I used his methods before, but it doesn't work now. That's why I am asking you, which was the wrong thing to do." Dennis spat back.

Like Yuri had told him before, two cold showers and three cups of caffeine-loaded java were helping, but nothing replaced a good, natural nights rest. Dennis learned that over his intense years of training in Academia while under the Professor's reign during his first year joining, but fortunately, he had gotten used to functioning without it. The body never truly adapts to sleep deprivation, but with enough practice, it gets easier to ignore its side effects.

"If you want to do something so lady-like, you need to learn from Yuzu, Ruri, and Rin. They are definitely very much more girls than you, Serena." Dennis said with a sigh, earning him a kick on his head.

"No, thank you very much. I'm completely comfortable with the way I am now." Serena said before pouting, angrily drank the coffee by herself, ignoring the taste completely.

"I'm going to fix the taste in my tongue with one of your fruits in your garden, Yuri." Dennis excused himself to pick some fruits that Yuri has grown himself. He also planted some fresh vegetables to eat. All of fruits and vegetables Yuri has planted were taken care nicely that all of them were delicious. Once you taste it, it won't be an exaggeration to call it high-class.

"Don't pick too much." Yuri told as Dennis left, leaving only himself and Serena in the room.

Now that there were only the two of them, Serena sat right beside Yuri on the sofa.

"What's bothering you?" Serena asked straight to the point.

"Nothing at all." Yuri replied immediately without turning to Serena.

"Liar. I know that you're thinking about something for a while now and it has been bothering you. Is this about your sentence?" Serena said again, this time looking at Yuri. When he still won't look at her, Serena grasped his collar and forced him to face her.

"Tell me. What's bothering you?" She asked again.

"Are you asking me or interrogating me here?" Yuri said with a tinge of annoyance.

"Just answer the question." She told him.

"This is something I'm going to keep for myself. You can't do anything to help." He replied.

"What makes you so sure about that? We haven't even tried!" Serena tightened her grip on his collar. It was then Yuri's gaze hardened and his brow furrowed while looking away. It looked like he was struggling with something but he didn't want to share it with anybody.

Serena slackened her grip on Yuri and opened her mouth to speak again, but they were interrupted by a loud sound coming from the garden followed by the shaking house. Looking at each other in wonder and alarmed, Yuri and Serena wore their Duel Disks and then rushed to the garden to find out what just happened.

"Dennis, what's wrong?!" Serena asked as she slammed the door to the garden. What she saw made her breath hitched. Even Yuri wore the same expression.

The once beautiful garden filled with pretty flowers and fresh fruits and vegetables was now covered in flames and thick smoke. Dennis was lying on the ground with some bruises and dirt on his body. Not too far from him was a skinny built man with tan yellow-emerald hair and a wolf's tail style ponytail. He also wears violet spec glasses over his violet color eyes and wearing orange hooded cloak.

"Dennis!" Serena and Yuri rushed to Dennis. the former held Dennis in her arms as she checked his injuries. Fortunately, nothing was severe.

"Yo! Sorry that I messed up yer garden. The one with thick eye brows, yer Yuri, aint'cha?" The glasses man said, pointing at Yuri.

"It's a common curtesy to introduce yourself first." Yuri calmly replied, though his eyes were ready for the kill.

"Oh, yeah! My bad!" The man said with a laugh. He scratched his head before raising his Duel Disk and activated it.

"The name's Shing. Long story short, I was ordered to come here to beat ya up." Following Shing's statement, Starve Venom inside Yuri's Deck began to shine.

 **ORPHANAGE – NEO DOMINO CITY – ARC-V**

The orphanage where Yugo and Rin were staying has been renovated completely. The one that once was a dilapidated house has turned into three floors house with more than descent furniture and various other things needed for the children staying in the orphanage. In front of Yugo's room, Rin quietly twisted the knob of his room and opened the door just a crack to look inside. The door flew open, revealing Yugo with his hair sticking at odd places and a wrench on his hand. He was wearing a pair of black sweat pants with a white t-shirt. He was sitting on the corner, staring at the window.

"You're okay? How is your cold?" Rin asked in concern. Five days ago, Yugo caught a cold. When the doctor examined him, he said that Yugo was exhausted from moving around too much, so he should take plenty of rest for a few days.

"I'm totally fine now! I'm all healthy thanks to you nursing me!" Yugo said energetically.

Rin sighed. "Still, you need to take care of yourself more, Yugo. Don't be picky on your food too. Eat something healthier." She lectured.

"I know, I know. I'll be careful from now on! Let's have a Duel now! I'm bored lying on my bed! It's like forever I haven't Duel!" Yugo held Rin's hand while pointing outside, excitedly wanting to duel.

"But no Riding Duel or Action Duel, okay?" Rin set her condition. Yugo just recovered, so he shouldn't move around too much. Besides…

"Also, lately there are cases of several Duelists around our neighbours being attacked by someone. Most of the Duelists were sent to the hospital. I don't doubt your skill, but I'm worry about your condition." Rin told Yugo. It happened around four days ago. Several Duelists were attacked and left severely injured. Investigation has been conducted, but there was no clue so far. Warning has been issued for the citizens who are Duelists not to go alone or report any possible sighting. As the result, there were less people coming out.

"Then let's just duel at the indoor park. It's fine over there, right? Let's go!" Yugo said eagerly as he pulled Rin.

Yugo and Rin were about to rush out of the house, only to have the Speedroid user's room blasted by an explosion from the window, making the house shake and a huge hole on the roof of Yugo's room. Hearing the loud explosion and the shaking building coming from Yugo's bedroom, several children together with the orphanage head rushed to the second floor into Yugo's room, finding the room was all messed up and Yugo and Rin steadied themselves.

"Stay back! Don't let the children come here!" Yugo motioned them to back down, which they did without a question.

"Who's there?" Rin went to her battle stance.

"Such a cute opponent. Too bad I need to defeat you." A girl appeared from the thick smoke. She has long orange hair, wearing magenta colored eyepatch next to her only emerald-colored eye, over then appearing as a beautiful figure. She was wearing a lighter orange-colored cloak.

"Who the hell are you?! And look what you did to my room! We just renovated it!" Yugo protested at the girl. The room he had longed for was finally finished two weeks ago, and now it was destroyed almost to nothing.

"But if I didn't do that, it won't be a surprise, so just deal with it." The girl replied nonchalantly, showing no remorse whatsoever in her action. She then raised her Duel Disk.

"Never mind that. My name is Neon. I will have you in my winning record, Yugo-kun~"

 **FOREST TOWN – HEARTLAND CITY – ARC-V**

"Don't worry. I'm sure he is okay." Yuto comforted Ruri who was close to tears. They were sitting on a bench at the park.

A week ago, Shun was called by Reiji for a help with something. Shun accepted and promised Ruri that he will come back the next day. However, the next day, she saw the news about a blast from Maiami City that came from where her brother was supposed to be working at and quickly tried to contact him to no avail. Together with Yuto, they went to the Leo Corporation to ask Reiji directly of what happened, and they answer horrified them. Shun was missing after confronting someone from a wormhole that appeared in the excavation site, and the only thing remained was his bloodstained transceiver. Ruri almost fainted from hearing that. Hearing of the possibility that Shun was most likely in another dimension connected to the wormhole, Yuto was more than eager to go there to look for his best friend if he wasn't stopped by Reiji. As the wormhole became unstable ever since the blast, no one is allowed to enter into the wormhole. He didn't want to risk of sending anyone to possible void between dimensions instead of another dimension. With that, Yuto and Ruri returned to Heartland dejectedly.

Hoping that Shun is okay and maybe is somewhere in this world, they tried to look for him, asking their former Resistance friends to help them looking for Shun. They contemplated to ask for Yuya and the others' help as well, but Reiji had told them not to tell anyone to keep the panic to the minimum as they have yet to understand about the wormhole and the ancient hyper-advanced town they have found. And so, they looked for Shun with the only available people they have in Heartland. A week has passed, but their search resulted with no fruition.

"We both know how strong Shun is. He won't die so easily." Yuto pulled Ruri closer to him, ruffling her hair comfortingly.

"Yes… Thank you, Yuto…" Ruri thanked him as she leaned closer and stayed that way for a little longer. She needed this comfort. She has been worried sick and barely sleeps for the past week. She just couldn't stop worrying for her brother. She never stopped praying that he is alive and all right somewhere.

"I'll try to ask Yuya and the others help later. You should go back and take a rest for a bit. You don't want to worry Sayaka and the others, right? I'll tell you if I find something, okay?" Yuto softly told the girl, wiping a tear that started to form in her right eye.

"I'm sorry. You're right. I will take a break for a bit…" Ruri stood up from the bench, trying her best to smile at Yuto even though she was still sad. She already troubled her friends with her request to help her looking for her brother, so she didn't want to worry them even more.

"I'll see you later then, Yuto. Be careful, okay?" Ruri excused herself/

"Yeah. I'll be fine. I promise." Yuto replied tenderly.

Yuto looked at Ruri's direction. When they were at quite a distance, they waved to each other one last time before she left. He continued to see her retreating form until he couldn't see her anymore. When he made sure that she has left, Yuto finally stood up from the bench.

"I'm alone now. Show yourself." Yuto demanded.

"Oh? So you noticed my presence?"

The Xyz user faced the bushes and trees where the voice came from. Sounds of footsteps became louder, showing that the person was walking closer to him. He revealed himself fully. He was a muscle-built black man with dark-brown hair styled in curls, to even a ponytail, wears violet spec glasses over his brown color eyes. He was wearing an orange-colored hooded cloak.

"My apologies if I ruin your moment with your girlfriend. That is not my intention, but I have to follow my orders to face you." The man apologized sincerely.

"Who are you?" Yuto questioned the man, ready to raise his Duel Disk to fight. Inside his Deck, Dark Rebellion started to glow.

"My name is Rowan. I'm sorry, but I have to defeat you here and now."

 **HOSPITAL – DEN CITY**

Yukiya didn't particularly like hospitals. Not that there was anything wrong with them, per se, but they stank of death and they were always full of whether hurt or dying people, no matter how hard the nurses tried to plaster smiles on and tend them. Seeing them made his heart aches, making his wish to help them all if he could.

On second thought, maybe he did like hospitals a bit.

This was a first for him, actually as far as he remembers. Yukiya had never really been to a hospital just to visit someone before. Instead, he used to be the one who stayed and visited by his friends, his family, and his relatives. It's been a week since his best friend was in a coma. For the past week, he didn't have any chance to visit her because he was too busy looking for the culprit who made her like this and find a way to wake her up.

Since he still hasn't found any lead, he decided to visit Sara.

When he found Sara's room, he exhaled and inhaled twice, feeling somewhat nervous. Yukiya entered alone, walking to the bed where she lay. He looked down at her quiet, still form, connected by wires and tubes to the machines keeping her alive. He placed the bouquet of flowers on the vase before turning to the unconscious girl.

"You should be stronger than this," Yukiya murmured. "You're always cheerful, lightening up our mood when we depressed, telling us jokes, humors, and all…" He looked sadly at her. "It's been a week already…and you're still between dream and reality…"

Yukiya sat on the chair, watching her closely, half hoped that she will wake up. But she didn't. He kept looking at her that he didn't realize his ace card, Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon, was shining.

 **TEMPLE – OUTSKIRT – CAPITAL**

"Yuno-sama, it's about time for us to return." A blondish tan haired man in suit told a boy with darkish blue and black hair who was staring at the card in his hand.

"Yes. Just a little bit." Yuno replied while looking at his ace card, Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon that was glowing. He sighed. His last hope for his premonition not coming true was not answered. This can only mean one thing. This is maybe their only hope to end everything.

"You think so too, huh?" Yuno said to his ace monster, his sworn friend, roaring as the card's glow intensified. He looked up at the transparent ceiling, looking up at the wide blue sky as flock of birds flew pass by.

"They're coming here soon…"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Blazing Inferno & Demonic Temptress – **Yuya is challenged by a Duelist named Tsukasa. Both seem to be at stalemate, but Yuya then feels something strange is happening as the Duel goes on. At the same time, Yugo is confronted by the attacker of Duelists around his neighborhood who introduce herself as Neon. They commence a Duel in which Neon quickly gain the upper hand with her Deck.

* * *

 **Hello everyone. How do you think for the first chapter of the sequel? Oh, and I want to ask, should I make a modification to the Master Duel and Speed Duel rules or not for this fanfic? I personally don't like the new rules and it would be difficult to write for Yuya's Dueling considering his Deck, but I would like to know your opinions first. I made a poll in my profile for this. The deadline is once chapter 5 is released. Please give your vote. As for the Action Duel rule, I have decided to make the rules the same as the one in the manga. This will be explained in the next chapter.**

 **In case there are people who forgot this message in the last chapter of** _ **Bonds of Pendulum**_ **and _Presage of Malevolence: Prologue_** **, I'll say this again: The main protagonists from the other** _ **Yu-Gi-Oh**_ **series (Yugi, Judai, Yusei, Yuma, and Yusaku)** _ **WON'T**_ **appear in the sequel. Adding them usually lead to demands like 'I want them to do this', 'they need to do that', 'make them appear more' and so on, and if that continues it may make original characters from ARC-V being neglected before I know it. I actually don't hate the idea of having crossovers story with the other** _ **Yu-Gi-Oh**_ **protagonists. In fact I'm interested, but if in the future I'm going to write that, I'll do it in a brand new fanfic, not this sequel (But please** _ **DON'T**_ **take this as me promising to write a crossover fanfic). The sequel is still an ARC-V story and I don't want to take risk of adding the main protagonists who may outshine Yuya who will still be the main character of the sequel. And I do not accept OCs or Custom Cards.**

 **I have completed most of the original cards in my profile, but as I have said before, there are several cards that I purposely won't include.**

 **Lastly but not the least, I finally got a job. Even though this job is one that I can do at home, it's many and not so easy to do, so I can't determine exact update schedule yet. I will try to balance my work and writing this fanfic. Thank you for your understanding.**

 **Don't forget to review this chapter~**


	2. Blazing Inferno & Demonic Temptress

**Big thanks to** _ **ThePsycoPath96, Meemo, Guests, aqua9597, AlissonJohns, GamingGuy84, DKILAM, Lord yuri, Unknowedz, Ringo1372, Ryujomaru15, Drago, Citylover96, Playerhood18, ThePLOThand, Demons Anarchy of Pride, bladeWriter3, danio13, thetiger39, Ulrich362, Yuka Kuroshiro, Elbarto4000, matrixnis, FanficCrossoverMaster15, dvdryms, Phantomknight Girl, SSJGamerYT, Big duels, Crazyloop8888**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter~!**

* * *

 **FOREST TOWN – MAIAMI CITY – ARC-V**

Yuya glanced cautiously at the surrounding forestry before dropping his gaze at the mysterious dangerous hooded man in front of him. The man had been quiet so far, staring unblinkingly ahead. With an imperceptible sigh, his gaze slowly drifted elsewhere, settling on around him to make sure that this is not a trap or something. As a gust of wind swept the clearing, sending miniature waves rippling down the running river behind them, the Entermate user's gaze shifted once more, focusing again on the man until they stop walking. A whisper of a rustle suddenly snapped the Entermate user out of his thoughts. The man had stopped walking and delicately turned to the boy; making Yuya flinched and unconsciously taking a step back as he looked into his deep green eyes.

"W-what do you want with me?" Yuya asked, cursing himself for stuttering. An almost overwhelming flame pressure swept the area and Yuya's jaw tightened, feet digging into the ground to keep from being pushed back.

"Simple," The man started "Give me your Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and then I will leave you without any harm done." He demanded.

"I cannot do that." Yuya immediately answered. "Odd-Eyes is my precious irreplaceable partner. I won't hand him over to just random stranger. And Odd-Eyes doesn't want to go with you." Yuya's fear quickly disappeared, replaced by his strong determination.

The man sighed. "So not only your look, you also inherited the power to communicate with Duel Monsters. Should have known that." The man's eyes narrowed and turned dangerous, making Yuya's body shuddered just by looking into it.

"Then I'm going to use force. A weak boy like you would never capable of defeating me." The man coldly stated.

"Are you judging people by their appearance? And how can you be so sure that I'm weak?" Yuya questioned.

"I've been watching since a week ago. You might be able to fight at Pro level, but you're still weak…and more disturbingly, naïve and too soft. Unbefitting in the battlefield." The man clenched his fist as he said so.

Yuya narrowed his eyes at the man, staring at him intently but didn't show any hostility or sign of attacking. The boy closed his eyes and inhaled and exhaled softly before calmly took several steps to the man, bravely without any fear. Yuya wore his Duel Disk and activated it. This person was not a type that will listen and talk or be swayed simply with his entertainment Dueling. Duel first, talk later.

A strong murderous intent emitted from the man as well as deadly aura from the man's body dangerously started to surround the area that seemed to threaten to decay the trees and grass that touched by it.

"I see…that's really a shame. You leave me no choice." The man said in dark tone, activating his Duel Disk as well. The moment he activated his Duel Disk, the Action Field system in Yuya's Duel Disk activated.

{FIELD SPELL: CROSS OVER}

The man raised his brows as the forest was covered in a dome and their surroundings changed into what looked like the inside of circus tent. "So, we're going to do this so-called Action Duel? I gotta say I am interested in doing it." He smiled with interest.

"If you have observed me, then you know how Action Duel works?" Yuya asked. He didn't want to duel against someone who doesn't know the rule about Action Duel as that would be an unfair advantage, especially with the new rule, so confirming whether his opponent already knew the rule or not came first.

"Of course. I have taken the liberty to learn about it. Originally the Action Cards are scattered throughout the Field and all players can take it at any time they want but only 1 card at a time. That rule, however, has been changed. In each Turn, there will be only 1 Action Card, but in return both players can take as many Action Cards as they want in their hand." The man explained the new Action Duel rule that had been set. From the past few days watching Yuya from afar, he had done a research on Action Duel. Knowing your enemy's specialty is necessary if you want to win in any battle.

"Correct." Yuya confirmed.

While the original rule of the Action Card is exciting to do and watch, Reiji came into conclusion that constantly using Action Cards won't do any good for the growth of Duelists' skill. Before they knew it, they will become heavily reliant on Action Cards instead of getting out the situation with their own cards and strategies. For this reason, Reiji has restricted the usage of Action Card. This sudden change received mixed reactions, but most of Duelists understood the truth in his words, including Yuya. He had been relying too much on Action Cards in his Duels until a year ago instead of using his own cards, but this now it will be different. Of course, Action Duel is still You Show Duel School's specialty, so he will still take Action Card when he has the chance. Letting the enemy get it won't be good.

"But of course. That's right, I haven't introduced myself. My name is Tsukasa. I'm here under the order of His Excellency to take your dragon!" The man, Tsukasa, finally introduced himself. His eyes were burning with determination to defeat the boy.

"I won't let that happen!" Yuya replied, beginning the Duel.

 **[ACTION DUEL!]**

"I'm taking the first Turn! With Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timeseer Magician, I set the Pendulum Scale! With this I can simultaneously summon Level 2 to 7 monsters! Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Create an arc of light across the aether! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my monsters!" Yuya summoned Entermate Silver Claw (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 700 / LV: 4 / PS: 5), Entermate Handsome Liger (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 400 / LV: 4), and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 4) in Attack Position.

"I've seen it before, but this Pendulum Summon never cease to surprise me." Tsukasa commented.

"I activate Timeseer Magician's Pendulum Effect! Once per Turn I can add a Trap Card to my hand." Yuya added a Trap card into his hand.

Odd-Eyes roared at Tsukasa upon seeing him, growling hostilely and seemed ready to mow the man. Tsukasa snorted at Odd-Eyes in respond.

"I don't know what you're saying, but I do understand you don't like me very much, Odd-Eyes." Tsukasa stated, earning him another growl from the red dragon.

They were interrupted by Yuya who jumped onto Odd-Eyes' back and motioned the red dragon to make a jump on an Action Card floating not so far to their right.

"I'm taking this Turn's Action Card." Yuya stated as he took the Action Card.

"I set 1 card and end my Turn!" Yuya finished. He patted Odd-Eyes to calm the dragon. He understood that his ace monster doesn't like the guy since he has stated that he came to take Odd-Eyes, but Yuya felt his dragon was strangely more hostile than usual.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Tuner Monster Infernoid Decatron (ATK: 500 / DEF: 200 / LV: 1)!" Tsukasa summoned Decatron in Attack Position.

" _A Tuner Monster. He is a Synchro user?"_ Yuya thought.

"I activate Decatron's effect. I can send an Infernoid monster from my Deck to my Graveyard, and then this card's Level is increased by the Level of that monster, and this card's name, effect, and ATK becomes that monster's!" Tsukasa sent Infernoid Ba'al (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 0 / LV: 7) from his Deck to his Graveyard, changing Decatron's name, ATK, and effects into Ba'al's and its Level became 8. Decatron's body was covered in flame and then emerged in a form of Ba'al.

"Battle! I attack Entermate Silver Claw with Infernoid Decatron that has become Infernoid Ba'al!" The Infernoid monster blasts a tornado of flames, burning the wolf-like Entermate monster.

 **YUYA LP: 4000 = 3200**

"At this moment I activate Ba'al's effect! At the end of Battle Phase after this card attacked, I can banish a card on the Field!" Tsukasa pointed at Yuya's Handsome Liger. The Entermate monster was covered in a pillar of flame that suddenly came out from the ground beneath it, banishing it from the Field.

" _He's didn't choose Odd-Eyes that has higher ATK?"_ Yuya thought in confusion. As he noticed another Action Card, he jumped off from Odd-Eyes onto a trampoline and jumped again, taking the Action Card for the second time.

"If you're wondering why I chose Handsome Liger instead of Odd-Eyes, the reason would be it's not the time yet." Tsukasa answered, able to tell what Yuya was thinking as his face was telling it.

"What do you mean?" Yuya asked. What kind of time for him to need to destroy Odd-Eyes?

"You'll see. I set 1 card and end my Turn." Tsukasa concluded.

"My Turn! With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Appear!" Yuya summoned Entermate Drumming Kong (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 900 / LV: 5 / PS: 2) from his hand and revived Entermate Silver Claw from Extra Deck.

"Battle! I attack Infernoid Ba'al with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Spiral Strike Burst!" Yuya declared his first attack with his ace monster. Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon shot burning red blast towards the Infernoid Monster. But he wasn't done with just that.

"I activate Drumming Kong's monster effect! Once per Turn, when a monster I control battles, I can increase that monster's ATK by 600!" Yuya increased Odd-Eyes' ATK to 3100 while Drumming Kong was punching its drum chests as Odd-Eyes' blast hit the Infernoid Monster.

"When Odd-Eyes battles a Level 5 or higher monster, the damage is doubled! Reaction Force!" Yuya declared as Odd-Eyes' blast intensified, adding darkish colored flames that increased its destructive property, destroying the infernoid Monster.

 **TSUKASA LP: 4000 = 3000**

"Next, I attack directly with Entermate Silver Claw!" Yuya proceeded with his second attack using his wolf-like monster. Silver Claw ran towards Tsukasa and then jumped with its mouth open, ready to mow down the infernoid user.

"Trap Card: Purgatory of Azure Flame! I can special summon an Infernoid monster from my hand ignoring its summoning conditions!" Tsukasa opened his Reverse Card and then summoned Infernoid Belphegor (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 0 / LV: 6) in Attack Position. As Silver Claw and Yuya were distracted by the sudden appearance of a stronger Infernoid Monster, Tsukasa has spotted an Action Card. Using the trampoline, he got the Action Card.

"Finally I got an Action Card. So this is what it looks like." Tsukasa mused as he looked at the card he just got. Meanwhile, Infernoid Belphegor seemed ready to counter Silver Claw's attack. Before it could, Yuya quickly opened his Reverse Card.

"Trap Card: Entermate Retreat! I can negate the attack of an Entermate Monster I control!" Yuya quickly declared, allowing Silver Claw to stop its attack, landing behind the Infernoid monster before retreating back to Yuya.

"I end my Turn." Yuya concluded, sighing in relief at the close call.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Purgatory Service! I can special summon Level 4 or lower Infernoid Monster from my hand ignoring its summoning conditions." Tsukasa summoned Infernoid Lucifugus (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 0 / LV: 3) in Attack Position.

"I activate Lucifugus' effect. Once per Turn I can destroy a face-up monster my opponent controls." Tsukasa chose Drumming Kong, burning the gorilla-like monster with a ball of flame that fell from the sky, destroying it.

"Battle! I attack Entermate Silver Claw with Belphegor!" Tsukasa pointed at Silver Claw. Belphegor flew towards the Entermate Monster, its claws shining and sharpened.

"At this moment I activate Infernoid Belphegor's effect! When this card declares attack, I can banish a monster from your Extra Deck!" Tsukasa revealed as he pointed at Yuya's Duel Disk.

"What?! From my Extra Deck?!" Yuya automatically looked at his Extra Deck. All monsters within Yuya's Extra Deck were shown in Tsukasa's Duel Disk following the effect. Tsukasa pressed Odd-Eyes Raging Dragon, removing it from the Extra Deck and the play altogether.

"My Odd-Eyes Raging Dragon!" Yuya looked at his Duel Disk in disbelief and dismay. Tsukasa just removed one of his strongest monsters before he could even think of summoning it. At the same time, Belphegor has shredded Silver Claw to pieces, throwing Yuya backwards from the impact of the destruction.

 **YUYA LP: 3200 = 3100**

"Don't relax yet! I activate Infernoid Belphegor's second effect! By tributing a monster, I can banish your monster that just got destroyed or in your Graveyard!" Tsukasa released Lucifugus, banishing Silver Claw from the play. The continuous attack caused Yuya to late to spot the Action Card, allowing Tsukasa to take the Action Card.

"And I'm also taking this Action Card. That makes the two of us." Tsukasa said as he snatched the card. Now both he and Yuya have two Action Cards in their hands.

"Pendulum Monsters are sent to Extra Deck instead of Graveyard when destroyed. Thanks to that, they can be summoned multiple times no matter how many times they are destroyed. Unfortunately for you, my Deck has the way to counter that strategy. Also, my opponents would usually try to revive their banished monsters by returning it to the Graveyard, but too bad for them I also have the way to stop that. Either way, once their monsters are banished, they can never bring them back again. Including you." Tsukasa told Yuya, momentarily unnerving the latter.

"I set a card and end my turn." Tsukasa concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Action Magic: Mad Hurricane! I shuffle all cards I control into my Deck!" Yuya returned all of the cards the he controlled back to his Deck and shuffled it.

"And then I activate my other Action Magic: Balloon Surprise! I can draw cards until I have 5 cards in my hand!" Yuya activated his second Action Card, drawing cards four more cards to his hand.

"From my hand, I summon Entermate Uni (ATK: 800 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 4)!" Yuya summoned Uni in Attack Position.

"I activate Entermate Uni's effect! I can special summon an Entermate Monster from my hand!" As Yuya declared, Uni gave an air peck, letting out a heart-shaped balloon that popped up and revealed Entermate Corn (ATK: 600 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3) in Attack Position.

"I activate Entermate Corn's effect! When I control both Uni and Corn, I can switch them to Defense Position and then add a card from my Deck!" Yuya changed the Unicorn duo into Defense Position. Corn then blew a heart-shaped balloon to Yuya who popped the balloon, revealing a card inside. Yuya added Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 3 / PS: 8) to his hand.

"With Scale 1 Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon and Scale 8 Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon, I set the Pendulum Scale! Pendulum Summon! Appear!" Yuya summoned Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 4) from his hand and Drumming Kong in Attack Position from his Extra Deck.

"Battle! I attack Infernoid Belphegor with Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!" Yuya declared attack with his newly summoned dragon. Odd-Eyes Phantom opened its mouth, shooting a blue blast towards the Demon-Type monster.

"At this moment, I activate Drumming Kong's monster effect to increase Odd-Eyes' ATK by 600!" Yuya increased Odd-Eyes Phantom's ATK to 3100, intensifying its blast.

Tsukasa took one of his Action Cards in his hand. "I activate Action Magic: Miracle! I negate my monster's destruction and halve the damage!" He created a transparent barrier for Belphegor, protecting it from Odd-Eyes Phantom's blast.

 **TSUKASA LP: 3000 = 2750**

When he saw Yuya attempted to get an Action Card at the top of a pole using his roller boots, Tsukasa brought out a grappling hook, shooting it at up at a another pole and jumped towards Yuya.

"Not a chance! I'm taking this Action Card!" Tsukasa said as he kicked the boy away before he could reach the Action Card. Yuya thumped down as Tsukasa got the Action Card.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon's effect! When it inflicted damage during the Turn it was Pendulum summoned, I can inflict battle damage to my opponent equal to the combine ATK of monsters in my Pendulum Zones! Atomic Force!"

Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon and Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon momentarily left their Pendulum Zones to go down, facing Tsukasa. The two dragons opened their mouths, blasting the Infernoid user up-close. Tsukasa kneeled with a bit bruises from the attack, but quickly recovered. The young man is an experienced fighter.

 **TSUKASA LP: 2750 = 350**

"I end my Turn." Yuya concluded.

"My Turn!" Tsukasa looked at the card he drew and his eyes sharpened. "Yuya Sakaki, the countdown to you end has just begun." He told the boy, making Yuya to be on his guard.

"From my hand, I summon Infernoid Decatron." Tsukasa summoned another copy of Decatron in Attack Position.

"When I control Infernoid monsters with the total of their Levels are 8 or lower, I can banish 3 Infernoid monsters from my hand of Graveyard to special summon this card from my hand! Appear! Level 10! Infernoid Nehemoth (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10)!" Tsukasa banished Decatron, Ba'al, and Lucifugus from his Graveyard, summoning Nehemoth in Attack Position.

"I activate Infernoid Nehemoth's effect! When this card is special summoned, it can destroy all monsters other than itself!" As Tsukasa declared, Nehemoth spread its transparent purple wings. The wings began to shine, unleashing purple lights that destroyed Yuya's dragon and Entermate monsters and his own Decatron and Belphegor, leaving only Nehemoth the only monster on the Field. Tsukasa then jumped onto Nehemoth, using its back as a boost to jump higher and snatch an Action Card, however, Yuya surprised him by snatching the Action Card before he could.

"Don't even think of trying to get this Action Card." Yuya told Tsukasa before landing back to his position.

"Battle! I attack directly with Nehemoth!" Nehemoth shot purple flame from its mouth at Yuya who's Field was wide opened. Fortunately, Yuya has already anticipated that.

"I activate Uni's effect! By banishing Uni and Corn from Graveyard, I can reduce the damage by the total of their DEFs!" As Yuya announced, Uni and Corn's spirits on the Field, extending their hands and then created an invisible barrier that blocking the flame from Yuya, lowering the damage their master will take.

 **YUYA LP: 3100 = 2600**

"As persistent as that guy too." Tsukasa said with a tinge of frustration before he took out a card and activated it.

"I activate Continuous Magic Card: Void Dream of Purgatory. Infernoid Monsters I control whose ATKs are Level 2 or higher become Level 1 and all battle damage they inflict to my opponent is halved." Tsukasa changed Nehemoth's Level to 1 before ending his Turn.

" _Any battle damage his Infernoid Monsters going to inflict will be halved… But his goal is most likely to summon a new Infernoid Monster in his next Turn since he decreased his own Infernoid Monster's Level…"_ Yuya stared at Nehemoth and Tsukasa warily while contemplating his next move. He has two ways he could think to get the way out of the situation. " _I must deplete his LP right away or destroy that Continuous Magic Card!"_

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Dragon Link! I can add a Dragon-Type monster from my Deck to my hand with Level equal to a Dragon-Type monster I have face-up in my Extra Deck!" Yuya added Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon back into his hand from his Deck.

"With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Appear!" Yuya immediately summoned his ace monster again to his Field and also Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon and Drumming Kong, both in Attack Position.

"You're going to use Drumming Kong's effect again to increase one of your dragon's ATK? I won't let that happen." Tsukasa stated as he revealed one of his Action Cards in his hand and activated it.

"Action Magic: Recycle Box! I return one of your monsters back to your hand." Tsukasa returned Drumming Kong back to Yuya's hand, preventing Yuya from using its effect to increase either his dragon's attack.

"Have you forgotten the Action Card I got in the previous Turn?" Yuya reminded as he took out the said Action Card and activated it.

"Action Magic: Present! I increase all my monsters' ATKs by 800!" Yuya increased Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon's ATK to 3300.

"Battle! I attack Nehemoth with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya attacked with his ace monster again, prompting the red dragon to shoot its signature blast.

Tsukasa quickly opened his facedown card. "Trap Card: Purgatory of Ashen Flame! I return the Infernoid Monster I control to my Deck and then special summon an Infernoid Monster from my Deck and negate the attack!" He returned Nehemoth back to his Deck and summoned Infernoid Lilim in Defense Position. Odd-Eyes' blast was stopped by Lilim's thunder shot through its spear, paralyzing the dragon.

"Then I attack again with Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!" Yuya made his second attack with his other dragon. Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon shot its own blast, destroying Lilim. As the Infernoid Monster was in Defense Position, Tsukasa didn't receive any damage.

"I end my Turn." Yuya concluded. He wiped a sweat from his face. Even though he had destroyed Tsukasa's monsters, leaving the guy's Field wide open, the bad dreadful feeling he has won't get away from his chest.

" _What is this…? I feel something much worse will happen soon…"_ Yuya thought.

"My Turn! I activate Void Dream of Purgatory's effect. I send this card to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon an Infernoid Monster from my Extra Deck! When my opponent controls Monster special summoned from the Extra Deck while I'm not, I can use up to 6 monsters from my Deck as Fusion Materials!" Tsukasa banished Infernoid Beelzebul, Infernoid Asmodai, Infernoid Satan, Infernoid Astaroth, Infernoid Adramelech, and Infernoid Nehemoth from his Deck.

"Fusion Summon?! Furthermore, using the materials directly from the Deck?!" Yuya exclaimed in disbelief as the six monsters spirits went into the Fusion Portals.

"Demon of the purgatory, reduce your enemies to ashes with your burning flames! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 10! Infernoid Belial (ATK: 3300 / DEF: 3600 / LV: 10)!" Tsukasa summoned Belial in Attack Position. The demon monster howled hatefully at its opponents.

"I activate Infernoid Belial's effect! When this card is Fusion summoned, both players must send 3 cards with Level or Rank 8 or higher from their Extra Decks to their Graveyards, and at the end of this Turn, those monsters are banished!" Tsukasa revealed, grinning a little at Yuya.

"What?!" Yuya took a step back from shock. From the looks of it, Tsukasa has no loss from sending his own monsters to the Graveyard. The same, however, couldn't be said to him. Lots of his strongest monsters are Level or Rank 8 and above. Tsukasa must have known this and that's why he summoned the monster. Gritting his teeth, Yuya reluctantly sent Enlightenment Paladin, Nirvana High Paladin, and Arcadia High Paladin to his Graveyard. He silently apologized to his monsters for discarding them.

"I activate Infernoid Lilim's effect in the Graveyard! By banishing it, monsters destroyed by Infernoid Monster I control in this Battle Phase will be banished!" Tsukasa banished Lilim, giving his Belial the ability to banish the monster destroyed by it until the end of the Battle Phase.

"Battle! I attack Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon with Infernoid Belial!" Following its master's order, Belial dashed forward and then crushed through Odd-Eyes' blue gem with its hand. Odd-Eyes cried out as its body was covered in burning black flames and Belial kept this position, not letting go of Odd-Eyes until the dragon slowly turned to ashes.

 **YUYA LP: 2600 = 1600**

"I end my Turn." Tsukasa concluded.

"Odd-Eyes…?" Yuya's eye widened in horror when he saw Odd-Eyes' card disappeared from his Duel Disk. He looked at his Graveyard, his Banish Zone, his Deck, everywhere, but Odd-Eyes was nowhere to be found.

"No…! Odd-Eyes! Where are you?! Answer me!" Yuya cried out desperately, his hands trembling from the loss of his partner.

"Your dragon won't respond no matter how many times you call. Your Odd-Eyes is not here anymore. And with this my objective is done." Tsukasa revealed calmly, crossing his arms.

Yuya glared at Tsukasa. "What do you mean?! What have you done to Odd-Eyes?!" He questioned the man.

"I'm not a type who will just walk away after my objective is finished before the Duel ends. If you want me to answer your question so much, then try to defeat me first." Tsukasa challenged instead, refusing to answer the question.

He took out his last Action Card in his hand. "I activate Action Magic: Second Attack! I can attack one more time!" He motioned Belial to attack again. This time he targeted Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon.

"I activate Entermate Retreat's effect in the Graveyard! By banishing it, I can return a Monster targeted by attack to my hand and special summon an Entermate Monster in my hand! Also, the battle damage is halved!" Yuya quickly banished his Trap Card, returning Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon to his hand and switched it with Drumming Kong, destroying the gorilla-like Monster instead. Yuya got blown away by the impact. At the very least the damage was halved so he was still in one piece.

 **YUYA LP: 1600 = 750**

"You did well surviving my attack. But I have banished many of your strongest monsters and you only have Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon in your hand. How do you expect to turn the tide to your favor in this situation?" Tsukasa questioned in condescending tone while calmly ending his Turn.

Yuya returned to his feet, wincing from bruises he got. He looked at his Deck. As much as he hated to admit it, Tsukasa was right. His chance was far too slim to defeat the man. He only has Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon in his hand, and his dragons in his Pendulum Zones.

" _Everything is bet in this one last Draw. Please…help me win this Duel, and get Odd-Eyes back…!"_ Yuya prayed with everything he has, pleading to all his cards in his Deck. This was his only chance.

"My Turn!" Yuya looked at the card he just drew. He smiled gratefully as his prayer has been answered. He faced Tsukasa again, his confident smile on his face, which surprised Tsukasa.

"With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon!" Yuya revived Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon back to his Field just as Tsukasa got this Turn's Action Card and quickly activated it.

"I activate Action Magic: Sky Meteor! I banish Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!" Tsukasa used the Action Card, summoning huge meteor towards the white-colored dragon that just got summoned.

"Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon's Pendulum Effect! I can make it switch place with Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!" Yuya revealed as a box appeared from beneath Odd-Eyes Phantom, covering its entire body. When the box was opened, instead of Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon, Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon was the one who came out. Since Sky Meteor has lost its target, the card's activation was negated.

"Battle! I attack Infernoid Belial with Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon!" Yuya declared attack with his dragon despite the huge difference between their ATKs.

"Have you lost your mind? My Belial's ATK is far higher than Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon." Tsukasa pointed out the difference.

"It won't be soon!" Yuya interjected, his smile widened as he activated the card he just drew earlier.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Pendulum Potion! I can increase the ATK of a Pendulum Monster I control equal to the total ATKs of the Pendulum Monsters in my Pendulum Zones!" Yuya increased Odd-Eyes Persona's ATK equal to Odd-Eyes Phantom and Odd-Eyes Mirage's ATK, making its current ATK 5500.

"What?!" Tsukasa exclaimed, genuinely shocked. He has no card in his hand left or any set card, and he just used his Action Card, which has been negated a few seconds ago. He couldn't avoid the attack

"As long as Duelist still has LP remain with slightest bit of hope, the Duel is not over yet! Go, Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon! Atomic Force!" Yuya declared his last attack. Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon opened its mouth wide and shot its flame with similar red color of its own body, burning the Infernoid Monster into nothing and blew Tsukasa onto his back, lying on the ground.

 **TSUKASA LP: 350 = 0**

"Now, answer me! What have you done to Odd-Eyes?! Give Odd-Eyes back to me!" Yuya demanded as he looked down at Tsukasa.

Tsukasa looked up at Yuya calmly, sighing and closing his eyes. "It's useless… Your Odd-Eyes is not in this dimension anymore." He answered before he abruptly used his hands to jump back to his feet, kicking Yuya away from him along with it. The boy fell on his behind, clutching his stomach that got kicked. A trickle of blood came out from his mouth. The kick was stronger than he thought.

"Why don't you try to go to my dimension? Perhaps you'll find your beloved ace monster. And then I'll fight you again without holding back this time." Tsukasa told Yuya before pressing the screen of his Duel Disk, teleporting him away from the forest.

"Wait!" Yuya yelled, but he was too late. Tsukasa has already disappeared. He clicked his tongue. He looked at his Deck and frowned. No matter how many hard he sharpened his senses, he couldn't hear or sensed his ace monster's voices or presence. His dragon was not by his side. His dragon was gone.

"Odd-Eyes…"

 **ORPHANAGE – NEO DOMINO CITY – ARC-V**

"Look what you did to my room! And after the trouble I went through to renovate and tidy it! My first own room!" Yugo protested at the young woman, Neon, who was standing at the top of rubble that used to be the ceiling of his room.

"I'm sorry again. But I'm in a hurry, so I have no choice. Now, straight to the point, if you give me your Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, I'll return to my dimension without making any more ruckus and pay the bill." Neon proposed, bringing out her pocket money to emphasize her words.

"Like hell I'm giving my dragon to you! And you think I'll just let you leave by paying the bill?!" Yugo retorted in annoyance as he covered his ace card in his hands away from Neon's view.

"Wait, you said you're from another dimension?! There's still other dimension other than ARC-V?!" Rin interrupted, questioning the woman.

"Yes. I won't call it a real dimension, but it's still other dimension nevertheless." Neon replied simply.

"What do you mean?" Rin asked again, raising a brow in confusion.

"Oops, I'm afraid I don't have much time. Since you said you won't give me your dragon, you know what this mean." Neon said as she raised her Duel Disk.

"Damn straight it is! I'll beat you and have you pay your mess!" Yugo said as he wore his Duel Disk and set his Deck.

"This is no time to talk for the repairing bill, Yugo!" Rin interjected. Her childhood friend was clearly missing the important point here.

"Whatever! You're going down!" Yugo ignored, activating his Duel Disk.

"Fufu. What a funny boy." Neon chuckled as she also activated her Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! During my Main Phase I can discard 1 Demon Roar God Monster to special summon Demon Roar God Beast Nozuchi (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 800 / LV: 2) from my hand!" Neon discarded Lurrier to special summon Nozuchi in Attack Position.

"When Demon Roar God Lurrie (ATK: 200 / DEF: 400 / LV: 1) is discarded to the Graveyard, I can special summon it!" Neon summoned Lurrie that she just discarded in Attack Position on her Field.

"And then I summon Tuner Monster, Demon Roar God Beast Chawa (ATK: 200 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1) from my hand!" She summoned Chawa in Attack Position from her hand, alarming Yugo of what's going to come.

"I tune Nozuchi and Lurrie with Chawa! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 4! Demon Roar God Beast Kudabbe (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 1100 / LV: 4)!" Neon summoned Kudabbe in Attack Position before setting 2 cards and ended her Turn.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Speedroid Bamboo Horse (ATK: 1100 / DEF: 1100 / LV: 4)!" Yugo summoned Bamboo Horse in Attack Position.

"When Bamboo Horse is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Speedroid Monster from my hand. I Special Summon Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice (ATK: 300 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 3)!" Yugo summoned his pyramid-like Monster in Attack Position.

"I Tune Level 4 Bamboo Horse with Level 3 Tri-Eyed Dice! Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings. Strike down our enemies at light speed! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Yugo summoned his ace Monster in Attack Position.

"Battle! I attack Demon Roar God Beast Kudabbe with Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! Whirlwind Helldive Slasher!" Yugo pointed at the opposing Synchro Monster. Clear Wing's wings glowed green and its body was covered in green whirlwind as it flew straight at its designated target.

"I activate Kudabbe's effect! When I have no cards in my hand, it cannot be destroyed by Battle or card effects!" Neon declared. Kudabbe created a barrier that blocked Clear Wing's attack, pushing Neon back from the clash and she still received damage.

 **NEON LP: 4000 = 3800**

"I end my Turn." Yugo concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Triple Roar! I draw 3 cards!" Neon drew 3 cards from her Deck and immediately activated one of them.

"I activate Magic Card: Foolish Burial! I can send a monster from my Deck to my Graveyard!" Neon opened one of her two Reverse Cards. She discarded Demon Roar God Krus from her Deck into her Graveyard.

"When Krus is discarded, I can special summon 1 Level 4 or lower Demon Roar God monster from my Graveyard!" Neon revived Nozuchi in Attack Position.

"I release Nozuchi to Advance Summon Demon Roar God Dianaira (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 100 / LV: 8) from my hand!" Neon summoned Dianaira in Attack Position.

"From my hand, I summon Demon Roar God Urstos (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 200 / LV: 4)!" Neon summoned Urstos in Attack Position, leaving her hand empty again.

"I activate Urstos' effect! While I have 2 or less cards in my hand, all face-up Demon Roar God monsters on my Field gain 400 ATK!" Neon increased Kudabbe's ATK to 2600, Dianaira's ATK to 3200, and Urstos' ATK to 1900.

"Battle! I attack Clear Wing Synchro Dragon with Dianaira!" Neon declared her counterattack. The dark red demon-like monster sent barrage of punches at Clear Wing, cracking the dragon's body before doing the finishing blow with one powerful punch, destroying the dragon.

 **YUGO LP: 4000 = 3300**

"And then, I attack directly with Kudabbe!" Neon made her second attack with her Synchro Monster. Kudabbe jumped at Yugo, intending to tackle the Speedroid user.

"I activate Tri-Eyed Dice's Effect! By banishing this card from the Graveyard, I can negate the attack!" Yugo banished his Tuner Monster, allowing him to block Kudabbe's attack.

"Then I attack directly with Urstos!" Neon made her third attack with her remaining monster. Urstos shot a black sphere at Yugo that strikes the latter, throwing the Speedroid crashing to the wall behind him.

 **YUGO LP: 3300 = 1400**

"Yugo!" Rin cried out in concern and immediately ready to rush to him, but Yugo held out a hand, telling her not to move from her place. He could still fight. He had been through a lot worse than this a year ago.

"And with this I end my Turn." Neon concluded. She licked her lips, as she smirked at Yugo. "I haven't reached my objective here, so I won't deliver the finishing blow anyway I will give you a chance to counterattack. Now, come on."

Yugo glared at the woman as he stood up, wiping the dust from his suit. "Why you…! You're gonna pay for that!" He yelled angrily as he started his Turn.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Pot of Greed! I can draw 2 cards!" Yugo drew 2 cards from his Deck and quickly activated one of them after seeing it.

"I activate Magic Card: Step on Shadow! I can Special Summon a monster from my Graveyard that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck with a lower Level than the Level of my opponent's Monster!" Yugo chose Dianaira and revived Clear Wing Synchro Dragon back to his Field.

"When a Monster is special summoned to my Field, I can special summon Speedroid 5 6 Plane (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 0 / LV: 5)!" Yugo summoned 5 6 Plane in Attack Position.

"When 5 6 Plane is special summoned, I can lower the ATK of a monster on the Field! I choose your Dianaira!" Yugo lowered Dianaira's ATK to 2600. While he could activate Clear Wing's effect to increase the dragon's ATK, he has better plan to inflict much bigger damage to his opponent.

"From my hand, I Summon Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice!" Yugo summoned his Tuner Monster in Attack Position.

"I tune 5 6 Plane with Red-Eyed Dice! Magical sword with the form of a cross. Use your power to rend all enemies! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Level 6! High-Speedroid Devil Sword Dama (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 6)!" Yugo summoned Devil Sword Dama in Attack Position.

"I activate Devil Sword Darma's effect! Once per Turn I can banish a Speedroid Monster from my Graveyard to inflict 500 damage to my opponent!" Yugo banished Bamboo Horse to inflict 500 damage to Neon. However,

"I activate Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect! I negate the effect of a Level 5 or higher monster and destroy it and add the ATK of the destroyed monster to Clear Wing! Dichroic Mirror!" Yugo destroyed Devil Sword Dama to increase Clear Wing's ATK to 4700.

"Battle! I attack Urstos with Clear Wing! Whirlwind Helldive Slasher!" Yugo attacked again with his ace monster. Clear Wing crashed its body against Urstos, destroying the Demon Roar God monster and nearly blew Neon away if it were not for her monster steadying her back.

 **NEON LP: 3800 = 500**

"I end my Turn. How do you like that?! Nobody messes up with me and my dragon!" Yugo exclaimed with a tone close to victory. Rin sighed. She hoped Yugo wouldn't lose his concentration from this. The Duel is not over yet after all.

"My Turn!" Neon looked at the card she drew and smiled sweetly. Too sweetly and unnerving in Yugo and Rin's eyes. "Yugo-kun, say good bye to your beloved Clear Wing."

"What?"

"From my hand, I summon Demon Roar God Grimro (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4)!" Neon summoned Grimro in Attack Position.

"And then I activate Magic Card: Synchro Cancel! I return a Synchro Monster on the Field and then special summon all monsters used as its material! I choose my Kudabbe!" Neon returned Kudabbe to her Extra Deck, reviving Nozuchi, Lurrie, and Chawa to her Field.

"She returned her own Synchro Monster?!" Yugo exclaimed in confusion. Following this, a sense of dread started creeping up in his chest. Clear Wing howled louder as it glared hatefully at Neon. Yugo sensed that Clear Wing was starting to feel unrest. What is going to happen that it made his dragon reacted like this?

"I tune Grimro, Lurrie, and Nozuchi with Chawa! Synchro Summon! Level 8! Demonic Roaring God Valkyrus (ATK: 2900 / DEF: 1700 / LV: 8)!" Neon summoned Valkyrus in Attack Position. At the monster's appearance, Clear Wing growled, becoming even tenser. This worried Yugo.

"Clear Wing, what's wrong with you?" Yugo asked, but didn't receive any respond from his dragon that continued to growl deeply.

"Pay attention to your opponent! I activate Magic Card: Demonic Pierce. I can increase the Level of a Demon-Type monster I control by 500!" Neon increased Valkyrus' ATK to 3400. Valkyrus' body was covered in black shadow. The air became colder as seconds passed and Clear Wing suddenly moved covering its master from Neon's view, confusing Yugo whose worry just increased.

"Battle! I attack Clear Wing Synchro Dragon with Demonic Roaring God Valkyrus!" Neon declared attack.

Valkyrus formed a black sphere in its palms. Once the black sphere was big and powerful enough, it threw the black sphere towards the Synchro dragon. Clear Wing spread its wings and arms against the incoming attack. The moment the black sphere hit its body; Clear Wing's body was covered in black electricity that shocked the dragon to the core. The dragon howled in pain, echoing throughout the whole city. Before it exploded, Clear Wing, pushed Yugo away with its tail, preventing the backlash from its destruction to reach its master.

 **YUGO LP: 1400 = 500**

"Clear Wing!" Yugo cried out in dismay. To make it even more horrifying, Yugo's face paled as Clear Wing's card disappeared form his Duel Disk. And this sent the Speedroid user into a panic state.

"This can't be…! How…?!" Yugo exclaimed as he looked through his Duel Disk, looking for any trace of his most precious dragon.

"What's wrong, Yugo?!" Rin asked, becoming worried at her panicked childhood friend.

"I-I can't find Clear Wing anywhere! Not in Graveyard, Banish Zone, or the others! Clear Wing is gone!" Yugo answered, looking at Rin with fear was all over his face.

"What?! No way!" Rin exclaimed.

"I told you to say good bye. Your Clear Wing is no longer here in this dimension." Neon interjected, waving shrugging dismissively.

Yugo glared again at Neon. "You bastard! Give back my dragon! Give back Clear Wing!" He demanded furiously.

Neon stuck her tongue our. "If you want to know so much, then end this Duel first. Due to the effect of Demonic Pierce, my other monsters cannot attack, so I have to end my Turn now." She said as she ended her Turn.

"You…! I think I can handle my room being destroyed, but taking my Clear Wing away, I absolutely can't forgive that! You're going to pay seven folds for that! You hear me?! You're not getting away from this!" Yugo yelled at the top of his lungs, not caring if he will lose his voice. He just couldn't contain his anger and want to let it all out.

"My Turn! Draw!" Yugo looked at the card he drew. He gripped it tight and revealed it.

"When I control no monster while my opponent does, I can special summon Speedroid Cyborg Q (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Yugo summoned Cyborg Q in Attack Position.

"When Cyborg Q is summoned through its effect, I can add a Tuner Monster from my Deck to my hand!" Yugo added Den-Den Archduke into his hand and quickly summoned it.

"I summon Speedroid Den-Den Archduke (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 600 / LV: 3)!" He summoned his newly added Tuner Monster in Attack Position.

"I tune Cyborg Q with Den-Den Archduke! Shining wings, deliver divine speed and illuminate heave and earth! Synchro Summon! Level 7! Clearwing Fast Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 4)!" Yugo summoned his Syncro-Pendulum monster in Attack Position.

"I activate Clearwing Fast Dragon's effect! Once per Turn, during either player's Turn, I can target 1 Monster my opponent controls! That Monster's Effect is negated and its ATK becomes 0!" Yugo targeted Neon's Valkyrus, negating its effect and reduced its ATK to 0, making it a perfect target for Clearwing.

"Good! Neon has no card in her hand nor any set cards! This is it, Yugo!" Rin cheered.

"Battle! I attack Demon Roar God Valkyrus with Clearwing Fast Dragon!" Yugo declared his last Battle Phase, attacking the opposing Synchro Monster.

Yugo's Synchro-Pendulum Monster flew high to the sky until it was high enough and then green lights were accumulated in Clearwing's wings while its body then enveloped by the same bright light. Eyes marked on its target, Valkyrus, Clearwing dashed down towards the Synchro Monster with its highest speed, striking through the Demon Roar God Synchro Monster that quickly exploded into nothingness with Neon got blown away by the attack.

 **NEON LP: 500 = 0**

"Now spit out where my Clear Wing is!" Yugo quickly questioned Neon, not caring if she was still lying on the ground with several bruises, which didn't sit well with the said woman.

"Can you be more delicate to a lady? Oh well, I'll tell you so you don't need to make such a fuss. Your precious dragon is in the dimension where I came from…maybe." Neon answered in teasing manner, shifting her eyes away from Yugo.

"What do you mean by 'maybe'?! You're not sure either even though you're the one who caused it?! Don't joke around!" Yugo was in no mood for any joke. He wanted his dragon back to him now.

"I have no time for this. I have to go because His Excellency calls for me to return." Neon calmly returned to her feet, wiping the dust and smoke from her clothes and face.

"As if I'm gonna let you leave! Tell me where is my Clear Wing!" Yugo demanded again and he was ready to grab the woman by her collar, but Neon then pointed her finger at another direction for Yugo to look. When Yugo and Rin turned to where she pointed to, they paled when another person wearing the same cloth as Neon has his monster to pointed its sword at the children who were trembling in fear while holding to each other tight and close, looking pleadingly at Yugo and Rin to save them.

"The children!" Rin covered her mouth in panic, but unable to move, as the sword was pointed closer to the children, leaking cries from them.

"Don't move now. Stay where you are. You can try to fight, but that is if you want those children to lose their necks." Neon threatened to Yugo, smiling in delight at Yugo's furious expression.

"You…! You cowards!" Yugo spat out. He wanted nothing more but to punch this woman and the guy holding the children hostage. But he couldn't jeopardize the children's safety so he stayed where he was.

"Which one do you choose Yugo-kun?" Neon said in a singing tone as the monster's sword pointed closer to one of the children, its blade read to dug the child's cheek.

"W-wait! I understand! You can leave, so please don't hurt the children!" Yugo pleaded, quickly raising his hands in defeat. When Neon didn't show any reaction, he lowered his head a bit. "I…I beg you…! Just leave the children alone!"

Neon blinked at Yugo's form that was close to a bow. Her lips curved again into a delighted grin and then she pushed Yugo to the wall, her hand was holding collar and pushed his chest to stop him from moving. Not like that he was going as long as the children were taken hostage anyway. Rin wanted to help, but a cry leaking from the children stopped her from moving from her spot.

"You gave yourself something to protect, and that's why you're weak." Neon told Yugo who looked at her in struggle and gritted his teeth in frustration. Neon's eyes softened as she found the boy's reaction amusing. This was the first time she has ever met such a boy. "But…that very weakness makes you so cute and charming."

"Yugo-kun, you're really a lovely boy." Neon said as she placed a hand behind Yugo's head.

Neon pulled Yugo's face closer to her, and the next thing Yugo realized was his lips was locked with Neon. Yugo's body stiffened and then froze due to the shock from the sudden move. He tried to struggle, but Neon was surprisingly strong for a woman. Rin who has been observing the two flinched by Neon's action. The Wind Witch user felt something was cracking inside her when she saw them locking lips. Something inside her was burning like the lava of the volcano that threatened to erupt at any second. After what felt like forever, Neon let go of Yugo, and the boy's face was all red and his eyes rolled from confusion and embarrassment.

Neon squealed at the face he was making. "That face you're making it absolutely cute~! So marvelous! I want to see more and more! I really like you! Yeah, that's it! There's no way I'm not defeating you! I like you, so I will personally end you with my own hands!" Her hands reached out to Yugo again, but a small piece of the rubble came between them. Neon turned to see Rin unleashing hostile aura and beyond furious face at her. The volcano has erupted.

"You…! What have you done to Yugo?!" Rin shouted at the top of her lungs, snapping Yugo from his stupor. Neon nodded at her accomplice, prompting him to retract his monster and the two jumped up to the nearly destroyed rooftop, looking down at Yugo and Rin, winking at the former.

Yugo rubbed his lips with the back of his hand as he glared at Neon with a still red face. "You! Remember this…! Next time I'll thoroughly beat you more than a while ago! I swear!" He swore to her.

"You'll come to see me? I can't wait! Don't get yourself killed until we meet again, okay~! Because your life is mine~!" Neon cooed before leaving, waving happily at Yugo.

"Who the hell is yours?! Hey!" Yugo yelled back, but Neon and her accomplice have already gone. Yugo cursed. Today was the worst he has for the past year. First his room was destroyed, second his dragon was gone to some other dimension, and now his first kiss was stolen! Just how bad today can be for him?! He hoped nothing much worse would happen next for today! He had enough!

Yugo gasped when the children finally cried out loud. "Rin, let's get the children out of here first and call the Securities!" He told his childhood friend. However, Rin didn't respond. She was still staring at where Neon had gone.

"Rin? What's wrong?" Yugo asked in concern, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Rin let out a startled gasp before turning to Yugo. She shook her head when she saw his concerned face. "N-no…! It's…nothing… I-I'll escort them! You should take a rest for a little bit! I-I'll return as soon as I can." She said as she approached the children, taking several of them into her arms while still looking at Yugo who sat on the floor.

"Yeah. Thanks." Yugo said while sighing, but he still smiled gratefully at her.

Rin forced a smile as well before taking the children downstairs. While escorting the children, her brows furrowed again as her mind rewound what happened just a moment ago. When she saw Neon kissed Yugo, Anger swirled like a red tide within her, rising to choke her. Her breath became harsh and shallow, her hands automatically curling into fists at her sides, itching to swing out and put a dent in the wall beside her. Whatever this emotion she has in her chest, it builds up and up and then crash. It sweeps over causing pain. Rin clutched her chest. She couldn't get rid of this painful feeling.

" _W-what was that?! Why do I feel like this?!"_

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Guardian Genie & Bug Master – **Yuto is looking for Shun who suddenly went missing, and find a lead in a mysterious Duelist named Rowan who convince Yuto to duel him in exchange for Shun's whereabouts if he win. Yuri is visited by a Duelist named Shing who invite him to join the group he is working Shing's invitation, Yuri challenges him to a Duel. During the Duel, Yuri senses something from Shing.

* * *

 **FANFIC ORIGINAL CARD MEMO:**

 **PURGATORY SERVICE** : You can special summon Level 4 or lower Infernoid Monster from your hand ignoring its summoning conditions. (Magic Card)

 **PURGATORY OF ASHEN FLAME:** When an Infernoid Monster you control is targeted for attack, you can return the Infernoid Monster to your Deck and then special summon an Infernoid Monster from your Deck and negate the attack. (Trap Card)

 **INFERNOID BELIAL:** (DEMON / FIRE / FUSION / ATK: 3300 / DEF: 3600 / LV: 10). When this card is Fusion summoned, both players must send 3 cards with Level or Rank 8 or higher from their Extra Decks to their Graveyards. At the end of the Turn, those cards are banished.

 **INFERNOID LILIM:** (DEMON / FIRE / EFFECT / ATK: 2900 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 8). When this card is placed in Graveyard, you can banish it to allow an Infernoid Monster you control banish your opponent's monster when it destroyed it through Battle until the end of Battle Phase.

 **PRESENT:** Increase all your monsters' ATKs by 800. (Action Magic Card)

 **BALLOON SURPRISE:** You can draw cards until I have 5 cards in your hand. (Action Magic Card)

 **RECYCLE BOX:** Return one of your opponent's monsters back to their hand. (Action Magic Card)

 **SPEEDROID CYBORG Q:** (MACHINE / WIND / EFFECT / ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4). When you control no monster while your opponent does, you can special summon this card from your hand. When this card is summoned through its effect, you can add a Tuner Monster from your Deck to your hand.

 **THERE'S SOME ADDITION OF AN EFFECT IN THE TCG/OCG CARDS.**

* * *

 **Second chapter finished! Sorry if the Duels are not so long, I want to refrain spoiling cards that they're going to use later. And Link Summon and Link Monsters won't be introduced until later once Yuya and the others went to the other dimension. Plus, I'm still waiting for the result of the Poll. It's still open in my profile for those who want to vote.**

 **For** _ **Guest**_ **reviewers, I'm sorry but any review that only contains something like "Update status" or "Chapter 3" or such will be deleted.**

 **I'm sorry for any error in this chapter! I'll check and fix it later if there's one! Please bear with this for now!**

 **Please don't forget to review~**


	3. Guardian Genie & Bug Master

**Big thanks to** _ **Ulrich362, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Gentyman, Citylover96, Big duels, Unknowedz, GamingGuy84, AlissonJohns, Venomous Blade, Yuka Kuroshiro, Ryujomaru15, bladeWriter3, Meemo, VTXD, Ringo1327, Playerhood18, lord yuri, Elbarto4000, aqua9597, Phantomknight Girl, ThePlotHand, donkeyboy100, dvdryms**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter~!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter~!**

* * *

 **PARK – HEARTLAND CITY – ARC-V**

"What business do you have with me?" Yuto asked the older man, Rowan.

"I have been ordered by my master to come to this dimension to retrieve your Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon." Rowan answered right away to the point.

"To this dimension? Do you mean you came from another dimension?" Yuto furrowed his brows when hearing it. There is still another dimension besides ARC-V that they didn't know about?

"Correct. I'm afraid my master has ordered me to complete my mission as soon as possible, so I would be grateful if you hand over Dark Rebellion willingly." Rowan said as he extended his hand to Yuto, hands gesturing for the boy to give the Xyz dragon to him.

"That will never happen." Yuto's eyes narrowed. He wore his Duel Disk.

"The answer I have expected. You are the same as your comrade, Shun Kurosaki." Rowan commented as he also wore his Duel Disk. Hearing Shun's name being mentioned from his mouth, however, quickly turned Yuto's mind away for a second from his dragon.

"You know Shun?!" Yuto questioned. He finally found a clue about his best friend.

"We have crossed paths before. A week ago when my comrades and I came into this dimension for the first time." Rowan explained while setting his Deck into his Duel Disk.

"So you're the one responsible for his disappearance?! Where is he?! Where is Shun?!" Yuto questioned sharply. His gaze hardened at the older man's form. If this man was the one who had harmed his best friend, there's no way he will let him walk away.

"If you wish to know the answer then do it after you defeat me. If you win, I will tell you where Shun Kurosaki is." Rowan replied and then activated his Duel Disk.

"Then let's start!" Yuto set his Deck, activating his Duel Disk.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm taking the first Turn! From my hand, I summon Knight of the End (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4)!" Rowan summoned Knight of the End in Attack Position.

"When this card is summoned, I can send a DARK-Attribute monster from my Deck to the Graveyard." Rowan sent Ritual Djinn Demolisher (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 600 / LV: 3) from his Deck to his Graveyard.

"I activate Ritual Magic: Ritual of Salvation to perform Ritual Summon." Rowan revealed his Ritual Spell Card, but before he performed Ritual Summon, he pressed the screen of his Duel Disk that showed Djinn Demolisher in the Graveyard.

"When I'm about to Ritual Summon, I can banish Ritual Djinn Demolisher from my Graveyard as 1 of the monsters required for the Ritual Summon." Rowan banished Djinn Demolisher, allowing its spirit to appear by Knight of the End's side as a white altar bathed in light appeared on the Field. Both monsters became flames that lit the altar.

"I use Knight of the End and Djinn Demolisher! Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 7! Beautiful Goddess of Salvation – Northwemko (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 7)!" Rowan summoned Northwemko in Attack Position.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Rowan concluded.

" _This guy knows about Shun. I will make him talk no matter what it takes! Wait for me, Shun! Ruri!"_ Yuto thought determinedly as he started his Draw Phase.

"My Turn! I Summon Phantom Knights Night Gloves (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 800 / LV: 4)!" Yuto summoned Night Gloves in Attack Position.

"When Night Gloves is summoned from hand, I can Special Summon another Night Gloves from my Deck!" Yuto summoned another copy of Night Gloves from his Deck in Attack Position.

"I overlay my two Night Gloves! From the pitch-black darkness, rise up against the foolish oppression with the fangs of rebellion! Descend now! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Yuto summoned his ace Monster in Attack Position.

"I activate Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can halve the ATK of my opponent's Level 5 or higher monster and added the lost attack to Dark Rebellion! Treason Discharge!" Yuto detached an Overlay Unit, prompting Dark Rebellion to shoot its purple lightning from its wings towards Northwemko.

"Unfortunately, Ritual Monster summoned using Demolisher as material cannot be targeted by card effects!" Rowan revealed as Northwemko deflected the lightning with a simple swing of its staff.

Yuto quickly took out a card from his hand. "Then I activate Quick-Play Spell: Nightmare Strength! I can increase the ATK of a DARK-Attribute monster I control by 700!" He increased Dark Rebellion's ATK to 3200 as the dragon was enveloped by dark shadow.

"Battle! I attack Northwemko with Dark Rebellion! Revolt of Lightning Disobey!" Yuto declared attack. The Xyz dragon flew straight towards Northwemko, pointing its shining fangs at the Ritual Monster.

Rowan opened his facedown card. "Trap Card: Djinn Protection! Ritual Monster summoned using Ritual Djinn monster as material cannot be destroyed by battle!" Djinn Demolisher's spirit appeared again, blocking Dark Rebellion's fangs with its barrier, protecting Northwemko.

"But you'll still take damage!" Yuto reminded as Rowan skidded backwards from shockwave, receiving 500 damage.

 **ROWAN LP: 4000 = 3500**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuto finished. The effect of Nightmare Strength was also finished, reverting Dark Rebellion's ATK to normal.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Djinn's Magical Lamp! I can add a Ritual Djinn monster from my Deck to my hand." Rowan added Ritual Djinn Presider (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4) into his hand.

"I summon Ritual Djinn Enforcer (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 500 / LV: 4)!" Rowan summoned Djinn Enforce in Attack Position.

"I activate Djinn Enforcer's effect. When this card is summoned from my hand, I can add 2 Magic or Trap Cards into my hand." Rowan added one Magic and one Trap into his hand.

"Battle! I attack Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon with Northwemko!" Rowan declared his first attack. Northwemko raised its staff and twirled it up, gathering energies from the winds and auras before pointing it at the Xyz Monster, unleashing grayish blast at Dark Rebellion.

"Trap Card: Phantom Wing! I negate my monster's destruction and increase its ATK by 500!" Yuto opened his facedown card, negating Dark Rebellion's destruction and increase its ATK to 3000, backfiring Northwemko's attack back to the Ritual Monster.

Rowan took out a card from his hand. "Trap Card: Djinn Fray! I can activate this card from my hand by releasing a Ritual Djinn Monster I control! I negate the attack and inflict damage to my opponent equal to the attack of the released monster!" He negated Northwemko's attack by releasing Djinn Enforcer and then inflicted 1800 damage to Yuto.

 **YUTO LP: 4000 = 2700**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Rowan concluded.

"My Turn! When I control an Xyz Monster, I can special summon Phantom Knights Dusk Shade (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 800 / LV: 4 / PS: 3) from my hand!" Yuto summoned Dusk Shade in Attack Position.

"When Dusk Shade is special summoned, I can special summon a Level 5 or lower Phantom Knights Monster from my Deck!" Yuto summoned Phantom Knights Black Horse (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 1900 / LV: 5) in Attack Position.

"I activate Black Horse's effect! Once per Turn I can change the Level of all Phantom Knight monsters I control to the same as my opponent's monster's Level!" Yuto changed Black Horse and Dusk Shade's Level to 7, the same as Rowan's Northwemko.

"I Overlay Level 7 Black Horse and Dusk Shade! Fangs of rebellion gain new power and slash the pall of darkness! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Rank 7! Dark Anthelion Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2500 / RNK: 7 / PS: 10)!" Yuto summoned his Xyz-Pendulum Dragon in Attack Position.

"Battle! I attack Northwemko with Dark Anthelion Dragon!" Dark Anthelion Dragon accumulated blue energies into its mouth, preparing for a blast. Dark Anthelion spread its beautiful stained glass-like wings and raised its chest. The dragon then shot a powerful fiery blue blast from its mouth towards Northwemko, burning the Ritual Monster into nothing, leaving Rowan without any monster on his Field.

 **ROWAN LP: 3500 = 3200**

"And then I attack directly with Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon! Revolt of Lightning Disobey!" Dark Rebellion flew towards Rowan. Instead of using its fangs like usual, Dark Rebellion instead strikes Rowan with its tail, sending him crashing to a tree.

 **ROWAN LP: 3200 = 200**

Rowan quickly stood up and opened his facedown card. "Trap Card: Cost Draw! When I receive more than 2000 damage, I can draw until I have 5 cards in my hand!" He drew until he has 5 cards in his hand.

"I activate Night Gloves' effect in the Graveyard. I banish another Phantom Knights monster in my Graveyard to recover my LP by 200." Yuto banished the other copy of Night Gloves, recovering 200 LP.

 **YUTO LP: 2700 = 2900**

"I end my Turn." Yuto concluded, eyeing Rowan warily. He noticed a glint in Rowan's eyes when he saw the cards he has drawn. He is going to do something in his next Turn with those cards.

"I apologize in advance that I must separate you and your dragon." Rowan told the Xyz user.

"What do you mean?" Yuto asked, but Rowan simply started his Turn.

"My Turn! By discarding a Level 5 or higher monster, I can special summon Dark Grepher (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Rowan summoned Dark Grepher in Attack Position after discarding Ritual Djinn Presider from his hand.

"And then I activate Ritual Magic: Ritual of Destruction. Once again when I'm about to Ritual Summon, I can banish Ritual Djinn Monster from my Graveyard as 1 of the monsters required for the Ritual Summon." Rowan banished Djinn Presider that he has sent to the Graveyard to use it as a Material.

"I use Dark Grepher and Ritual Djinn Presider! Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 7! Demon King of Destruction – Garlandolf (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 7)!" Rowan performed another Ritual Summon, summoning Garlandolf in Attack Position. When Garlandolf was summoned, the cold air suddenly thickened and Dark Rebellion became restless, roaring at the Ritual Monster.

"Dark Rebellion?" Yuto looked at his ace monster in concern. Why his dragon became like this all of a sudden?

"I activate Garlandolf's effect. When this card is Ritual summoned, all face-up monsters on the Field with DEF less than or equal to this card's ATK are destroyed and this card received 100 ATK for each destroyed monster!" Rowan revealed. Garlandolf crossed its arms in front of its face as dark energies were gathering around its body. It lowered its arms to reveal its glinting eyes before finally opening its arms, unleashing the energies throughout the area. As two monsters were destroyed, it gained 200 ATK. Its ATK was increased to 2700.

"What?!" Yuto exclaimed in disbelief as both his dragons were destroyed, being sliced by the energies. And to confuse him further, Dark Rebellion's card started to disappear from his Duel Disk. Even though he could find Dark Anthelion back in his Extra Deck, Dark Rebellion was nowhere to be found.

"What's going on?! Dark Rebellion, where are you?! Answer me!" Yuto yelled desperately. He couldn't even sense his dragon's presence. Yuto was so in panic that he forgot his dragons' destruction has left him with nothing and he was at the Ritual Monster's mercy.

"I attack directly with Garlandorf!" Rowan pointed at Yuto. Garlandorf dashed forward and delivered a punch right on Yuto's gut, causing the boy to coughed out blood and fell on his back.

 **YUTO LP: 2900 = 200**

"I end my Turn." Rowan finished, staring at Yuto who was struggling to stand up. "Won't you surrender? I have achieved my objective in removing your dragon. I have no reason to duel you anymore, and your chance to win is far too slim that it would take a miracle to take me down. Surrender."

"I refuse!" Yuto replied while standing up and wiped the blood from his mouth. "What you did has given me even more reason to defeat you! I won't stop until I win this Duel, and make you answer my questions!"

Yuto stared at Rowan with renewed resolve. A year ago he had the girl he loves taken away from him. Now, his best friend and his dragon were taken away from him. And just like a year ago, he will stop at nothing until he got them back. Both of them are precious to him, more than his own life.

"My Turn! Draw!" Yuto looked at the card he drew. He steeled his resolve as his card has responded to him. "I activate Magic Card: Phantom Knights Spell! I can add 2 Phantom Knights Magic Cards from my Deck to my hand!"

Yuto revealed one of the two Magic Cards. "I activate Magic Card: Phantom Knights – Shadow Revival! I can special summon a Phantom Knights Monster from my Graveyard with its ATK and DEF become 0!" He revived Dusk Shade in Attack Position.

"When Dusk Shade is special summoned, I can special summon Level 5 or lower Phantom Knights Monster from my Deck!" Yuto summoned Phantom Knights Beyond Dark (ATK: 300 / DEF: 1900 / LV: 3 / PS: 9) in Attack Position from his Deck.

Yuto then activated his other Magic Card in his hand. "I activate Magic Card: Phantom Shift! I can move Phantom Knights Pendulum Monsters on my Field to my Pendulum Zones!" Yuto moved Dusk Shade with Scale 3 and Beyond Dark with scale 9 into the Pendulum Zones, forming the Pendulum Scale that allow Yuto to simultaneously summon Level 4 to 8 monsters.

"I activate Dusk Shade's Pendulum Effect! Once per Turn, I can Pendulum Summon an Xyz-Pendulum Monster from my Extra Deck with Rank equal to the Level between the Pendulum Scales!" Yuto revealed, shocking Rowan.

"Summoning an Xyz Monster without Level through Pendulum Summon?!" Rowan exclaimed in disbelieve.

"With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Be revived from the Extra Deck! Dark Anthelion Dragon!" Yuto summoned back his Xyz-Pendulum Monster in Attack Position.

"I activate Beyond Dark's Pendulum Effect! Once per Turn, I can increase the ATK of a DARK-Attribute Monster I control by 500!" Yuto increased Dark Anthelion's ATK to 3500. Looking at the difference between his and Yuto's dragon, Rowan simply closed his eyes.

"Battle! I attack Garlandorf with Dark Anthelion Dragon!" Yuto declared. Dark Anthelion Dragon once again spread its beautiful stained glass-like wings and raised its chest. The dragon shot its destructive fiery blue blast from its mouth at the Ritual user. Rowan did nothing but watch the incoming blast coming at his monster and then at himself, the flames burning them until his LP was depleted completely.

 **ROWAN LP: 200 = 0**

Rowan kneeled on the ground, placing a hand on one of his knees. The attack was quite painful, but this was nothing. Years training and experience has raised his tolerance for pain. He will recover in a few minutes.

"Now answer me! Where are Shun and Dark Rebellion?!" Yuto questioned Rowan, clenching his fists tight.

"…both of them are in different places, but in the same dimension. They are in the same dimension where I came from." Rowan answered honestly. But that was the only thing he could tell him.

"However, I can't tell where their exact locations are, because I don't know myself. I am simply told what I need to do and I did it. I'm sorry that I can't answer more than that." Rowan continued. He pressed the screen of his Duel Disk. Yuto recognized the sound, and as he suspected, Rowan's body started to disperse into particles of data.

"Wait!" Yuto tried to rush to Rowan, but the pain in his stomach stopped him. Yuto crouched on the ground while holding his stomach. The attack was stronger than he imagined.

Yuto punched the ground, not caring if his fist got injured. He was just so frustrated and angry at himself. It happened again. Counting it separately, this was the third time. First Ruri a year ago, second Shun a week ago, and now his ace monster. Just when he thought they were finally at peace, why this was happening again?

"Shun… Dark Rebellion…"

Yuto gritted his teeth. He will bring them back. He swore he would bring both his best friend and his dragon back. Even if that means he must go into battlefield and risk his life again.

 **GARDEN – YURI'S HOUSE – ISOLATION ISLAND – ARC-V**

"You came to beat me up?" Yuri repeated Shing's statement while raising a brow.

"Yeah… But that's only if you refuse our invitation though." Shing continued.

"Invitation?"

"My boss is giving you an invitation to give me your dragon and join our group in another dimension so we can make the whole world pretty much like a Hell on Earth." Shing explained nonchalantly with playful smile. The trio Fusion users didn't know how to react for a second until Serena shook her head and growled at Shing.

"Wait just a second you bastard! Are you saying you're from different dimension and intent to start another dimensional war by invading ARC-V?!" Serena questioned incredulously.

"Yeah, slow down a second there." Dennis said as he forced himself to sit up, supported by Serena. "You barged into this island and attacked me and then suddenly said you want Yuri to join your group to destroy this dimension. What kind of sane man who will say yes to that?"

Shing shrugged. "I'm just going straight to the point since explaining this and that is a waste of time. I want to finish my mission quickly here." He replied, rubbing the back of his head.

"As Dennis said. The answer is obviously no. For different reasons though." Yuri replied as he wore his Duel Disk.

"First, you destroyed my garden. Do you know how much sweat and heart I put into growing all these plants for the whole year?" Yuri stated his first reason with a tinge of annoyance in his tone. While he may don't look like it, he is one who appreciate plants. He cherished all the plants he has grown and cultivated in his garden with his own hands every single day without missing one. And all those days' hard work was destroyed in a second.

"Sorry about that. My bad. I just wanted to destroy the door, but I miscalculated the output of my monster's attack." Shing apologized, but his face didn't look he feel guilty at all.

"And second, I'm not giving my Starve Venom to anyone. I'm sure it's a common sense not to give things important to you to some stranger who suddenly came and barged into the someone else's house." Yuri activated his Duel Disk, predatory grin formed on his face.

"You're not concerned about your friend who got injured over there?" Shing asked, tilting at Dennis who now was lying his head on Serena's lap.

"He has the same tenacity as a cockroach. He won't die so easily. There's nothing to worry about him." Yuri waved his hand dismissively.

"Hey! I'm hurt by that, Yuri! At least try to pretend, will you?!" Dennis protested. True his injuries were not life-threatening, but it was still hurt! He couldn't even stand right now! However, he was ignored.

"Whatever. Let's just get this over with." Shing activated his Duel Disk as well, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! I Summon Predator Plants Aldrovanda Centipede (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 200 / LV: 3 / PS: 1) from my hand." Yuri Normal summoned Aldrovanda Centipede in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Fusion. I fuse Pinguicula Beetle in my hand and Aldrovanda Centipede on my Field. Two beautiful flowers with insect-alluring fragrance! Become one now and give birth to a new terror from a hell under your petals! Fusion Summon! Appear, the poisonous dragon with hungering fangs! Level 8! Starve Venom Fusion Dragon (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8)!" Yuri summoned his ace Monster in Attack Position.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Yuri concluded.

"My Turn! When I control no monster, I can special summon Evil Cell of the Inverz (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) from my hand!" Shing summoned Evil Cell of Inverz in Attack Position.

"When I control no Magic or Trap, I can special summon Scout of the Inverz (ATK: 200 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) from my hand, but in exchange I can's special summon other monster this Turn!" Shing summoned Scout of Inverz in Attack Position as well.

"I release Scout of the Inverz to Advance Summon Inverz Giraffa (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 0 / LV: 7)!" Shing tributed Scout of Inverz, summoning Inverz Giraffa in Attack Position. As the former has left the Field, he can special summon again.

"I activate Inverz Giraffa's effect! I can target a card my opponent controls and send it to the Graveyard!" Shing pointed at the Fusion Monster. Inverz Giraffa summoned countless of bugs that swarming towards Starve Venom.

Yuri opened his first facedown card. "Trap Card: Predator Evasion. When a DARK-Attribute monster I control is targeted by an effect that will make it leave the Field, I can negate that effect and summon a Predator Counter (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)." He enabled Starve Venom to dodge the swarm of bugs and then summoned a Predator Counter in Defense Position.

"I also release Evil Cell of the Inverz to Advance Summon Inverz Horn (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 0 / LV: 9)!" Shing once again performed Advance Summon, summoning Inverz Horn in Attack Position.

"I activate Inverz Horn's effect. Once per Turn, I can pay 1000 LP to destroy a monster on the Field." Shing decreased his own LP by 1000 to allow Horn to destroy Yuri's monster.

 **SHING LP: 4000 = 3000**

Shing pointed at Starve Venom again. Inverz Horn flapped its wings, sending a brown-colored dust towards the Fusion Monster who visibly got weakened when made contact with it.

"I activate Predator Evasion's second effect. I banish it to negate destruction!" Yuri banished his Trap Card, allowing Starve Venom to endure the dust until it disappeared.

"Battle! I attack Predator Token with Inverz Giraffa!" Shing started his attack, destroying Yuri's Predator Token. As it was in Defense Position, Yuri didn't receive any damage.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Shing ended his Turn, confusing Yuri, Serena, and Dennis. That's all?

"You could have attacked my Starve Venom with Inverz Horn." Yuri stated. Inverz Horn has higher ATK than Starve Venom, so it's supposed to be possible for Shing to destroy his dragon.

"I know your dragon's effect. The moment I destroy it would be the end of me." Shing answered. The moment Starve Venom got destroyed, all his monsters will get destroyed as well and he will receive damage equal to their ATKs. Destroying Starve Venom despite knowing this would be the same as suicide.

"Smart." Yuri smirked. If this guy knew his monster's effect, that means he must have done some research on him before challenging him.

"Besides, it's not the time yet for me to get rid of your dragon." Shing added. The card he needed to achieve his objective, to complete his mission given by his boss is not in his hand yet, so he can't destroy Starve Venom now.

Yuri licked his lips. "I can assure you that you'll see hell the moment you mess with my dragon." He threatened, eyes slit like a serpent. Starve Venom also howled in respond, eyeing hungrily at Shing and his monsters.

Shing snorted and then smiled. "If your dragon can do anything by that time that is." He replied.

"What do you mean?" Yuri questioned.

"Duel first, talk later." Rowan dismissed. Prolonging the talk means the longer the Duel will take. He wanted to go back as fast as he can, so he wanted to end this Duel quickly.

"Fair enough." Yuri said as he started his Draw Phase.

"My Turn! I activate Starve Venom's effect. I negate the effect of a Level 5 or higher monster my opponent controls and steal it! Venus Swallow!" Yuri has Starve Venom shot two of its protrusions to bite Inverz Horn, absorbing its power to itself.

"I activate the stolen effect of Inverz Horn. I pay 1000 LP to destroy a card on the Field." Yuri sacrificed 1000 of his LP to activate the effect, allowing Starve Venom to ate Shing's Inverz Horn, destroying it.

 **YURI LP: 4000 = 3000**

"Battle! I attack Inverz Giraffa with Starve Venom! Toxic Roots Blast!" Yuri pointed at Shing's other Advance Monster. Starve Venom entangled the Inverz monster with its roots and then destroyed it with its destructive green blast, sending Shing several steps back.

 **SHING LP: 3000 = 2800**

"I end my Turn." Yuri concluded, smirking confidently at Shing. "Bugs in general may feed from the plants but my Predator Plants are carnivorous plants that attracts and consume those bugs."

"Then I just need to summon a bug that can overpower your plant. My Turn! I summon Inverz All-Purpose Form (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 0 / LV: 2)!" Shing summoned the black-colored bug-like monster in Attack Position.

"Inverz All-Purpose Form can be treated as 2 tributes for the tribute summon of a Inverz Monster. I release Inverz All-Purpose Form to Advance summon Inverz Gazus (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 0 / LV: 8)!" Shing summoned Gazus in Attack Position.

"When Inverz Gazus is Advance summoned, I can destroy all Magic and Trap cards on the Field." Shing destroyed his own set cards in his Magic and Trap Zone before taking out a card from his hand.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Inverz Vision! I can inflict 400 damage to my opponent for each Magic and Trap Card that got destroyed!" As two cards were destroyed, he inflicted 800 damage to Yuri, causing the boy to stumble back a bit from the attack.

 **YURI LP: 3000 = 2200**

"I end my Turn." Shing concluded. He looked at his Deck. _"Darn it. The card given by Boss better come on my next Turn. Holding back this much is already hard and bad enough, so you better come out!"_

"My Turn! From my hand, I Summon Predator Plants Lowriei Taurus (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 100 / LV: 4)!" Yuri summoned Lowriei Taurus in Attack Position.

"I activate Lowriei Taurus' effect! Once per Turn by sending a Predator Plants Monster from my hand, I can special summon a Predator Plants Pendulum Monster from my Deck."

"I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I Fuse Lowriei Taurus and Fly Hell! Beautiful flowers with insect-alluring fragrance. Become a new power and destroy those who oppose you with your dripping venom until your hunger is satisfied! Fusion Summon! Level 7! Starve Venemy Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 1)!" Yuri summoned his Fusion-Pendulum Dragon.

"I activate Starve Venemy's Effect! I can target 1 Monster my opponent controls; It has its effect negated, and if it does, replace this effect with that target's original Effects. Also, it loses 500 ATK, and inflicts 500 damage to my opponent!" Starve Venemy released a parasitic flower that attached itself to Gazus and transferred its effect to Starve Venemy while also decreasing its ATK to 2300. Starve Venemy then shot a ball of poison at Gazus, but the moment it made contact with the ball of poison, it exploded into smoke that caused Shing to cough for breath as he lost 500 of his LP.

 **SHING LP: 2800 = 2300**

"Battle! I attack Gazus with Starve Venom!" The Fusion dragon twirled its body behind, using its sharp tail to stab the Inverz Monster's abdomen, destroying it.

 **SHING LP: 2300 = 2100**

"And then I attack directly with Starve Venemy!" Yuri made his second attack with his Fusion-Pendulum Dragon. Starve Venemy opened its mouth, shooting poisonous miasma at the apparently defenseless Shing.

"I activate Trap Card: Inverz Advance's effect in Graveyard! I banish it to special summon an Inverz Monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position!" Shing banished the Trap he just destroyed and then revived Inverz All-Purpose Form back to his Field. It cannot be destroyed due to the Trap Card's effect until the end of this Turn.

"I end my Turn." Yuri finished.

"Good! Yuri is leading! Just a little bit more!" Dennis cheered.

"Don't be so sure just yet. As long as his LP still remains, anything can happen." Serena interjected. She then looked down at Dennis. "By the way, how long you're planning to lay on my lap?"

"Your lap is surprisingly soft Serena. It's good here, so let me stay like this for a while. For a gorilla woman who had went through military training, your skin is still soft." Dennis commented while looking very comfortable having his head on the indigo-haired girl's lap.

Serena twitched at the comment, prompting her to remove her lap from Dennis' head, causing his head to fall hard on the ground.

"Ouch! That's the way you treat an injured person?!" Dennis protested.

"If you can say something like that that means you're already okay. Maybe you want to take a nap for bit if you still insist?" Serena cracked her knuckles, causing Dennis to quickly shake his head in refusal and quietly took a seat beside Serena.

"That guy, he is not serious yet." Serena remarked, staring at Shing warily.

"You think so?"

" _Be careful, Yuri…!"_ Serena tightened her fists nervously, worrying for her childhood friend.

"My Turn!" Shing looked at the card he drew and his face brightened. "Finally! I've been waiting for this!" He exclaimed, surprising Yuri and the others.

"Now it's time for my mission!" Shing revealed the card he just drew. The card was covered in a thin dark aura that was visible in Yuri's eyes. This alarmed the Predator Plants user and Starve Venom.

"I summon Bait of the Inverz (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1900 / LV: 4)!" Shing summoned the Bait in Attack Position. The moment the monster was summoned, Starve Venom glared at the monster and roared loudly.

"I release Inverz All-Purpose Form to Advance summon Inverz Mantis (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 0 / LV: 5)!" Shing summoned Inverz Mantis in Attack Postiion.

"When an Inverz Monster is Advance summoned while Gatekeeper of Inverz is on the Field, I can normal summon a monster in addition to my Normal summon this Turn." Shing Normal summoned Inverz Caller (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 0 / LV: 4) in Attack Position from his Deck in addition after he Normal summoned Bait of Inverz earlier.

"I overlay Bait of the Inverz and Inverz Caller! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Inverz Roach (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 0 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Shing summoned Inverz Roach in Attack Position.

"Xyz Summon! So he's an Xyz user?!" Serena exclaimed.

"When Bait of Inverz is used as a Material for Advance, Xyz, Fusion, or Synchro Summon, the summoned monster gain ATK equal to its ATK and it can negate the effect of a monster my opponent control until the end of Battle Phase!" Shing added Bait of Inverz's ATK to Inverz Roach, increasing its ATK to 3400. Inverz Roach was covered in overwhelming dark green aura. Starve Venom became restless as the two monsters were glaring at each other. Starve Venom took a step forward, covering Yuri with its body.

"Starve Venom, what are you doing?" Yuri looked at Starve Venom in confusion. His ace monster was oddly uncertain of itself. Was it because of the Inverz Roach's ATK became higher? No, Yuri sensed there was something else that made his dragon behaved like this.

"Battle! I attack Starve Venom Fusion Dragon with Inverz Roach! Begone from this place, Starve Venom!" Shing declared as Inverz Roach spread its wings and summoned countless roaches by its side, all of them were covered in the same dark green energies. Together, they flew towards Starve Venom, crushing the Fusion Monster the ground. The dragon roared in pain as the green energies disintegrate its body until there was nothing left. Yuri got blown back from the crash. When he looked at his Duel Disk, his eyes widened to realize his ace monster has disappeared.

 **YURI LP: 3000 = 2400**

"Starve Venom…?" Yuri could only utter his dragon's name in confusion. His monster was not sent to the Graveyard or any zones in his Duel Disk. His dragon has completely gone.

"Yuri? What's wrong? Did something happen? Are you hurt?" Dennis asked in concern.

"Starve Venom…disappeared…" Yuri replied, still in shock.

"Disappeared? What do you mean?!" Serena asked again. She has a very bad feeling from that.

"It's just as he said. I just used the last attack to send his beloved monster to my dimension." Shing answered their questions.

"Sending Starve Venom to your dimension?! How is that possible?!" Serena questioned.

"That's the boss' secret. Now that my mission is done, all I need to do is finish this Duel." Shing pointed at his Inverz Roach. "I activate the Bait's effect. I banish it from Graveyard to add its ATK to an Inverz Monster I control and increase my LP by the same amount. Shing increased Inverz Mantis' ATK to 3700 and recovered his LP.

 **SHING LP: 2100 = 3600**

"I attack Starve Venemy with Inverz Mantis!" Inverz Mantis readied its arm blades, flying at Yuri's last remaining Monster on his Field.

Yuri kept looking at his Duel Disk, seemingly unable to hear Dennis and Serena's yell for him to do something as the mantis-like monster's was closing in. Yuri gripped his Deck tight and gritted his teeth as he continued to stare at his Duel Disk, waiting for his ace monster to respond, which to no avail. A few seconds before the blade collided, Yuri abruptly stood up and pressed the screen of his Duel Disk.

"I activate Lowriei Taurus' effect! I banish it to negate my monster's destruction!" Yuri banished Lowriei Taurus from the Graveyard, creating a transparent barrier for Starve Venemy that blocking the mantis' blades, though he still receive damage.

 **YURI LP: 2400 = 1200**

"I end my Turn. Now, hurry up. I want to go back quickly. Start your Turn and then I will finish you in my next Turn." Shing demanded, growing bored to continue the Duel any longer.

"Yuri…" Dennis muttered his friend's name worriedly. He just lost his ace monster and his opponent has two monsters with higher ATKs than Starve Venemy. What will he do to turn the table?

" _Unless Yuri can at least destroy one of Shing's monsters, he is cornered."_ Serena thought, unconsciously biting her lip.

"Hehehehe…"

Shing, Serena, and Dennis blinked when they heard the soft laugh. They looked at each other to see who was laughing between the three of them, but no, the one who was laughing was none other than the very person they though has been cornered. Yuri snickered and then started to laugh loudly, startling the three. The Inverz user thought for a moment that Yuri has out of his mind from the pressure of being cornered, but Yuri's predatory grin was saying otherwise. Seeing that grin gave him quite a goose bump.

"Congratulations, Shing. You have finally pissed me off. Why wait for you and your group to destroy the world? As I promised, I will make you see hell now!" Yuri declared as he began his Draw Phase.

"When I don't control any Magic or Trap, I can special summon Predator Plants Flava Purpurea (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 5) from my hand!"

"When Flava Purpurea is summoned through its effect, I can draw 1 card!"

"I activate Flava Purpurea's second effect! Once per Turn I can discard a DARK-Attribute Monster from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard and add the discarded Monster's ATK and DEF to a DARK-Attribute Monster I control until the end of this Turn!" Yuri discarded Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon into the Graveyard, adding its ATK and DEF to Starve Venemy. The Fusion-Pendulum Dragon's ATK and DEF increased to 5800 and 4500.

"But no matter which Monster you chose, my LP will still remain." Shing pointed out.

"I wonder about that." Yuri smirked as he revealed the card her drew through Flava Purpurea's effect and activated. "I activate Magic Card: Seed of Savageness! By releasing a Predator Plants Monster I control, I can make a Monster I control to attack twice this Turn!"

"With this Yuri can attack both Inverz Roach and Inverz Mantis!" Serena's face brightened instantly at the sudden turn of event.

"With that ATK there's no way Shing can survive!" Dennis exclaimed excitedly.

"Battle! I attack Inverz Roach and Inverz Mantis with Starve Venemy Dragon!" Yuri declared.

The orbs around Starve Venemy's body glowed. Purple energies appeared covering its body and it then gathered in its mouth. The more energies gathered, the thicker the purple colour become. Once the energies accumulated was big enough, the poison dragon blast the energy at the two bug-like monsters. Shing and his monsters were covered in the blast together despite his two monsters standing in front of him to protect him from the blast. The next happened, he was lying on the ground on his back.

 **SHING LP: 3600 = 0**

"He did it!" Dennis and Serena cheered together.

"Not bad for a comeback." Shing said as he calmly wiped the dirt and dust from his clothes and back to his feet as if nothing happened to him. He was used on getting hurt from being hit by such a blast, so this was a normal hell to him.

"Stay still so I can hurt you more until you spit out where my Starve Venom is." Yuri rushed towards Shing, still activating his Duel Disk with the intent to slash the man with its blade, which Shing easily dodged with a high jump.

"Told ya that I'm in a hurry. Now that the Duel is over, I'm going back. You want your dragon back? Then come to the artificial dimension where I came from." Shing told Yuri who was still intent to slash him with his Duel Disk blade.

"Artificial dimension?" Serena repeated what Shing said in question.

"Does that mean that dimension is not naturally came into existence, but something that was made by people?!" Dennis looked at Shing as if the latter has grown another head inside.

"Ask Reiji Akaba if you want to know more. See you later." Shing departed with those words, pressing the teleportation button on the screen of his Duel Disk that turned him into particles of data and disappeared.

Yuri looked on at where Shing has disappeared. He kept standing there even when rain started to pour down. He didn't respond to Serena and Dennis who have approached him, checking his condition. He let himself being pulled by the two back into the house. He was too busy maintaining the pent up frustration inside him as the moment his dragon disappeared rewound in his mind. He didn't like this one a bit.

"Starve Venom…"

Whoever dared to take his dragon away from him will taste his living hell.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Lost Civilization - Cantidel Empire –** Reiji inform Yuya and the others of his discovery of the artificial dimension where Tsukasa and the others came from. To retrieve the Four Heavenly Dragons and find their missing comrade and also gain intel on the new enemies, Reiji forms an expedition team to explore the artificial dimension.

* * *

 **I finished my work earlier today, so I have the time to write this chapter and update! Sorry it's not so long and I'm very sorry if there are lots of errors. The Original Card Memo will follow later. I'll try to find the time to check it again and fix it. As the previous ones have said, the antagonists in these four Duels were holding back because I don't want to reveal much about them yet so not many cards were used and the Duels are rather short. Please be patient. And I'll just confirm this now. All the new major OC antagonists are using Demon/Fiend-Type Deck (This was intentional).**

 **Please don't forget to review~!**


	4. The Lost Civilization - Cantidel Empire

**Big thanks to** _ **Ulrich362, Demon Lord Luciela, Ryujomaru15, matrixnis, aqua9597, Citylover96, Lord yuri, dvdryms, ThePLOTHand, Big duels, Playerhood18, GamingGuy84, bladeWriter3, Unknowedz, Crazyloop8888, SSJGamerYT, Yuka Kuroshiro, Elbarto4000, donkeyboy100**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter!**

* * *

 **MEETING ROOM – LEO CORPORATION – MAIAMI CITY – ARC-V**

Reiji pinched the bridge of his nose under his glasses and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again and faced Yuya, Yuzu, and their counterparts who have gathered after hearing the predicament they were having after encountering these mysterious people in orange hooded cloak who have stolen their dragons to some artificially-made dimension. Following the simultaneous attacks, some of their friends, Dennis, Gongenzaka, Sawatari, and Sora also came accompanying them after hearing what happened. Dennis was with Serena and Yuri when it happened so he tagged along. Gongenzaka and Sora bumped into Yuzu when she was on her way to meet Reiji and heard everything from her so they came along. Sawatari who came to Neo Domino City to visit Yugo heard everything just as Yugo and Rin were about to go to Maiami City, and so he decided to come with them and hear everything.

"I got the grasp of the situation now. These people who have attacked you are most likely the same people who were written in the hieroglyphs and drawn in the pictographs at the ancient site we have found a week ago…" Reiji revealed to them. After a week, the LC researchers have finally deciphered the ancient hieroglyphs and pictographs that nearly beyond recognition. What they found would normally be hard to believe, but with the appearance of wormhole and Yuya and the others' description of their attackers, the truth has been confirmed.

"You mean the site where Shun was attacked and disappeared? What do you know from that?!" Yuto eagerly asked. They have finally found a clue.

"First, we have found out that this ancient site is a hyper advanced pre-historic civilization. This civilization has technologies far more advanced than ours. That included Real Solid Vision and Riding Duel that we have now." Reiji revealed as he showed the photos of the site through holographic monitors.

"Even Real Solid Vision and Riding Duel actually have existed since ages ago?! For real?!" Sawatari asked incredulously

"However, due to a calamity they have to basically start from scratch." Reiji added.

"Does this have any connection with those people who attacked us?" Yuya asked. He couldn't see any connection between the site and the people who attacked them.

"I'm getting to that. From what we have deciphered, around 1.500 years ago, this civilization was originally an empire called Cantidel Empire. There wasn't much about the empire itself written, but we do know that this empire was long ruled by the same monarchy that passed through tradition and generations since. But most importantly, humans and Duel Monsters spirits coexisted with one another." Reiji revealed, shocking everyone listening.

"Eh?! Humans and Duel Monsters spirits used to coexist?! They are not just spirits residing inside the cards?" Sora exclaimed in question.

Reiji nodded to Sora. "Correct. The majority of people in this empire had the ability to see and communicate with Duel Monsters spirits, and in turn they allowed the spirits to manifest from the cards." He then turned to Yuya, Yuzu, and the rest of the six counterparts.

"Since all eight of you have the ability to communicate with Duel Monster spirits, it's possible that Zarc and Ray were descended from people of this empire." Reiji deduced. While he didn't know about Zarc, since neither his father nor himself has the ability, Ray most likely inherited this ability from her mother, his father's first wife.

"Zarc and Ray were descendants of people of Cantidel Empire?" Yuzu repeated in wonder.

"We can speculate about that later. Back to the topic, the calamity that destroyed this civilization that I mentioned earlier, the pictograph shows the people in orange hooded-cloak was the one responsible." Reiji held up a hand before anyone else could say anything, though, closing his eyes. He didn't want them to interrupt him this time.

"These people worked under a single being, and this being was the one the most responsible in the old world's destruction. However, they were sealed two people, a man and a woman…and the pictograph shows this…" Reiji switched the pictures of the site with the pictures of hieroglyphs, pictographs, and murals.

Everyone was rendered speechless and somewhat in awe when they saw the murals. They went silent when they saw the image all too familiar four dragons. The great red dragon with large and covered in red scales, blue, red and green gems decorated the horn-like protrusions escaping its back. Its eyes were two different colours, one green and the other red, gleaming in the dim light. The great purple dragon with long neck and head resembling a snake covered in black and gray armors that also formed its wings decorated with purple gems. The great legless white dragon with large and covered in white scales and four green wings gleaming dimly. The great violet dragon with large and covered in violet scales, red and yellow gems decorated its body wit four protrusions on its back, each protrusions has fanged mouth that seems ready to devour anything or anyone. The four dragons were facing up against a black creature above them. Standing under them were images of two people, a man and a woman, the man raising his hand towards the dragons and the black creature.

"Aren't those…" Gongenzaka trailed off as he pointed at the murals.

"The Four Heavenly Dragons that Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri has." Dennis turned to the four said counterparts who were confused how to reach themselves.

"The four dragons have existed since the ancient time?!" Rin exclaimed.

"Are you sure it's not just a coincidence?" Ruri was still quite skeptical.

"No wait…actually, it made sense…" Yuya muttered, surprising the rest.

Yuri knew what Yuya was thinking. They thought the same. "From what we have seen in Zarc memories a year ago, Zarc's father said that the Supreme King Deck and the four dragons had been passed down in the family. And then these people appeared and stole our dragons. It's doesn't feel so far-fetched to think that this man in this mural is Zarc's ancestor." He explained bits of Zarc's memories they have seen to the others

"Doesn't that also make us his descendant then?" Yugo remarked. Since he and his counterparts were fragments of Zarc, they are essentially related by blood.

"That's the fact." Yuto confirmed.

"Let's not jump to the conclusion yet. Now, about this malevolent being, despite both humans and Duel Monster spirits combined their powers they couldn't completely defeat this being. The only way they could think of is to seal this being, and thus, they created the artificial dimension." Reiji focused the monitor to the picture of the creature.

"So this artificial dimension was like a prison for that being and the bastards in orange cloak?" Yugo asked.

"However, the creation of this dimension also came at great cost. The whole Cantidel Empire itself became the very artificial dimension and many of its people stayed there to regularly maintain the seal." Reiji continued, further shocking them.

"Whoa, wait, WHAT?! Do you mean the whole Empire became the artificial dimension and its people got trapped there?" Sawatari swore his eyes nearly bulged out from the shock.

"To make it easier to understand, do you remember the isolation dome that my father created to trap us a year ago?" Reiji reminded the Duel between Yuya and Yuri at Academia. In the middle the Duel, Leo activated an isolation dome that separated the whole room from all dimensions, allowing them to see Earth. "That's what exactly they did. They trapped and sealed the being within Cantidel Empire, and to make sure it cannot return, they isolated and separated the whole empire from our world, creating an artificial dimension."

"I can't do this…my head…is going to…explode…" Sawatari became dizzy from the much information coming at once.

"Before they turned the empire into an artificial dimension, the man passed the four dragons to his family who stayed in this dimension. It is said that the four dragons are one of the keys to break the seal of this being." Reiji showed another mural that has the image of the man from before giving the dragons to a child, his child.

Yugo punched his fist to the wall in anger. "So that's why those people are after our dragons! They want to break the seal of this being!" He gritted his teeth.

"And they said they're going to make this world a Hell on Earth. That means they're planning to release this being so they can destroy our world." Yuri revealed while looking at the mural of the thief who stole his dragon.

"We still don't know fully who these people are and what happened in the past. However, it's clear that they intend to destroy our world and that is something that we cannot ignore. We must stop them before they can awaken this being." Reiji stood from his seat as he said so.

"But how? If we're going after them, that means we must go to the artificial dimension, right? How can we go there?" Serena asked.

"Aren't we going to use the wormhole in the temple?" Yuto suggested.

"But it's unstable right? There's no guarantee it will lead us to the artificial dimension." Sora interjected.

"I don't think we have much choice in this." Yuto replied to Sora.

"We'll use this." Reiji nodded at Nakajima. The man then brought a huge box and opened it, revealing a brand new Duel Disks.

"These are Duel Disks that I created after analyzing the Duel Disk we found at the site. The Duel Disk has been programmed with an emergency return program. Should the wormhole went unstable again and sent you to…unwanted place; you can use the program to instantly teleport back to ARC-V." Reiji explained.

"There are only eight Duel Disks." Dennis pointed out.

"Our resources are limited at the moment so we can only make eight new Duel Disks. That means only eight people get to go to the artificial dimension." Reiji told them. It was already hard enough to gather the materials needed to create the Duel Disk, the programming and the data in the Duel Disks were equally difficult.

Yuya took the Duel Disk and wore it around his wrist. "Our dragons are stolen. As their partners it's our obligation to retrieve them back." He said determinedly. There's no way he is not participating in this expedition. He must retrieve his dragon with his own hands or else he can be at peace.

"I concur." Yuri agreed, taking and wearing the new Duel Disk too.

"Damn straight we are!" Yugo also followed plus, he has sworn to beat that Neon girl for stealing his first kiss and pay for the bills of his room's reconstruction.

"This is our duty." Yuto also took and wore the Duel Disk. He has made a vow to himself and his friends that he will bring back Shun and Dark Rebellion. As Shun had said a year ago, the Resistance will always take back their comrades.

"If they're going, then we're coming too!" Yuzu took the Duel Disks, followed by her counterparts who all shoved the rest of the boys to the side.

"There's no way we're letting you go without supervision!" Rin told the four boys who have worn their Duel Disks.

"The four of you are often reckless, so we need to keep an eye on the four of you!" Ruri added. Also, just like how her brother has fought and looked hard to save her, this time she will do the same for him. She refused to be a little bird that just wait in her nest.

Gongenzaka, Dennis, Sora, and Sawatari didn't get a say in this. Looking at how determined the eight counterparts are, they couldn't object their decision. And having the girls accompanied Yuya and his counterparts was the best option to them as they can watch over and keep the dragon users in their places more than any of them could. They knew each other the best. Also, it's possible that the enemies will return again to attack ARC-V. While the eight of them leave to retrieve the dragons and find out more about the artificial dimension and the enemies, they will stay to guard their dimension in case the enemies decide to attack early. Reiji didn't make any objection either with this arrangement. Yuya looked at the rest of the counterparts. They have reached their decision.

"Then it's settled. The eight of us are going!"

 **TEMPLE – ANCIENT SITE – OUTSKIRT OF CITY – MAIAMI CITY – ARC-V**

Yuya and everyone who will go to the artificial dimension have gathered inside the temple in front of the still-active wormhole. They all have prepared themselves, wearing the same attires they wore a year ago during the war as it make it easier for them to move around, and they have brought the necessary equipment and supplies just in case they need it over there. Yuri has received special permission once more with Reiji's help, which also means he must wear the same electric collar and is put under Serena's watch. Should anything happen, Reiji will take the full responsibility.

"Is there anything else written in the hieroglyph and pictograph?" Yuya asked while staring at the murals.

Reiji shook his head. "Unfortunately that's all that were left. But we will try to look again for any clue. I will try to make more of the new Duel Disks so reinforcement can go if needed." He promised the Pendulum user who is also his rival.

"Yeah. We'll be waiting. Thanks, Reiji." Yuya smiled gratefully at Reiji.

Once everyone has steeled their resolve, they faced the wormhole that letting out sparks. With one last look at Reiji who bid them good luck, Yuya and the others rushed into the portal once Yuya spoke the word.

"Let's go!"

 **UNKNOWN – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Tsukasa, Neon, Rowan, and Shing descended to the narrow stone stairs. They went even deeper, down to the dungeons. It was a cold prison heavy chains hung from its walls. But there was also a room, which only certain people could enter. It was impossible to open the door with your own strength, but in the whole place there was no key that would fit the lock. Now, however, Tsukasa only raised his hand slowly and the door opened, revealing a hidden chamber. The room was circular, decorated with splendor. In the middle there was a large cage made from pure gold, in which sat a big creature whose body covered in dark shadow. Standing outside the cage were Dante and Geist. When the door opened the creature and the two men lifted their heads and looked straight at them, and a gold chain shackled to his leg sounded mournfully, which in the silence of the room sounded like an immense roar. After that he spoke with a human voice.

"You have returned."

"Yes. We are sorry to have made you wait, Your Excellency." Tsukasa said as he bowed to the creature. His teammates were also bowing down politely.

"We have a problem regarding the four dragons." Dante said, prompting them to stand up and face the former and Geist.

"We have already teleported them to this dimension, to this place, so it shouldn't be long before we–" Rowan was cut off by Geist who delivered the bad news.

"That's the problem. Someone intercepted the transfer and took the dragons away before they arrived here." Geist revealed. When the dragons were on the way to their hideout, someone has cut the path midway and took them away. It happened so fast that they couldn't react immediately.

"Who did it?" Shing said with a sigh. Great. After all the troubles he went through to get the dragon it was stolen by someone else. His hard work was wasted.

"That's our job to look into it. Both the culprit and the dragons." Dante told them.

"We apologize, Your Excellency. Even though you have waited so long for your revival." Rowan apologized to the creature, kneeling and bowing at the same time in apology.

The creature dismissed the apology, beckoning them to stand up. "No matter. We'll get the dragons into our hands eventually. For now, I want you to find the other thing. It's the fastest way for me to regain my full power." He told them instead while looking at his own body.

"About that, Your Excellency, I may have found it. I'm still not sure and need confirmation first." Shing reported.

"Very well. I leave that in your hands. As for the rest of you, focus on searching for the dragons and report any new movement from the enemies. This is the start to repay them for what they have done to us." The creature commanded, howling so loud that it echoed throughout the whole hideout and shook the ground where they were standing, but his six subordinates remained calm and stood straight while facing their leader. They all saluted in respond to their master's declaration, inwardly vowing to fulfill his wish.

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

 **FOREST – OUTSKIRT OF THE CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Kuri~"

Yuya felt something soft and furry was tickling his cheek. Yuya grumbled as he rolled to the side. The tickling continued at the balls on his cheek until Yuya couldn't take it anymore. He giggled before sitting up, rubbing his eyes. It was then he finally realized that he has stumbled into a forest and his eyes opened wide as he remembered that he and his friends went into artificial dimension. This place must be the artificial dimension! Yuya flinched when the soft and furry thing that tickling his cheek before came into his view. Now that he got a clearer look, it's a small creature with thick darkish brown fur with small green hands and feet. It has a wide red-colored round eyes and a star-shaped tail at the end. It was also wearing hat.

Yuya's Duel Disk beeped, prompting him to look at the Duel Disk. The screen showed some sort of biodata of the creature in front of him. Looks like the Duel Disk will automatically showed information of recorded Duel Monsters. Yuya read the biodata and then looked back to the creature.

"Entermate Kuribohder?" Yuya repeated. When he called its name, Kuribohder squealed and latched itself to Yuya. The Entermate user couldn't help but chuckle and kindly ruffling the monster's fur. What a cute little monster.

"Yuya!"

Yuya stood up while still holding the monster in his arms. He turned to see Yugo came running at him with something following behind him. Yuya narrowed his eyes and recognized it as another Duel Monster. It was as small as Kuribohder. Its body was round and silver colored like a machine. It has purple-colored hands and Mohawk-like horns and a tail resembling a nail. Its eyes were also purple-colored but lighter. It has a yellow mark that resembled Crow's mark.

"Yugo! The one behind you…" Yuya pointed at the Duel Monster flying behind his Synchro counterpart. His Duel Disk automatically beeped and showed the biodata of the monster. It was called Junkuriboh.

"It won't stop following me no matter how many times I tried to leave it." Yugo replied as the Junkuriboh gave Yugo's back a head bump, earning it an angry protest from Yugo who attempted to hit him back, only to miss and got another hit on his head. Before Yugo could try again, a voice calling their names stopped him.

"Yuya! Yugo!" Yuto called out with Yuri following behind him.

"Yuto! Yuri!" Yuya exclaimed in relief. The two of them were not alone. Just like them, they have a Kuriboh-Type Duel Monster accompanying them. Beside Yuto was Rainbow Kuriboh, a Kuriboh with round body in three colors; white, purple, and deep blue with a rainbow-colored horn. Latching on Yuri's shoulder was Winged Kuriboh, a Kuriboh similar as Kuribohder but without hat or tails and it has a pair of white wings.

"You guys also got one of these little ones following around." Yuri remarked as he saw Kuribohder and Junkuriboh on Yuya and Yugo's side respectively. Yuri then turned to Winged Kuriboh who looked at him fondly and rubbed its body to Yuri, which confused the Fusion counterpart and much to the shock of the other three counterparts.

" _A cute monster getting all friendly and clingy to Yuri…It's so surreal…!"_ Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo all thought the same as they stared incredulously at Yuri and Winged Kuriboh. The sadistic and scary Fusion counterpart they knew was being latched by a monster as cute and small and innocent as Kuriboh was something beyond their wildest imagination. As far as they remembered for the past year, any monster that looked and behaved like Kuriboh all avoided Yuri in fear when they or someone else summoned them while Yuri was in vicinity. This led them to think that Yuri was just no the type who will be popular with small cute monsters.

"What's with that look? Something wrong in my face?" Yuri asked upon noticing his counterparts were staring unbelievably at him. While he didn't know what they were thinking, he has a strong feeling they were being rude to him.

"N-no! Nothing!" Yuya quickly replied.

" _Unfair! Why did he get the nice one?!"_ Yugo thought in annoyance mixed with jealousy while the Junkuriboh kept pestering him with its head bump.

"They are Duel Monster spirits, right? Then does that mean we have arrived in the artificial dimension?" Yuto wondered as he patted Rainbow Kuriboh who leaned closer to him.

"And where are Rin and the others?" Yugo looked around for his childhood friend and her counterparts.

"They should be nearby since we depart together." Yuri stated as he also looked for the familiar indigo-haired girl he knew well.

"Don't tell me this is going to be the same as when we first arrived in Synchro Dimension a year ago." Yuya said worriedly. He didn't want to get separated again like before. Not only the trouble of looking for their friends they also don't know what kind of place this dimension is. Wrong move could let them to another arrest, prison break, arrest, and battle. Nope. That was one thing he would like to avoid.

"Who's there?!"

Yuya and his counterparts were startled by the voice. In a flash, came out men dressed with khaki pants, dark brown boots, and a yellow-white shirt which is worn behind blue and white jacket. The men have activated their Duel Disks and summoned their various Knight-Type monsters with their weapons pointing at the four boys, surrounding them.

"Don't move! Who are you?! How did you get in here?!" One of the men questioned.

"No intruder has ever successfully trespass the barrier!" Another one of the men added. Yuya paled at that. They mistook them as intruders!

"W-wait! You misunderstand! We come in peace!" Yuya raised his hands to show he and his counterparts meant no harm. They must clear this misunderstanding or things will get very ugly especially with Yugo's lack of patience and Yuri's thirst for challenge!

Before Yuya could say more, the four Kuribohs immediately detached themselves from them and darted forward, floating in front of the four boys like they were protecting them. The moment the men saw the four Kuribohs, they lowered their Duel Disks, prompting their monsters to do the same to their weapons.

"Hold on! Those are the Guardian Spirits!" A bearded white haired man who was older than the rest raised his hand, gesturing the others not to attack as he recognized the four Kuribohs. Yuto noted that this man must be the leader the group.

"Everyone, look! These boys are…" Another man said as he looked closer at Yuya and the others. The other men blinked but followed the suit. When they have proper look on the four boys, they let out a gasp of surprise and began to murmur among themselves, which confused the said boys.

"Could it be…they are the ones who Yuno-sama have told us before?"

"The resemblance is uncanny! It's too much for just a simple coincidence!"

"They are still so young."

"But the Guardian Spirits are with them, so they must stronger than they look!"

"That's right. Duelist's skill is not determined by age."

The leader coughed, wordlessly telling the murmuring men to be silent. The men deactivated his Duel Disks and the rest also did the same. The older man kneeled in front of Yuya, looking up at the boy.

"Forgive our rudeness. Where did you come from?" He asked Yuya politely.

"We came from the original dimension that we now called ARC-V. We came here because a group of people wearing orange-colored hooded-cloak attacked our dimension through a wormhole in an ancient temple that we found recently that connected to an artificial dimension of Cantidel Empire. Are we in the artificial dimension?" Yuya replied and asked back. His answer received another soft gasp from the men.

"From the temple..."

"And a group of people in orange hooded-cloak attacking them..."

"I only know one group with that description."

The leader once again gestured his men to calm down before answering Yuya.

"Yes. Right now you are at the capital of Cantidel Empire in the artificial dimension." The leader confirmed before standing up again. He turned to his men and nodded at them. They all quickly made a path for their leader and the four boys to walk by. The leader smiled kindly as to assure the four boys that they won't harm them.

"We shall escort you to meet our lord."

 **CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The capita was a big town. Far bigger than they imagined it to be. It is surrounded by mountains, formed of calcar, which form a cirque around the city. Some districts of the city are divided by the mountains themselves. There were large architectural heritage and many Norman-like buildings. Simply by looking at the view, it wasn't difficult to tell that it is a cultural, economic and tourism capital. It is a city rich in history, culture, art, music and food.

After promising they will help looking for Yuzu, Ruri, Serena, and Rin, Yuya and the others were escorted to the capital. The moment the four boys stepped into the capital escorted by the men, they instantly became the center of attention. Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri were trying to put up a straight face as they walked. Unfortunately, the first three failed to do so, not with nearly everyone who was passing by stopped whatever they were doing to stare at them. Even those who were riding a car stopped just to take a look at them. The reactions the boys got from people were oddly overwhelmingly positive; from relief, delight, ecstatic, etc. Despite the four boy's attempts no to listen to the murmurs about them, they could still hear them.

"Hey, are they the ones Yuno-sama mentioned before?"

"They must be! They are identical!"

"The one in black cloak looks gallant and cool…!"

"The one wearing purple uniform looks regal."

"The one in white suit looks like he needs a hug."

"The one wearing goggles looks cute."

"Yeah. Cuter than Yuno-sama."

Yuya blushed shyly. "Somehow this is kinda uncomfortable." He finally said, unconsciously holding Kurihborder in his arms tighter.

Yugo sweat dropped. "I can feel their stares boring holes in my head." He said quietly, feeling rather embarrassed by the attentions he and his counterparts got.

"Hmph. Pay them no mind." Yuri calmly told his Synchro counterpart. He had gotten used to being stared at and talked about during his old days in Academia so this was nothing for him, though the difference was before what he got were fear and jealous stares and murmurs, but now what he got were nothing but praises.

"Just what are they talking about anyway? It sounds like they have been expecting us to come." Yuto grew suspicious. They just arrived here, being pointed weapons after being mistaken as intruders, but then all of a sudden they were treated like honorable guests after the men saw their faces and the Kuribohs. They seemed to recognize them before they even introduce themselves.

They all stopped for a moment when they arrived at their destination. Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo all opened their mouths and eyes wide upon seeing a huge mansion in front of their very eyes. Yuri, on the other hand, simply whistled at the sight. The mansion looked like a cut out from the best architecture magazine. It was beautiful. Some parts looked geometric, which they could say about almost any pitched roof abode with square windows, but on this mansion they couldn't help but notice it. The roof was flat for a start and the door as wide as it was tall. The windows took up entire walls with only polished steel beams to break them into yet more rectangles. The look would have been entirely metallic, like a mini down-town skyscraper had it not been for the cedar beams of the external porch and the matching raised plant beds that contained various blooms.

"Sir, those people are…" The gatekeepers stared suspiciously at Yuya and the rest.

"These young masters are honorable guests." The old man said while gesturing politely towards the four boys.

" _Young masters?!"_ Yuya and his counterparts all thought in surprise at what the old man referred them as.

The gatekeepers immediately apologized and opened the gate, allowing them enter the enormous mansion.

They pushed around the corner and through the doors that took them into the courtyard. There was a large space between the inner and outer parts of mansion, characterized by the carefully attended. They opened the doors to the inner mansion by passing the old man's pass key, and the recognition clicked it open. Inside, the draped, light red halls of the mansion admitted them, and he closed the doors behind them. They made their way down the halls, through more waves of people and servants, all the way down to the throne room, and opened this door with his key as well. They passed through another doors into the throne room.

The throne room was a magnificent display of architecture. Large pillars the color of blue lined both ends, holding up the faraway ceiling, so tall that the torchlight could not reach it, and sending it into a mysterious darkness. The white marble floor had been polished to a perfect, smoky brilliance, with the long red carpet leading from the doors all the way up to the dais, where the throne, carved to look like the trees in the gardens, sat watching everything. Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri's hearts tightened when they came face to face with the person sitting on the throne. He was a boy around their age with unkempt blue-black hair and light fuchsia eyes, wearing a blue high-collared overcoat over a jet-black suit. But the most importantly was…the boy has the same face as them.

"I have brought them here as ordered, Milord." The old man bowed at the boy, Yuno.

"Yes. Thank you very much. You may leave us now." Yuno smiled gratefully at the old man who politely excused themselves. Yuno smiled softly at Yuya and the others as he stood up from his throne.

"First of all, it is nice to meet you. Welcome to the Cantidel Empire. We have been waiting for you to come to this dimension." Yuno greeted the four boys who bear striking resemblance with him.

"N-nice to meet you too." Yuya greeted back, stuttering as he was still having difficulty taking everything in, but he still watched his manner.

"How do you know that we will come? Umm…" Yuto trailed off, not knowing his name yet.

"Right. Introduction first." Yuno chuckled. He cleared his throat and straightened his back before facing his four look-alikes again.

"My name is Yuno. Despite my appearance, I am your ancestor."

Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri stared wide eyed at the smiling Yuno and fell silent. Yuno waited patiently as his four look-alikes just stayed quiet and continued to stare hard at Yuno for a few long seconds before they blinked as Yuno's words sunk in their heads. They opened their mouths together and only one thing came out from them at the exact same moment after processing Yuno's words.

"HUH?!"

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 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Yuno of the Oracle –** Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri are taken by an organization to a temple where they are welcomed by the organization's leader, Yuno, who introduces himself to be Zarc's ancestor and one of the people responsible in creating the artificial dimension 1.500 years ago. Yuno explains to them the current situation of the empire and the enemies that will come for them.

* * *

 **Since there's no Duel in this chapter, it's faster and easier to write. The next three chapters won't have any Duel either. Maybe. It will be quite plot-focused, but it won't reveal everything all at once. Only several bits and the rest will be explained as the story goes on. The next chapter will explain more about Yuno, the empire, and the artificial dimension in general.**

 **Please review~**


	5. Yuno of the Oracle

**Big thanks to** _ **donkeyboy100, Ryujomaru15, Big duels, Ulrich362, aqua9597, Playerhood18, Rayisoar5, SSJGamerYT, Elbarto4000, Citylover96, Venomous Blade, GamingGuy84, bladeWriter3, lord yuri, No1yet, FanficCrossoverMaster15, Unknowedz, Yuka Kuroshiro, dvdryms**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter!**

* * *

 **THRONE ROOM – MANSION – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuno laughed softly at the gaping mouth and widened eyes of his four look-alikes standing in front of him, who were looking at him like he has grown another head inside. He wouldn't blame their reaction. No normal person would say that the first time they met. Their reaction was understandable. The two men, one with blond hair and one with green hair who were standing on each side of his throne, were also reacting to him. The blond haired man stifled a laugh by his bluntness while the green haired man sighed in exasperation and stared at his four descendants in apology before giving a reprimanding gaze at him.

Yuno smiled sheepishly at the green haired man before turning to his four look-alikes again. "I understand your reaction. There's a plausible explanation for this. But first, let's take this to somewhere more comfortable for us to talk. Follow me." He ushered them outside with the help of the two men earlier.

They walked in quite a hurry, but Yuno still greeted every person who paused whatever they were doing to bow at him as they walked through the hallway.

"Oh, I don't know your names yet. I knew that you will come, but I don't know your names. Please tell me." Yuno asked to his descendants. The one with tomato-like hair was the one who answer.

"I'm Yuya. Yuya Sakaki. The one with black cloak is Yuto, the one in white suite is Yugo, and the one with purple uniform is Yuri." Yuya answered while pointing at the said person in introduction.

"Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri. Okay. I'll always remember that. Nice to meet the four of you." Yuno told them again.

"How do you know that we will come?" Yuto asked, getting a bit suspicious. Yuno raised a hand at Yuto, prompting him to stop.

"Sorry, but before I answer to that question, I need to know how much you've found about us, the empire, and this dimension. Please explain to me what you found at the temple and about your dimension. I promise I will answer all your questions by the time we arrived at the dining room."

 **PLAZA – CASTLE TOWN – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

A girl with long wavy blond hair was sitting comfortably hearing an ensemble singing. Ever since her first visit last time, she found himself relax when she is there and decided to visit the plaza at noon to listen to them singing whenever she feels troubled, which was now. She somehow had a feeling that she would be in trouble if she go to the town. It's not about getting injured or die, but she just had this feeling that she will have a traumatic experience if she goes there. Whenever she thought about it, she shivered for some reason.

"What's wrong? Thinking about your Oracle?" A young man around 18 years old came behind the blond girl. He was wearing a light blue jacket with a black undershirt and black pants. He has distinctive blond hair, and wears a pair of elongated, hexagon-lensed glasses. The girl blushed as she faced the man.

"Stop with your teasing, Kurt. I'm not thinking about him or anything." The blond girl replied calmly though her cheeks were still pink.

"You can always ask Father to leave the castle for a bit. No one will object you leaving for a few hours or a day. You have done more than we could ever ask for generations. You deserve a break. You can go to the town and meet your beloved." He said in a teasing manner, completely ignoring her earlier words.

"I told you to stop the teasing and I'm not thinking about Yuno." She said with a sigh.

But he, again, ignored her. "The whole family knows how you feel for him. Even after you got married, having a child, and thousands years have passed, the Oracle is still your one and only true love." He clearly enjoyed the expected reaction the girl gave him.

"Kurt!" She whined as her face reddened.

Kurt chuckled and then took a seat on the fountain beside the girl. "Your marriage was an arranged one. Everyone understands that you cared for your husband but not in the way you care for the Oracle. Your own husband also understood this and accepted that fact." He told her, making her looking down at her hands on her lap.

"Thousands years have passed. Your husband had gone long ago. The same also goes for the Oracle's wife. No one will stop you to pursue and achieve your true love now." He told her, this time sincerely without any teasing in his voice or face.

She sighed again before looking at him, no longer blushing. "Kurt. Really. I'm serious. I'm not thinking about Yuno… I don't know myself. But I have this extreme feeling that I would experience something bad if I go to the city… And recently I heard some cries of Duel Monsters…" She clenched her hands together as she told him. The cries of Duel Monster spirits echoed in her ears but yet she couldn't pinpoint where the cries came from other than it came from somewhere in the capital.

"If you feel so, then don't go." He casually replied.

"But I need to! Maybe they need help!" She felt thorn.

Kurt shook his head. "Then why you're hesitating?" He questioned.

"If you feel someone need you, then go. Don't let your fear beat you. Sometimes, fear is more terrifying than the threat itself. If you encountered trouble just like what you had felt, you won't be alone." He patted her back and smiled to assure her. Sometimes this girl was over worrying things that would make her hesitating.

"Seeing you like this really make me thought that you are younger than me for a second there. You have already lived for thousands years so you're supposed to have the wisdom of an old lady already." He said half-jokingly, patting her back stronger that was close to a smack as his encouragement.

"If you said that to any other woman I'm positive that she will punch you. You need to be careful because many women are very sensitive regarding their age." She told him with a sigh.

"…fear is more terrifying that the threat itself…huh…" The blond girl thought for a moment before smiling and looked up to the young man. "That does make me feel a little better. Thank you, Kurt."

"Your welcome, Lady Celica." Kurt winked playfully with the suffix attached to the girl's name. This earned him a pinch on the bridge of his nose from the girl.

"Drop the politeness. It's just the two of us here, and we are a family." Celica told him before taking his hand and led him back into the castle.

 **DINING ROOM – MANSION – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

When they reached the dining room, the sight that welcomed them was several butlers and maids. They happily bustled about; setting fresh cutlery on the table and placing clean linen napkins. Then, with great flair, they whisked the lids off the numerous platters littering the table. It was better than any of the boys could have imagined. There were mountains of fluffy mashed potatoes, boats brimming with gravy, countless kinds of roasted vegetables practically swimming butter, the flakiest rolls any of them had ever seen, and right in the center was a delicious perfectly cooked roast, already sliced and waiting to be eaten. The smell was heavenly.

"There are plenty of them, so you don't need to hold back." Yuno told his four descendants who all looked nervous, but they slowly started nibbling the foods served for them. It was delicious.

"Umm…can you please answer our question now?" Yuya requested. Despite the exquisite food served for them that he would love to eat, he was more curious in learning about their so-called 'ancestor' and the artificial dimension.

"Right. Let's start about myself. As I've said, my name is Yuno and I'm your ancestor despite my appearance. You've seen the mural, right? The man in the mural is me." Yuno revealed again in a blunt manner, causing Yugo who has started eating more than his counterparts to nearly choke his food.

"Eh?! You?! You're the original owner of the Four Heavenly Dragons and the one who seal that thing?!" Yugo questioned, ignoring Yuto who scolded him for talking while still having his mouth full.

"Doesn't that makes you like, more than 1.500 years old?! How is it possible that you managed to live for that long?!" Yuya was equally shocked and couldn't help but ask that he almost forgot table manner.

"Calm down, I'm getting to that." Yuno raised his hands in up and down motion to calm them as he continued. "Simply saying, my appearance is due to a curse inflicted by the creature in the mural."

"A curse?" Yuri asked.

"Right. When Celica and I were in the middle of sealing the creature, he attacked us. That one last attack, turned out to be a curse. Our bodies were regressed to when we were still 15 years old as you can see now, and we have stopped aging." Yuno explained as he held his chest. The attack also left a scar on his chest that won't go away. He concluded that the scar is the mark of his curse.

"Then…for thousands of years, your appearance remain that way?" Yuya stared at Yuno while asking. Normally, no one would believe such absurd story, but his experience in the war a year ago and Duel Monster spirits has completely changed his perceptive, and Yuya and the others learned that any common sense or logic should be thrown out of the window when it comes about other dimensions or Duel Monster spirits.

"Yes. But it doesn't mean I'm immortal. I can still die from injuries or sickness like normal humans. I've tried to find a way to get rid of this curse, but until now I still can't find it." Yuno added. A frown faintly began to form on his face, which Yuri noticed.

"Usually people would be delighted to have a long life without aging." Yuri stated while calmly continued to eat the food.

Yuno snorted at that. "For thousands of years I have watched people whom I loved died one by one in front of me while I continue to live on." His smile turned sad as he remembered the people whom he had considered as his friends and family who no longer by his side came into his mind. "To me, this is a cruel punishment."

Seeing Yuno's sad smile, no one said a thing. Yugo gave Yuri a glare for saying that, but Yuri didn't look the slightest bit care as he continued to eat his food.

"You still haven't explained yet how do you know we will come." Yuto asked, trying to change the subject from earlier.

Yuno smiled at Yuto as if to thank him, seemingly know Yuto's attempt not to upset him further. "It is a gift that I got since I was born. Ever since I was little, I have this ability to see bits of future." He answered.

"You can see the future?" Yuya repeated in awe.

"It's not an ability that I can use whenever I want. It takes lots of energy if I try to see it myself than let it come naturally to me. I have a rather vague vision that you will come here. And those four Kuribohs proved that you are not enemies." Yuno said while gesturing to the four Kuribohs who have taken a comfortable seat on the four counterparts' laps.

"Yeah, about that, why are these Kuribohs are following us? Hey! Stop that already!" Yugo asked while protesting at Junkuriboh who started munching one of Yugo's foods and bumped him again, angering the Speedroid user. The scene made Yuno chuckled.

"Please don't be too hard on them. To us, Kuriboh monsters are one of the most sacred Duel Monsters. Killing them means either a death penalty or life imprisonment." Yuno warned casually without any intent to threaten Yugo, but that effectively made Yugo stopped his attempt to punch the Kuriboh, begrudgingly letting it to do as it please for the time being.

"The four Kuribohs that are with you are not ordinary Kuribohs. They are four of the six Kuribohs that served the forefathers who found this Empire. They have special powers that will protect and help you when needed. And unlike most Duel Monster Spirits, they can freely create corporeal bodies without the help of Real Solid Vision." Yuno revealed as he motioned the servants to give some foods for the Kuribohs as well.

"So not all Duel Monsters are like them?" Yuto asked while unconsciously petting the Rainbow Kuriboh on his lap while it was eating.

"It's extremely rare for Duel Monsters to be able to form their own corporeal bodies. Most of them can only appear in spirit form or with the help of our technologies. The Kuribohs are naturally opposing our enemies, so if you are chosen by them, you are clearly not our enemies. Take good care of them." Yuno gave advice to his four descendants. But he won't worry that any of them would harm the Kuribohs. Not after seeing how attached the Kuribohs are to Yuya and the others and how they in return allows them to be by their side. Even though Yugo has reservations in how Junkuriboh expresses its love, he knew that Yugo would get used to it soon. And even if Yuri didn't show it, he at the very least tolerates Winged Kuriboh.

"You said six Kuribohs. That means there are still two Kuribohs left out there." Yuto realized the small detail that almost slipped his mind.

"One of the remaining two is on my side. My Kuriboh is taking a nap at the moment. The last one, however, is unknown. It's also thanks to my Kuriboh it's possible for my organization to grow this far." Yuno answered while thinking of his Kuriboh who was tucked in its bed right now.

"That's right, what's this organization of yours? Care to explain that as well?" Yuri questioned, getting curious. When they were surrounded by the men, he had thought that they were imperial soldiers. However, hearing Yuno speaks, that doesn't seem to be the case.

"I form this organization because of my clairvoyance." Yuno started.

"Why? Is there something wrong?" Yuya asked.

"When people from nobility got a word of my abilities, I knew that they would try to use me to increase their political influence and standing. I dislike politics and I refuse to become tools for anyone. If I let myself being used by them, there are possibilities that the tension between the nobilities and commoners alike will grow. That's why I started this organization to stabilize the situation and protect the citizens and Duel Monsters. Before I knew it, I was called 'The Oracle'. You can simply call this organization 'The Brotherhood'. A close friend of mine is also aware of this. That's why she works in the castle to help soothing the situation." Yuno inwardly sighed at the memory of how some nobles tried to win his heart by showering him with gifts and insincere praises. He was not an idiot that would fall for that like they thought he was. Remembering those people sickened him.

"Are the relationships between the nobles and commoners that bad?" Yugo asked again. It reminded him of the relationship between Tops and Commons. The Tops who were all haughty and arrogant, and the Commons who greatly detested them yet having difficulty to oppose.

"It used to be not so much, but ever since that person took control of the military, things started to get heat up." Yuno frowned again as a certain person came into his mind.

"That person?"

"Heidel Aberforth. He is a primary representative of the Imperial Government. He directly commands most of the armed forces of the Imperial Army by the Emperor's decree. He led the reformist movement and the Empire began to shift tremendously from its noble traditions from the result of his…military dictatorship." Yuno told them. In his opinion, Heidel is a great man but not in a good way. While he made many advantages for the Empire, in result of this advantage, military funds have increased exponentially from the tax revenue inputted and the community becomes more stabilized to the common folk who suffered the unfair privileges of nobility. Though beneficial, there are those such as himself find Heidel's attempts disapproving and leave much in debate.

"When the seal is broken, I quickly announced it to the whole Empire. I tried to convince them to unite and fight against the enemy together. But neither the nobles nor Heidel willing to let one another to take control should a war happen. The Emperor and Celica have tried, but it's much difficult than they thought." Yuno sighed in exasperation. Even with their influences, they can't calm down the frictions between the nobles and the reformists. At this rate never mind the old enemies, a civil war will break out. When that happens, it will give their orange hooded-cloaked enemies the opportunity to destroy all of them.

"It's similar when Neo Domino City was divided into Tops and Commons…" Yugo thought bitterly.

"So this Brotherhood of yours is neutral between the two factions?" Yuri asked again.

"Yes. I don't think choosing either side would solve the problem and as I said, I don't want to be used like some tools by anyone." Yuno confirmed. The Brotherhood is a neutral congregational organization that advocates peace within Cantidel Empire. Yuno found and led this organization for the purpose of stabilizing tension and mend conflict within the Empire. The organization originated when his clairvoyance ability surfaced, which he uses to help humans and Duel Monsters alike. Aware that the imperial council intended to make use of his power to strengthen their political positions, Yuno formed the Brotherhood and slowly spread the organization's influence that earned the citizens and several high-ranking nobles' supports, which resulted not even the Imperial Family or the councils themselves can carelessly going against them.

"We must find a way to convince both factions to unite first if we want to defeat Tsukasa and his group." Yuya suggested. A war cannot be won if they are fighting amongst themselves. If the situation in the Empire continued like this, it would be like when Academia invaded Synchro Dimension all over again.

"But do we really have the time? Our enemies already got a hand on our dragons, they may as well already awaken this creature." Yuto voiced out what he had been thinking for a while after hearing Yuno's story.

"No. I don't think so." Yuno assured them. He finished his food and wiped his mouth with the napkin before continuing again. "There are two keys needed to completely awaken him. Even if he already got the four dragons, as long as he hasn't got the other key, being free is out of question. Also, before Celica and I sealed him, we destroyed his body and severe his power. Even if the seal is broken, he can't move around freely and it will take a very long time to regain his full power. He hasn't got the second key, so we still have times to stop him. The proof is their activities in LINK VRAINS are more often than the real world."

"LINK VRAINS? What's that?" Yuya blinked in question.

"Link Virtual Reality Artificial Intelligence Network System, shortened LINK VRAINS, is the Cyberspace that Virtual Reality Duels take place. It is a cyberspace constructed with the latest technology. Duelists use D-Boards to Duel and are used to ride winds of data that we called Data Storm. While in LINK VRAINS, duelists can take avatar forms. While in these avatars, they can also use pseudonyms. Because of this, the Duelist's real identities usually are unknown. The use of avatars is optional." Yuno explained. As he explained this, he remembered that he also need to explain about Link Summoning and Link Monsters, but he will save that for later. He must explain the most important things now.

"A Virtual Reality Duel? That sounds awesome! I wanna try it!" Yugo said excitedly with sparkling eyes.

"We can talk about that later. We're diverging from the topic here. Where and what is the second key?" Yuri shot Yugo a look that told him to be quiet and listen. While he was also interested in this LINK VRAINS, his main concern is retrieving Starve Venom.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you about that now. But I promise I will tell you later." Yuno took a sip of his tea before letting the servants to take away the dirty plates and glasses.

"I almost forgot, about my true descendant that you told me, Zarc, was it? The one you said to be your original self before he split into the four of you and the one who inherited the Supreme King Deck passed down into my family." Yuno recalled the earlier story that he has heard from Yuya and the others. He had a descendant named Zarc who was the original self of his four current descendants and the one who inherited his Supreme King Deck and the Four Heavenly Dragons he had passed on to his son who stayed in the original dimension before the artificial dimension was completed.

"Yeah. He already passed away after we pacified his corrupted soul. The Supreme King Deck also disappeared together with him." Yuya reconfirmed the story.

"Actually, I think he has already been reincarnated in this dimension." Yuno revealed, leading another round of silence that was broke by a sound of Yuya dropping his spoon just when he was about to eat a potato.

"Eh?! Zarc has been reincarnated?! Seriously?!" Yuya stood up from his seat, both hands on the table as he looked at Yuno with a mix of shock and hope.

Yuno blinked, quite surprised by Yuya's reaction to the news. "Time in this dimension works faster than yours. A year in your dimension equals 16 years in our dimension until the seal was broken." He continued, regaining his composure.

"That's pretty far difference… Wait, you said 'until the seal was broken'?" Yuto emphasized the 'until' part.

"Yes. Once the seal was broken, the spacetime between this dimension and yours are reconnecting once more, which means our dimensions are now within the same spacetime."

"I'm at lost here. Can you make it simpler?" Yugo asked. There were too many information came into him that he has quite difficulty in absorbing all of them.

"He means now this dimension and ARC-V are in the same timeline. Unlike before when 1 year in ARC-V means 16 years in this dimension, now this dimension and ARC-V are in the exact same year, day, and time. Understand now, blockhead?" Yuri answered with quite an annoyed tone, angering the Synchro counterpart as usual.

"Who're ya callin' blockhead?!" Yugo stood from his seat and slammed the table as he yelled at Yuri. However, he stopped when he saw Yuri was unusually being serious. He would usually have that creepy smile of his on his face all the while sarcastically mocking him. But not this time. Yuri didn't even spare him a glance.

"Stop it you two. Show some manners for goodness sake." Yuto scolded his Synchro and Fusion counterparts before they can bicker like usual. Although, he has a feeling it won't be possible as Yuri was unusually serious.

"You mentioned someone named Celica. I take it she's the woman in the mural who sealed the creature together with you?" Yuri started the conversation again, remembering Yuno mentioned her name but haven't explained more about her yet.

"Bingo. She is working at the castle and we rarely meet each other, though we regularly maintain contact." Yuno confirmed. Noticing Yuya fidgeting while looking at him, Yuno could tell that Yuya was waiting to hear more of the previous topic. From his eyes, this Zarc person seemed to be very important to him.

"Back to the topic, 16 years ago I have a strong premonition of someone related to me and sensed the existence of Supreme King Deck that was supposed to be in ARC-V. But hearing your story, I think the premonition I have is trying to tell me that this Zarc and his dragon have reincarnated in this dimension. Since this happened 16 years ago in this dimension, now he should be around your age." Yuno recalled that time 16 years ago. When he was in the middle of his walk, his chest felt tight and his blood burn and he thought he heard his old Supreme King monsters were calling him. He had tried to look after feeling it, but he found nothing, so he thought it was just his imagination and he wasn't feeling so well from all the works, but now he was proven wrong.

Meanwhile, Yuya was thinking deeply. He was wondering if this means…a second chance for him. A chance to know Zarc that he didn't get a year ago…

"Zarc has…reincarnated…"

 **HOSPITAL ROOM – HOSPITAL – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yukiya awoke from his sleep, rubbing his eyes as he looked at the room. He was still in Sara's room. He fell asleep while waiting for her mother to come. From the looks of it, she still hasn't returned from convenient store. His attention turned to his Deck when he noticed one of his cards was glowing. He took out the card and blinked when he saw his ace monster was glowing dimly. He also felt a sense of longing suddenly came into him.

He heard his dragon was roaring, a roar that only he could hear. He was one of those people that many said was exceptionally gifted. He could hear and understood the voices of Duel Monsters. And now, his dragon sounds like it was calling for something or someone but yet it didn't voice exactly who or what. It was as if it was telling him to find out himself. Yukiya sighed. Why won't his dragon just tell him directly?

"Cyber Cosmos…what are you trying to tell me…?"

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 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Dragon of Calamity –** After hearing of the circumstances in ARC-V, Yuno then explain to Yuya and his counterparts about the creature that nearly destroyed the world that had been sealed 1.500 years ago and the origin of the Supreme King Deck.

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 **First of all, I'm sorry for the ones who have reviewed but whose names were not included in the above list before the start of the chapter. Even though I saw there are new reviews as the number of reviews increased, when I opened to read the new reviews it didn't come out. So I thought there's a problem in the website. Once the new reviews that I haven't seen are visible, I will add your names immediately in this chapter. I promise.**

 **The next chapter will explain more about the enemies, especially the creature whose name will also be revealed. I just received another load of work, so I cannot guarantee I can update the next chapter as fast as before. Please be patient.**

 **Please don't forget to review~**


	6. Dragon of Calamity

**Big thanks to** _ **Rayisoar5, No1yet, Ryujomaru15, Ulrich362, Yuka Kuroshiro, aqua9597, Big duels, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Playerhood18, GamingGuy84, Elbarto4000, Dark lord, dvdryms, ThePLOThand, Windraider, Unknowedz, Above the Winter Moonlight**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter!**

* * *

 **MEETING ROOM – THE BROTHERHOOD MANSION – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

After lunch, Yuno took Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri to the meeting room where Yuno intended to introduce them to the Brotherhood's six councils who are also his compatriots. When they got there, the six said people were already sitting on their seats, all looking at Yuno and his descendants with expectation and curiosity. Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo found they were getting nervous by the attention they got. Yuri, on the other hand, just plainly ignores them while fiddling his finger for Winged Kuriboh who was still latching on him to play.

"You're late 5 minutes, Yuno-sama." A young man with short green hair and hexagonal glasses said while fixing his glasses that reminded Yuya of Reiji's habit. The young man was the one from earlier who accompanied Yuno in the throne room.

"Are they the descendants that you told us before? The one who will help us?" An old man with blue hair asked as he stared at the four boys with interest.

"They greatly resemble you, Lord Oracle." The only woman amongst the six people commented with awe.

"Before explaining about the enemies, I'll introduce you more about the Brotherhood. They are the council of the Brotherhood and the descendants of my six friends who had helped me formed the Brotherhood 1.500 years ago. They are my close compatriots." Yuno explained with his arm extended to the council before he introduced them one by one.

"Reid Bright. He is the Lord of Carilot Province who holds the title of Duke." Yuno first introduced from the young man with distinctive green hair, and wears a pair of elongated, hexagon-lensed glasses. He was the man who accompanied Yuno at the throne room before leaving following Yuno's order.

"It is nice to meet you. I apologize for Yuno-sama's bluntness. It is a bad habit of his, often saying things straight to the point before explaining properly." Reid apologized to the four youths with exasperated look directed towards Yuno.

"Hey! I explained everything in the end anyway. Everything was cleared!" Yuno retorted at the accusing look given by Reid. He sighed when Reid didn't seem to change his mind, so he proceeded with the introduction.

"Lilac Craig. She is one of the best doctors in the Empire." Yuno moved to a young woman with long-braided purple hair wearing a small dark turquoise jacket, a dark grey-violet and bare stripe color collar shirt, plain bare pants that are curl up to the knees with a little bead string tied around the leg area plus on her left wrist, a cap hat, dark brown shoes, followed by small red glasses and wearing a tiny string necklace with an emerald jade stone.

"If you have any injuries or sickness feel free to come to me. I'll do my best to help you heal." Lilac smiled kindly at the boys. The trio, except Yuri, nodded at her in return.

"Carl Elliot Cantidel. One of the twin princes of Cantidel Empire." Yuno moved to a young man with blond hair tied back in a ponytail. His clothing colors are inverted from when he dresses as Olivier, as he wears an elegant red coat with a white necktie scarf. He wears a blue tunic under the coat. The coat has golden shoulder epaulets and black and gold outlines. He wears white pants and dark brown boots that go up to either his knees or his thighs. They recognized him as the same man who also accompanied Yuno in the throne room.

"Wait, he is a prince?! A member of the Imperial Family?! For real?!" Yugo exclaimed as he looked at the said prince. Yuya and Yuto were also equally shocked.

"Yes. It is nice to meet you all. Do not worry. Even though I'm a royalty, like everyone here I'm neutral between the two factions. Plus, my older twin is the one who will succeed the throne. Also, as long as I am here, we are equals, so there's no need for formalities. You can consider me your big bro if you want to." Carl smiled friendly at the four boys, lowering his head a bit so he is eye to eye with them and leaned closer to show he was genuine that Yuya and the others didn't know what to say.

"Slow down there, Carl. Give them a little bit time and space." Yuno came between the prince and his descendants. Carl pouted, but retreated back as the Oracle told him to.

"Neah Orion. He is the Viscount of the town of Altia." Yuno continued the introduction to the well-built man within his 40s, with deep blue hair, a small beard, and emerald eyes. He wears a long over-coat tan ocean blue jacket with white and black separate stripe lining, underneath the jacket is a grey-brown button setup battle vest attach to a light-blue stripe shirt, then has on a dark-violet stripe shirt underneath that, a tied emerald scarf dangling down to his waist. He also wears off a double-belt strap around the waist, tan bare color pants, violet royal style boots, brown gloves.

"To be honest, I did not expect for such young boys to come to help us. Young ones like you shouldn't be involved in this cruel war. If it weren't for the situation, I would have against you fighting."

"No. A year ago we have also participated in a war to protect our world, so we at least have an experience. And this war is the same. It concerns our dimension and the enemies have already set their sights on us anyway. We can't avoid this fight even if we want to." Yuya explained with determined face.

"I can clearly see the similarities." Neah murmured softly.

"Lechter Noir. He is a former general of the imperial Army who retired recently." Yuno moved to heavily built elderly man with slicked back, white-grey hair, a medium grown beard and mustache, and light brown color eyes. Dressed in a fancy dark purple uniform with yellow cloth pads on the shoulder areas, silver linings on the sleeve edges & the button area with gold buttons, and gold lining around the ankle area. He was wearing a white collar shirt inside, a little turquoise sphere ornament tied around the collar of his neck with two cloth drapes dangling.

"In a glance, I can tell the four of you are promising Duelists with resolve of steel. I'm looking forward to see your Dueling." Lechter smiled at them.

"Kino Kuramoto. He is a former Imperial Duelist. One of the best." An orange-haired young man with his hair tied into a short ponytail. He was wearing vest-like formal attire suited to a musician, carrying a violin.

"You're exaggerating, Yuno-sama. I'm not as strong as everyone here." Kino replied to Yuno's introduction, lowering his face shyly.

"Nonsense. You are strong, Kino. Be more confident!" Yuno said while patting Kino's back.

"Now, it's you guys' turn." Yuno extended his hand to his descendants, starting from Yuya.

"This is Yuya Sakaki. He is a Pro Duelist specializing in the newest summoning method in the original dimension called Pendulum Summoning. He is the current owner of Odd-Eyes that has evolved into Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon." Yuno started by introducing Yuya who was standing the nearest to him.

"It's nice to meet you." Yuya smiled and bowed politely to them.

"Oh my, he looks cuter and sweeter than you, Yuno-sama." Lilac commented, causing Yuya to blush while Yuno sweatdropped. She chuckled more at Yuya's reaction. Yuno decided to continue the introduction of his counterpart.

"This is Yuto. He is a Duelist specializes in Xyz Summoning. He is the current owner of Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon." Yuno moved to Yuto who was standing between Yuya and Yugo.

"I hope we can work well together. I will do my best to prove myself." Yuto also bowed politely to the council.

"This one knows manner more than you do, Yuno-sama. And you're the one who was supposed to be the elder one here. Take a page from him." Reid told the Oracle who pouted in respond before moving to Yugo.

"This is Yugo. He is a Duelist specializes in Synchro Summoning and a Riding Duelist. He is the current owner of Clear Wing Synchro Dragon." Yuno

"I'll make this clear, the name is Yugo! Not Fusion! Don't get it wrong like this grinning bastard does! And you can count on me in this fight!" Yugo exclaimed while jabbing his thumb to his chest.

"Say what you want. You'll never stop me from calling you 'Fusion', Fusion." Yuri said with a mocking smirk.

"The hell?!" Yugo growled at the Fusion counterpart and was ready give a go if it were not for Yuto and Yuya stopping him.

"Energetic but also quite short-tempered. He'll need quite a discipline." Reid remarked.

"He is still young, don't be too hard on him. And his entusiasm is a good point." Carl told Reid, amused by Yugo's cheery disposition.

"Last but not the least, this is Yuri. He is a Duelist specializes in Fusion Summoning. He is the current owner of Starve Venom Fusion Dragon." Yuno finally introduced the last of his descendants.

"Hi." Yuri simply said. He only briefly looked at them before looking away again.

"And this one also need to learn manners. Is that the way you greet someone?" Reid looked at Yuri sharply.

"I have no interest in formalities. All I want is to retrieve my dragon as quickly as possible." Yuri shrugged in dismissive manner. Before Reid could say anything else, Yuno came between the two, holding a remote.

"Let's get to the explanation about the Brotherhood, shall we?" Yuno said before there could be an argument between Reid and Yuri. He clicked a button on the remote, showing a holographic projection of the structure of the Brotherhood organization.

The Brotherhood is organized into seven groups, which are then separated into 25 different squads. Six of seven groups are personally leads by the Brotherhood council while one is lead by Yuno himself. The seven groups are consisted of The Fool, The Chariot, The Magician, The Hangedman, The Hierophant, The Hermit, and The World.

The Fool is a secret intelligence organization independent from the Brotherhood itself that remain outside the direct control of the main force. The Fool is considered to be the second Brotherhood since it becomes the second-in-command of the Brotherhood and merges with the core of the Brotherhood. This group is lead by Reid.

The Chariot is the Brotherhood's elite independent espionage squad that have tendency to engage in direct combat. They're mostly leading the first line of offense and thus, put in the front lines to break through enemies' defenses. This group is lead by Neah.

The Magician is special group that specialize in battle tactics and usually placed in the first defense line. They are also in charge of bolstering the Brotherhood's strength by acquiring end of secret black ops military technologies. This group is lead by Carl.

The Hangedman provides the required information and handles any necessary operations, regardless of being legal or illegal, for the Brotherhood regarding its internal affairs, foreign matters or defense policies. This group is lead by Lechter.

The Hierophant is the accounting and medical division of the Brotherhood. This group is consisted of mechanics and researchers creating or researching new technologies and Duel Monsters and doctors who take care of the wounded. This group is lead by Lilac.

The Hermit, unlike other groups, operations that are handled in the section consist of listening to every citizen and Duel Monsters' query to various attacks or problems that may endanger them. This group is lead by Kino.

The World is the special group that is personally led by Yuno. The members were hand-selected by the Oracle himself and answer only to the Oracle command. They work with the other groups, but they all answer to Yuno.

"For this organization to continue running for thousands of years under your lead…you are no doubt a great and capable leader." Yuto remarked to Yuno.

"Only thanks to my comrades who have helped me." Yuno answered modestly. He cleared his throat before continuing. "With that cleared, now let's finally start about our enemies. To do that, you'll need to learn about our history."

Yuno pressed another button. This time, it showed another mural similar with the ones he showed before. However, this time, the mural showed a picture of two dragons. First was black serpentine dragon, while the other was a white dragon.

"In ancient time there is what we call the cycle of duality. In other words, it is the cycle of destruction and rebirth of the planet. Since the dawn of time, there are two primordial hyper energy organisms. These two organisms takes the form of dragons. Apophis, the incarnation of darkness, night and destruction. And Ma'at, the incarnation of light, day and rebirth. These two dragons would incubate in the earth's core for millions of years, gathering energies from the world to mature while sleeping and when they awaken they'll start their conflict over and over." Yuno enlarged the images of the two dragons that was shown fighting against each other in circle.

"However, one day 1.500 years ago, Apophis was awakened faster than the previous cycle and manifested into the world. He began his conquest to destroy the world. Ma'at, on the other hand, while he was awakened shortly after Apophis, he awakened prematurely as the result of Apophis' quicker awakening, and unable to unleash enough power to fully manifest himself." Yuno switched the mural with a photograph. It showed a clear photograph of the black dragon, Apophis, flying in the sky. It has black skin with its lower body and torso resembling that of a snake's, two thin arms with long neon-blue claws, and scaly shoulders. Its head itself is very wide, much wider than its main body and is mostly composed of its jagged mouth and has a single green eye on each end of it. Its central face looks like that of a reptile, with four small horns on the top of it, white eyes and one large green eye on the middle of its forehead. Somehow it reminded Yuya and his counterparts of the corrupted Supreme King Dragon Zarc.

"Apophis' power is far than we ever could think of. The elemental balance was turned into turmoil by his power. Seeing him destroying our world, it didn't take long for everyone to call it Dragon of Calamity." Yuno showed more photos of the destruction that Apophis caused. The destruction shown in the photos might as well called an apocalypse, armageddon, the end of the world or anything of such as Yuya and the others saw it. The earth shifted, skies go mad, seas swelled, volcanos erupted. No wonder the civilization must restart nearly everything from scratch.

"The only way for Ma'at to manifest into the world is by scattering himself little by little into the world, but doing so means he cannot return to his original body. So Ma'at entrusted someone to gather his powers and use them to defeat Apophis. The one who was entrusted with his power is my father." Yuno showed the picture of his father at that time. He was an older man with wind-blown dark hair, mutton chops, tiny moustache, and light violet eyes. He wore a suit of dark gray with gold accents, and sports an elegant gold chain that hangs from his collar and buttons. A pinstriped vest of brown and tan can be seen under his lapel.

"After my father formed the oath, Ma'at scattered himself…into what we all know as the Supreme King Deck." Yuno showed several cards from the Supreme King Deck.

Yuya and the others breath hitched and speechless as they heard the revelation. They have always known that Zarc's Supreme King Deck was not an ordinary card Deck. They felt special power from each the cards in the Deck more than any other cards they have encountered. But to think its origin was from such a great and important dragon. It was certainly shocking.

"But even then, it's still difficult to defeat Apophis as he is no longer alone. Apophis has six most trusted people working directly under him. They are youths with high intelligence and special abilities, the six strongest Duelists among all of Apophis' men. From your story, you have encountered four of them. Now I will explain more about them including the remaining two you haven't encountered." Yuno showed the six said Duelists working under Apophis, four of them whom Yuya and the others are familiar with, as they have fought against them.

"First is Tsukasa the Inferno. He uses Infernoid Deck which consists of Infernoid Monsters that cannot be Normal Summoned or Set, and must be Special Summoned by banishing other Infernoids from the hand and or Graveyard while the combined Levels or Ranks of all Effect Monsters you control is 8 or less, and have effects that deal with removing individual cards on the field, by simply destroying them or by returning them to the hand or Deck. Also, during the opponent's turn, he can Tribute a monster in order to banish any card in the opponent's Graveyard." Yuno explained as he showed the photograph of Tsukasa.

"He was the one who stole Odd-Eyes… It's really hard for me to defeat him since his Deck's effects nearly seal my main strategy and specialty…" Yuya frowned as he remembered his Duel against Tsukasa. Even though he won, he is not the least bit satisfied.

"Second is Neon the Fabled. She uses Demon Roar God Deck, which consists of Demon Roar God and Demon Roar God Beast monsters. They are similar to the Dark World Archetype in that the monsters thrive off of effects that discard; however, unlike Dark World, all Demon Roar God monsters will benefit off of any discard, even for cost. This Deck supports Xyz and Synchro, but Neon mainly uses Synchro Summon." Yuno switched Tsukasa's photo with Neon's, which infuriated Yugo.

"It's the shameless perverted woman who stole my Clear Wing!" Yugo exclaimed while pointing at the picture angrily. There's no way he would forget about her after what she had done to him.

"And the one who stole your first kiss." Yuri added, shocking everyone in the room and infuriated Yugo further.

"Shut up! Don't remind me of that! And I saved my first kiss for when I finally get married…!" Yugo trailed off and then he wiped his lips as the sensation of when Neon kissed him returned again. He has done his best to forget about it, but it returned again! Plus, she did it right in front of Rin! Damn it! The memory caused Yugo's face to gone all red and he held his head tightly as if in attempt to forget about it.

"What are you? A maiden?" Yuri raised a brow at Yugo's exclamation of how he originally saved his first kiss until he got married. His Synchro counterpart is always so bold with hugging girls and boys alike but he saved a kiss for that long?

"If Neon has her eyes on you, that won't be good. You better be careful because she's beyond flirty." Yuno warned Yugo, causing the Synchro user to sulk while Yuya and Yuto tried to console him. Yuno laughed weakly, feeling sorry for the Synchro user, but continued with his explanation.

"The third is Shing the Steelswarm. He uses Verz and Inverz Deck. Their main strategy is to take advantage of Tribute Summoning, which their effects generally support or trigger upon. The non-Tribute monsters usually help or support Tribute Summoning, such as being easy to summon, resistant to attacks or having effects that activate when they are Tributed. All Tribute monsters activate their effect when they are Tribute Summoned and most of them activate their effects by paying 1000 Life Points. Usually, their effects will result in a partial or total field clearing, so they can capitalize with direct attacks." Yuno switched Neon's photograph with Shing. Yuri twitched at the photo.

"He is the one who stole Starve Venom. I'll make sure to end his life the moment we meet again." Yuri's aura turned downright murderous at Shing's picture, causing Winged Kuriboh who was all cuddly against Yuri to fly away a bit from the Fusion user until he calmed down. Everyone decide not to ask anything from the boy and so Yuno continued.

"The fourth is Rowan the Genie. He uses Ritual Genie Deck that focuses on Ritual Summoning. All Djinn monsters each share the effect of being banished from your Graveyard as one of the monsters required for the Ritual Summon, followed by their individual effects, which are given to the Ritual Monster they were used to Summon. The purpose of these Monsters is to make Ritual Summoning more viable."

"He is the one who stole Dark Rebellion." Yuto remarked calmly, though inside he was actually frustrated and angry as he remembered his Duel against the man. It reminded him how his precious dragon was stolen and his best friend's disappearance.

"The fifth is Dante the Overlord. He uses Dark World Deck. His cards are based around effects that activate when they are discarded from the hand to the Graveyard by a card effect. This does not include costs that require the user to discard. Dark World cards are generally intended to gain advantage by activating Summoning, destruction, and other effects through discarding cards through effects from his hand into the Graveyard. Many Dark World monsters gain extra effects if discarded by an opponent's effect. Dark World monsters can rapidly and aggressively swarm the field and overwhelm the opponent by destroying and discarding his opponent's cards." Yuno switched Shing's picture with Dante, who was one of two members of Apophis' men who Yuya and the others have yet to encounter.

"And finally Geist the Magical Musket. He is the leader of the group, second-in-command after Apophis himself. He uses Magibullet Deck that revolves around using his monsters to accumulate his Spells and Traps in order to disrupt almost any moves his opponents may be attempting. All of his monsters can activate their effects when a Spell or Trap is activated in the same column as his. In addition, the monsters also allows him to activate Magibullet Spell and Traps from his hand, essentially turning them into hand traps, making his moves harder to predict and protect against." Yuno showed the last photo of Apophis' six Duelists, another one that Yuya and the others have yet to encounter.

"Who – what exactly they are?" Yuya asked. Ever since he first met Tsukasa, he has a strong feeling that he was no ordinary human being. In fact, he felt that he was not even a human being.

"They are the offspring of the Dragon of Calamity himself. They are tangible embodiments of his vices, and therefore parts of himself. They are created by sacrificing living beings as their containers." Yuno answered, causing Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo to pale at the thought. Simply put, their opponents are no human beings, but creatures who are using human skins.

"I'll tell you this, when you fought them, they haven't use their fullest of abilities. You can take these words from us who had fought and knew them longer than you do." Yuno warned his descendants, his face and tone showed how serious he was.

"I thought so. I have a feeling that Shing held back when he fought me…which makes it all the more infuriating how he managed to steal Starve Venom…" Yuri's hostile aura intensified as he thought of it.

"Be as it may, we can't afford to lose. We will retrieve our dragons!" Yuya decreed, resolving to save his partner even if it means he must endure the pain of war again.

"Damn straight we are! We just need to get stronger than them and kick their asses!" Yugo got all fired up, determined to beat every single last one of the people who dared to steal his dragon.

"Our dragons are waiting for us. No matter who our opponents are, we will defeat them and get them back." Yuto was also as determined as the rest of his counterparts are.

Seeing their reactions, Yuno couldn't help but chuckle, earning him confused look from his compatriots and descendants alike.

"Oh, sorry, It's just…I'm glad to see how much you cares for the four dragons. They were my partners long ago whom I still cherishes to this day, so I'm glad to know that they get along well with all of my descendants." Yuno smiled softly. He was relieved that the four dragons were in capable hands. His descendants treasure the four dragons deeply, and he has no doubt that the four dragons also feel the same way.

"Let's continue. My father passed away from the wounds he received against Apophis, and passed the Supreme King Deck to me. Since even the Supreme King Deck is not enough to defeat Apophis, I seek another way to defeat him. And that is by combining the Deck's powers with the Four Heavenly Dragons and all Link Monsters in the world." Yuno proceeded with his explanation.

"Link Monsters?" Yuya and his counterparts repeated in question.

"Oh, that's right. Link Summon and Link Monsters no longer exist in your dimension after what we did." Yuno showed a holographic picture of Link Monster Card along with his explanation.

Link Summon is an act of summoning Link Monsters from Extra Deck. During their Main Phase, the turn player can Link Summon a Link Monster from their Extra Deck by sending face-upmonsters they control to the Graveyard as Link Materials; the number of Link Materials must be equal to the Link Monster's Link Rating. When using a Link Monster for a Link Summon, it can be treated as 1 Link Material, or multiple Link Materials equal to its own Link Rating.

"Link Monsters have a Link Rating in place of a Level or Rank. A Link Monster's Link Rating determines the total number of Link Materials required to Link Summon it. A Link Monster's Link Rating is also equal to the number of Link Arrows it has. A Link Monster's Link Rating can be found next to its ATK, in place of the traditional DEF value."

Link Monsters do not possess Levels or Ranks, therefore they cannot be used as material for a Ritual, Synchro, or Xyz Summon. Also, Level or Rank-modifying cards do not affect Link Monsters. The same thing can be said for Spells or Traps that affect Levels or Ranks. Link Monsters can only exist in face-up Attack Position and cannot be placed in or changed to Defense Position; this is because rotating the card into Defense Position would change the directions its Link Arrows point to. Because of this, Link Monsters are unaffected by effects that change battle positions and are unable to be placed face-down, and cannot be Summoned by an effect that would Special Summon monsters only in Defense Position.

Link Monsters commonly grant benefits to monsters they point to or gain more powerful effects depending on the number of monsters they point to. As such, Decks focused around Link Monsters require methods to quickly Summon monsters in order to Summon Link Monsters as well as into the zones where the Link Monsters point to. When attempting to Summon multiple Link Monsters, it is important to decide which order to Summon them in, as their Link Arrows will dictate where the others can be Summoned and what monsters will be Linked to them. Link Monsters with higher Link Ratings can be Special Summoned more quickly by Link Summoning multiple weaker Link Monsters first. This also helps to place them in locations that will take better advantage of their Link Arrows.

"We used Link Monsters' abilities to unite our powers. Apophis' was so strong that it required every single Link Monsters remained in the whole world for this to work. With our combined powers, we were able to seal Apophis and create this artificial dimension. Since Link Monsters are needed to maintain this dimension and the seal, all of them stayed in this dimension, leaving your dimension without any Link Monster nor knowledge of Link Summoning." Yuno finished his explanation, leaving his descendant in another round of silent. They have lots of questions to ask, but there were so many of them that they didn't know from where to start. Before any of them could raise a hand to ask, a servant came in and whispered to Yuno. The Oracle's eyes sharpened and straightened his body.

"Unfortunately, we have an urgent matter to attend, so let's end our conversation at that and continue tomorrow morning." Yuno gestured to his compatriots who all nodded in return, knowing that they must leave as well.

"As for your girlfriends, do not worry, I already sent a word to look for them and they would not be harmed." Yuno told his descendants in assurance, which caused half to blush while the other half reply calmly.

"Y-Yuzu is just a childhood friend!" Yuya denied as his cheeks turned pink from embarrassment.

"Y-Yeah! Rin is like a mom to me!" Yugo also denied but more panic than Yuya did.

"Who would want to date that gorilla girl?" Yuri replied with a straight face and equally straight voice, not looking slightest bit bothered by the implication, though Yuno caught a miniscule movement that said otherwise.

"Please make sure that Ruri is safe!" Yuto replied with genuine worry for Ruri, not making any attempt to deny her as his girlfriend.

"The three of you are clearly in denial." Yuno referred to Yuya, Yugo, and Yuri while inwardly praising Yuto for openly admitting his relationship and feeling for this Ruri girl. He would love meet these girls who made his descendants to react in such amusing ways.

"Escort them to their room. If there's anything, please report to me." Yuno told the servant who delivered message to him earlier. The servant bowed politely before escorting Yuya and his counterparts to their room that Yuno had prepared beforehand. Once they left, Yuno and his compatriots face one another.

"Are you sure they will be of any help?" Reid asked. While he believed that most of them (except Yuri) were good people with promise, he was still worried.

"They are not weak and have experience in a war for sure, but compared to all of us and our enemies they are still lacking." Neah remarked. He was actually still against having children to fight.

Yuno smiled, but his eyes were serious. He placed both his hands on the table as he faced his compatriots with confidence and faith.

"None of you deny that they have potentials. That is precisely why we'll train them. Even without my clairvoyance, I am certain that they will be of a great help for us."

 **A FEW MINUTES AGO – GATE – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Man, it's so boring here…" One of five gatekeepers said, stretching his arms.

"It can't be help, the Captain had ordered for the securities in the whole palace to be increased since the awakening."

"So what? There's no way they stand a chance against the securities in this whole palace. Besides, we have lots of Imperial's best Duelists here."

The soldiers dressed in black were chatting to ease their boredom, but never forgetting their duty to guard the base. Though, they admitted to themselves that there's nothing to be worried about. The Imperial Palace is widely known as impregnable and invincible. No one in their right mind ever dare to infiltrate the palace unless they're extremely strong or just a plain suicide. The palace itself was like a labyrinth, full of traps.

"You're right about that…does this Apophis and his men even as strong as they were thousands of years ago like the history said?" The man laughed mockingly.

They were interrupted when a light suddenly appeared from the other side of the gate they were guarding. They all turned with their Duel Disks ready on their wrists. When the light dissipated, what they saw confused and surprised them. Four girls around 14 or 15 years old with identical faces were sitting or kneeling on the grass inside the palace, looking bewildered as they were looking around them. The girl with pink hair then spoke.

"Have we arrived?"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Palace Gatekeepers –** Yuzu, Serena, Ruri, and Rin got transported right into the garden of the Imperial Palace, causing them to be mistaken as intruders and are forced to duel against the guards who refuse to listen to them.

* * *

 **Sorry for the late update. My work has finally done…for now. Sorry if it's boring. The next chapter will have a Duel between the palace guards VS the girls. And I decided to prolong the poll regarding the Master Duel and Speed Duel. Feel free to vote in my profile page.**

 **And it seems there are people who forgot this, but I do NOT and will NEVER accept OC entries other than my own. And I am 100% positive that nothing will change my mind regarding this. No offense, but it's much easier for me to write using characters that I created myself than OCs someone else made.**

 **Please don't forget to review because it's my main motivation~!**


	7. Palace Gatekeepers

**Big thanks to** _ **Citylover96, Demon Lord Luciela, matrixnis, Ulrich362, Yuka Kuroshiro, Big duels, AlissonJohns, bladeWriter3, Demons Anarchy of Pride, dvdryms, Ryujomaru15, Elbarto4000, Venomous Blade, Playerhood18, Sylver287, scififan599, Yuno Light, aqua9597, Meemo, GamingGuy84, ThePLOThand, No1yet**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter!**

* * *

 **GARDEN – CANTIDEL PALACE – CAPITAL – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

When Yuzu and her counterparts realized it, they were at a garden. A huge beautiful garden that they knew can only be built by extremely rich people. Before they even could fully comprehend their situation, they were interrupted by a loud voice.

"Intruders!"

Yuzu and her counterparts blinked upon hearing the loud voice. In a flash they were confronted by soldier-like people. Four of the five of them raised their Duel Disks while one was told to call for reinforcement. The four soldiers glared at them. Yuzu paled. It wasn't difficult to realize what this mean from two facts: First, she and her counterparts were in a garden on the other side of a huge gate. Second, the soldiers here are no doubt gatekeepers and raising their Duel Disks at them while shouting intruders that only mean one thing… They were the very intruders the soldiers were referring to.

"P-please hold on a second! We didn't mean to intrude or do any harm!" Yuzu raised her hands in defense, trying to pacify the soldiers. It hasn't even 3 minutes they arrived in this dimension and they already got into trouble? Come on!

"It's pointless Yuzu. They won't listen unless we beat them first!" Serena interjected her Pendulum Counterpart, activating her Duel Disk immediately. It was like Synchro Dimension all over again. But this time, she'll make sure that she will win this.

"I don't think we have a choice…" Ruri also activated her Duel Disk.

"For crying out loud, why does it have to be this way?" Rin face-palmed before activating her Duel Disk as well.

Yuzu looked at her counterparts and the gatekeepers and she sighed. Yup. They don't have a choice now. Yuzu reluctantly activated her Duel Disk. But before they begin the Duel, Yuzu spoke,

"This Duel will be a Battle Royale. Players cannot attack on their first Turn. And when inflicting damage or effect that don't designate a target, we can choose which player we wish to affect. Is this rule acceptable?" Yuzu asked the gatekeepers.

"Fine by us!" They all answered, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! From my hand, I summon Swift Gilasaurus (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 400 / LV: 3)!" Gatekeeper with red-colored gem on its helmet made the first Turn, summoning Swift Gilasaurus in Attack Position.

"I release Swift Gilasaurus to Advance summon Dark Driceratops (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 6)!" He summoned Dark Driceratops in Attack Position.

"I set a card and end my Turn." He concluded.

"My Turn! As my opponent controls Monsters while I'm not, I can special summon Solo the Melodious Songstress (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Yuzu special summoned her red clothed Melodious Monster.

"And then I Normal summon Altina the Melodious Diva (ATK: 2300 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4)!" Yuzu summoned Altina, a small yellow haired Melodious Monster with dual-colored purple and blue dress, in Attack Position.

"When Altina is summoned from hand, I can special summon a Level 5 or lower Melodious Monster from my Deck! I Summon Soprano the Melodious Songstress (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4)!" Yuzu normal summoned Soprano to her Field.

"I activate Soprano's Effect! I can Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck using Monsters from my hand or side of the Field as Materials! I fuse Soprano, Solo, and Opera! Fusion Summon! Come to the stage! Bloom Prima the Floral Melodious Saint (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Yuzu summoned Bloom Prima in Attack Position.

"Bloom Prima gains 300 ATK for each of its Fusion Materials!" Yuzu increased Bloom Prima's ATK to 2800.

"I end my Turn." Yuzu concluded.

"My Turn! I summon Archaeopteryx – Archeonys (ATK: 300 / DEF: 1300 / LV: 3)!" Gatekeeper Blue summoned Acheonys in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Ultra Revolution Pill – Revised! I can tribute one Winged Beast-Type to special summon one Dinosaur-Type Monster from my hand!" He tributed Archeonys to summon Dark Tyranno (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 7) in Attack Position.

"I end my Turn." He concluded.

" _Just like Academia and Security, they are using the same Archetype…"_ Serena noted in her mind as she observed her opponents.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Lyrical Luscinia – Cobalt Sparrow (ATK: 0 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1)!" Ruri summoned Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position.

"If I control a Lyrical Luscinia Monster, I can Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia – Sapphire Swallow (ATK: 100 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) from my hand and one Level 1 Lyrical Luscinia Monster!" Ruri summoned Sapphire Swallow along with another copy of Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position.

"I activate Cobalt Sparrow's Effect! I can add a copy of Cobalt Sparrow from my Deck to my hand!" Ruri added another copy of Cobalt Sparrow to her hand.

"And then I activate the Effect of another copy of Sapphire Swallow in my hand!" Ruri once again Special Summoned another copy of Sapphire Swallow and Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position

"I overlay all my five Monsters! Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Xyz Summon! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia – Assembly Nightingale (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / RNK: 1 / ORU: 5)!" Ruri summoned her ace Monster in Attack Position.

"I end my Turn." Ruri finished her Turn.

"My Turn! I summon Sabersaurus (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 500 / LV: 4)!" Gatekeeper Green summoned Sabersaurus in Attack Position.

"I activate Field Spell: Jurassic World! All Dinosaur-Type and Winged Beast-Type Monsters gains 300 ATK and DEF!" Gatekeeper Green increased Dark Driceratops' ATK to 2700, Dark Tyranno's ATK to 2900, and Sabersaurus' ATK to 2200. Ruri's Assembly Nightingale, who was a Winged Beast-Type Monster, consequently also gained 300 ATK and DEF, increasing them to 800 and 300 respectively.

"I set a card and end my Turn!" Gatekeeper Green finished.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Wind-Calling Bell Chime. This card let me reveal a Level 4 or lower Wind Witch Monster in my hand to Special Summon another copy of that Monster from Deck." Rin revealed Wind Witch – Ice Bell (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3) in her hand and then Special summoned another copy of it from her Deck in Attack Position.

"I Summon the Wind Witch – Ice Bell that I revealed from my hand." Rin Normal summoned the Ice Bell in Attack Position.

"I activate my two Ice Bells' Effect! When they are Normal or Special Summoned this Turn, I can inflict 500 damages!" The two Ice Bells pointed their wands towards Gatekeeper Blue, shooting strong cold winds that decreased his LP by 1000.

 **GATEKEEPER BLUE LP: 4000 = 3000**

"As I control 2 or more Wind Witch Monsters, I can special summon Wind Witch – Snow Bell (ATK: 100 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1) from my hand!" Rin Special summoned Snow Bell via its own Effect.

"I Tune my Level 3 Ice Bells with Level 1 Snow Bell! Winds of winter, snow and ice! Become my power to blow everything away! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 7! Wind Witch - Winter Bell (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Rin summoned her ace Monster in Attack Position.

"I activate Winter Bell's Effect! I can copy the Effect of a Wind Witch Monster in my Graveyard until the End Phase! I copy Ice Bell's Effect!" Rin inflicted another 500 damages to Gatekeeper Blue.

 **GATEKEEPER BLUE LP: 3000 = 2500**

"I Set 1 card and end my Turn." Rin concluded.

"My Turn! I summon Giant Rex (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 3)!" Gatekeeper Yellow summoned Giant Rex in Attack Position. Due to Jurassic World's effect, its ATK was increased to 2300.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Gatekeeper Yellow ended.

"My Turn! From my hand, I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse Moonlight Blue Cat and Moonlight Purple Butterfly in my hand!"

Serena began her chant as her Monsters entered the Fusion Vortex. "The blue cat that prowl through the darkness! Butterfly with violet poison! Spiral into the moon's gravity and become a new power! Fusion Summon! Come to me! Beautiful beast that dances in the moonlight! Moonlight Cat Dancer (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!"

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Serena ended.

"My Turn! I summon Dyna Base (ATK: 0 / DEF: 2100 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Gatekeeper Red summoned Dyna Base in Attack Position.

"And then I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse Dyna Base and Dark Driceratops! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 7! Dyna Tank (ATK: ? / DEF: 2100 / LV: 7)!" He summoned Dyna Tank in Attack position.

"I activate Dyna Tank's effect! Its ATK become equal to the original ATK of the Dinosaur-Type Monster used as this card's Fusion Material!" He increased the Dyna Tank's ATK to 2400. Due to Jurassic World's effect, its ATK increased to 2700.

"I activate Magic Card: Dino Blast! I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to the Level of a Dinosaur-Type Monster I control times 300!" Gatekeeper Red pointed at Ruri. From Dyna Tank's mouth, it shot seven red blasts, causing Ruri to fall on her knees after the hit she received, but she forced herself to stand up quickly.

 **RURI LP: 4000 = 1900**

"Battle! I attack Lyrical Luscinia – Assembly Nightingale with Dyna Tank!" Gatekeeper Red pointed at Assembly Nightingale, directing his monster attack the Xyz Monster. Dyna Tank shot its cannons towards the Xyz Monster.

"I activate Assembly Nightingale's effect! I detach an Overlay Unit to negate destruction and battle damage!" Ruri detached an Overlay Unit, creating barrier that protected her ace monster from the attack. This came at the cost of Assembly Nightingale's ATK being lowered to 700 and could only attack four times from now on.

"I end my Turn." Gatekeeper Red concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Fortissimo! I can choose a Melodious Monster I control, that monster gains 600 ATK until my next Standby Phase!" Yuzu increased Bloom Prima's ATK again to 3400.

"I attack Giant Rex with Bloom Prima!" Yuzu pointed at Gatekeeper Green's dinosaur monster. Bloom Prima opened the flowers beside its face, unleashing sound waves at the dinosaur.

"Continuous Trap Card: Amber Pitfall! I negate the attack and change your Monster's Position to Defense Position and that Monster cannot change its Battle Position!" Gatekeeper Green opened his facedown card, creating a pitfall right beneath Bloom Prima, which caused Bloom Prima to fall down into the hole and was trapped there.

"As long as this card is active, your Bloom Prima can't do anything." Gatekeeper Green told Yuzu, causing her to click her tongue.

"I end my Turn." Yuzu reluctantly ended her Turn.

"My Turn! I activate Dark Tyranno's effect! When my opponent has no Attack Position Monster on the Field, this card can attack directly! Go, Dark Tyranno!" Gatekeeper Blue declared attack on Yuzu, who's Bloom Prima has been forced to be in Defense Position, which allowed Dark Tyranno to tackle the Melodious user to the ground.

 **YUZU LP: 4000 = 1400**

"I end my Turn." Gatekeeper Blue concluded. He looked uncomfortably at Yuzu and her counterparts. Even though they were intruders, they were still young girls. He felt bad hurting them like this. But his duty as gatekeeper pushed him to do this.

"My Turn! Assembly Nightingale can attack directly a number of times for each Overlay Unit it has! There are 5 Overlay Units, so it can attack you directly 5 times!" Ruri activated her Monster's Effect. As said by Ruri, Assembly Nightingale swung its wings, unleashing gust of winds four times at Gatekeeper Red that drastically decreased his LP.

 **GATEKEEPER RED LP: 4000 = 1200**

"I set a card and end my Turn." She concluded.

"You're doing fine, Ruri?" Yuzu asked as she returned to her feet while wiping her skirt and her arms.

"I've been through worse. The same also goes for you, isn't it?" Ruri replied to Yuzu without looking at her.

"You're right. This is nothing compared to a year ago." Yuzu stated before facing their opponents again.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon another copy of Sabersaurus!" Gatekeeper Green summoned another copy of Sabersaurus.

"I release Sabersaurus to Advance summon Jurac Tyrannus (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 7)! If this card is Advance summoned using Dinosaur-Type Monster, this card gains 500 ATK!" Gatekeeper Green tribute the Sabersaurus he just summoned and then summoned Jurrac Tyrannus in Attack Position. Due to its effect coupled with Jurassic World's effect, its ATK increased to 3300. However…

"And then I activate Magic Card: Jurassic Evolution! I can release Jurrac Tyrannus and Sabersaurus to once again perform Advance Summon! Come forth, Jurrac Titan (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2800 / LV: 9)!" He tributed the other copy of Sabersaurus along with Jurrac Tyrannus that he just summoned to Advance summon Jurrac Titan in Attack Position. Following Jurassic World's effect, its ATK was increased to 3300.

"He performed Advance Summon twice?!" Rin exclaimed.

"But what's the difference? That monster has the same ATK as the previous one." Yuzu wondered in confusion.

"I activate Jurrac Titan's effect! By banishing a Jurrac Monster with 1700 or less ATK from my Graveyard, this card gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase!" Gatekeeper Green banished Jurrac Tyrannus in his Graveyard to increase Jurrac Titan's ATK to 4300.

"I see. He summoned Jurrac Tyrannus first so he can tribute it to summon Jurrac Titan and so that Jurrac Tyrannus will be sent to the Graveyard and then he can activate Jurrac Titan's effect that will increase its ATK…!" Ruri remarked sharply, guarding up.

"I won't let that happen! Trap Card: Bewildering Wind! If a monster is Special Summoned to my opponent's field I can target one of those monsters and it has its effects negated, also its ATK becomes half its current ATK!" Rin opened her facedown card with Jurrac Titan as her target.

"Unfortunately, Jurrac Titan cannot be affected by Trap or Monster Effects!" Gatekeeper Green revealed, negating Rin's Trap Card. He quickly pointed at Rin and her monster. "Battle! I attack Wind Witch – Winter Bell with Jurrac Titan!"

Jurrac Titan's body unleashed burning flames. It opened its mouth and shot the accumulated flames, burning the Synchro Monster into nothing. Rin was nearly blown away by the attack, but managed to keep her footing.

 **RIN LP: 4000 = 3200**

"I end my Turn." He concluded. Jurrac Titan's ATK reverted to 3300.

"My Turn!" Rin looked at the card she drew and her eyes then blinked. She glanced at her counterparts before making up her mind.

"I set a card and end my Turn!" She concluded, confusing her counterparts. However, she gave them an assuring nod, telling them to trust her.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse Dyna Base in my hand and Giant Rex on my Field! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 7! Dyna Tank!" Gatekeeper Yellow also summoned in Attack Position like Gatekeeper Red.

"I activate Magic Card: Dino Blast! I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to the Level of a Dinosaur-Type Monster I control times 300!" Once again mimicking Gatekeeper Red, he activated the same Magic Card to inflict direct damage with Serena as his target.

 **SERENA LP: 4000 = 1900**

"And then I activate Quick-Play Spell: Fossil's Magic! When I control a Dinosaur-Type Monster, I can reactivate the effect of a Magic Card in my Graveyard!" Gatekeeper Yellow intended to once again use Dino Blast's effect to deplete Serena's LP, but Rin then quickly interfere.

"Not so fast! Trap Card: Cyclone Clash! When my opponent activate a Magic or Trap Card, I can negate that card and destroy it along with another face-up Magic Card my opponent control!" Rin opened her facedown card, destroying Gatekeeper Yellow's Fossil's Magic

"Face-up Magic Card?! The only face-up Magic Card is…" Gatekeeper Yellow and his friends turned to the only Magic Card that was face-up on the Field.

"That's right, I destroy your Amber Pitfall!" Rin pointed at Gatekeeper Green's Continuous Magic Card, destroying it. This freed Bloom Prima from the pitfall and returned it back to Attack Position.

"Thank you, Rin!" Yuzu thanked her Synchro counterpart.

"Yeah, you're a life-safer!" Serena also thanked Rin.

"No problem!" Rin replied.

"I end my Turn." Gatekeeper Yellow reluctantly ended her Turn.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Moonlight Perfume! This card allows me to Special Summon a Moonlight Monster from my Graveyard! I choose Moonlight Blue Cat (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4)!" Serena opened one of her facedown cards and summoned back her humanoid blue cat Monster.

"I activate Blue Cat's Effect! When it was Special Summoned, I can double the ATK of a Moonlight Monster that I control until the end of this Turn! I choose Moonlight Cat Dancer!" Serena increased Cat Dancer's ATK from 2400 to 4800.

"I activate Cat Dancer's Effect! By Releasing a Moonlight Monster, it can attack each Monster that my opponent controls twice each this Turn!

"First, I'll make you pay for the last attack! Go! Cat Dancer! Attack Dyna Tank!" Serena declared her attack without hesitation at Gatekeeper Yellow who has inflicted 2100 damage to her. Cat Dancer leaped and then kicked the dinosaur-like tank. Due to Cat Dancer's effect, it was not destroyed, but still inflicting damage to Gatekeeper Yellow.

 **GATEKEEPER YELLOW LP: 4000 = 2100**

"And then, the finishing move! Take him out, Cat Dancer!" Serena pointed at Gatekeeper Yellow and Dyna Tank. Cat Dancer's scarfs glowed as it raised its knives. The Moonlight Monster leaped again, and this time it used its knives to slash the Dinosaur Monster, destroying it and depleting all of yellow-jeweled Gatekeeper's LP, blowing him back.

 **GATEKEEPER YELLOW LP: 2100 = 0**

"Hey, you're okay?!" Gatekeeper Red asked his fallen comrade who was wincing with his back on the ground from the impact.

"Is this the time to be worrying for someone else? I'm not done yet! Attack him next, Cat Dancer!" Serena continued her attack. This time, she turned her attack to Gatekeeper Red's Dyna Tank.

"Thanks to Ruri, the first attack would be more than enough to finish you! Go, Cat Dancer!" Cat Dancer didn't even need to use its knife. It jumped and twirled in the air as it went down before extending its leg, delivering a kick at Dyna Tank, destroying it and depleting Gatekeeper Red's LP. Gatekeeper Red was lying on the ground beside Gatekeeper Yellow, leaving only Gatekeeper Blue and Gatekeeper Green left.

 **GATEKEEPER RED LP: 1200 = 0**

"Only the two of you left! Finish them off, Cat Dancer!" Serena pointed at Gatekeeper Blue and his Dark Tyranno. Cat Dancer was ready to jump again, but then Gatekeeper Blue pointed at his facedown card.

"Trap Card: Amber Pitfall! I negate the attack and change your Monster's Position to Defense Position and that Monster cannot change its Battle Position!" Gatekeeper Blue also activated the same Trap as Gatekeeper Green, causing Cat Dancer to fall and was trapped in the pitfall, unable to attack.

"Just when I was so close…! I end my Turn!" Serena grunted in frustration as she concluded her Turn.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Ultimate Evolution Pill! I banish 1 Machine-Type Monster and 1 Dinosaur-Type Monster from my hand or Field to Special Summon 1 LIGHT Dinosaur-Type Monster from my hand or Deck!" Gatekeeper Blue banished Dyna Base and Sabersaurus from his hand, allowing a card to stick out from the Deck that he took and placed it on his Duel Disk blade.

"Come forth! Super Conductor Tyranno (ATK: 3300 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 8)!" Gatekeeper Blue summoned Conductor Tyranno in Attack Position. Due to Jurassic World's effect, its ATK increased to 3600.

"You're going to pay for what you have done to our comrades! First I attack you who don't have any Monster! Go, Conductor Tyranno! Attack directly!" Gatekeeper Blue pointed at Rin who's Field was wide open without any monster or set cards. Rin prepared herself for the impact as the dinosaur was rushing towards her, ready for a tackle.

Serena opened her last facedown card immediately before the attack could hit Rin. "Trap Card: Moonlight Astray! I banish a Moonlight Monster from my Graveyard to negate the attack!" She banished Blue Cat, effectively stopping Conductor Tyranno's attack.

"Then Dark Tyranno, attack her directly!" Gatekeeper Blue pointed at Serena, using Dark Tyranno's effect that can attack directly as Serena controls no Attack Position Monster, tackling her. Serena fell flat on her back, causing her to wince from the crash.

 **SERENA LP: 4000 = 1100**

"I end my Turn. With our combo, I highly doubt you have a chance to win. You maybe intruders, but you are still ladies, so please surrender quietly and we will escort you nicely." Gatekeeper Blue tried to persuade the girls. He didn't want to harm them more than they already had.

Yuzu frowned at the Gatekeepers. "First of all, we are not intruders. We didn't mean to become one. Second, as long as players still have LPs, the Duel still continues and is not yet determined!" She has enough of this. Why do most people in other dimensions were bad at listening and just so easy to jump to conclusion?

"My Turn!" Yuzu looked at the card she drew. Her lips curved into smile and she winked at her counterparts. Victory is in their hands.

"When I control exactly 1 Level 7 or higher Melodious Monster, I can special summon Fiona the Melodious Maestra (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 6)!" Yuzu summoned Fiona in Attack Position.

"I activate Fiona's second effect! When this card is summoned through its effect, I can change the Level of the other Melodious Monster I control to the same as this card!" Yuzu changed Bloom Prima's Level to 6, the same as Fiona.

"I Overlay Bloom Prima and Fiona! Angelic Diva, spread your pristine wings and blessed the sorrowful souls with your song of solace beneath the beautiful petals! Xyz Summon! Descend! Bloom Seraph the Angelic Melodious Saint (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 3000 / RNK: 6 / ORU: 2 / PS: 10)!" Yuzu summoned Bloom Seraph in Attack Position.

"I activate Bloom Seraph's Effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can double its ATK until the End Phase!" Yuzu doubled Bloom Seraph's ATK to 5000.

"An ATK of 5000?! It's higher than Dark Tyranno, Conductor Tyranno and Jurrac Titan!"

"Battle! I attack Dark Tyranno with Bloom Seraph! Heaven's Judge!" Bloom Seraph spread its wings as it flew quite high, its body covered in bright white light. As the Xyz Monster began to sing, the light separated itself from Bloom Seraph and formed into swords, pointing down at Dark Tyranno. Following the song, the swords fell down one by one, stabbing the Dinosaur Monster and slowly disintegrating it.

"Too bad. My LP will still remain. In my next Turn, your monster will be destroyed!" Gatekeeper Blue exclaimed.

"No you won't!" Ruri interjected as she pointed at her facedown card and opened it.

"Trap Card: Feather Rainfall! When an Angel or Winged Beast-Type Monster inflict damage to opponent through Battle, that damage is doubled!" She revealed, powering up Bloom Seraph's power.

"What?!" Gatekeeper Blue exclamed in dismay as his monster exploded, blowing him away and leaving only Gatekeeper Green to be the last one standing.

 **GATEKEEPER BLUE LP: 2500 = 0**

"Now, you're the only one left." Rin remarked.

"It's time to finish this!" Serena stated determinedly.

"Go, Ruri!" Yuzu encouraged their Xyz counterpart.

"I attack directly with Assembly Nightingale! And by banishing Feather Rainfall from Graveyard, the damage is doubled!" Ruri declared her last attack, motioning Assembly Nightingale to send four times of gust of wind that blew back the last standing gatekeeper.

 **GATEKEEPER GREEN LP: 4000 = 0**

"Finally it's done." Yuzu sighed in relief.

"Now, are you willing to listen to us?" Serena asked the gatekeepers who were still lying on the ground moaning in pain, but still conscious.

"There they are! They are the intruders!"

A few seconds after, Yuzu and her counterparts were surrounded by dozens of soldiers in circle, all raising their Duel Disks against them. Some helped removing their fallen comrades first from the circle before activating their Duel Disks against the girls. Yuzu felt she wanted to cry from this. Bad luck one after another…

"You gotta be kidding me…" Serena twitched at the soldiers surrounding them.

"Do we have no choice after all?" Ruri looked worriedly at the soldiers surrounding them.

"Hold it! Lower your Duel Disks!"

A girl's voice, loud and clear, stopped the soldiers from making any move. The soldiers quickly opened a path for a girl around the same age as Yuzu and the others. When the four girls saw the owner of the voice who walked towards them, they all gasped. The blond girl who was clothed in an outfit befitting for a royalty came, but what shocking them the most was the fact this girl also shares striking resemblance as them.

"Celica-sama!" One of the soldiers called out as Celica placed an arm in front of the girl in protective manner.

"These girls are the ones foretold by the Oracle who will come to aid us against our old enemies. Thus, they will be under my wing." Celica revealed, resulting the soldiers to burst into murmurs as they looked at the girls. The mention of 'the Oracle' also affected them greatly.

"Umm…you're…" Yuzu started nervously at the blond girl. She was taken aback and her hert skip a beat when the blond girl smiled so brightly and kindly at them as she escorted into the palace.

"I'll explain everything once we go inside. Do not worry. We will not harm any of you. I won't let that happen."

 **YUKIYA'S ROOM – KANBARA RESIDENCE – APARTMENT – DEN CITY – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yukiya reviewed the paper in his hands once again as he lounged on his chair in his room, trying to decode the information he had gained from his hacking. Placing it down amongst the other papers he had also acquired, he leaned forward, elbows on top of his knees as he pressed his fingers together on the ridge of his nose, mind furiously working out the myriad of words and numbers littered on the surface.

While he prided himself upon the fact that he is an extraoridinary hacker, managed to even hacked into one of the Empire's largest and most extensive network of information, he still hadn't quite grasped how to dechiper the data yet, which was written in a code he knew was none other than from a member of the Brotherhood. For all he knew it might have been a code that the Brotherhood had developed itself, but if that was the case, he would've gotten a transcription for it at once.

Their leader was very smart; he had to admit grudgingly as he took another glance at the papers. Making your own code would have the weakness of it being exposed quickly, thus enabling quick translation, but using a code both vaguely familiar and unfamiliar would immediately confuse pursuers, and would have the danger of being misinterpreted, thus throwing them completely off track. For days he had tried to find similarities in the papers he had gotten: sentence structures, vocabulary, syntax and pragmatics, but none of them really matched up. It was starting to frustrate him.

"Darn it…! I knew it would be difficult, but never thought it would be _this_ difficult… No, scratch that, I should have expected this from the Brotherhood, one of the biggest and strongest three factions... Not to mention it lasts for thousands of years already for a good reason…" Yukiya sighed, berating himself for underestimating the Brotherhood's network and computer skill a bit.

"But this is my only clue for now. The Oracle had fought the group that bastard Dante belongs to generations ago, and so he must have encountered them again now they they have awakened…" Yukiya mumbled to himself, trying to sharpen his focus.

There must be something he was missing. The thought was already there, but just can't grasp it completely yet. The code used was familiar to him, but as much as he tried to dechiper it, it would always come out wrong, the thought incomprehensible in one way or another. Closing his eyes he tried to clear his mind, brows wrinkling in deep thought.

A beeping sound snapped Yukiya from his thought. It came from his computer. There was a message for him. He checked his computer and saw the message was sent by a friend of his whom he had asked a favor. His face instantly beamed when he saw what was in the message.

Yukiya stretched his hands before putting on his Duel Disk and leaned his back on his chair with a smile on his face.

"The Brotherhood's server, here I come."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Imperial Adviser Celica –** Yuzu and the others are taken to meet the imperial adviser, Celica, who surprisingly also bears resemblance with them. Recognizing Yuzu and the others as the ones foretold by Yuno, Celica explain the current situation of the empire and her relation to each of them.

* * *

 **FANFIC ORIGINAL CARD MEMO:**

 _ **FOSSIL'S MAGIC**_ **:** When you control a Dinosaur-Type Monster, you can reactivate a Magic Card in your Graveyard. (Quick-Play Spell)

 _ **CYCLONE CLASH**_ **:** When your opponent activates a Magic or Trap Card, you can negate and destroy the card along with 1 face-up Magic Card on the Field. (Trap Card)

 _ **MOONLIGHT ASTRAY**_ **:** When your opponent's monster declares attack, you can banish a Moonlight Monster from your Graveyard, negate the attack. (Trap Card)

 _ **FIONA THE MELODIOUS MAESTRA (ANGEL / LIGHT / EFFECT / ATK: 1700 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 6):**_ When you control exactly 1 Level 7 or higher Melodious Monster, you can special summon this card from your hand. When this card is summoned through its effect, you can change the Level of the other Melodious Monster you control to the same as this card.

* * *

 **Sorry that I can't update faster. It's difficult to find time to write between my works. I'll try my best to adjust to the new schedule. I've always wanted to include Kenzan's Deck in my story but didn't get the chance to, so I decided to use it in this chapter without making any changes in the effects or such. Sorry if the Duel is not so long and boring. I don't think my hands can handle it with 4 VS 4 longer than this. But I'll try my best to improve the Duel in future chapters.**

 **I'm sorry for any error. I'll fix it later if there's one.**

 **Please don't forget to review.**


	8. Imperial Adviser Celica

**Big thanks to** _ **Yuka Kuroshiro, Ryujomaru15, Unknowedz, Ulrich362, Citylover96, ThePLOThand, Big duels, Demons Anarchy of Pride, dvdryms, Playerhood18, Venomous Blade, GamingGuy84, Elbarto4000, matrixnis, aqua9597**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter!**

* * *

 **TEA GARDEN – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuzu and the others were quite fidgeting in their seats after Celica brought them here and cleared the misunderstanding. The girl has welcomed them warmly, serving them high-class cakes and teas in beautiful tea garden that one would say they were having an afternoon tea. Thankfully Celica is the type who is patient and willing to listen first before making assumptions. And so, the four girls were able to tell everything from the mysterious enemies that attacked the boy counterparts to their intention for coming to this dimension. Celica was calmly listening to every word from the beginning until the end. By the time the girls finished with their story, Celica nodded in understanding.

"Thank you for your explanation. I fully understand the situation now. It's my turn to tell you everything about myself and this dimension." Celica said after getting a sip of her tea.

"First of all, my name Is Celica, the adviser of the Imperial Family."

"Second, your friends, Yuya Sakaki, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri are safe. They are under protection of a close friend of mine in the town." Celica told them, which brought smiles of relief from the four girls.

"Thank goodness. I was worried that they'll get into trouble." Rin sighed in relief.

"My close friend has already informed the guards of their arrival, so everything was okay when they arrived. But my apologies, that I was late to inform the guards about your arrival. I am very sorry that they were being rough with you." Celica apologized. Yuno has informed her a day before that these girls would appear in the palace, but she took her time from telling the guards and have only told the imperial family and several people she trusted of their arrival. How foolish she was. But from this, she knew that these girls are strong despite their appearances and young ages.

"It's okay Celica-san. In the end you still cleared the situation before it could worsen." Yuzu assured the blond girl, accepting her apologies.

"She can be too serious sometimes. I've already told her to loosen up a bit."

The girls stopped when a young man with the same blond hair like Celica entered the garden. He was dressed in similar formal attire as Celica.

"Greetings my lovely ladies. My name is Kurt Gaius Cantidel. I'm the first-born prince of the Imperial Family. It is an honor to meet you who came all the way from the original dimension." Kurt introduced himself, bowing politely to the girls who were gaping in shock.

"T-the crown prince?!" Rin nearly exclaim from the shock.

"That means the future Emperor, right?!" Ruri covered her mouth from the shock.

Kurt chuckled at the girls' reactions. "Yes. But there is no need to be so polite. We are technically relatives after all." He assured them, but this earned him confusion from the girls.

"Relatives?" Serena repeated in question.

Kurt stood behind Celica's chair and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Yes. Because Celica here is both our ancestor, so that makes us relatives. A family to put it simply." He told them.

The girls were rendered speechless with a look that saying Kurt has grown another head while Celica face-palmed at Kurt's bluntness, prompting her to elbow him quite a bit before gesturing her hands to calm down the four girls.

"There's an explanation to this. Let's start about our enemies first." Celica brought out a device that she placed on the table. She pressed a remote and then the device projected holographic pictures that showed the murals Yuzu and the others saw at Leo Coporation and the new enemies whom four of them they recognized as the ones who attacked the boys.

"First of all is the woman in this mural that you saw at the temple. The woman is me." Celica revealed. Before the girls could say a word of shock, Celica raised a hand, telling them to let her finish and save their gasps for later.

"The black dragon in the mural is called Apophis while the white dragon is called Ma'at. They are primordial hyper energy organisms. Apophis is the incarnation of darkness, night and destruction. And Ma'at is the incarnation of light, day and rebirth. These two dragons would incubate in the earth's core for millions of years, gathering energies from the world to mature while sleeping and when they awaken they'll start their conflict over and over. That was until for a reason we don't know to this day, 1.500 years ago Apophis woke up earlier than Ma'at and ran rampage, nearly destroying our world within a few days." Celica explained, enlarging the pictures of the murals and destruction caused by Apophis all over the world 1.500 years ago. The four girls paled seeing the pictures. It quite reminded them of when Zarc nearly destroyed the original world, though this was much worse.

"Yuno and I combined our powers together with Ma'at who had become what you knew today as the Supreme King Deck and the Four Heavenly Dragons to defeat him. However, Apophis couldn't be fully defeated, so we had no choice but to seal it away with the help of the entire Link Monsters' powers, creating this artificial dimension."

"Link Monsters? What are they?" Serena asked. The other girls were as much as curious of the unheard monster type.

"I'll explain that later. First I want to straight up what you need to know the most. Before we defeat Apophis and seal him, Apophis attacked me and Yuno. That one last attack turned out to be a curse. Our appearances were regressed to our 15 years old selves as you can see me now and we cannot age." Celica said while holding her left shoulder where the scar from the Apophis' last attack was, clutching it quite tight.

"So that means you're immortal?!" Yuzu looked at Celica in disbelief.

"No. Neither Yuno nor I are immortal. We can still die from illness or mortal wounds. We simply stopped aging, but it's a torment. For 1.500 years our families and friends died one by one while we continue to live on…" Celica's smile saddened as she said this without herself realizing as her deceased families and friends came into her. She missed them. She snapped from thought when Kurt's hold on her shoulders tightened and she realized the girls were also looking at her with frown, worrying the subject brought bad memories for her. Celica quickly beamed a smile to assure them.

"In any case, I may look like this but I'm really already a granny." Celica said with a chuckle, trying to warm up the atmosphere.

"You still haven't explained how we are related by blood." Yuzu asked, seeing the opportunity to change the subject.

"Oh, that's right. I was a daughter of duke who was close to the Imperial Family. When I reached the age, before the fight against Apophis, I was arranged to marry the second-born Imperial Prince at that time. I had two sons with him." Celica showed a holographic photo of herself together with her husband and sons. Her husband greatly resembled Kurt but with maroon hair. Her first son has the same blond hair as hers while her second son has the same color as her husband.

"During the war against Apophis, the Emperor ruling at that time was killed together with the first born prince. My husband was supposed to succeed the throne since the first born prince hadn't marry yet, but he was too ill at that time to rule. So that left my first son as the only one who can succeed the throne." Celica showed the pictures of the Emperor who ruled during her time and his first son when they were alive and their tombstones.

"Before this dimension was completed, my husband, sons, and I reached a mutual agreement. My husband and our second son decided to stay in the original dimension while our first son and I stayed in this dimension. Our first born son has obligation to succeed the throne while I have obligation to watch over him as his mother and the seal." Celica

"I get it now. What you're trying to say is we are your descendant through your second son who stayed in ARC-V while Kurt is your descendant through your first son who succeeded the throne. That's how we are related to each other." Rin concluded.

"Correct. You caught up quick." Kurt applauded the Synchro counterpart.

"How do you know we will come here and sure that we are you descendants?" Ruri asked this time. She remembered Celica said their arrival was foretold, but what did that mean?

"My close friend that I told you, the man in the mural, his name is Yuno. He has the ability to see the future and is known as the Oracle. He told me he had a vision of your arrival including the fact that you are my descendants. But that's not the only thing that confirmed it." Celica pressed another button on the remote and changed the pictures to that of Nekroz Deck and Sephira Deck.

"You mentioned about Ray, the girl who was your original self before she split into the four of you and my true descendant. She used the mix of Nekroz and Sephira cards in her Deck. Nekroz and Sephira Decks are Decks that are passed down in the Imperial Family." Celica revealed more. Before being separated, her husband brought the Sephira Deck with a few Nekroz cards with him, while she kept the Nekroz Deck with a few Sephira cards.

"So the Nekroz and Sephira Decks have that kind of history…" Ruri trailed off, not knowing what to say again.

"Then Reiji's deduction about Ray's ancestry is spot on. Ray's mother must be descended from the Cantidel Imperial Family…" Serena placed her fingers under her chin in deep thought.

"With that cleared, let's move the topic to our current problem. As much as we want to work together to fight Apophis and his group, the situation in the empire makes it hard for unity to happen." Celica closed her eyes as she felt a bit down.

"Why? Did something happen?" Yuzu asked.

"Right now the Empire is split into three factions. They are the noble faction, the reformist faction, and neutral faction. The noble faction, as it was called, consists of most nobles who wish to stick with the old tradition. The reformist faction is led by the supreme leader of the military. The neutral faction is the Brotherhood led by Celica's close friend, Yuno." Kurt explained.

"Since you're from Imperial Family that means you lead the noble faction?" Serena asked.

"No. We may be royalty, but we are neutral even if we do not belong to the neutral faction itself. While tradition is important and all, the safety of the people of the country is much more important to us. The country's peace is our priority. Choosing either faction so carelessly won't be any good." Kurt continued. Despite the pressures from both noble and reformist factions, he and his family keeps their standing and were trying their best to mend the situation between the two. Yuno's Brotherhood also helped in handling the increasing tension.

"Even if the Imperial Family is obliterated, a country can be built again as long as blood continues to run through the bodies of the citizens. This is what the current Emperor once told us." Celica quoted the Emperor's words.

"This is not the time for them be fighting against each other! We must unite if we want to defeat Apophis and his group! If we continue like this, worse, Apophis may use the current conflict to his advantage!" Yuzu stood from her seat while speaking.

"I don't want the tragedy that happened in the Synchro Dimension to repeat again. We must stop this ridiculous conflict or it'll be the same as destroying ourselves." Rin added. While she only heard of what happened when Academia invaded City a year ago, she understood at the very least the core of the problem.

"Isn't there a way for the two factions to reach a compromise?"

"I'm afraid the possibility is too small for that at the moment." Celica said while standing up from her seat. "Let's end it there for today. You must be tired. Take a rest for a while and then we will continue later. I'm going to explain your arrival to the Emperor."

"As for your boyfriends, we'll inform them that you have arrived. But considering the situation in the palace, it may be difficult to meet with them right away, but we'll give you our words that we will reunite the love birds eventually." Kurt winked at the girls teasingly, and their reactions were priceless to him.

"Yu-Yuya is just a childhood friend!" Yuzu insisted while blushing madly.

"That's right! Yugo is also a…childhood friend!" Rin's cheeks reddened while looking away from Kurt.

"I'll be looking forward to meet Yuto again then." Ruri smiled hopefully, not denying that Yuto is her boyfriend.

Serena, on the other hand, only blinked and tilted her head, not really understanding the implication in Kurt's words.

"Like ancestor like descendants." Kurt noted quietly while looking at Yuzu and Rin who were quite in panic after his implication. He applauded Ruri in his mind for nonchalantly admitting that this Yuto boy is her boyfriend, while he gave Serena a sympathizing look as the girl seemed to have yet grasped the concept of lovebirds. The indigo-haired girl did look like the tomboyish type who has little interest in romance, so he won't pressure her at the moment.

"I almost forgot. About Ray, I think she has reincarnated in this dimension." Celica told them, causing the four girls to dismiss Kurt's implication in a flash.

"What?! Ray has reincarnated?! Are you sure?!" Yuzu asked, looking expectantly at Celica along with other girl, much to the blond girl's surprise.

"Yes. Before this dimension is connected again with ARC-V, the time passed faster in this dimension. A year in your dimension equals 16 years in this dimension. I couldn't explain it well, but years ago I sensed the presence of a new soul together with the Sephira Deck somewhere in this dimension. And hearing your story confirmed it. I think she's around your age by now." Celica explained. Years ago a sense of nostalgia suddenly hit her and she thought she heard her monsters' voices that she thought she could never hear again after she left it in the original dimension 1.500 years ago. But no, she heard it again, and now her descendants just confirmed it.

Several maids then came, escorting Yuzu and her counterparts to their quarter, leaving only Celica and Kurt in the garden.

"Are you sure you don't want to reunite them with their boyfriends faster than planned? If we keep them here too long, some nobles may try to suck up to them and win over them to advance their positions. Plus, you can meet the Oracle faster." Kurt said with a tease at the end, but he was also genuinely worried. He and his family have learned there are many nobles who would gave insincere praises or sweet words to get closer to them in hope of strengthening their social standing. Even though the girls came from the original dimension as civilians, it still doesn't change the fact that they have royal blood running through their veins. It won't be long until the news spread to everyone and he had no doubt many will try to target the girls.

"That is precisely why. I want them to learn how nobles in this empire are so they can make proper judgment and choices in the future. I'm also thinking of training them since Link Monsters, Link Summoning, and the Master Duel and Speed Duel that doesn't exists in ARC-V. Considering Apophis' condition, he and his group will no doubt focus their attacks and influence through LINK VRAINS. This training is to prepare them should they must fight in LINK VRAINS and with the rules they are not aware of." Celica answered to Kurt, completely ignoring his teasing at the last part.

Kurt sighed. "If you say so I have no objection then. I'll be sure to guide them as well. They are my relatives and that makes them my family. Family must always take care of each other." He thumbed up to Celica, telling her he got her back.

"I know I can always trust you, Kurt." Celica smiled back gratefully at the prince and her descendant before the two of them leave for the throne room where the emperor is waiting for them.

Once they left the garden, unbeknownst to Kurt, Celica finally thought about the prospect of meeting Yuno. It was just as Kurt said, she want to meet him. It has been a month since she last saw him, and that meeting last month was not long. She has always loved him ever since before she got married despite their different status. Though she seemed content with the fact that she married because of the arrangement made by her father and the previous Emperor her love for Yuno never truly ended. 1.500 years has passed, their respective marriage partner had already passed away, and they are free to pursue new love. Putting aside the conflict, with Yuno being the Oracle who has wide influence and good reputation, no one would object the two of them together.

But…does Yuno still feel the same way about her just, as he was 1.500 years ago?

" _Yuno…"_

 **GUEST QUARTER – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD'S TERRITORY – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Morning came softly, with the sound of rustling leaves and the twitter of birds as the sun began to filter like stained glass through the canopy. Yuya licked his lips, eyes opening slowly. He felt incredibly heavy. The bed was so warm and cozy, too. He yawned, stretching as he rolled up to look towards the ceiling. A soft sound of a Kuriboh prompted him to look to his side. Yuri was awake, combing Winged Kuriboh's fur; the Kuriboh was sitting comfortably on Yuri's crossed legs. Yuto and Yugo were still asleep together with their respective Kuribohs.

"Yuri…!" Yuya sat up immediately, but careful not to awake Kuribohder who was still sleeping beside him.

"Did this little guy awake you?" Yuri asked without looking back while still combing Winged Kuriboh's fur and the Kuriboh let out a soft mewls.

"No. I woke up myself." Yuya replied, rubbing his eyes while saying so. He couldn't sleep as soundly as usual ever since yesterday. No, he couldn't sleep well because he was thinking about Zarc. Even though it has been a year, his subconscious wish wanting to know him more as separate person still won't leave him. And after hearing Zarc has been reincarnated in this dimension, he couldn't help but hoping to meet him, and thinking this is maybe a second chance that has been given to him to get to know Zarc. Maybe things will go differently and better than before…

"Whatever you're thinking about Zarc, you must forget it." Yuri told Yuya just as he finished combing Winged Kuriboh's fur, but he still won't look at him and instead his eyes kept on Winged Kuriboh who leaned to him.

"Huh?" Yuya voiced, as he turned to Yuri in question.

"He has been reincarnated as the same yet different person like we are. Even if you meet him, he won't be the Zarc that we knew; he would be someone else who is like us, his own person. If you meet him and befriend him only because you're seeing him as Zarc, you're being cruel to him." Yuri told his Pendulum counterpart before standing up from his bed while carrying Winged Kuriboh with him, not waiting for Yuya's respond.

Yuya looked down after hearing Yuri's words. He opened his mouth to say something but in the end he couldn't and just let his Fusion counterpart to leave because Yuri was right. Zarc, even though his soul will be the same, he is still a different person. He lived a new life with new identity and new memories. If he were in Zarc's reincarnation's position, he wouldn't want someone to befriend him for only because of his past life, but also for his present life, for who he is now. Didn't he say it himself before a year ago? Even if he and Zarc have similar soul, he is still his own person.

"What should I do…if I meet him…?"

 **THE BROTHERHOOD'S SERVER – NETWORK – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yukiya as Zarc just logged into the network. After much difficulty, his connection has finally got the backdoor program to the Brotherhood's data bank to look for information about Apophis and his group. His connection must have risked himself just to get this backdoor program. The Brotherhood's data bank is no small deal after all. As one of the three strongest groups with wide influence in the artificial dimension, the Brotherhood must have kept lots of information about Apophis. Its leader Yuno was the one who directly fought and sealed the creature away after all. Knowing how crucial information is, it's understatement that the Brotherhood would restrict certain info to be shared to the citizens.

"But I need this information as soon as possible. I need to wake up Sara." Zarc stated to himself as he looked at the pathway towards to the data bank. He has nothing against the Brotherhood, really, he in act actually likes the Brotherhood after what they have accomplished and helped the citizens, but he couldn't bear to see Sara in coma longer.

"Kuri~"

Zarc smiled at Linkuriboh who was floating beside him. He gave the enthusiastic little monster a pat before turning determinedly at the pathway.

"Wait for me, Sara. I will wake you up soon." Zarc vowed before he jumped and flew towards the pathway, beginning to infiltrate the databank.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Supreme King Zarc! –** Yukiya, Zarc's real life persona, hacks into the Brotherhood's server in attempt to find information about Apophis's group who was responsible for making his friend, Sara, falls into a coma. Yuno enters the system to try to stop him and persuade him to join forces instead.

* * *

 **Sorry there's no Duel again in this chapter, and it's rather a short chapter than usual. The next chapter will have a Duel again, this time between Yukiya and Yuno. And the result of the poll is out and the result is Master Duel and Speed Duel should be modified a bit. I'm still confused on how to modify it and some of you already gave suggestions, but I'm still open to more suggestion at the moment.**

 **Please don't forget to review :D**


	9. Supreme King Zarc!

**Big thanks to** _ **No1yet, Unknowedz, Ryujomaru15, Big duels, Elbarto4000, Ulrich362, aqua9597, dvdryms, AlissonJohns, Citylover96, Playerhood18, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Yuka Kuroshiro, Meemo, GamingGuy84, Above the Winter Moonlight, ThePLOThand**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter!**

* * *

 **YUNO'S OFFICE – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD'S HQ – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The meeting finished on a rather average not, but Yuno had enough on his mind to worry about what the other factions thought. He was sitting on his desk early the next day, unable to sleep, mind clouded over with errant thoughts. He didn't bother to change with more comfortable clothes, leaving his shirt and pants on, the sleeves rolled back to his elbows as he nursed a very much needed cup of coffee, trying to think about his options.

The emergence of Apophis' group has intensified the conflict between the noble and reformist faction instead of lowering it. Neither can trust one another to take the lead or even standing on the same side of the battlefield. To make it worse, once the opening of the wormhole that lead to the other dimension has been revealed, both factions, though not voicing it clearly, are considering to try to win over the people in ARC-V to join respective faction. Fortunately though, the wormhole is still unstable at the moment and too small for armies to get into. Still, it'll be only a matter of time until the Cantidel Empire merged again into ARC-V. They need to unite all factions before that happen.

Yuno sighed and drained the rest of his coffee, standing up and feeling exhausted, though not sleepy. He had to ask his compatriots and guardians on their opinion about the matter. So immersed he was in his thoughts that he didn't hear his office door open, and jump a few feet when a voice startled him out of his thinking.

"You're going to kill yourself like that, Yuno-sama." Lilac came in with a tray in hand. Her eyes stared worriedly at her friend, placing the breakfast tray on the desk. "You should rest. You look extremely exhausted. Have you been up all night?"

"Oh, Lilac. Sorry about that." Yuno quickly rubbed his eyes and looked down at the food. He looked at the doctor, grateful and at the same time apologetic. "This kind of thing won't be enough to kill me. And I prefer to die a natural death instead of suicide, overwork, or being killed. Until then, I don't think I'll let myself die."

"And what? Let you getting sick and then I need to do a _very thorough examination_ on you? Be prepared then." Lilac smiled and chuckled at the cringe that appeared on the black haired man's face. Both Yuno and Lilac had no doubt that if he went down in his current, disheveled state, Reid together with his right-hand man would be on his back in an instant, dragging him back to the bed and threatening to knock him out (his right-hand man already done that several times already) if he ever try to make any attempt to protest.

"Enough about me, how are my descendants? Are they well?" Yuno changed the subject.

"They just finished their breakfast and currently having a tour throughout the HQ with Neah as their guide. Speaking about those boys, have you arranged their training schedule?" Lilac asked back after answering.

"Yes. But before that, I'm thinking of doing a demonstration of Master Duel and Speed Duel to them today." Yuno told her.

Lilac blinked. "I thought your schedule is full today. When are you planning to–"

The door being slammed open startled the two. A man who looked like a technician came in while having a heavy breathe, looking at Yuno and spoke with urgent tone.

"Yuno-sama, that hacker from the other day strikes again! This time he managed to infiltrate the path to the Mother Computer!" The man informed them.

Yuno sighed before his lips cured into a grin. He stood up from his desk, wearing his Duel Disk.

"Tell Neah to bring my descendants to the command room. The demonstration will start now." Yuno turned to Lilac as they exited the room.

"You're going to handle the hacker by yourself?! Let us do it!" Lilac objected.

"I need to show them what I am capable of as a Duelist and leader of the Brotherhood if I want to gain their full trust. Besides, I wish to meet this hacker and find out his intentions since he hacked into our server even though he is not our enemy." Yuno replied without looking at Lilac and continued to walk with quicker steps.

"How do you know he is not our enemy?" Lilac asked. Is this one of his divination too?

"The data that he took last time was the data we have about Apophis' group, recovery programs, and medical records of the victims from the last case when they fell into coma due to Apophis' influence in the network. From this fact I concluded that he is against Apophis and maybe someone he knew is in coma like in the case." Yuno explained what he had deduced.

This hacker most likely hacked into the server due to lack of information regarding Apophis and after stealing the data nothing in particular happened other than what usually done by Apophis' hoodlums both online and offline, so Yuno knew that the hacker is not associated with Apophis in any way and he decided to let the hacker off the hook. The data he had taken was the one that he personally heavily encrypted and coded so the hacker won't be able to look into the data easily anyway.

What Yuno didn't tell Lilac, however, was a skilled hacker like him could prove to become a valuable ally.

 **THE BROTHERHOOD'S MOTHER COMPUTER – THE BROTHERHOOD SERVER – NETWORK – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

After evading several traps and security layers, Zarc finally arrived at the databank, the mother computer of the Brotherhood's server. It was really a hard work to get here. He had made a quite clumsy move that gave off his presence within the server and he went through battlefield as the result before he was finally able to stand in front of his target. The source of all the Brotherhood's data took a form of a reverse pyramid with several spheres of light around. His target was finally in front of him, but Zarc can't be relieved yet because there is still one final line of defense standing in front of him.

"I've been expecting you."

A black haired young man was standing in front of Zarc, protecting the databank. He has the same height as Zarc and was wearing a dark blue-violet overcoat jack with a few light-brown belt-straps over the shoulders and around the left waist to inside the right jacket by the waist, white bandanna, blue shirt vest underneath with a black shirt under it, grey-brown pants, magenta color boots, and black gloves. His eyes were covered with a white and blue colored mask so Zarc couldn't see his face, just like Zarc himself covering his eyes with his blue glasses.

"You're the guardian of this databank?" Zarc questioned calmly.

"No. I am the one everyone knows in real life as the Oracle." The man replied with a smile.

Zarc stilled and nearly froze from the shock. No one could blame him. The Oracle, Yuno, himself was using an avatar to stop him. The leader of the Brotherhood himself came to stop him. He didn't know that much about the Oracle save from what people in general knew and his own research that didn't tell much. The Oracle never reveals his face to the public. Whenever he went out, he would always put on a mask or anything that would cover his face. There are people that he knew who knew the Oracle's face, but all these people kept their mouth shut if asked how the Oracle looks like. They are immensely loyal or at least respect the Oracle enough not to give in his identity to just anybody.

"I'll admit that I'm shocked that the Oracle himself came to stop some hacker like me." Zarc replied.

"You are not some ordinary hacker if you managed to come this far. Also, I'm both interested and curious about you." Yuno replied as he took several steps forward. "I know that you're not on Apophis' side from the data you've taken in your last heist. And I take it that you came here because you couldn't fully encrypt the data I made." Yuno chuckled when he noticed Zarc shuddered. He hit the spot.

"You're desperate for information about them for a reason, and I want to know why. At the very least I know you have no bad intentions from this." Yuno asked. He already had a clue of his reason, but he wanted to hear it from the person himself to confirm it.

"If I told you, will you give or tell me everything you know about Apophis?" Zarc asked again.

"That depends. You actually can just tell me and then leave everything to us. I give you my word with my pride and honor as the leader of the Brotherhood." Yuno answered.

"I thought so. I'm sorry to say but this is something that I must do with my own hands. I understand you mean well, but I can't do it like that. I've fought and done things that I actually didn't want to do and taken a lot of responsibilities from it. It's not that I don't believe you, but I don't think it's right to simply hand the burden over to someone I just met, even the Oracle." Zarc gave a wry smile. He couldn't explain it right, but he knew that the Oracle in front of him was trying to persuade him because he didn't want to drag him into a definite danger. While he appreciated the concern, this cannot be avoided since one of Apophis' men, Dante had set his sight on him so he will be involved sooner or later.

"But most importantly…this is for the sake of a person I cherish very much." Zarc's expression flattens again. The atmosphere in the area has changed. Yuno sensed it as well and readied his Duel Disk.

"I admire your willingness. I have no objection then. Prove to me how much that willingness goes." Yuno activated his Duel Disk, accepting Zarc's wordless challenge.

"We'll do Master Duel." Zarc proposed, which Yuno agreed to.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! From my hand, I summon Vendead Revenant (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 200 / LV: 4)!" Yuno summoned the humanoid zombie-like monster in Attack Position.

Zarc blinked at the monster summoned. "For someone who was seen as close to a saint by some people, I honestly didn't expect for scary zombie monsters as your choice of Deck." He stated, earning him a chuckle from the said zombie user.

"Never judge a book by its cover. They may be scary but when you get to communicate and know them properly, they are friendlier than anyone thought." Yuno replied while waving at Vendead Revenant who waved back at him in return.

"Indeed…" Zarc sweat dropped at the exchange.

"I activate Field Spell: Vendead Nights. Once per Turn, I can discard a card and then add 1 Vendead card from my Deck to my hand." Yuno discarded Vendead Hellhound (ATK: 0 / DEF: 2100 / LV: 3) from his hand and then added a new Vendead card to his hand.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuno concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwurm (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4)!" Zarc summoned Darkwurm in Attack Position.

"That's…!" Yuno was surprised upon seeing Darkwurm. It was one of the monsters that once fought alongside him 1.500 years ago. Then that means this hacker is…

"When I control at least one Supreme King Servant Dragon Monster, I can special summon Supreme King Gate Dragonius (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1300 / LV: 5) from my hand!" Zarc summoned a round gate-like Monster with dragon-shaped insignia on the door with its eyes glowing in Attack Position.

"When Gate Dragonius is special summoned through its effect, I can add a Supreme King Servant Dragon Monster from my Deck to my hand." Zarc added another Supreme King Dragon Servant Monster to his hand.

"Battle! I attack Revenant with Gate Dragonius!"

 **YUNO LP: 4000 = 3800**

"When Vendead Revenant is sent to the Graveyard through Battle or card effect, I can special summon it, but this card will be banished when it leaves the Field." Yuno revived Vendead Revenant right after it was destroyed.

"It really is a zombie." Zarc remarked while looking at the monster, unaware of the stare Yuno was giving to him.

"I see…so you're Zarc…" Yuno murmured that was inaudible for Zarc to hear.

"Hm? Did you say something?" Zarc asked, but Yuno shook his head.

"No. Nothing. Are you done with your Turn?" Yuno asked back, waiting for his Turn.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Zarc finished. He looked seriously at Yuno. "I hope you're not underestimating me. Arrogance is not my intention, but I'll be sure to make you remember the Supreme King Dragon in your mind and heart.

 **COMMAND ROOM – THE BROTHERHOOD'S HQ – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Meanwhile, from the command room, Yuya and the rest were watching the Duel between Yuno and Zarc. As instructed by Yuno, Lilac told Neah to bring their leader's descendants to the command room to watch the Duel while she also informed the other councils who were not in the mansion at the moment. While initially quite excited at seeing the so-called Master Duel Neah have told them about, their excitement soon turned into shock once they saw who Yuno's opponent is. His opponent is none other than their original self – Zarc. The Supreme King Deck he used just proved it further.

"There's no mistake, he is Zarc!" Yuya exclaimed as he was watching the monitor that showed the Duel.

"No wait, that's only his avatar, not the real person. Remember? Yuno said that Zarc reincarnated 15 years ago, so his real life should be around our age." Yuto reminded.

"But the fact he is using his past self's name with the exact same appearance and using Supreme King Deck proves that the Zarc Yuno is fighting against is clearly the reincarnation of the Zarc we knew." Yuri remarked.

"Since his avatar and the name is the exact same, doesn't that mean he retain his previous life memories?" Yugo voiced

"Don't get your hopes high over there. There's huge possibility that he only vaguely remembers it. We also experienced the same thing before." Yuri reminded. Before their souls were separated from Zarc's, they often felt something nostalgic or familiar that belonged to Zarc. It was possible that whoever this Zarc's reincarnation was only vaguely or subconsciously remember Zarc's name and appearance.

"The point is this person is definitely Zarc's reincarnation." Yuto stated.

"Why is he hacking into this place's server?" Yugo asked Neah beside him.

"I do not know myself. But I did hear that a few days ago a hacker managed to hack and took a data about Apophis and several others related to him. If he returned even after taking the data, it's most likely either the data is not enough or he couldn't encrypt the data that Yuno-sama made." Neah answered. While he was surprised that Zarc managed to breach the securities of the server, which means Zarc must be a skilled hacker, he must said that his skill was only second to Yuno who has more experience as a hacker himself. Thousands of years of experience even. Making various codes and programs that extremely hard to open is one of his specialties.

"How strong Yuno-san is as a Duelist?" Yuya asked. While he knew it maybe a stupid question to ask considering the man has been leading a big organization that is known as one of the strongest for 1.500 years, he somehow couldn't help to. He hoped his question won't be taken as an offense.

Noticing Yuya's discomfort, Neah patted his head to assure him that he knew the boy was just curious. "You may think that we are only exaggerating, but we believe that Yuno-sama is one of the strongest Duelists we ever knew in this whole Empire. But you'll need to watch his Duel yourself if you want proof." He told the boys.

 **THE BROTHERHOOD'S MOTHER COMPUTER – THE BROTHERHOOD SERVER – NETWORK – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"My Turn! I once again activate Vendead Nights' effect." Yuno discarded Vendead Striges (ATK: 500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 2) to add a Vendead card to his hand in return.

"I activate Vendead Hellhound's effect in the Graveyard. I discard a card to special summon it." Yuno summoned Vendead Hellhound in Attack Position.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Revendead Origin. I can perform Ritual Summon by releasing Zombie monsters from my hand, Field, or and banish it from Graveyard. I release Vendead Hellhound and Vendead Revenant!" Yuno tributed Hellhound and Revenant. Since their effects were used to summon them to the Field, the two zombies were banished once it was tributed.

"Ritual Summon! Appear, the amalgamation of the undead! Level 5! Vendead Chimera (ATK: 2300 / DEF: 0 / LV: 5)!" Yuno summoned Vendead Chimera in Attack Position.

"If a Ritual Monster is summoned using Vendead Revenant as its material, I can target 1 Special Summoned monster my opponent controls and banish it!" Yuno pointed at Zarc's Gate Dragonia. One of the monstrous heads on Chimera's body shot an acidic blast, melting Gate Dragonia and removed it from play.

Zarc quickly opened his facedown card. "Trap Card: Supreme King Reflection! When a Supreme King Monster I control is destroyed by a card effect, I can special summon a Supreme King Monster from my hand!" He was about to take one of the cards in his hand, but Yuno then interrupted him.

"Not a chance! If a Ritual Monster is summoned using Vendead Hellhound as material, I can target a Magic or Trap my opponent controls and banish it!" Yuno declared. A hound-like head on Vendead Chimera shot out another acidic blast that melted the Trap Card, removing the Trap from play and thus, negated Zarc's summoning.

"Darkwurm can negate any attack directed at it as long as you control another Supreme King Monster, so I have to get rid of your Gate Dragonius first." Yuno told Zarc who looked at him in surprise.

"How do you know Darkwurm's effect?!" Zarc asked.

"You must win first if you want to know the answer." Yuno replied before extending his hand at Darkwurm. "Battle! I attack Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwurm with Vendead Chimera!"

Following Yuno's declaration, Vendead Chimera opened the huge mouth above all its heads, unleashing black toxic smokes and tongues that pulled the Supreme King Servant Dragon into it, consuming the dragon while Zarc kneeled as he felt weakened by the toxic smokes.

 **ZARC LP: 4000 = 3500**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuno concluded.

"My Turn! Draw!" Zarc looked at the card he drew and then eyed Yuno. _"If he knew Darkwurm's effect, there's a possibility that he also knew the rest of my Deck. But how did he know? Did he investigate me after my last hack? But I've made sure to erase any trace I made so no one can find out my identity. And I don't think I have done something that will warrant his attention in real life…"_

Zarc quickly shook his head inwardly, shaking away the thought. He will figure this out later. For now, he must win the Duel. The Oracle may know about his Supreme King cards, but he doubt he knew about his Magicians that he added recently and his Trump Card he has carefully hidden. He could use that to his advantage.

"I activate Magic Card: Dragon's Cry! When I control no monster while I have a Dragon-Type Monster in my Graveyard, I can special summon a Dragon-Type Monster from my hand and the one in the Graveyard with their effects negated!" Zarc summoned Supreme King Servant Dragon Verham (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 3) from his hand and Darkwurm from Graveyard in Attack Position.

"I activate Gate Dragonia's effect in Graveyard! I banish it to special summon a Supreme King Monster from my hand!" Zarc summoned Supreme King Gate Infinity (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 7) in Attack Position.

In the command room, Yuya and the others instantly recognized Verham and Gate Infinity, though this Gate Infinity is an Effect Monster instead of Pendulum Monster like the one Zarc used a year ago.

"He really is Zarc…" Yuya clenched his fists as he stared hard at Zarc and his monsters.

"It's an Effect Monster, but it's definitely the same monster." Yuto noted.

"And then from my hand, I summon Supreme King Gate Zero (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 7)!" Zarc summoned Gate Zero in Attack Position. At the same time, Yuno continued to eye Zarc from the other side of the Field.

" _He really is Zarc that Yuya and the others told me about. But from what I heard he is also using Magician-Type cards and dragons similar as the Four Heavenly Dragons… He hasn't used it, I wonder if there were changes when he and the Deck reincarnated into this dimension…"_ Yuno thought analytically. It was possible for the cards to be reborn entirely along with its owner. Did that happen to Zarc? Or he just doesn't have the cards in his hand?

"Come forth, the circuit that will lead to the future!" Zarc extended his hand at the Link Circuit that appeared above him.

"It's coming…! Link Summon!" Yuno exclaimed as he looked at the Link Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is 4 monsters! I set Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwurm, Supreme King Servant Dragon Verham, Supreme King Gate infinity and Supreme King Gate Zero on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" All Zarc's monsters then became one with four of the six arrows. Darkwurm went to the Left Arrow, Verham to the Right Arrow, and Gate Infinity to the Left-Bottom Arrow, and Gate Zero to the Bottom-Right Arrows.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon (ATK: 2800 / LINK: 4 / LM: Left, Right, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right)!" Zarc summoned a winged dragon Monster with rough brilliant blue scales, ridges along its back, and a tail tipped with an arrow-shaped spike. Throughout its body and wings were silver electronic circuit-like markings. It also has the same yellow eyes as its master.

Yuya and his counterparts gasped when Cyber Cosmos was summoned. Even though its form is not exactly the same as the last time they had seen it, when they looked into its eyes, they knew. It has the same soul as the dragon that they met and fought in a year ago.

"It's the Supreme King Dragon!" Yugo exclaimed while pointing at the dragon.

"Yeah! Its form is quite different, but it's the Supreme King Dragon Zarc!" Yuto said with certainty.

"Even Duel Monsters can be reborn as a new archetype…" Yuri made a mental note about this.

"Yuya, do you think – Yuya?" Yugo blinked when Yuya was nowhere to be seen. This caught everyone's attention too. They were so focused on the former Supreme King Dragon that they didn't realize Yuya was gone.

"Where is he going?" Yuto wondered while looking around for the tomato-haired boy.

"Maybe to the toilet?" Yugo said, earning a snort from Yuri.

"He is not you, Fusion." Yuri responded.

"Who the hell is Fusion?!" Yugo shouted at his Fusion counterpart, but didn't get to lung at him as the Duel continues.

"I activate Dragon's Cry second effect in the Graveyard! I banish it to special summon a Monster from my Banished Zone with its effect negated!" Zarc revived Gate Dragonia in Attack Position on his Field, placing it right beneath Cyber Cosmos.

"I activate Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon's effect! I can target a Level 5 or higher monster my opponent controls and decrease its ATK and DEF equal to the sum of ATKs and DEFs of other monsters that connected to Cyber Cosmos' Link! Also, my dragon's ATK is increased equal to the same amount!" Zarc revealed. As Gate Dragonia was connected to Cyber Cosmos' Bottom Left Link Marker, Vendead Chimera's ATK and DEF was reduced equal to Gate Dragonia's ATK and DEF, making the Ritual Monster's current ATK 300 and DEF 0. Cyber Cosmos, on the other hand, has its ATK increased to 4800.

"Battle! I attack Vendead Chimera with Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon! Axis Bomb!" Zarc declared attack. Cyber Cosmos unleashed bomb-like flames of data with particles resembling stars shrouding the attack. The flame hit Vendead Chimera, causing a massive explosion that shook the entire area and blew Yuno away.

For a moment, everyone thought that Zarc has won. However, they were proven wrong when the smokes cleared, revealing Yuno kneeling with a Trap Card opened beside him and his LP still remained.

 **YUNO LP: 3800 = 1550**

"I activate Trap Card: Zombie Snap. When a Zombie-Type Monster I control is destroyed by Battle, I can halve the damage in exchange the destroyed Zombie Monster is banished." Yuno revealed the effect of his Trap that halved the damage he took, banishing Vendead Chimera.

"You saved that kind of card…I thought so. You are the leader of the Brotherhood with thousands of years of experience after all. Fighting you half-heartedly will do me no good. I end my Turn." Zarc concluded. Cyber Cosmos' ATK reverted to normal following the End Phase.

"I'm grateful that you're serious facing against me in this Duel. My pride as a Duelist would be insulted if you don't take me seriously." Yuno replied, thanking the Supreme King user genuinely. Plus, his opponent is strong. He felt his Duelist blood boiling from excitement.

"I'm also going all out. Be prepared." Yuno's eyes glinted as he began his Turn.

"I activate Vendead Nights effect." Yuno discarded another copy of Vendead Revenant and then added a Vendead Monster to his hand.

"I activate Magic Card: Vendead Pit. I can banish a Vendead Monster in my Graveyard." Yuno banished Vendead Striges from his Graveyard, leaving only Vendead Revenant he just discarded as the only monster left in Yuno's Graveyard.

" _He banished his own Vendead Monster? Now he only hand Magic and Trap and Vendead Revenant in his Graveyard. Most his of Vendead Monsters have been banished, so he is the same as running out ammunition. No, he still has one more facedown card left. Is he going to use it?"_ Zarc eyed Yuno suspiciously. His gut feeling was telling him that something big is coming, and it won't be good for him.

"I activate Trap Card: Zombie Reunion! I can reveal a Ritual Monster in my hand, and then Special Summon any number of my banished Zombie monsters with different names, in facedown Defense Position, whose total Levels exactly equal the Level of the revealed Ritual Monster, Tribute all those facedown Defense Position monsters, then Ritual Summon that Ritual Monster from my hand!" Yuno briefly revived Vendead Chimera and Vendead Striges before releasing them. Pentagram-shaped magic circle appeared with torches on each star. A portal began to open from the pentagram along with a roar coming from within the portal.

"Awake from your slumber and drag your enemies into deepest bowels of the earth! Ritual Summon! Appear! Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8)!" Yuno summoned his ace monster. It's a deep blue dragon with torn and tattered body in several patches, and small parts of flesh have begun to peel off around its head and body, and a tail tipped with an arrow-shaped spike. It has blue eyes, with vertical pupils like a cat's, and skeleton-like protrusions from its body and appendages on some parts of its body.

Without Yuno or Zarc noticing, Yuya was meekly watching the Duel from another door to the databank with Kuribohder accompanying him. His eyes were fixated on Zarc. To be honest, Yuya didn't really understand what he was doing. When Zarc summoned Cyber Cosmos, he has a sudden urge to meet him. Noticing a room where Neah said anyone can send their consciousness into the network, Yuya didn't think twice to enter it together with Kuribohder. Yuya was positive that he will be berated after this, especially since he doesn't know himself what he wants to do now that he has entered the network.

" _For now, I'll just watch the Duel until it ends…"_ Yuya thought as he made sure to hide himself carefully from everyone's view with Kuribohder.

"I activate Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon's effect! Once per Turn, when my opponent controls a Level 5 or higher or Link 4 or higher Monster, it gains 600 ATK for each Monster in both players' Graveyard and Banished Zone! Soul Survive!" As there were 2 monsters in the Banished Zone and 8 monsters in Graveyard, Yuno increased his dragon's ATK to 6000. Mad Abyss howled as the spirits of the monsters whom it gained ATK from appeared on the Field and went into the dragon.

"An ATK of 6000?!" Zarc exclaimed in shock. If the attack connected, he was done for.

"Just in case, I activate the effect that Mad Abyss gained from Vendead Chimera! Once per Turn, all monsters my opponent controls lose 500 ATK and DEF!" Yuno decreased Cyber Cosmos' ATK to 2500, and Gate Dragonia's ATK and DEF to 1500 and 800.

"Battle! I attack Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon with Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon! Earthbound Chain Blitz!" Yuno declared his decisive attack. Mad Abyss summoned chains that bound Zarc's ace Monster, completely stopping the Link Monster's movement who was desperately struggling against the chains, which only tightened the chains' hold on it more. Mad Abyss used its skeleton protrusions to slash the Link Monster.

"I activate Supreme King Servant Dragon Hellebore's effect from my hand! When I control exactly one Dragon-Type monster and that monster is targeted for attack, I can send this card to the Graveyard to negate destruction and the damage is halved!" Zarc quickly discarded Hellebore, allowing Cyber Cosmos to endure Mad Abyss' attacks and lessened the damage Zarc took.

 **ZARC LP: 3500 = 1750**

"I praise your tenacity. I can't destroy any of your monster this Turn, but I can at least still inflict more damage to you." Yuno said as he activated a card from his hand.

"I activate Magic Card: Zombie's Peck! When a Monster I control fails to destroy my opponent's monster, I can inflict damage equal to Level 3 or lower Zombie-Type monster in my Graveyard!" Yuno inflicted additional damage to Zarc, choosing Vendead Striges' 500 ATK.

 **ZARC LP: 1750 = 1250**

"I end my Turn." Yuno concluded, reverting all the monsters' ATK and DEF to normal. He lowered his Duel Disk for a moment to speak to Zarc. "I know you're not the type who won't give up until the end. I'm also the same. But still, won't you surrender? Whatever your reason is, I don't want to drag you into the battle against Apophis."

"No. I will be involved one way or another." Zarc interjected. "A week ago my friend was attacked by one of Apophis' Duelists. He called himself Dante."

"Dante did?!" Yuno couldn't hide his surprise. For Dante to attack Duelists means either that Duelists are seen as hindrance or threat or having crucial information about them.

"I fought Dante and beat him, but my friend was also attacked in the real life and has been in coma ever since. Even though the doctor said she has recovered physically, she still won't wake up…I figured the cause has something to do with what Dante had done to her when they were dueling in LINK VRAINS." Zarc explained. He had heard there were cases similar to Sara's years ago, and that's why he hacked into the Brotherhood's database before in hope of finding the cure. Unfortunately, the recovery program didn't work because whatever Sara is suffering from has different cause.

"Dante has set his sight on me. Even if I decided to leave everything to you, Dante will still come after me. But I don't really care about that…" Zarc's eyes hardened at Yuno. "Let me ask you this, Oracle, if someone precious to you is attacked by someone and in coma, will you just simply let someone else to act while you do nothing?"

Yuno and everyone who were watching went silent from that. The answer was obvious, and they all shared the same answer.

"No. I will do the same thing as you are right now…" Yuno answered.

"Exactly. No matter how many times I fall, I will stand up over and over until I save Ray!" Zarc declared as he began his Turn.

" _Ray…!"_ Yuya reacted in shock hearing the name. He was sure his counterparts were also thinking the same thing as him. _"Ray…was he talking about Ray Akaba…?! Then not only Zarc, but Ray has also reincarnated in this dimension?!"_

"I won't lose! For Sara's sake, I will fight until the end!" Zarc stated as he revealed the card he just drew.

"I activate Magic Card: Brief Resurrection! I can revive a monster from either player's Graveyard for this one Turn!" Zarc revived Yuno's Vendead Chimera to his Field.

"I activate Cyber Cosmos' effect! I can target a Level 5 or higher monster my opponent controls and decrease its ATK and DEF equal to the sum of ATKs and DEFs of other monsters that connected to Cyber Cosmos' Link! Also, my dragon's ATK is increased equal to the same amount!" As Gate Dragonius and Vendead Chimera were connected to Cyber Cosmos' Bottom Left Link Marker and Bottom Right Link Marker, Cyber Cosmos' ATK was increased to 7100 while Yuno's Mad Abyss' ATK and DEF were decreased to 1500 and 700.

"An ATK of 7100?!" Yugo exclaimed at Cyber Cosmos' current ATK.

"There's no set card on Yuno's Field and Mad Abyss' ATK is only 2800. Looks like this is the end for him." Yuri remarked.

"Go, Cyber Cosmos! Axis Bomb!" Zarc declared, prompting Cyber Cosmos to once again unleash its bomb-like blast at the Ritual dragon.

"I disagree." Neah replied to Yuri's remark, confusing the said boy.

"I activate Zombie's Peck's effect in the Graveyard! I banish it to negate destruction and decrease the damage by 800 for each Zombie-Type monster in my Graveyard!" Yuno decreased the damage he would take by 3200; making the damage he received only 1100.

 **YUNO LP: 1550 = 450**

"Again, that was very close. I have prepared for that." Zarc revealed a card in his hand and activated it. "Magic Card: Cyber Cross. Non-Link Monsters cannot activate effect effects for three Turns."

"I end my Turn." Zarc concluded, revering all monsters' ATKs and DEFs back to normal. Brief Resurrection's effect also ended, returning Vendead Chimera to the Graveyard.

"Zarc has sealed Mad Abyss' effect. With this Yuno can't use its effect to increase its ATK." Yuri pointed out.

"What is he going to do now to turn the tide?" Yuto wondered out loud.

Yuno fixed his mask's position before facing Zarc again. He admired his opponent's resolve. In fact, he could see himself within this boy. The Supreme King user is very much like him when he was young and some parts of him still. He understood his feeling well, more than he thought. And that is precisely why…

"The one who will win this Duel is me." Yuno declared confidently, surprising everyone as the atmosphere around him changed slightly.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Vendead Equip! I can equip a Vendead-Type Monster in my hand or Graveyard to a monster I control. That monster is treated as Vendead Monster and its ATK and DEF increased equal to the chosen Vendead monster!" Yuno equipped Vendead Chimera to Mad Abyss, increasing its ATK to 5100.

"He can't increase its ATK with its effect so he increases it with Magic Card!" Yugo exclaimed in awe.

"Its ATK is now higher than both Cyber Cosmos and Gate Dragonius!" Yuto pointed out.

"Battle! I attack Gate Dragonius with Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon!" Yuno pointed at the Supreme King Gate Monster who has lower ATK. If this attack hit, Zarc will receive 3100 damage and it'll be his lost.

"I won't fall! I activate Hellebore's effect in Graveyard! I banish it to reduce the damage to 0!" Zarc banished his Hellebore. Though Gate Dragonius was destroyed, he didn't receive any damage.

"Too bad, but this is the end of the line." Zarc told Yuno. The Oracle only controls one monster and no set card. There was nothing he can do anymore in this Turn. He will end this Duel in his next Turn…

"The end for you that is, Supreme King Zarc." Yuno replied as he pointed at Vendead Nights.

"I activate Vendead Night's second effect. When a Vendead Monster I control destroys my opponent's monster by Battle, I can banish 1 Vendead Monster in my Graveyard to allow it to attack my opponent's monster again in a row!" Yuno banished Vendead Hellhound again to allow Mad Abyss, which was treated as a Vendead Monster due to Vendead Equip's effect, to attack again.

"What?! Mad Abyss can attack again?!" Zarc exclaimed in disbelief.

"Go, Mad Abyss! Earthbound Chain Blitz!" Yuno declared his decisive attack. Mad Abyss summoned chains that bound Cyber Cosmos for the second time. Mad Abyss used its skeleton protrusions to slash the Link Monster, destroying it for good and threw Zarc to his back.

 **ZARC LP: 1250 = 0**

"As expected from Yuno-sama." Neah remarked, smiling in satisfaction at his leader's victory while the three boys were speechless.

Yuno walked to Zarc who was slowly sitting up. When the Supreme King user was looking up at him, Yuno threw a yellow sphere at Zarc that went into his Duel Disk. Zarc looked at his Duel Disk and was confused when he found the thing that Yuno gave to him was the full detail of the data he couldn't solved before.

"You have proven your determination and resolve to me. And you are targeted by the enemy, so the more you know them the better. We have common enemies, if you can get rid even one of them it'll make things better for us." Yuno told Zarc.

Zarc blinked at Yuno for a few seconds before shrugging with a soft tired smile. "Wisdom of an old man, huh?" He remarked.

"Enough about my age, oh the great Supreme King Zarc." Yuno retorted jokingly before extending his hand for Zarc to take, helping him stand up.

"Won't you join us? This way, we can help each other. We are sharing the same enemies. Any manpower would help at this situation. You don't need to hack into our database anymore, and since one of Apophis' main targets is me, you'll meet him and his group again soon more than searching for him alone." Yuno finally voiced his invitation.

Zarc was surprised by the sudden proposal. True, joining the Brotherhood means there's no need for him to hack this place again. He can gain information freely and perhaps find a way to cure Sara with the Brotherhood's wide resources, and since Yuno, the one who defeated Apophis is likely being targeted by Apophis' group, it will be faster to meet them eventually. Still, this was too sudden, and he was sure that joining the Brotherhood would also give him some restrictions in making his moves. What to do…

Yuno has acknowledged Zarc. Zarc's skills as both a hacker and a Duelist are top-notch. He is able to use the Supreme King Deck well, something that he should have expected from the reincarnation of a Duel Champion in the original dimension who was also his descendant. Having Zarc on their side would be a great addition. Also,

"Won't you at least consider it?"

The two men turned to the third voice that suddenly joined them. Yuya slowly walked out from his hiding place, approaching the two of them but still kept his distance. He looked at Zarc with hope filled eyes.

"Yuya…!" Yuno called out to the boy in surprise. Why is he here? How did he enter the network?

Zarc was looking at Yuya as if he was seeing a phantom. His eyes widened, lips parting at the sight of him. His head felt burned. He trembled, unable to breathe as he stared at the boy that standing in front of him, his eyes shining with uncertainty up at him. There was—there was no mistaking it. It was him. This was him. It was the boy he had seen in his recent dreams. The Oracle himself said it. The boy's name—Yuya.

It _was_ him.

He was here, standing in front of him, and he was real and his age, exactly the same as he looked like in his dream.

Zarc opened his mouth, but no words came out. His chest felt warm and his eyes were ready to tear up the more he was looking at the boy like he was longing to meet him.

Confused and unable to take it anymore, Zarc pressed the screen on his Duel Disk. The screen showed the word 'Log Out' and then without saying anything, his body turned into particles of blue data, leaving the network, but not before seeing Yuya's saddened face at his leave for one last time.

"Zarc…"

 **THRONE ROOM – UNKNOWN LOCATION – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Someone completely cladded in black cloak walked down the stairs that led to the throne room of Apophis. When the door opened Apophis lifted his head and looked straight at him, and a gold chain shackled to his leg sounded mournfully, which in the silence of the room sounded like an immense roar. After that he spoke with a tone so different when he addressed his subordinates.

"What are you doing here, human?"

"We have confirmed the person we have found, the one we were waiting for," said the figure.

Apophis fell silent and shook his head, thinking about something. The cloaked figure, not waiting for permission, sat on a throne placed under a wall, made of the same materials as the throne of the demon residing underground of his palace.

"It's surprising," Apophis finally said, still staring at the person with his eyes. "I did not think that so soon we would found one. Remember, human, do not do anything until I said it's the time."

"Of course, after all these years you do not have to remind me," the figure replied. He sat more comfortably and leaned back, closing his eyes. Apophis watched intently as on the person's lips appeared a faint smile. "And so far, we cannot perform it, right? We still need to break the last protection. Are we powerless against the power of a mere Duel Monster?"

Maybe in the past the figure had thought that Apophis hadn't listened to his comments or cared about his opinion. However, the agreement had lasted for more than a thousand years and when Apophis spoke quietly the figure immediately noticed that his voice was almost too calm, unnatural and with concealed anger.

"Do not be stupid, human. It's just a matter of time. Do not underestimate my power."

"Me? I would never do that," said the figure, opening his eyes. His gaze wandered to the chains restraining Apophis. He grinned a little wider. Apophis noticed this glance and, although said nothing, his eyes flashed dangerously.

"The issue of seal and protection you can leave to me, in the end because of my power you can sit here in reign," Apophis reminded sharply, but didn't raise his voice. This time it was the cloaked person who snorted irritably and looked at the demon with anger. Apophis, pleased, continued. "I would advise you to take care of the Duelist."

"Really?" he raised his eyebrows. "Usually you do not care about our sacrifices…"

"Then you are blind and cannot see that Duelist's potential, human. If we make him stronger than he already has... Who knows how much his power can increase?"

"Are you not afraid, Apophis?" He asked sarcastically. "If he became too powerful, maybe he will surpass you and worst..."

Apophis growled. It was a strange sound, reminiscent of the sound of a dragon, but also very human, a mixture that caused chills. The figure just straightened.

"Watch your words, you fool, for you never know which will be the last to leave your mouth. And you have a habit of talking too much. Do not forget thanks to whom you have so much."

"Do not forget whose power awakened you from your slumber years ago and keeps you in this world, as you wished. I do not like when others look down on me, and that includes you," the figure said proudly and stood up, heading towards the door.

"Do not worry, I already have someone I know who can take care of the Duelist. But not because I listen to your orders, but because I'm curious."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Déjà Vu –** Yuno takes Yuya and the others to Den City where they are properly introduced to LINK VRAINS and Charisma Duelist. While watching a Duel taking place in LINK VRAINS, Apophis's group Yuno can interfere, Zarc confronts the group instead. Unable to contain his curiosity, Yuya also enters LINK VRAINS to meet Zarc again.

* * *

 **FANFIC ORIGINAL CARD MEMO:**

 _ **SUPREME KING GATE DRAGONIUS**_ **:** (DRAGON / DARK / EFFECT / ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1300 / LV: 5) When Gate Dragonius is special summoned through its effect you can add a Supreme King Servant Dragon Monster from your Deck to your hand.

 _ **ZOMBIE SNAP**_ **:** When a Zombie-Type Monster you control is destroyed by Battle, you can halve the damage in exchange the destroyed Zombie Monster is banished. (Trap Card)

 _ **DRAGON'S CRY**_ : When you control no monster while you have a Dragon-Type Monster in your Graveyard, you can special summon a Dragon-Type Monster from your hand and the one in the Graveyard with their effects negated. (Magic Card)

 _ **VENDEAD PIT**_ **:** You can banish a Vendead Monster in your Graveyard. (Magic Card)

 _ **ZOMBIE REUNION**_ **:** You can reveal a Ritual Monster in your hand, and then Special Summon any number of your banished Zombie monsters with different names, in facedown Defense Position, whose total Levels exactly equal the Level of the revealed Ritual Monster, Tribute all those facedown Defense Position monsters, then Ritual Summon that Ritual Monster from your hand. (Trap Card)

 _ **ZOMBIE'S PECK**_ **:** When a Monster you control fails to destroy your opponent's monster, you can inflict damage equal to a Level 3 or lower Zombie-Type monster in your Graveyard. When this card is in Graveyard and your monster is being attacked, you can negate destruction and decrease the damage by 800 for each Zombie-Type Monster in your Graveyard. (Magic Card)

 _ **BRIEF RESURRECTION**_ : You can revive a monster from either player's Graveyard for this one Turn. (Magic Card)

 _ **CYBER CROSS:**_ Non-Link Monsters cannot activate their effects for three Turns. (Magic Card)

 _ **SUPREME KING SERVANT DRAGON HELLEBORE:**_ (DRAGON / DARK / EFFECT / ATK: 1700 / DEF: 1900 / LV: 4). When you control exactly one Dragon-Type monster and that monster is targeted for attack, you can send this card from your hand to the Graveyard to negate destruction and the damage is halved. When this card is in Graveyard, you can banish it to reduce battle damage to 0.

 _ **VENDEAD EQUIP**_ **:** You can equip a Vendead-Type Monster in your hand or Graveyard to a monster you control. That monster is treated as Vendead Monster and its ATK and DEF increased equal to the chosen Vendead monster. (Magic Card)

 _ **CYBER COSMOS LINK DRAGON:**_ (DRAGON / DARK / LINK MONSTER / ATK: 2800 / LINK: 4 / LM: Left, Right, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right).You can target a Level 5 or higher monster your opponent controls and decrease its ATK and DEF equal to the sum of ATKs and DEFs of other monsters that connected to Cyber Cosmos' Link Markers. Also, this card's ATK is increased equal to the same amount.

 _ **MAD ABYSS RITUAL DRAGON:**_ (DRAGON / DARK / RITUAL / ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8). Once per Turn, when your opponent controls a Level 5 or higher or Link 4 or higher Monster, it gains 600 ATK for each Monster in both players' Graveyard and Banished Zone.

* * *

 **I don't have any work today, and my mind is very clear to write the Duels and all that I managed to finish this chapter only within 4 hours, far quicker than my usual schedule. For this and the next chapter, the Master Duel and Speed Duel rule will stick to the original for the time being until Yuya and the others' turn to Duel. Sorry, I still have difficulty deciding how to modify the Duels. By the way, just to be clear, the glasses Zarc is wearing is the same one as the one Ray wore (shown in anime episode 126 flashback) but blue in color. Sorry if there are still mistakes in the Duel. If there are, I hope it's not so many.**

 **Please review this chapter~**


	10. Deja Vu

**Big thanks** _ **to Jack, Citylover96, aqua9597, Elbarto4000, Yuka Kuroshiro, Big duels, Ulrich362, Ryujomaru15, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Unknowedz, dvdryms, Playerhood18, GamingGuy84, Crazyloop8888, No1yet**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter!**

* * *

 **YUKIYA'S ROOM – KANBA** **RA RESIDENCE – APARTMENT – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yukiya was in bed, tucked completely under the covers right after he logged out from the network. Yukiya didn't move or even make a sound. He couldn't help it. He was so confused right now. The boy, Yuya, the moment his eyes landed on him, flood of emotions came into him. His mind so suddenly all got flooded by the sudden storm of worry and relief and happiness and content all felt at once that he had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from seeing stars of longing.

The boy in his dream was there right in front of him. Does that mean what he thought was a dream was actually not a dream? Had he met Yuya as Zarc somewhere online in the past but he simply forgotten about it? For some reason he felt that wasn't the case. Then what was it? His conscience somehow was telling him that he knew Yuya more than he thought. His head hurt from the many questions that came into him all at once from his brief meeting with the boy.

"Darn it, what's actually happening to me…?" Yukiya clutched his chest. His chest felt warm and tight that he didn't understand himself. Although he was positive he wouldn't be able to sleep, he tucked himself into bed anyway, and tried to close his eyes.

When he opened them again, it was morning, the sun filtering through the window. He smacked his lips, realizing how dry his throat was. He couldn't remember the last time he had gotten a drink of water...

He sat up in bed with a groan, rubbing at his temples. It took him 20 seconds to realize that his ace card, Cyber Cosmos, once again was shining, and Linkuriboh has materialized itself, sitting on the table beside the glowing card. When Yukiya finally noticed them, Linkuriboh jumped to him, fondly caressing its face to its master. Yukiya rubbed Linkuriboh as usual, realizing the Kuriboh was worried about him. He picked Cyber Cosmos, sensing the same feeling he has last night from the card.

While Yukiya was unsure of what he experienced yesterday, he understood one thing from that brief exchange. Both he and Cyber Cosmos shared this same thought,

"I…want to meet him again…"

 **PLAZA – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Wow! This place is bigger than Neo Domino City!" Yugo commented with sparkling eyes as he saw the view of Den City from the train.

After the Duel yesterday, Yuno decided to take his four descendants to Den City for a tour and learning more about Master Duel and Speed Duel. Den City is a large city located on the western edge of the continent. It was a thriving metropolitan area with a financial district, entertainment facilities, and residential areas. The city where LINK VRAINS originated, and has an innovative data network developed by Aberforth Federation. By connecting computer terminals via the data cable, it is possible for vast quantities of information to be exchanged. Since the city was where online Dueling originally came from, Yuno figured that the best place to start learning more about LINK VRAINS and its Duels is Den City.

Another reason was after Yuya's brief encounter with Zarc, the Supreme King user suddenly logged out without giving any reply for his invitation. From Zarc's expression, Yuno could tell that Zarc logged out not because he refused the invitation, but rather because he was very shocked to see Yuya. He gave a speech to his tomato-haired descendant afterwards, though he understood the boy's feeling. One good thing that came from this was Zarc has left a bit of trace of his whereabouts. Apparently, the shock from meeting Yuya has caused him to make a blunder. While he erased his activity logs like he always did, he didn't thoroughly block his tracking, which allowed him to find out Zarc lives somewhere in Den City.

"Hey! Hey! There's delicious smell from that stall! Let's buy some snacks!" Yugo said excitedly while pointing at the said stall and drooling. He didn't wait for everyone' reply and just dash off by himself, much to Yuto's chagrin.

"Wait! Hold on a second, Yugo! Don't go off by yourself!" Yuto scolded as he followed the Synchro counterpart.

"What a kid." Yuri said with a sigh before following after his two counterparts.

Yuno checked his watch before turning to Yuya. "There are still times before they arrive. I'll give you around the city until then so you can have as much fun as you want." He told the Pendulum counterpart.

Since his descendants' usual clothes would make them stand out, Yuno lent them his casual clothes so they'll easily blend in. Yuya was wearing a yellow jacket with his orange shirt underneath and a deep green-turquoise shade of pants. Yuto was wearing a blue jacket with a black shirt underneath, blue jeans with a belt, and brown boots. Yugo was wearing sleeveless white jacket and a black undershirt and black pants. Yuri was wearing a purple lined pattern long-sleeve shirt and red trousers.

"Yuno-san…about yesterday…" Yuya started as he faced Yuno meekly.

Yuno placed a hand on Yuya's shoulder and smiled at him. "I know. I understand why you did what you did. But next time give a word first. Also, even if you meet him again, the current Zarc is…"

"I know." Yuya said before Yuno could finish. He knew what his ancestor was trying to say. "He is not the same Zarc that I knew a year ago. Yuri already told me that too. I understand that…" But even so, he still wants to get to know him. Even if he doesn't remember Zarc's memories and not the same Zarc he knew, he want to know him. The current him.

"If I'm going to meet him again, it's not because I only want to know him for who he was in the past. I also want to know the person he is now." Yuya told the Oracle with a small smile on his face.

Yuno gave Yuya's head a pat. "As long as you understand then that's okay." He said proudly.

"Don't treat me like a kid." Yuya pouted while blushing at Yuno, making the latter laughed softly.

The two then followed after Yugo, Yuto, and Yuri who have eaten their snacks first (at the Synchro user's insistence). The five of them all seated comfortably on the table provided by the stalls and ready to eat another round of foods Yugo had bought until someone, standing on the stage under the screen at the plaza, spoke. Crowds started to gather as well, their eyes on the screens.

"Are you ready for this, folks?! Now, a series of Duels between the Charisma Duelists will commence in LINK VRAINS!" The MC announced as he pointed at the screen.

"Dueling in Area No. 1 is the Gouki user! LINK VRAINS's toughest and wildest Duelist! GO Onizuka!" The MC pointed at the first screen on his right. It showed a tan-skinned young man with a built and bulky body. He has two-toned hair, fashioned in a flattop/hi-top fade: brown from his forehead down, including a neatly trimmed brown chin beard, and blonde on top of his head, fashioned in the flattop style and featuring red-striped highlights. He was wearing a greenish-grey jacket with a separate collar and a gold, animal-head-shaped necklace. He was shirtless, with only dark pants and a golden belt with a red stone in the centre. His boots are buckled with gold plates on his arms and abdomen. He was also wearing the gold plates and dark, fingerless gloves.

"Dueling in Area No. 2 is the Trickstar user! LINK VRAINS's poster girl! Blue Angel!" The MC moved to the screen on his left. It showed a magical girl, true to her name, she has very long blue hair which reaches her chest and is tied into two long strands with blue ribbons. Her eyes and eyebrows were also blue and she has a green clover tattoo on her right cheek. She was wearing a blue choker and pink heart-shaped winged earrings. Her outfit consisted of a white sleeveless shirt with a blue necktie. Underneath, she was wearing a blue and pink dress with wing-shaped frills, and dark blue thigh-high socks. She was wearing dark and light blue boots with wings attached to each one. Lastly, she has a pair of white wings with pink heart-shaped and lavender clover-shaped patterns on each wing.

"Those of you who can access, come on LINK VRAINS! And those of you, who have come here, keep your eyes on the screen!" The MC encouraged, earning loud cheers from the crowds.

"What's a Charisma Duelist?" Yuya asked while seeing the screens.

"Charisma Duelists are Duelists idols who use stage names and or avatars and Duel in special stages in LINK VRAINS. A Charisma Duelist's Duel is watched by crowds of people who can access LINK VRAINS as well, and are broadcasted through screens for those who can't." Yuno explained, also looking at the screen.

"By the way, when are you going to let us participate in LINK VRAINS? I wanna try this Speed Duel already! Since we're using an avatar, no one will find out our real identities!" Yugo asked Yuno while still stuffing his mouth with a hotdog, ignoring Yuto who scolded him again for it.

Yuno has told them that he doesn't want to reveal to the public yet that they came from the original dimension and also their relation to him. Apophis' group's revival had caused more than enough uproar already, so he didn't want to attract more attention. Also, if anyone else find out about his descendants, someone may try to take advantage on them. While he believes that his descendants wouldn't be so easily being taken advantage of, he prefer to avoid that kind of scenario. However, if they act in LINK VRAINS using avatars, there shouldn't be any problem.

"That's why I brought the four of you here. You'll learn about Master Duel and Speed Duel under my group's guidance. They'll arrive at the mansion in 3 hours. Until then, we'll watch these two Duels."

"We already created our temporary avatars, so we can just enter LINK VRAINS now." Yuri said while waving his new Duel Disk on his wrist. Yesterday, Yuno had upgraded their Duel Disks so they can enter LINK VRAINS anywhere and anytime.

"You are free to try. Jamming your Duel Disk to stop you from logging in is as easy as turning the back of the hand." Yuno replied flawlessly. Yuri clicked his tongue at that. The Fusion counterpart was pleased and at the same time annoyed to have someone like Yuno as his ancestor.

"I told you that Master Duel and Speed Duel rules are different from the normal ones we know. They are far more restrictive for Duelist who mainly using Extra Deck Monsters without Link Monsters." Yuno brought out a Duel Mat from his back and placed it on the table so his descendants could see while he explained.

The rules Speed Duel are as followed:

1\. 4000 LP

2\. 4 cards in the starting hand

3\. 20 to 30 cards in the Main Deck

4\. 5 cards in the Extra Deck

5\. 2 Extra Monster Zones in each player's Field

Each player has 3 Main Monster Zones, 3 Spell & Trap Zones, and 1 Field Zone. The available Monster and Spell & Trap Zones are those in the second to fourth column.

Like a normal Duel, the first player doesn't draw on their first turn, the hand size limit is 6, both players can have an active Field Spell Card and there can only be 3 cards with the same name in both the Main Deck and the Extra Deck.

1\. Follow the Normal Duel's gameplay.

2\. There is no Main Phase 2.

"This would be difficult for you, Yuya. I'm sure you know why." Yuno turned to the Pendulum user. He had heard about how Pendulum Summon works even though he hadn't seen it himself, but he knew that it would be difficult to utilize Pendulum Summon in both Master Duel and Speed Duel, especially the former since in Master Duel there's only one Extra Monster Zone for each player.

"I know. I'll try to think of a way." Yuya replied, though he was unsure of himself.

Ever since the discovery of Pendulum Summon, Yuya's Deck mainly focuses on Pendulum Summoning. He prefers to set the Pendulum Scale with his Magicians to Summon monsters of various Levels. While he had accommodated Fusion, Xyz, and Synchro, he still focused more on Pendulum. He could still perform his favorite strategy, but that only worked on the first time he did so since once his Pendulum Monsters are destroyed, they went straight to Extra Deck, and afterwards he could only summon them to the Extra Monster Zone.

"I can't rely too much on Pendulum Summoning in Master Duel and Speed Duel. I have to come up with a new strategy and style…" Yuya thought deeply. It would be hard, but he'll manage somehow. Before Pendulum Summon was discovered, didn't his Deck focused on Effect Monsters? He'll just need to remember the way he dueled before he found Pendulum Summon.

"Do we really need 'tutors' to learn this? Maybe these three needs it, but I'm fine learning by myself." Yuri said confidently.

"Yuri…!" Yuto called out his Fusion counterpart for his rudeness, which the latter ignored.

"Don't be so big-headed, grinning bastard!" Yugo also added, not liking the way Yuri talked.

"Yuno-san knows more about these Duels and this dimension more than any of us. He is also kind enough to guide us this far. Don't say something like that." Yuya said while looking confused at Yuri.

Ever since they arrived, Yuri was more than often in a serious mood. He didn't have that crazed or smug grin on his face like he normally does, and that put him a bit on edge. Is he so worry about Starve Venom and becoming impatient? No. Serena did mention in one of her messages that Yuri had been acting weird recently.

Before they could start an argument, a scream interrupted. It was coming from the crowds. When they turned, the screens were flickering and then three Duelists wearing the same orange-colored cloak that was a trademark of Apophis' group appeared from a large portal that suddenly formed within LINK VRAINS. They were riding on huge black dragon-like monsters that went on rampage, causing several other screens to explode.

"It's Apophis' Duelists!"

"They're attacking!"

"Hurry log out!"

The crowds immediately dispersed and the Duelists who were in LINK VRAINS started logging out one by one. Yuno's eyes quickly focused on the Apophis Duelist who was standing on the center amongst the three Duelists.

"That's…Dante…!" Yuno recognized his enemy immediately.

"Dante?! The one that Zarc mentioned?!" Yugo exclaimed, looking at the screen where Dante's face was zoomed.

"Didn't Zarc say that this Dante has his eyes on him? Maybe he came here to fight Zarc again." Yuri deduced.

"Since Zarc also targeting him, he'll most likely appear at any moment now." Yuto thought.

"Are we…just going to stand by and watch?" Yuya asked. The idea didn't sit well with him. He can't stand and wait until someone else came to fight while he can do something.

"The four of you will, but I'm not. Think of this as the demonstration of Speed Duel for you to learn." Yuno told his descendants while preparing his Duel Disk. However, before he could usher them back to the limo…

"Look! It's Zarc!" Yugo exclaimed while pointing at the screen.

 **LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY SERVER – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Zarc~! Come out now~! I'm here!" Dante called out while looking around for the said grey-haired avatar.

"Dante-sama, I don't think he'll just respond and appear." One of Dante's two subordinates said with a sweat drop.

"Oh, he'll come. I'm responsible for his friend's coma after all." Dante said with confidence before calling out again.

A minute later, a portal appeared in the sky in front of them. From the portal, Zarc came out and then landed on a nearby building before looking up at Dante who was above riding on the black dragon with his subordinates. Dante smiled and decided to jump down, landing at the building across where Zarc was standing.

"It's been a while, boy. How are ya?" Dante asked casually with a wave of hand.

"Better since I'm going to beat you to a pulp this time." Zarc replied bitterly, raising his Duel Disk.

Dante held his hands up. "As much as I want us to have our long-awaited rematch, I have other thing that is more important to do, so you'll have to settle to Duel this Servant." Dante replied while jabbing his thumb at one of his subordinates standing behind him. The said subordinate, the Servant, stepped forward, ready to face against Zarc.

"I have no time to take care of a hoodlum." Zarc replied, dismissing the Servant.

"Hmph. Talk big while you can! You won't Duel Dante-sama unless you defeat me!" The Servant retorted. He was offended.

"Sorry, Zarc. But you'll have to do with him for now. Bye bye." Dante disappeared in a flash with his other Servant, leaving only Zarc and the Servant.

"Let's get this over with then." Zarc said as he jumped from the building to ride on his D-Board, riding the Data Storm, which followed by the Servant.

"Those bastards… He's taking the spotlight from me…!" Go said in frustration as he watched the two Duelists. On another side, Blue Angel was also watching.

 **[SPEED DUEL!]**

"I shall go first! My Turn! I Special Summon Hack Worm (ATK: 400 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)! When there's no monsters on my opponent's Field, I can Special Summon it from my hand." The Servant summoned Hack Worm in Attack Position in Monster Zone.

"I'm Special Summoning another Hack Worm!" The Servant summoned another copy of Hack Work beside the other.

"Watch this! I release the two Hack Worms to Advance Summon! Show yourself! Cracking Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 0 / LV: 8)!" The Servant summoned Cracking Dragon in Attack Position in the Monster Zone.

"I end my turn with this." He concluded.

"Summoning a Level 8 Monster right off the bat, huh. Fine by me." Zarc stated, unfazed by Cracking Dragon's appearance.

"My Turn! First, I set a card." Zarc set a single card facedown.

"From my hand, I summon Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkrose (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4)!" Zarc summoned Darkrose in Attack Position in the Monster Zone.

"When Darkrose is normal or special summoned, I can send a Supreme King Monster from my hand to the Graveyard to special summon a Level 5 or lower Supreme King Servant Dragon Monster from my Deck." Zarc discarded Supreme King Servant Dragon Ambrosia (ATK: 2300 / DEF: 2400 / LV: 7) and then summoned Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwurm (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4).

"However, they are powerless before Cracking Dragon! I activate its Monster Effect! During this turn, the ATKs of monsters summoned or Special Summoned by my opponent will be reduced by its Level times 200. And they'll also receive damage equal to the same amount! Crack Fall!" The Servant lowered Darkrose's ATK to 800 and Darkwurm's ATK to 1000.

 **ZARC LP: 4000 = 2400**

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Twin Dragons! When I control two Dragon-Type Monsters, I can change their ATKs to the double of their combined ATKs!" Zarc combined Darkrose and Darkwurm's current ATKs to 1800, and then doubled it to 3600, making both dragons' current ATK 3600.

"Oh yeah! Now their ATKs are higher than Cracking Dragon!" Yugo cheered for the two dragons.

"He can destroy Cracking Dragon with one dragon and then attack directly with another!" Yuto exclaimed.

"Battle! I attack Cracking Dragon with Darkrose!" Zarc declared his first attack with Darkrose. The dragon opened its mouth, shooting purplish flame at Cracking Dragon. However, to everyone's shock, Cracking Dragon has survived the burning flame.

 **SERVANT LP: 4000 = 3400**

"Unfortunately for you, Cracking Dragon cannot be destroyed in battle by monsters whose Levels are lower than its Level." The Servant revealed with a mocking grin.

"Then I attack Cracking Dragon again with Darkwurm!" Zarc made his second attack with his other dragon. Darkwurm also shot its flame, but red-coloured as opposed to Darkrose's purple. Cracking Dragon endured the flame again, but the Servant still received damage.

 **SERVANT LP: 3400 = 2800**

"I end my Turn." Zarc concluded, which reverted his dragons' ATK to normal.

"My Turn! This is as far as you can go. I shall now activate a Skill!"

"Skill? What's that?" Yugo asked his ancestor.

"Right, I didn't get to explain that. In a Speed Duel, there is a special rule that can only be used once during the Duel. That's what a Skill is. For example, you can increase your draws, gain Life, or increase your monster's ATK…And stuff like that." Yuno answered to Yugo's question.

"I activate the Skill, Double Draw!" The Servant drew 2 cards from his Deck. Looking at the cards he drew, his grin widened.

"With this, I can maximize the effectiveness of my tactics! I activate the Magic Card: DDoS Attack! Due to its effect, I'll send two copies of DDoS Attack from my deck to the Graveyard! And for every copy I sent, I can inflict damage equal to the Level of a Machine-Type monster on my Field, multiplied by 100!" The Servant sent two DDoS Attack cards from his Deck and then targeted Cracking Dragon, inflicting 1600 damage to Zarc.

 **ZARC LP: 2400 = 800**

"I set one card facedown. Then, I equip the Equip Magic: Aircrack Storm, to Cracking Dragon! When a monster equipped with this card destroys a monster through battle, it can attack again. The Duelist who has Cracking Dragon is the strongest Duelist! Battle! Traffic Blast!" The Servant extended his hand at Darkwurm, choosing it as his target. Cracking Dragon opened its mouth as green energies accumulated into it before the dragon finally unleash destructive green blast towards the Supreme King Servant Dragon.

"I activate Darkwurm's effect! When this card is targeted for an attack while I control other Supreme King Monster, I can negate that attack!" Zarc declared as Cracking Dragon's green blast was deflected by a transparent barrier protecting Darkwurm, negating its attack.

"Tch. To think your monster has that kind of effect. But this will be the end for you." The Servant calmly told Zarc despite his attack being foiled.

"As long as my LP still remains, the Duel is not finished!" Zarc retorted firmly.

"That's not what I mean." The Servant smirked while pointing up.

Zarc looked up just as the other Servant whom he thought had gone with Dante before suddenly appeared on his D-Board right above him. The other Servant grinned as he moved his D-Board towards Zarc who was late to react. The D-Board clashed with Zarc's body, causing him to hit the wall of a balcony building as Zarc fall from his D-Board.

"That's dirty!" Yugo exclaimed angrily.

"Zarc!" Yuto called out in concern.

Zarc tried to hold onto a side of the building, but his hand slipped from the speed of his fall. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, preparing for the impact…and then something held his hand tight, stopping him from falling and now he was dangling as long as the hands are holding him.

"Hold on!"

Zarc blinked when he heard the familiar voice. He slowly looked up to see a boy. His head was covered in a white hooded cloak. His eyes were covered by a goggle and his mouth was covered by a red mask. He was wearing a red shirt underneath and dark green pants with a brown belt around his waist. Even though his face was covered, Zarc instantly recognized him. He didn't need to see his face to know who the person behind the avatar. He could sense it.

"You're…Yuya…!" Zarc said with a low voice in surprise.

"Call me Phantom here. Wait a second. Here we go!" Yuya pulled Zarc up with all energy he could muster. Zarc held on the cell to help himself reaching the balcony, lessening Yuya's burden. Once the both of them were at the balcony, they sighed in relief.

"Thanks. You're a big help." Zarc thanked Yuya – who goes by the name Phantom as his pseudonym. Yuya simply nodded before tilting his head to the Data Storm. Zarc knew what he was trying to say. The Duel is not finished yet.

"We'll talk later after the Duel!" Zarc promised the boy before jumping back to his D-Board, continuing the Duel.

"Yuya….again…" Yuri said, sighing as he looked at the place where Yuya was supposed to stand a while ago.

"That Yuya…" Yugo sighed at the stunt Yuya pulled, but was glad that the both of them were safe.

"You didn't jam his Duel Disk, Lord Oracle?" Yuri asked accusingly at Yuno.

"He promised he won't interfere directly, so it's fine. Although just in case I have also programmed a force log-out program in his Duel Disk." Yuno revealed without turning to Yuri.

"Can't we go too?" Yuto asked with a plea underlying his question.

"No. Yuya is more than enough." Yuno answered immediately, making the rest of the counterparts feeling down but begrudgingly waited.

"Tsk. To think you have an ally that will help you…! But you won't get lucky this time against the two of us!" The Servant told as he motioned for his partner to appear again and do the same thing to Zarc, but his partner doesn't appear. He looked around to find his partner and finally spotted him…

His partner was ready with his D-Board to do the same stunt, but then a lash of blue energy got a hold around his D-Board, forcing him go down to a building's rooftop. Blue Angel was holding the leash as she stood straight and looked down at the Servant who landed on his back, looking up at her.

"Playing dirty is the worst in a Duel!" Blue Angel stated to the Servant as she raised her Duel Disk, preparing to take him on.

"If you're going to pull the same thing you just did earlier, then you'll have to go through me first!" Go appeared behind the Servant, crackling his knuckles as to warn him if he tries to run away. The Servant was now cornered.

"Damn it!" The Servant who was duelling Zarc cursed.

"You'll pay for what you did to me, Servant! My Turn!" Zarc began his Turn again.

"I activate Skill: Supreme King's Gathering! When my LP is at 2000 or lower, I can special summon Supreme King Monsters from my hand, Deck, or Extra Deck ignoring their summoning conditions with their effects negated in either Monster Zone or Extra Monster Zone until they are filled!" Zarc filled the remaining empty Monster with Supreme King Servant Dragon Verham, while filling the empty two Extra Monster Zones with Supreme King Gate Egret and Supreme King Gate Infinity (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 7).

"Fool! Did you forget Cracking Dragon's power? Your Life is 800. And you'll also receive 800 damage! Crack Fall! This is the end!" The Servant reactivated Cracking Dragon's effect, ready to inflict damage to the Supreme King user.

"Trap Card: Supreme King's Soldiers! When a battle or effect damage is declared while I control 3 or more Supreme King Monsters, I can reduce the damage to 0!" Zarc opened his facedown card, negating the damage inflicted on him.

"Persistent. No matter how much you struggle, you can't win against Cracking Dragon!" The Servant exclaimed.

"No. Using my Skill is part of my plan! With this the summoning conditions has been met! Appear! The circuit that lead to the future!" Zarc summoned the Link Portal in above front of him and raised his hand.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is 4 monsters! I set Astrograph Magician, Supreme King Dragon Verham, and Supreme King Gate Egret on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Four of Zarc's monsters then became one with four of the six arrows. Darkrose went to the Left Arrow, Verham to the Right Arrow, Gate Egret to the Bottom-Left Arrow, and Gate Infinity to the Bottom-Right Arrows.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon (ATK: 2800 / LINK: 4 / LM: Left, Right, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right)!" Zarc summoned his ace monster in Attack Position in the right Extra Monster Zone.

"Link Monsters do not have Levels! Meaning that the effects of your Cracking Dragon won't work on Cyber Cosmos!"

"I activate Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon's effect! I can target a Level 5 or higher monster my opponent controls and decrease its ATK and DEF equal to the sum of ATKs and DEFs of other monsters that connected to Cyber Cosmos' Link! Also, my dragon's ATK is increased equal to the same amount!" Zarc declared. As Darkwurm was connected to Cyber Cosmos' Bottom-Left Link Marker, Cracking Dragon's ATK was lowered to 1200, while Cyber Cosmos' ATK was increased to 4600.

"This is the end, Servant of Apophis! I attack Cracking Dragon with Cyber Cosmos Dragon! Axis Bomb!" Cyber Cosmos unleashed bomb-like flames of data with particles resembling stars shrouding the attack. The flame hit Cracking Dragon, creating a massive explosion that shook the entire area and blew the Apophis Servant away from his D-Board.

 **SERVANT LP: 2800 = 0**

"He won!" Yuto cheered.

"Way to go, Zarc!" Yugo jumped happily at the Supreme King user's victory.

"Of course. If he lost against that pathetic excuse of a Duelist, he is a shame to our original incarnation." Yuri commented dryly, though Yuno sensed a tinge of relief beneath his tone.

"Zarc…!" Phantom approached the Supreme King user in relief. Zarc has landed on the same rooftop where Phantom was waiting for him. Now that the Duel was over, they finally could talk.

When they were face to face, however, their words were stuck in their throat for some reason. The two of them opened their mouths trying to say something, but they stopped as they became nervous all of a sudden. They were confused from where they should start. They needed to start fast or else Blue Angel or Go will come demanding for a Duel against Zarc. They need to start and finish this quick but everything clear.

"Umm, I–"

Just when Phantom finally spoke, his Duel Disk was bound by a red cord that reminded Phantom of what Edo has. Phantom turned around to see Dante was the one who shot the cord to him.

"Gotcha!" Dante exclaimed as he pressed a button appeared on his Duel Disk. The red cord dispersed into particles that turned into a huge red cage that trapped both Dante and Phantom.

"Yu– Phantom!" Zarc tried to break into the cage, but then strong electricity prevented him from doing so. No one can go inside the cage and no one can escape the cage.

"This is Duel Anchor. Both of us cannot leave or log out until the Duel is over." Dante explained with playful smile while the Phantom was staring at him warily.

"You are Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's owner, right?" Dante addressed the Phantom who didn't reply and simply continue to staring at him. "To lure out Odd-Eyes, I'll defeat you!"

Phantom blinked. "Lure out Odd-Eyes? What are you saying?!" He asked. Didn't the four dragons were already in their possession?

Dante scratched the back of his head. "You see, when we transferred your dragons to our place, someone intercepted and stole them before they arrived, so we don't know where the four dragons are either." He revealed.

"Intercepted?!" Phantom exclaimed in shock. That means his dragon and the others were not in Apophis' possession. Even though this mean he must start from zero to find his dragons, at the very least the dragons are not in the enemy's hands, which means Apophis cannot regain his full power. He was quite relief of that.

"But…if something happened to you and the others, the masters of the four dragons, maybe they'll show up. I have nothing against you, but please endure the pain for the sake of His Excellency." Dante said with his finger gesturing a challenge to Yuya.

"Guess again!" Phantom activated his Duel Disk, accepting the challenge.

"Oh, by the way, the Duel Anchor I programmed will automatically start the Duel as a Master Duel." Dante revealed.

"Fine by me!" Phantom agreed without a second thought. It wasn't like he has a choice in it.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"Please do entertain me, 'Phantom'." Dante told the Pendulum user.

"Yuya…" Zarc thought worriedly for the Phantom.

Blue Angel and Go arrived shortly after. The two of them were ready to challenge Zarc to a Duel, but they stopped when they saw the cage and the Duel that now was taking place with Zarc's attention focused solely at the two Duelists.

"All right! I'll show you the newest summoning that came from the original dimension ARC-V, the Pendulum Summon!" Phantom announced as he began his Turn.

"Pendulum Summon?" Go repeated in confusion.

"With Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, I set the Pendulum Scale! With this I can simultaneously summon Level 2 to 7 monsters! Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Create an arc of light across the aether! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my monsters!" Yuya summoned Entermate Silver Claw (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 700 / LV: 4 / PS: 5), Entermate Handsome Liger (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 400 / LV: 4), and Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 4) in Attack Position.

"W-what is this summoning method?!" Go exclaimed in surprise.

"He summoned multiple monsters at the same time!" Blue Angel was equally shocked.

Outside LINK VRAINS, in the real world, people who were watching all reacted in shock and awe at the summoning method they have never seen before. The Phantom's declaration also began murmurs from the people.

"He said it's from the original dimension. Could it be it has something to do with what the Oracle announced before?"

"Then, he is a person from the original dimension?"

"He came to help us fighting against Apophis?"

"A Duelist from the original dimension…"

"Okay, Yuya has started his debut earlier than scheduled." Yuno remarked with a hand covering his forehead.

"He is trapped! Can't we do something?!" Yuto asked urgently.

"I'm afraid Duel Anchor is a program that even until now we have difficulties to solve. We're going to need to trust Yuya on this one." Yuno replied.

Zarc was looking at the Pendulum Summon Yuya has pulled with hardened eyes. Pendulum Summon. The term was unfamiliar yet familiar. The more he thought about it, the more his vision became that of a swinging blue pendulum. The pendulum was swaying back and forth and slowly it created what seemed to be an arc of light that he felt he had seen before. It was heart-warming simply thinking about it.

The Phantom raised his arms wide at his monsters with a wide smile on his face. It's show time.

"The fun starts now!"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Chosen Mentors –Yuya and the others decide to become Charisma Duelists. As they are still novice in Speed Duel and Master Duel and LINK VRAINS itself, Yuno arrange training for them under tutelage of four of his closest aides. Meanwhile, Celica has also arranged training for Yuzu and the others under guidance of her guardians.**

* * *

 **I actually already finished this chapter yesterday, but I couldn't upload it because rain, thunder, lightning, cut off the wi-fi connection. One thing that I don't like from rainy season…(_ _lll)**

 **I'd decided that Aoi, Akira, and Go are the only characters from VRAINS who appear in this fanfic. I don't want to add too many characters from other series that may cause me to neglect ARC-V characters. I know this chapter was pretty much the same as Episode 1 VRAINS, but I went with this because I thought this is the perfect way to introduce both Go and Blue Angel.**

 **Most Academia is using Antique Gear Archetype, most Security is using Goyo Archetype, and so I thought for the beginning of Speed Duel against enemy I should show him using the same Archetype as the one Knights of Hanoi Duelists are using at least once for introduction, but this doesn't mean all of Apophis' men will be using this Archetype.**

 **In case you're wondering, for the time being, the story will focus on Yuya and the others in the artificial dimension, but I promise you that the ones who are still in ARC-V won't be neglected. They'll appear more in future chapters. Please be patient :D**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter~!**


	11. Chosen Mentors

**Big thanks to** _ **Ulrich362, No1yet, Big duels, AlissonJohns, Ryujomaru15, Yuka Kuroshiro, aqua9597, dvdryms, Playerhood18, Meemo, SSGamerYT, GamingGuy84, Elbarto4000, Citylover96, Unknowedz**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter~!**

* * *

 **LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY SERVER – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"With Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, I set the Pendulum Scale! With this I can simultaneously summon Level 2 to 7 monsters! Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Create an arc of light across the aether! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my monsters!" Phantom summoned Entermate Silver Claw (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 700 / LV: 4 / PS: 5), Entermate Handsome Liger (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 400 / LV: 4), and Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 4) in Attack Position.

" _Pendulum Zones are still separated from the other Zones. As long as I summon Pendulum Monsters from my hand, I can summon them as many of them as I can. I can do this!"_ Phantom nodded to himself while looking at his Field before turning to Dante again.

"I end my Turn!" Phantom concluded his first Turn.

"So that's the Pendulum Summon Tsukasa talked about. Interesting. I'm going to enjoy this." Dante licked his lips as he looked at Phantom and his monsters before starting his Turn.

From my hand I summon Brrow – Huntsman of Dark World (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 800 / LV: 4)!" Dante summoned Brrow in Attack Position.

"And then I activate Continuous Magic Card: Wicked Canon." Dante activated his Magic Card, but he didn't explain its effect. Phantom assumed that he would know as the Duel progress.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Dante finished.

"He only summoned one monster with lower ATK in Attack Position and activated a Continuous Magic Card and a single set card? Are the cards in his hand are bad?" Blue Angel wondered.

"No. This is part of his plan." Zarc answered, clenching his fists.

"What do you mean?" Go asked, becoming curious. He and Blue Angel really wanted to challenge Zarc right there and now, but they also became curious of this Duel. Besides, Zarc seemed to be acquainted with this Phantom avatar and clearly worried about him. Zarc won't be able to concentrate on Dueling them even if he accept their challenges.

"Hey, hey, you're spectators. Just shut up and watch the Duel if you want to know. If everything is spoiled it won't be fun, right?" Dante told the questioning Duelists outside the cage.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack Brrow with Handsome Liger!" Phantom made his first attack with Handsome Liger. The Entermate Monster slashed its sword at the Dark World Monster effortlessly, destroying it.

 **DANTE LP: 4000 = 3600**

"At this moment, I activate Wicked Canon's effect! I can send a Wicked Doctrine Card from my Deck to Graveyard!" Dante sent Wicked Doctrine – Anger into his Graveyard.

"Next, I attack directly with Silver Claw and then Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!" Phantom proceeded to attack with his remaining two monsters. Silver Claw made the first attack, lunging at Dante.

Dante quickly opened his facedown card. "Trap Card: Dark Clothing! When I'm being targeted for a Direct Attack, I can halve the damage!" He was cladded in dark transparent cloak that blocked Silver Claw's tackle, lowering the damage Dante took.

 **DANTE LP: 3600 = 2700**

"I activate Wicked Canon's effect again!" Dante sent Wicked Doctrine – Anguish from his Deck to Graveyard after receiving attack from Silver Claw.

"But you won't survive from Odd-Eyes' attack and effect! Go, Odd-Eyes!" Phantom made his second attack with his dragon. Odd-Eyes opened its mouth, shooting a blast coated with star-shaped flames surrounding the big flame.

"No, I'll survive. I activate Dark Clothing's second effect! By banishing it from Graveyard, I can halve the opposing monster's ATK and negate its effect!" Dante banished his Trap Card, lowering the damage he took again.

 **DANTE LP: 2700 = 1450**

"At this moment, Wicked Canon's effect is activated!" Dante sent Wicked Doctrine – Hatred from his Deck to Graveyard following the damage he received from Odd-Eyes.

"I end my Turn." Phantom concluded.

"My Turn! I set 2 cards and then I summon Zure – Knight of Dark World (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 4)!" Dante summoned Zure in Attack Position after setting two cards facedown.

"I activate Magic Card: Dark Cloak! I can increase the ATK of a Dark World Monster I control equal to a Dark World Monster I have in Graveyard!" Dante added Brrow's ATK to Zure, increasing its ATK to 3200.

"Battle! I attack Entermate Silver Claw with Zure!" Dante pointed at the wolf-like Monster. Zure stabbed through Silver Claw's back with its sword, destroying it. The Phantom crossed his arms to block the shockwave that pushed him quite aback.

 **PHANTOM LP: 4000 = 2600**

"Don't relax yet! Monster under Dark Cloak's effect can make up to three attacks!" Dante revealed.

"What?! Three times?!" Phantom exclaimed in shock.

"Next I attack Handsome Liger!" Dante made the swordsman-like monster his second target. Zure slashed its sword in similar as Handsome Liger did to Brrow, avenging the destroyed Dark World Monster. Yuya was pushed further back by the shockwave, and this time the winds have become cutting winds, injuring him.

 **PHANTOM LP: 2600 = 1200**

"Lastly, I attack Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!" Dante declared his third attack at the last remaining Monster on the Phantom's Field. Zure repeatedly thrust its sword against the dragon before finishing it with a slash, creating a bigger explosion than the last two attacks that threw the Phantom way back behind him.

 **PHANTOM LP: 1200 = 500**

"In an instant he shaved Yuya's LP to this extent!" Yuto became worried for his Pendulum counterpart.

"He still has LP! Hang on, Yuya!" Yugo encouraged for the Pendulum counterpart even if the latter couldn't hear him.

"This is a waste of time. Let's just go to LINK VRAINS now." Yuri rose is Duel Disk, ready to enter the network. Before he could do so, however, Yuno grasped his wrist tight and forced him to lower his hand.

"No. As I said, even if you go, there's nothing you can do until the Duel is over. We can only pray for Yuya to win this Duel. He said he is going to use Yuya to lure Odd-Eyes. That means, even if he defeat Yuya, he won't kill him." Yuno sternly told the Fusion counterpart, tightening his grip on the wrist painfully to make his words clear. Yuri looked into Yuno's eyes and could see tell that his ancestor would resort to drastic measure if he has to if he still decide to defy him.

With a great reluctance and a click of a tongue, Yuri lowered his Duel Disk. He could tell that his other two counterparts were with Yuno on this. They admitted the truth in Yuno's words and opted to believe in Yuya despite their own reservations. Idiots.

"I end my Turn. Now you're the one being cornered. As the owner of Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, I'm expecting more than this. So you better do something that will surprise me in the next Turn. Come on, boy." Dante taunted the Pendulum user.

"My Turn! With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Be revived from the Extra Deck!" Yuya summoned back Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon in the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

"Huh? Odd-Eyes was already destroyed seconds ago. Pendulum Summon can summon Monster from Graveyard?" Blue Angel blinked in confusion as she focused her attention to Odd-Eyes.

"No. When destroyed, Pendulum Monsters are sent to Extra Deck instead of Graveyard. So as long as you have the right Pendulum Scale, you can summon them back as many times as you want." Zarc explained, answering to Blue Angel's question. He blinked when he realized what he was saying. How did he know about this? This should be the first time he saw Pendulum Summon.

"But isn't that the same as Pendulum Monsters are invincible?!" Go exclaimed in disbelief. To think there was such Monsters and Summoning Method in the original dimension. If it were not for Extra Monster Zone and Monster Zone are separated, the Phantom could have summoned back all of his Pendulum Monsters that were destroyed before.

" _But since there's only one Extra Monster Zone, I can only summon 1 Pendulum Monster, unlike usual…"_ Phantom thought like he was continuing what Go was saying. If only he could revive his Pendulum Monsters, his chances to win will be bigger.

Phantom quickly shook his head at the thought that crossed his mind. _"No…! I can do this! You can do this, Yuya Sakaki! Remember how you Duel before you discover Pendulum Summon! I can corporate my old strategy with my current Pendulum Summon!"_ There must be ways to win using his current Deck without using his favorite strategy. He had won several times in the past before he discovered Pendulum Monsters and Pendulum Summon. Why can't he win now with that strategy? All he need to do is remembering his times dueling before he gained Pendulum Summon and then combined them with what he had learned until now!

"I activate Magic Card: Pendulum Share! I can recover my LP and increase the ATK of a Pendulum Monster I control with the ATK of one of the Monsters in my Pendulum Zone!" Phantom added Timegazer Magician's ATK to Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon, increasing the dragon's ATK to 3700. He then recovered his LP with the same amount.

 **PHANTOM LP: 500 = 1700**

"Battle! I attack Zure with Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!" Phantom made his attack again. Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon once again unleashed its signature blast, burning the Dark World Monster and pushed back Dante in retaliation for his triple attacks.

 **DANTE LP: 1450 = 950**

"At this moment, I activate Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon's effect! When it inflicts battle damage the Turn it was Pendulum Summoned, I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to the total of ATKs of Monsters in my Pendulum Zones! Atomic Force!" Phantom raised his hand up at the Magicians in his Pendulum Zones. The two Magicians momentarily left their Pendulum Zones to join their weapons together to form a white and black energy sphere that they shot down towards the Dark World user.

Dante opened one of his two facedown cards. "Trap Card: Dark Life! When a Dark World Monster I control is destroyed and my opponent is going to inflict additional damage, I can increase my LP equal to the original ATK of the Dark World Monster that was destroyed!" He recovered his LP equal to Zure's original ATK.

 **DANTE LP: 950 = 2750**

"He increased his LP!" Zarc exclaimed.

"He'll have enough LP to survive the attack!" Blue Angel remarked as Dante was hit by the sphere that caused him to hit his back on the cage, giving him quite bruises.

 **DANTE LP: 2750 = 350**

"I activate Wicked Canon's effect! I send my last two Wicked Doctrine cards to my Graveyard!" Dante sent Wicked Doctrine – Sadness and Wicked Doctrine – Doubt from his Deck into his Graveyard, making all Wicked Doctrine Cards present in the Graveyard.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Phantom concluded, groaning inwardly at the close call. He almost had him!

"This is what I have been waiting for!" Dante exclaimed, alerting Phantom who prepared himself for whatever is going to come.

"Be careful, Phantom! His ace and strongest Monster is coming!" Zarc warned. With the Phantom's current LP, it would be hard for him to survive from the monster that Dante will summon.

"I activate Wicked Canon's last effect! I banish it together with all the Wicked Doctrine cards in my Graveyard to special summon Dark World Monster that can only be summoned using Super Fusion! Come forth, the ruler of the world of darkness! Colorless – Chaos King of Dark World (ATK: 4000 / DEF: 3500 / LV: 12)!" Dante summoned Colorless in Attack Position. It was a monster with a muscular body and dark purple skin cladded in armor similar to Zure's. The tips of its feet are red, and it has small, dark grey wings on its back. It also has an orange wing on each of its elbows. It has a long tail that ends in a silver, circular, pendulum-like blade. Its small eyes are glowing yellow, and its head features two large, conical, dark purple spikes on either side. It also has two horns with orange tips on its head that connect to each other to form a heart shape. It also carries an ornate, orange sword with a grey cross guard, and black edges.

"A Level 12 Monster with 4000 ATK?!" Phantom exclaimed.

"It's 1500 point higher than Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!" Go pointed out.

"I activate Colorless – Chaos King of Dark World's effect! When this card is special summoned through Super Fusion or Wicked Canon's effect, I can inflict 600 damage for each DARK-Attribute monsters my opponent controls!" Dante activated Colorless' first effect. Colorless thrust its sword at Phantom who controlled Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon that was DARK-Attribute, inflicting exactly 600 damage to its user.

 **PHANTOM LP: 1700 = 1100**

"If Colorless attack Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon now…" Go trailed off as he knew where this is going if the Phantom didn't have any plan.

"Phantom's LP will be depleted!" Blue Angel finished Go's words.

"Phantom!" Zarc called out in concern, bumping his fists at the cage, not caring if he was hit by the electricity.

"Now, Battle! I attack Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon with Colorless!" Dante declared attack with his strongest monster. Colorless swung its sword three times, sending dark energy waves of blade towards the Pendulum dragon.

"Then I'll copy you! I activate Pendulum Share's second effect! By banishing it from Graveyard, I can recover my LP equal to the ATK of a Pendulum Monster in my Pendulum Zones!" Phantom banished his Magic Card, gaining LP equal to Stargazer's ATK, 1200.

 **PHANTOM LP: 1100 = 2300**

"Using the same evasion as I did, huh? You have my praise for that." Dante stated as he watched the blade waves slashed the dragon into three and blew the Phantom away to the wall of the cage, causing the boy to be electrocuted.

 **PHANTOM LP: 2300 = 800**

"Hey, are you okay?!" Zarc asked worriedly.

"I'm…fine… I can still…fight…" Phantom slowly stood up, holding his pained shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I can't do anything to help you." Zarc apologized. He felt so helpless. Even though Yuya had saved him, he couldn't do the same for him now. To make it worse his opponent is Dante, the person who was responsible for making Sara into coma. He doesn't want Yuya to suffer the same fate as her.

Phantom turned to Zarc and frowned when he saw the latter's frustrated face. He knew that face well since he and the others have made that kind of face several times whenever they were feeling helpless. He doesn't have any Monster on his Field right now. He only has one facedown Magic Card. And He has no card in his hand. There's only one way that he could think of to get out of this situation.

" _Everything will depend on this Draw. I have done everything I can to fight him even with the restriction placed against my Deck."_ Phantom thought as he looked at his Deck. He could hear the pulse of his cards. It's responding to his will. That's how he was able to win his Duels. This time, he hoped his card will grant him the chance for victory in this Duel.

" _This is my destiny Draw!"_ Phantom thought determinedly and began his Draw Phase.

"My Turn! Draw!" Phantom looked at the card he drew, and his eyes glinted. He turned to Zarc and smiled cheerily at him, that strangely assured the Supreme King user.

"The fun starts now!" Phantom announced as spotlights were focused on him.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Everyone pay close attention! The card that I set face down in previous Turn is called Smile World! Right now, I, Phantom, will bring smiles to everyone watching this Duel with my Entertainment Dueling and this card!" Phantom spread his arms, beginning his usual Entertainment Dueling.

"First, I'm going to summon the stars of this climax! Pendulum Summon! Be revived from the Extra Deck!" Phantom revived Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon back to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

"When my opponent controls a Special Summoned Monster, I can Special Summon Entermate Radish Horse from my hand!" Phantom then Special Summoned Entermate Radish Horse (ATK: 500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 4 / PS: 3) in Attack Position on the Monster Zone right beneath Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon.

"Now then, without delay, I activate Magic Card: Smile World! This card increases the ATK of all Monsters by 100 for each Monster on the Field!" Various colorful smiling flower, star, and sun icons were filling the Field as all Monsters' ATK were increased following the Magic Card's Effect, including Dante's Colorless.

"Right now there are 3 monsters, so their ATKs are increased by 300!" The Phantom increased all monsters' ATK by 300. Odd-Eyes' ATK became 2800, Radish Horse's ATK became 800, and Colorless' ATK became 4300.

"Hello? If you're not paying attention, you just powered up my Colorless here. Your monsters are still weaker ya know. Didn't you say this is gonna be the climax?" Dante waved dismissive hands, raising a brow at the Pendulum user in condescending way.

"Entertainer must always keep surprises for both opponents and audience alike!" Phantom replied cheerfully, winking at the Dark World user.

"Additionally, I activate Radish Horse's Effect! If this card is Special Summoned, once per Turn, it can lower a 2500 or greater ATK of a Monster that my opponent controls, equal to Radish Horse's ATK!" As Phantom declared, Radish Horse shot its radish-shaped horn at Dante's Colorless' ATK, lowering its ATK by 800, which made its current ATK 3500.

"And it can increase a Monster that I control by the same amount! I choose Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!" Radish Horse shot another of its horn to the dragon, and Phantom increased Odd-Eyes Phantom's ATK to 3600.

"Now Odd-Eyes' ATK is higher than Colorless!" Zarc exclaimed in relief.

"Battle! I attack Colorless with Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon! Spirit Flame of Fantasy!" Phantom declared his final attack.

 **DANTE LP: 350 = 250**

"At this moment, Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon's effect activates! When this card inflicts battle damage during the Turn it was Pendulum summoned, I can inflict damage equal to the total ATKs of Monster in my Pendulum Zone! Atomic Force!" Phantom raised his hand up again at the Magicians in his Pendulum Zones. The two Magicians momentarily left their Pendulum Zones to join their weapons together to form a white and black energy sphere that they shot down towards the Dark World user.

"Then I open my–"

Dante was ready to open his last facedown card, but he stopped when he heard a voice whispering to his ear. That deep cold voice sent chill into his body. The voice that can only be heard by him and his five 'siblings'. Dante lowered both his hands, accepting the white and black sphere coming at him in full, blowing him away and destroyed the cage.

 **DANTE LP: 250 = 0**

"Yeah!" Zarc cheered for the Pendulum user's victory, but it didn't last long as the Phantom fell on his knees from exhaustion. Zarc rushed to him, putting his hands on his shoulders to support him. He glared at Dante who was quick to return to his feet like nothing has happened to him.

Dante waved at them. "I may have lost now, kiddo. But I'll be back. You can rest easy for now. Bye bye~!" His body dispersed into particles of blue data, logging out from LINK VRAINS.

Zarc looked at Phantom who has pale face. This must be his first time in LINK VRAINS and having online Duel, and since his opponent was Apophis' men, the damage he took must have gave him quite a mental shock in real life. He mustn't stay any longer online. Looking back at Go and Blue Angel who started approaching them, he whispered to the Phantom.

"Let's log out now. I'll contact you later." Zarc told the Phantom who nodded in agreement. He was too tired to make any argument and he trusted that Zarc will contact him.

The Entermate user and Supreme King user logged out, leaving LINK VRAINS and back to the real world.

 **GARDEN – PLAZA – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Once logging out, Yuya leaned his back on the tree. He was so dizzy and his body felt sore. Yuno had warned him before, but he didn't expect it to be this worse. A few minutes later, his ancestor and counterparts finally came to fetch him. Yuto and Yugo were the fastest to reach him. Worries etched on their faces.

"Yuya…how can you be so reckless?!" Yuto scolded while putting his hand on his back to help him sit more comfortably.

"You moron! Do you know how worry we were?!" Yugo also scolded, giving a flick on Yuya's forehead.

Yuya laughed weakly. "Sorry… But hey, at the very least, everything turned out okay in the end, right…?" He said trying to make it like a joke, but the disapproving faces he got from the four shut him up and he felt he became smaller under their gazes. He really worried them big time.

Yuno sighed, pinching the frown between his brows. "We'll continue this conversation later. Let's go to the mansion. Your mentors have arrived and are waiting for us." He told them before making a call to the driver to pick them up at the town garden near the plaza.

Yuto and Yugo helped Yuya to stand and walk, holding each of his sides to make sure he won't fall until he regained a bit of his strength. They helped him until they reached inside the car and drive off.

 **ROOM – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Once logged out, Yukiya sat tiredly on the sofa, sighing. He was borrowing the small house used by the Duel Club of his school that they sometimes used for when they were doing activities outside school. Today no one came because they were busy with their own matters, so he was alone. He sometimes also likes to come here when he wants to refresh his mind. The room has many things for entertainment purpose from books to video games so no one will get bored. Sara also liked to accompany him before.

"I hope Yuya is okay…" Yukiya muttered. He knew Yuya and at the same time he didn't. While he was still confused, he somehow took a quick liking for the Phantom.

"Kuri~" Linkuriboh materialized from its card, jumping to Yukiya and sit beside him.

"I'm okay. Thank you." Yukiya patted the Kuriboh, making Linkuriboh to lean closer to him. He also noticed his ace monster's card glowing again. Cyber Cosmos' apparition came out from the card, hovering over Yukiya and Linkuriboh. It felt warm.

"Right… I gotta send a message…" Yukiya tried to stand up from the couch, but he was attacked by a headache that demanded his body to lie still on the couch. Both his mind and body were so tired. The Duel gave a number of him more than he thought. His monsters were also giving him a look that saying 'take a rest!'

"No good…I'm so sleepy…" Yukiya's eyes fluttered until he couldn't take it anymore. He closed his eyes and let the darkness take him into slumber.

" _I'll just send the message after a bit sleep…"_

 **MEETING ROOM – CANTIDEL PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

By the time they reached the mansion, it was almost night time. The sight of the mansion once again rendered Yuya and his counterparts speechless.

From the outside this mansion looks old, but wonderful. It has been built with brown bricks and has brown stone decorations. Tall, half rounded windows add to the overall style of the house and have been added to the house in a mostly symmetric way. The mansion is equipped with an old-fashioned kitchen and several bathrooms; it also has a comfortable living room, eight bedrooms, a small dining room, a bar and a spacious garage. The building is fairly rounded in shape. The house is fully surrounded by stylish gardens. The second floor is the same size as the first, but part of it hangs over the edge of the floor below, creating an overhang on one side and a balcony on the other. This floor follows the same style as the floor below. The roof is high and slanted to one side and is covered with flat roof tiles. One small chimney sits at the side of the house. Several large windows let in plenty of light to the rooms below the roof. The mansion itself is surrounded by a well-kept garden, with a grass field and flower patches at the edges of the garden.

"Welcome, Yuno-sama. Everyone has been waiting for you in the meeting room." A butler told Yuno,

"So, who are our mentors?" Yugo asked. Yuno had told them about giving them mentors, but Yuno hasn't told them who their mentors would be.

"My four closest aides. My comrades who I'd personally handpicked that form my squad, The World." Yuno answered as they were walking their way to the meeting room.

"The four people you personally lead you mentioned before?" Yuto asked to confirm.

"Yeah. They are strongest Duelists I've ever known. I can guarantee they can guide you properly." Yuno told them with confidence.

Once they reached the room, they were greeted by four people standing in front of the meeting table. There were empty plates and glasses. They must have eaten while waiting for their arrival. And from the faces they were making, they were quite annoyed to be made waiting and tried their best not to voice it. Yuno simply smiled apologetically at them.

"I'm sorry. We have problems with Dante before coming here." Yuno told them.

"We've heard and watched! It was broadcasted live in most channels!" A dirty blond haired young man said while pointing at the large TV as he turned it on, showing the news that informed of what happened a few hours ago.

"I'm sorry…it's my fault…" Yuya ducked his head in shame.

Yuno cleared his throat before taking the remote and turned off the TV. He stood between his aides and descendants. It was time for introduction. He started with the person nearest to him. A young man wearing blue long-tailed jackets with white trimmings that somewhat reminded the four boys of the blue Academia uniform.

"First, he is Ryo Marufuji. He is my right-hand man who was also an alumnus of Academia in your dimension before arriving in this dimension." Yuno introduced his right-hand man.

"It's nice to meet you." Ryo greeted with his arms crossed.

"Wait…Ryo Marufuji? You mean Kaiser Ryo, the historically strongest Duelist in Academia who mysteriously went missing 50 years ago shortly after graduation?" Yuri asked in doubt and disbelief as he took a step forward at Ryo. In every Academia subjects, it's more than often to hear Ryo's name being mentioned. There's no one in Academia who doesn't know his name.

"Yup! 50 years ago in your dimension's time, he accidently got transported into this dimension when he was observing an experiment of dimension transport device conducted by Academia researchers. It went haywire and he arrived here two years ago in this dimension time just when I'm looking for new generation of The World." Yuno explained while patting Ryo's shoulder.

"We can talk about our stories later, hurry up with the introduction!" The dirty blond haired man said impatiently.

"Calm down. This fellow here is Katsuya Jounochi. He may be an idiot more than often, but he is a strong Duelist in his own right and way." Yuno moved to the young man with dirty blond hair in the sporadic hairstyle and dark brown eye swearing a long green open jacket with a raised collar, a white T-shirt underneath and blue jeans.

"What the hell kind of introduction is that?! You should introduce a mentor to his student with more dignity!" Jounochi protested, locking Yuno's head with his arms, but the Oracle kept smiling and has no intention to change his introduction. The blond man just proved his point.

"He is like another big idiot in this group…" Yuri muttered while glancing at Yugo, the said idiot in his book.

"What are you looking at me right that?" Yugo asked, noticing Yuri's eyes on him.

"Nothing." Yuri simply replied and looked away.

After being freed from the head lock, Yuno moved to the young man with dark blue eyes, pale skin and dark purple hair, which resembles tentacles hanging down that also slightly, resemble pigtails, but curl up on the end. He also has a light blue "crown" in front of his forehead. His attire includes a dark purple jacket over a maroon shirt and dark blue pants with white, green-gems shoes.

"He is Ryoga Kamishiro, also infamously known as 'Shark' due to his Deck. He may be look cold, grumpy, and unfriendly, but he is actually a softie at heart." Yuno introduced to the youngest mentor of the group before receiving a head smack from the said person.

"Stop adding unnecessary things in your introduction." Shark said in annoyed tone.

"They may have a wrong idea if I didn't say it." Yuno pouted while rubbing the spot where he got smack, earning a snort from Shark.

Yuno then introduced the last mentor and the only girl in the group, a young woman with long, waist length, and blond hair with bangs that curl away from her face in a horizontal direction and has emerald color eyes. She was wearing a suit with white with red accents that run along the outside of her arms, down the outside of her legs, and wrap around her calves. Her suit also consists of grey shoulder, knee, elbow, and shin guards, while she wears charcoal colored padding over her chest.

"She is Sherry LeBlanc. She is one of the most famous Riding Duelist in the empire. She's very strict and is scary when angry and super strong than any average women, so I advise you not to get to her wrong side." Yuno told them, finally finishing the introduction.

"Bonjour. As Yuno's descendants, I expect great things from you four. Do not disappoint us." Sherry told the four boys.

"Don't be too serious, Sherry. I haven't even introduced them yet." Yuno told the female Riding Duelist before standing beside his descendants.

"First, this is Yuya Sakaki. He is a Pro Duelist who is famous in ARC-V for being the pioneer of Pendulum Summoning. He is the current owner of Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon." Yuno introduced Yuya first.

"Hello. I'm looking forward to work with you." Yuya greeted politely.

"So that means you're the one who fought Dante earlier, right? You did well! And your Pendulum Summon is awesome!" Jounochi remarked with amazement, genuinely impressed by Yuya's Dueling and Pendulum Summon, making Yuya's cheeks turned pink from the praise.

"T-thank you…" Yuya thanked meekly.

"But it's still a dangerous stunt to pull. You better not repeating the same thing in the future or else you may jeopardize your comrades' safety." Ryo told the Pendulum user, lecturing him in a way.

"Yeah. I'm sorry. Really." Yuya apologized for the second time.

"And then this is Yuto. He is also a Pro Duelist in his hometown specializing in Xyz Summoning. He is the current owner of Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon." Yuno then moved to Yuto.

"It's nice to meet you. I hope we can get along well." Yuto also greeted politely.

"A Xyz user like you, Shark! You'll make a good team! But first, take a page on him. Be more polite." Jounochi told Shark, rounding his arm around the younger boy. The said boy pushed Jounochi's face away from him.

"Fix yourself first before telling me to be more polite." Shark retorted.

"This is Yugo. He is a Pro Riding Duelist and the current owner of Clear Wing Synchro Dragon." Yuno moved to Yugo.

"Nice to meet ya! I'll be sure to show ya all what I'm capable of!" Yugo greeted cheerfully and proudly, prompting everyone to look at Jounochi almost automatically.

"What? Why are you looking at me?" Jounochi asked, confused. Yuno continued with the introduction before Jounochi could ask more.

"Lastly but not the least, this is Yuri. He is a Duelist from Academia and the current owner of Starve Venom Fusion Dragon." Yuno finally finished the introduction of his descendants.

"I really hope you are as strong as Yuno told us, because I don't want to waste my time training with weakling as my mentor." Yuri smiled sweetly, but his words were as sharp and painful as venom. As he expected, Jounochi reacted fast, like Yugo usually did.

"Why you little brat! Show some respect to your senior! I'll punch your lights out!" Jounochi was more than ready to give the violet haired brat at least one strong punch if it were not for Sherry's elbow to his gut that effectively stopping him from making any move. Yugo instinctively held his own gut. It somehow reminded him when Rin kneed him.

"Calm down. You'll make us look stupid if you give in to his taunting, fool." Shark told Jounochi, sighing. Jounochi didn't have the energy to retort, still suffering from the pain.

Ryo eyed Yuri sharply and then his eyes landed on the collar around his neck.

"You're a criminal." Ryo said, earning everyone's attention. He pointed at the collar. "That collar is the same as the ones used on criminals who are on parole. I remembered Academia student that committed crime wearing it."

Yuri touched his collar as he smirked at Ryo. "Yes. It's been a year since the crime I have committed. I'm being sentenced exiled to live in an isolated island with only a few exceptions allowed to go out. Even with this collar, I'm still under surveillance." He confirmed nonchalantly, not caring the looks he will get.

Yuno clasped his hands loudly, stopping everyone from saying anything further. A ruckus is something he would like to avoid in the first meeting.

"Let's now discuss about the arrangement, shall we?"

 **MEETING ROOM – MANSION – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Celica and the girls were having a peaceful afternoon tea while sharing their stories about their dimensions and experiences. Unfortunately, their little gathering came to an end upon watching the news of Dante's attack in LINK VRAINS and the appearance of Zarc and Yuya, who goes by the name Phantom, fighting in LINK VRAINS. After watching the news, Celica immediately brought Yuzu and her counterparts to the meeting room where she told them she will introduce them to their mentors who will train them for their upcoming battles before allowing them to meet with Yuya and the others who were at Yuno's place. At the meeting room, four people have been waiting for them. Three of the four were a few years older than the girls while one was around their age yet she has an air of maturity.

Celica stood between the two sides and started introducing the girls to her four closest aides who were also her guardians that she has personally handpicked to protect the Imperial Family from any kind threat.

"This is Johan Andersen, my right-hand man." Celica introduced a young man with pale skin, blue eyes, light blue hair primarily in long bangs that cover his face wearing a light blue shirt, black pants and shoes as well as a long-flowing trench coat.

"Hi! Nice to meet you girls!" Johan smiled brightly, giving the girls a friendly wave.

"This is Kyosuke Kiryu, a famous Riding Duelist in the empire." Celica moved to a young man with spiky teal hair wearing a blue above-waist-length jacket with dark blue outlines a lavender shirt with frilled cuffs at the wrists of his sleeves, and black pants which are held up with a white belt.

"Hello." Kiryu simply said, not saying anymore words.

"This is Mai Kujaku, a Pro Duelist famous in both upper ground and underground Dueling world." Celica then moved to the young woman with long messy blond hair wearing a black leather vest and mini-skirt, tube top, along with black high-heeled boots and a Deck holder strapped to her thigh.

"Hello, girls. Looking forward to train with you all." Mai said with a wink.

"And then this is Rio Kamishiro, the priestess of the Palace." A girl with dark pink eyes, pale skin and dark blue hair with light blue bangs wearing a long hood on her head, white heeled sandals, a white dress and three gold rings on her legs.

"It is pleasure to meet you." Rio greeted politely.

"We don't have much times since Apophis has made his move earlier than we expected, so we will begin the training today." Celica announced to everyone.

None of the girls made any objection. To defeat Apophis and reunite with the boys, they knew they have to become stronger.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Legendary Kaiser & Harpy Queen – **Yuri is taken by Ryo Marufuji, a legendary Duelist widely known as Kaiser Ryo who is the strongest in Academia during its founding, as his apprentice. Interested in his strength, Yuri boldly challenges Ryo to a Duel. At the same time, Serena is taken by Celica's first guardian, Mai Kujaku, who is able to tell what her cards are before even drawing them.

* * *

 **FANFIC ORIGINAL CARD MEMO:**

 _ **DARK CLOTHING**_ **:** When you're being targeted for a Direct Attack, you can halve the damage. By banishing this card from Graveyard, you can halve the opposing monster's ATK and negate its effect. (Trap Card)

 _ **DARK CLOAK**_ **:** You can increase the ATK of a Dark World Monster you control equal to a Dark World Monster you have in Graveyard. (Magic Card)

 _ **PENDULUM SHARE:**_ You can recover LP and increase the ATK of a Pendulum Monster you control with the ATK of one of the Monsters in your Pendulum Zones. By banishing this card from Graveyard, you can recover your LP equal to the ATK of a Pendulum Monster in your Pendulum Zones. (Magic Card)

 _ **DARK LIFE:**_ When a Dark World Monster you control is destroyed and your opponent is going to inflict additional damage, you can increase your LP equal to the original ATK of the Dark World Monster that was destroyed. (Trap Card)

* * *

 **For now, I'm settling with Pendulum Zones separated from Magic & Trap Zone. But who knows maybe Yuya and the others will find a way to make changes later…hehehe (^w^)**

 **These will all be the main legacy characters that appear in this fanfic, and there will be no other addition in future chapters. They are already many enough. Other characters from other Yu-Gi-Oh! Series may appear, but only as one-time character and no more than that. My hands are already full with the characters I have planned for this fanfic. Since The legacy characters who appeared in this chapter are assigned as mentors, don't expect Yuya and the others will win against them :D**

 **I have another load of work, so can't update as fast as before. Please be patient. Thank you for your understanding.**

 **Please review this chapter~**


	12. Legendary Kaiser & Harpy Queen

**Big thanks** _ **to Sylver287, Elbarto4000, Ryujomaru15, No1yet, aqua9597, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Big duels, Playerhood18, Unknowedz, Ulrich362, GamingGuy84, ThePLOThand, Yuka Kuroshiro**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter~**

* * *

 **ROOM – THE BROTHERHOOD MANSION – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuri struggled awake. Dull pain roared through him, his arms heavy and hanging loosely. Where...where was he...? For a second, he saw nothing. There was nothing at all, except dozens of cards that shifted like slow moving sand dunes in front of his eyes. He felt a hand on his shoulder—who?

And then pain. Yuri was burning up on the inside. His eyes were so hot that he couldn't see all he could think about was the horrible burning sensation of the other three, stabbing into his brain, dragging on him like invisible, fiery ropes, making his hands curl into claws. There was something metallic in his mouth. And the floor under him was warm and sticky...

And for just a second, he saw nightmares dancing over his eyes. The cards from before were scattered on the ground and showed every single people he had carded a year ago. And then, one of the cards changed…back into the person before he got carded. That person was gripping his shoulder, his eyes shot and red as his face twisted into a snarl, blond hair matted against his face and twisted into the gash across his throat.

" _You carded me,"_ He hissed, slashing Yuri's shoulder with the blade of his Duel Disk that elicits a yell of pain from Yuri. _"It's your fault. You carded all of them. You even killed one."_

More specters appeared, with ripped up faces, bashed in heads, torn up chests, all of them with dead, black eyes, leering at him from the shadows.

Among them, a boy emerged. It was not just any boy. It was his own past self when he was 11 years of age. He was looking at him with eyes of disappointment; the words that left his mouth stung him sharp that he was sure his heart almost breaks.

" _After what you did, do you think you deserve to be happy?"_

Yuri's eyes opened wide with a loud gasp with the ceiling were the first thing he saw. He breathes in and out like he has held his breath for very long. Cold sweats trickled on his face. Yuri forced himself to sit up, covering a part of his face while trying to calm himself. He looked at the clock. It was still 07.00 AM. It was still so early in the morning. He blinked when he realized his hands were trembling. Biting his lips and clenched his fists, he stopped himself from trembling so much before anyone realizes it, though his counterparts were still asleep soundly like a rock.

"That dream will never stop, huh…" Yuri mumbled with a strained smile as he looked at his hands.

He didn't remember since when, but it has been quite long ever since that one nightmare reoccurring more than often. He would even say it happened every time he sleeps. He would experience that nightmare and wake up in the same condition at early in the morning. Every single time.

"Kurikuri~"

The difference this time, however, that Winged Kuriboh would always be by his side, immediately looking at him in worry and tried its best make him feel at more ease after the nightmare. To be blunt, at first, he was confused as to why Winged Kuriboh is so attached to him. No matter how hard he tried to push it away, it would always come back to him so cheerfully and cutely, and brimming him with its genuine affection. This was the first time monster other than his own to like him very much. It wasn't actually sickening or annoying, in fact it was comforting. Most people and monsters preferred to avoid him like plague in the past. Even though recently people's reception of him has gone better, there was still evident distance. Winged Kuriboh, on the other hand, doesn't seem to care whatsoever and would follow him almost anywhere like a loyal puppy.

"Kuri!" Winged Kuriboh held a glass of water for him, which Yuri took and finished in a single gulp. It felt refreshing.

"Thank you." Yuri thanked the Kuriboh without looking at it, but he could tell that the Duel Monster was smiling at him like usual. Yuri reached his hand to pat Winged Kuriboh's head, and without he realized, his lips started curving into a grateful smile—

" _After what you did, do you think you deserve to be happy?"_

Yuri's hand came at a stop before it reaches Winged Kuriboh. His smile dropped like it was never there the second those words in his nightmare repeated in his mind. He retracted his hand to his side and looked away from the Kuriboh, confusing the Duel Monster.

"I'm going to take a walk." Yuri suddenly said, standing up from his bed and went straight out with Winged Kuriboh following him behind.

 **DUEL FIELD – TRAINING GROUND – THE BROTHERHOOD MANSION – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuri stood beside a Duel Monster statue. His eyes were locked in the empty field of the training ground. Not surprising, since it was still early in the morning. He was soon proven wrong when he saw there was already someone else standing on the Duel Field, checking his Duel Disk. It none other than the one and only Ryo Marufuji, the legendary Duelist of Academia back in his dimension. There were several of his Duel Monster spirits appearing beside him, but from the looks of it, Ryo couldn't see him. Looks like he is one of many people who don't have the ability to see spirits.

"Oh, it's you." Ryo finally noticed Yuri and didn't waste any time to approach him. "You woke up early."

"A habit. When Academia became a military Duel school, every student was required to wake up early." Yuri answered. Even before having the nightmare, he had always waked up early, sometimes even too early in the morning. While he tried to sleep longer since he doesn't have any classes or missions anymore, it was difficult to change a habit that practically became attached like a skin.

"Nice timing. I've wanted to ask you since yesterday about that. Just what actually happened to Academia after I was gone?" Ryo asked. He was surprised when he heard Academia had turned into some sort of Duel Soldier School for a few years before it returned again into a normal Duel school. And Yuno had mentioned about them being involved in a war a year ago. Just what happened?

"Well, I'll try to keep this short…" Yuri began to tell what happened to Academia to Ryo. How Leo suddenly appeared and took over Academia and made it his personal military army to invade other dimensions. How he was one of the Duelists participated in the war and had carded countless people. How Yuya and the others in the group called Lancers fought against Academia that eventually led to the end of the war and turned back Academia to its former self.

"I never thought something like that could happen. I'm glad that it's all over and Academia that I knew and like returned." Ryo said with a relieved smile.

Yuri eyed Ryo in observing manner. He is a legendary Duelist from Academia's past famously known as Kaiser Ryo. He is widely known to have played a card that allows for the Summoning of Chimeratech Fortress Dragon, Chimeratech Rampage Dragon and Gatling Dragon. His Duel record in the academy was 100%. He never lost even once until he graduated from the academy. A perfect undefeated Duelist as many would call him. Never in Yuri's wildest imagination could that he meet Ryo in flesh and even in another dimension. And that brought him many questions.

How strong is he?

Was what he heard so many about him were true?

He wanted to know…

Yuri's lips curled into a grin, a grin that he always has whenever he is excited at the prospect of dueling against strong opponent.

"Ryo Marufuji-san, I challenge you to a Duel right now." Yuri said straight to the point.

"A Duel with me? Now?" Ryo repeated, unsure he heard it right.

Yuri nodded. "Yes. I've heard a lot about you in Academia classes, and now that you're here in flesh, I'm curious to know how strong you are. So, do you mind?" Yuri asked as he raised his Duel Disk. He was more than ready to go.

Ryo stared at Yuri for a moment as if studying him before he returned the grin. He raised his Duel Disk, answering Yuri's challenge.

"Very well. I've been appointed to become your mentor to begin with, so I would like to know first how strong my student is." Ryo accepted the challenge.

"Oh, you'll see." Yuri replied.

"We're going to make this your first lesson, so let's do a Master Duel. Do you have any qualm?" Ryo asked as they were standing on the Duel Field against each other.

"Not at all. It's better to get used to this new Duel rules from now on than later. I already knew the rules, so I'll be fine." Yuri assured his mentor and activated his Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'll take the first Turn! From my hand, I summon Predator Plants Cephalotusnail (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4)!" Yuri summoned Cephalotusnail in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I Set two cards face-down, and end my turn." Yuri concluded, smirking at Ryo. "Please give me everything you got. I would love to taste the power and skill of the strongest Duelist of Academia."

Ryo returned Yuri's smirk with his own. "No matter who my opponent is, I'm always serious in Dueling! My Turn! When my opponent controls a monster while I'm not, I can special summon Cyber Dragon (ATK: 2100 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 5) from my hand!" He summoned Cyber Dragon in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Cyclone to destroy your Spell or Trap Card!" Ryo destroyed one of Yuri's facedown cards, leaving Yuri with only one facedown card.

"Battle! I attack Cephalotusnail with Cyber Dragon!" Ryo declared attack on Yuri's only monster on the Field. The metallic-colored mechanical dragon leaped forward, swinging its tail at the Predator Plants monster.

"Cephalotusnail's Monster Effect! It cannot be destroyed by Battle and the damage is halved!" Yuri declared. Cephalotusnail's body was cladded in a thick black energy sphere, blocking Cyber Dragon's attacking tail. Cyber Dragon was deflected back to Ryo's side as Cephalotusnail's black sphere became a tornado that unleashed guts of winds. Yuri kneeled briefly from the damage he took but quickly recovered.

 **YURI LP: 4000 = 3600**

"I activate Magic Card: Time Capsule. I can banish a card in my Deck for two Turns." Ryo removed one card from play from his Deck.

"I end my Turn." Ryo concluded his first Turn. Ryo smiled at Yuri. "I suggest you do a Fusion Summon soon. Because I'll only allow you to live for three more Turns."

"You're saying that after the next three Turns you're going to finish me off? That's pretty smug of you, Kaiser Ryo." Yuri grinned in amusement at the apparent display of arrogance.

"Aren't you smug yourself for challenging me in the first place? And I'm simply being confident, not smug." Ryo retorted effortlessly to his pupil's accusation.

"Fair enough. I'll show you then, my Fusion Summoning." Yuri's eyes sharpened at Ryo, glimmering with immense excitement.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I Fuse Cephalotusnail on my Field and Predator Plants Fly Hell (ATK: 400 / DEF: 800 / LV: 2) in my hand! Beautiful flowers with insect-alluring fragrance become a new power and destroy those who oppose you with your dripping venom until your hunger is satisfied! Fusion Summon! Level 7! Starve Venemy Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 1)!" Yuri summoned his Fusion-Pendulum Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"It resembles Starve Venom that I've heard so much about from Yuno." Ryo commented upon seeing Starve Venemy. While he had never seen the card itself (since it was in the original dimension), he had seen it from pictures shown by Yuno several times.

"Battle! I attack Cyber Dragon with Starve Venemy Dragon!" Yuri declared attack. The orbs around Starve Venemy's body glowed. Purple energies appeared covering its body and it then gathered in its mouth. The more energies gathered, the thicker the purple colour become. Once the energies accumulated was big enough, the poison dragon blast the energy at the Cyber Dragon, destroying it completely.

 **RYO LP: 4000 = 3600**

Yuri, however, wasn't finished with that as he opened his facedown card. "I activate Trap Card: Toxic Fangs! When a DARK-Attribute Monster I control destroys a monster by Battle, I can inflict half of my monster's ATK as damage to my opponent!" He gave an additional damage to Ryo, inflicting 1250 damage to him as Starve Venemy shot a single blast that pushed back the Kaiser.

 **RYO LP: 3600 = 2350**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuri finished the third Turn. "Is this enough for a greeting, Kaiser Ryo? I would have preferred Starve Venom to do this, but since it's still missing, Starve Venemy will have to do."

Hearing Yuri's remark, Starve Venom gave its owner an expression that was close to a pout. Yuri immediately patted Starve Venemy on the head.

"Now, now, it doesn't mean I don't like you doing it. You're great too, Starve Venemy." Yuri assured his Fusion-Pendulum dragon.

Ryo smiled softly at the exchange between the two. "You can communicate with your monsters well. I have to admit that I am envious of those with that ability. But even if I can't hear or see them, I always know that they are watching my back and I can trust them! My Turn! I summon another Cyber Dragon from my hand!" Ryo summoned another copy of Cyber Dragon via its effect from his hand in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

""I activate Magic Card: Cyber Resurrection! I revive a Cyber Dragon Monster in my Graveyard!" Ryo revived the Cyber Dragon Yuri had destroyed in just a moment ago.

"I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse my two Cyber Dragons! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! Cyber Twin Dragon (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2100 / LV: 8)!" Ryo summoned Cyber Twin Dragon in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"So that's one of your Fusion Monsters." Yuri remarked with delight. He became more and more excited.

"Battle! I attack Starve Venemy Dragon with Cyber Twin Dragon!" Ryo declared attack. The head on the right of the two-headed dragon opened its mouth and shot a ball of purple lightning towards the Fusion-Pendulum dragon.

Yuri quickly opened his Reverse Card. "Trap Card: Fusion Counter! When a Fusion Monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can negate that monster's destruction and fuse it with a card on my other side of Field or hand!" He formed a barrier that protected Starve Venemy, though he and his dragon still received quite electricity that almost rendering them paralyze.

 **YURI LP: 3600 = 3300**

Yuri then took a card from his hand and showed it. "I fuse Starve Venemy with Predator Plants Sundew Kingii in my hand! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Predator Plants Dragostapelia (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 1900 / LV: 8)!" Yuri Fusion summoned his carnivorous dragon plant-like Monster in Attack Position in Extra Monster Zone replacing Starve Venemy.

"I activate Dragostapelia's Monster Effect! Once per Turn, I can place a Predator Counter on my opponent's Level 2 or higher monster!" As Yuri ordered, Dragostapelia shot a predator counter from the flower on its back. Once the counter attached itself on Cyber Twin Dragon's body, the two-headed dragon went limp as its Level was reduced to 1.

"Cyber Twin Dragon's Level becomes Level 1 as long as it has a Predator Counter and its effect is negated. I have no doubt a high Level monster like that has a powerful effect, so I have to negate it before you can use it." Yuri explained to Ryo. He was facing against the legendary Duelist of Academia, so he can't afford to play around.

"You've thought of it in advance. Well done." Ryo praised the boy. Cyber Twin Dragon has an effect that allowed it to attack twice per Turn, but now since Yuri has sealed its effect, he had no choice but to end his move now.

"I end my Turn. But I'll tell you this; I'm not changing my earlier statement. The next Turn will be your last Turn, Yuri." Ryo warned the younger Fusion user. Yuri could tell that Ryo truly mean it when he said that.

" _In that case, I'll make sure he doesn't have any monster to defend himself."_ Yuri decided as he looked at his Deck. He could feel what card it was before even drawing it. The card was calling for him.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Predator Plants Pterophentes (ATK: 300 / DEF: 2100 / LV: 3)!" Yuri summoned Pterophentes in Defense Position in the rightest slot of the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Pterophentes' effect! Once per Turn, I can take control of a monster my opponent controls with a Level less than or equal to this card!" Yuri pointed at Ryo's Fusion Monster. Since it still has the Predator Counter attached by Dragostapelia, its Level became Level 1. It has lower Level than Pterophentes, allowing Yuri to special summon the two-headed dragon into his Field.

"My Cyber Twin Dragon!" Ryo was visibly shocked that his Fusion Monster was stolen from him.

"Battle! I attack directly with Cyber Twin Dragon!" Yuri immediately used the monster he just stolen to attack its own master. The left head of the two-headed dragon was ready to fire its electric blast. However,

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Fusion Cancel! I return Cyber Twin Dragon to my Extra Deck and summoned back my two Cyber Dragons." Ryo returned his Fusion Monster back to his Extra Deck and revived his two Cyber Dragons from the Graveyard, which stopped the attack. He was honestly surprised when Yuri took control of his dragon. He didn't expect that he will use Fusion Cancel.

"Then I attack Cyber Dragon with Dragostapelia!" Yuri shifted the attack to one of the newly summoned Cyber Dragons using his Predator Plants Fusion Monster. Dragostapelia sent one of the flowers behind its back at the designated Cyber Dragon, swallowing it whole.

 **RYO LP: 2350 = 1750**

"I end my Turn. Do you still think that I won't survive the next Turn, Kaiser Ryo?" Yuri questioned the Cyber Dragon user.

"Yeah. I'm ending this Duel in this Turn." Ryo replied confidently, which for a second unnerved Yuri.

"My Turn! I activate Cyber Resurrection's effect in Graveyard. I banish it to special summon Cyber Dragon." Ryo banished his Magic Card to revive his Cyber Dragon again in Attack Position.

"During my Standby Phase, the card I banished through Dimension Capsule's effect is added to my hand." Ryo added Power Bond, the card he banished in his previous Turn following his Magic's effect.

" _He banished that card so he can add it in this Turn."_ Yuri thought warily.

"I activate Magic Card: Power Bond! I fuse my two Cyber Dragons on my Field and Cyber Dragon in my hand! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 10! Cyber End Dragon (ATK: 4000 / DEF: 2800 / LV: 10)!" Ryo summoned his metallic mechanical three-headed dragon in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

" _It's coming! One of Kaiser Ryo's most used Fusion Monsters… But even if it destroyed Dragostapelia, my LP still remains. And since Pterophentes is in Defense Position I won't receive any damage."_ Yuri thought while readying himself for the incoming attack.

"Due to Power Bond's effect, Cyber End Dragon's ATK is doubled, but I'll receive damage equal to its original ATK at the End Phase!" Ryo doubled Cyber End Dragon's ATK to 8000, far higher than Dragostapelia.

"An ATK of 8000?!" Yuri exclaimed in shock. If Dragostapelia is destroyed now, he'll receive 5300 damage, and his remaining LP was only 3300.

"Battle! I attack Dragostapelia with Cyber End Dragon!" Ryo declared. Yellow lightning came out from the three-headed dragon's body while the center head was accumulating a ball of energy in its mouth. The lightning intensified as Cyber End Dragon finally unleashed the accumulated energy, firing a lightning blast that destroyed the Predator Plants Monster and blew away its master to his back.

 **YURI LP: 3300 = 0**

Ryo walked to Yuri who was sitting up. He took the boy's arm and pulled him up to stand.

"What did I tell you? But you did great. I certainly didn't expect you to use my dragon against me. If I didn't have Fusion Cancel, I wouldn't have survived." Ryo told his pupil.

"I acknowledge that you are certainly as what everybody said, Kaiser Ryo. You haven't even used your strongest monsters yet. I still need to learn." Yuri accepted his loss. It strangely didn't feel so frustrating. He had fun in fact.

"But mark my words. This is not the end. One day I'll defeat you for sure." Yuri told the Kaiser.

" _One day I'll defeat you for sure, Brother!"_

For a second, Ryo saw Yuri's formed overlapped with that of a grey-eyed bespectacled boy with light blue hair sectioned in three layers wearing red-colored Academia uniform. Ryo blinked and then the image of the blue haired boy disappeared and Yuri was the only one he looked at. Without thinking, he reached his hand to the violet haired boy's head and gave it a ruffle.

"What are you doing?" Yuri asked, surprised.

"Just a rewarding gesture for doing well in the Duel." Ryo replied.

"I'm already 15 years old." Yuri pointed out with a tinge of annoyance.

"I'm technically more than 50 years old, and it's not strange for a man my age to consider you a kid, isn't it? Also, you've lost against me. A loser should concede to the victor, and I'm telling you to let me treat you as a 'cute kid' whenever I feel like it." Ryo said with a victorious grin while continuing to ruffle Yuri's head.

"Fine…" Yuri grumbled begrudgingly. Conceding to the victor in a fair Duel is his philosophy, so he couldn't make any argument against Ryo since he lost against him. He just hoped he won't do this in front of the others…especially Yugo.

Ryo was pleased with his new disciple. All opponents he had fought against in Academia were either too nervous or underestimating themselves. They dueled him without having the very intention of winning, and it honestly frustrated him. His new disciple, however, challenged him without fear and has every intention of winning against him. He countered his attacks with everything he has and even after he lost he still has the confidence that he will surpass him one day.

"If you want to change my mind, then why don't we have another round? But this time let's do a Speed Duel." Ryo proposed another Duel.

"Bring it on." Yuri immediately accepted.

He will use his earlier lost as a stepping stone to become stronger until he reclaims Starve Venom.

 **DUEL FIELD – TRAINING GROUND I – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Can't believe that this is a training ground…" Serena commented while looking at her surrounding.

Today, she was supposed to be training with the mentor appointed for her, Mai Kujaku. Originally they were told that they will start their training yesterday right after watching the news about Zarc and Yuya in LINK VRAINS fighting against Apophis' Duelists, but it has to be cancelled due to urgent business that required Celica and her guardians. That's why now she was looking for her mentor who sent her a message this morning that she will be waiting in the afternoon at her training ground to train.

But yet, the so-called training ground was far than what Serena had expected, especially when she finally found her mentor. The training ground was filled with various tropical plants with sands that anyone would find in a beach. And now, Serena was staring at her mentor who was comfortably having a sunbathe.

"What the heck are you doing?" Serena asked her mentor in annoyed tone. They were going to train but yet she was having a sunbathe?

"Oh? You've arrived? Took you long enough. Wait a second." Mai told the younger girl as she was wearing her jacket and boots again and removed her sunglasses.

"For the last touch." Mai used a perfume on herself and then without saying anything, adding one to Serena as well, causing the girl to cough.

"W-what was that for?!" Serena questioned between her coughs and pinched her nose from the sudden fragrance added to her.

"You smelled quite a bit. A girl your age need to present yourself pretty or else you'll never get a boyfriend." Mai told her casually before putting her perfume back into her bag.

"I'm a Duelist! I don't need something like that! I'm perfectly fine with the way I am!" Serena replied while patting her chest proudly.

Mai sighed at Serena's seriousness. "You're being too serious. You need to relax a little bit more. A Duelist needs life outside Dueling too you know. You surely have friends or a guy you like to hang out with." She told her calmly.

Serena's mind instantly thought of Dennis, Yuya, and all new friends she had made for the past year ever since the dimension war. She did hang out with them once in a while and do things that doesn't involved Dueling and simply having fun. As for a guy she like…she came out blank. She likes all her guy friends, but Mai seemed to be implying differently since she separated friends and a guy she like. Realizing she has been sidetracked, Serena shook her head and glared at Mai.

"Whatever! Just start the lesson already!" Serena demanded, getting impatient.

"Such a pity even though you're so cute. That settles it. Aside from Dueling, I'll have to teach you more about how to be a proper girl." Mai decided before wearing her Duel Disk, motioning Serena to stand at her position on their Duel Field.

"We'll do a Master Duel. You already knew the rules, all that left is to get used to it." Mai remarked.

"Let's do this!" Serena activated her Duel Disk as did Mai, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first. I set three cards face down and end my Turn." Mai set a card facedown in Main Monster Zone and two cards facedown in Magic & Trap Zone. However, she closed her eyes and didn't even take a glance at her cards in her hand and lowered it so she couldn't see what cards she has in her hand.

"W-why aren't you looking at your cards?!" Serena questioned, shocked that Mai made her move without even looking at her cards.

"Simple. I already know my hand." Mai replied to her pupil.

"You can tell what your cards are without looking at them? Are you mocking me?!" Serena questioned again, getting angry. She felt Mai doesn't take her seriously.

"No I'm not, dear. If you can't hold up against me like this, then you're a waste of my attention." Mai replied in arrogant manner that Serena was twitching more angrily.

"I'll make you eat those words! My Turn! I summon Moonlight Blue Cat (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Serena summoned Blue Cat in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I set three cards and end my Turn!" Serena concluded her Turn by placing three facedown cards.

"My Turn! I open my set Harpie Lady (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4)!" Mai opened Harpie Lady in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

" _She truly knows what her cards are without looking at them?!"_ Serena was visibly taken aback. How was it possible for Mai to know what her cards are without even looking at them?!

"I activate Equip-Spell: Cyber Bondage! I increase Harpie Lady's ATK and DEF by 500!" Mai increased Harpie Lady's ATK to 1800 and DEF to 1900.

"Battle! I attack Moonlight Blue Cat with Harpie Lady!" Mai declared attack on the blue humanoid cat. Harpie Lady leaped and used its claws to destroy the Moonlight monster, pushing back Serena.

 **SERENA LP: 4000 = 3800**

"I end my Turn." Mai concluded her Turn. She raised a brow at Serena, challenging the girl, and Serena was more than willing to accept it.

"My Turn! I summon Moonlight White Rabbit (ATK: 800 / DEF: 800 / LV: 2)!" Serena summoned White Rabbit in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I Fuse Moonlight Purple Butterfly (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3) and White Rabbit! Butterfly with violet poison! Rabbit of snow! Spiral into the moon's gravity and become a new power! Fusion Summon! Come to me! Beautiful beast that dances in the moonlight! Moonlight Cat Dancer (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Serena summoned her ace Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Moonlight Slip! I special summon a Moonlight Monster in my Graveyard with its effect negated!" Serena activated her first facedown card and revived Blue Cat in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone with its effect negated.

"I activate Moonlight Cat Dancer's effect! I release Blue Cat to allow Cat Dancer to attack all of my opponent's Monster twice! The first attack won't destroy it but the second one will!" Serena released Blue Cat, allowing her ace monster to attack Mai's Harpie Lady twice.

"Battle! I attack Harpie Lady with Cat Dancer!" Serena declared attack. Cat Dancer formed a moon-shaped energy and unleashed it towards the Harpie Lady.

Mai opened her second facedown card. "Permanent Trap Card: Mirror Wall! I halve your monster's ATK!" Mai halved Cat Dancer's ATK to 1200 as crystalize mirrors appeared from the ground that blocking Harpie Lady. Cat Dancer's blast reflected to itself, destroying the Moonlight Monster instead.

 **SERENA LP: 3800 = 3200**

"What?!" Serena exclaimed at her Monster's destruction. _"She activated her card without looking at it again. Damn it, how did she do it?!"_

Serena opened her facedown card. "Trap Card: Moonlight Reincarnation Dance! When a Moonlight Fusion Monster I control is destroyed, I can special summon its Fusion Materials to my Field!" She revived Purple Butterfly and White Rabbit in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Moonlight White Rabbit's effect! When this card is special summoned, I can target 1 Moonlight Monster in my Graveyard and then special summon it in Defense Position!" Serena immediately revived her Cat Dancer in Defense Position in Extra Monster Zone.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Serena concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Kaleidoscope – Magnificent Doppelgangers! When there is one or more Harpie Lady on my Field, I can special summon a Harpie Lady or Harpie Lady Three Sisters from my hand or Deck!" Mai summoned Harpie Lady Three Sisters (ATK: 1950 / DEF: 2100 / LV: 6) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Harpie Lady.

"However, due to the Magic Card's effect, my Harpie Lady Three Sisters can't attack this Turn, so I set a card and end my Turn. Come on, sweetie, show me what you got. You haven't touch my LP here." Mai's finger gave Serena a challenging gesture,

" _Damn it…! She's not all talk. I hate to admit it but she's strong! And how she is able to tell what her cards are without looking at them is bothering me a bit."_ Serena thought deeply and then wiped a dust on her cheek. When she did, however, she smelled the fragrance that Mai added to her without permission, causing her to sneeze. So the smell was still there.

" _Wait…smell?"_ Serena's thought returned to moments before they started dueling when Mai was using her perfume. There were still other perfumes in her bag when she saw it. And then how Mai kept her cards close to her face right under her nose for a second without looking at them. Could it be…

Serena gasped as she hit a realization. "I understand now! By putting different perfumes on all the cards in advance, you're able to tell which cards are in your hand by smelling them!" She finally figured it out. She had thought that Mai's cards may have special materials that will allow her to see the cards if she see it close, she was so focused on what she could saw that she didn't think of this possibility.

Mai clasped her hands and winked at Serena. "Correct! I congratulate you for figuring out my trick, girl, but that still won't be enough to defeat me." Harpie Lady was stronger as long as it was wearing Cyber Bondage, and add that to Harpie Lady Sisters and Mirror Wall cutting Serena's monsters' ATK in half, the Moonlight user was no match for her.

"My Turn!" Serena looked at the card she just drew and smiled. Now that she has figured out Mai's trick, she felt she can do something now, and her card answered her wish. "When I control two or more Moonlight Monsters, I can special summon Moonlight Golden Bee (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 500 / LV: 3) from my hand!" Serena summoned Golden Bee in Attack Position with White Rabbit on its right side in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Golden Bee's effect! When this card is special summoned, I can destroy a Magic or Trap Card my opponent controls!" Serena obviously pointed at Mai's Mirror Wall, destroying the Continuous Trap Card.

"Now you can't halve my monsters' ATK again!" Serena pointed out before continuing.

Serena then opened her last facedown card. "I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse Moonlight Cat Dancer and Moonlight Golden Bee! Beautiful beast that dances in the moonlight! Bee with powerful sting! Spiral into the moon's gravity and become a new power! Fusion Summon! Come to me! Supple beast that dances through moonlit fields! Moonlight Panther Dancer (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 8)!" Serena summoned her second Fusion Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone, replacing Cat Dancer.

"I activate Moonlight Purple Butterfly's effect! By sending it to the Graveyard, I can increase the ATK of a Moonlight Monster I control by 1000 until the end of Turn!" Serena tribute Purple Butterfly to increase Moonlight Panther Dancer's ATK to 3800.

"Battle! I attack Harpie Lady Three Sisters with Moonlight Panther Dancer!" Serena declared attack, prompting Panther Dancer to leap towards the Harpie Ladies while raising its claws. "Moonlight Panther Dancer can attack all my opponent's monsters twice!"

"I have anticipated that! Trap Card: Harpie Swarm! Harpie Monsters I control cannot be destroyed until the end of this Turn, their ATKs are increased by 700, and the damage is halved!" Mai increased her monsters' ATKs again, making Harpie Lady's ATK 2500 and Harpie Lady Three Sisters' ATK 2650.

"But you'll still take damage!" Serena reminded as Panther Dancer's claw clashed against Harpie Lady Three Sisters' armors twice, pushing them and Mai backwards.

 **MAI LP: 4000 = 2700**

"Now attack Harpie Lady!" Serena continued her attack. Panther Dance moved to the next Harpie Lady, the two female monsters clashed their claws together, pushing back the latter as Panther Dancer was stronger but Harpie Lady able to endure it.

 **MAI LP: 2700 = 1550**

"I end my Turn. I have destroyed your Mirror Wall and my Panther Dancer's ATK is still higher than any of your monsters! Now, what will you do, Mai Kujaku?!" Serena questioned. Even though Purple Butterfly's effect has ended and reverted Panther Dancer's ATK back to its original ATK, it still has advantage against Mai's Harpie Ladies.

"I'm going to win this Turn." Mai replied confidently without a single doubt, her eyes sharpened as she said so.

"What?" Serena blinked in confusion. She for a second thought Mai was only bluffing, but then seeing Mai's narrowed eyes glinting with determination convinced her otherwise.

"My Turn! I activate Harpie Swarm's second effect. By banishing it from Graveyard, I can special summon a monster with the name Harpie from my hand or Deck! Here it is! Harpie Lady's strongest servant! Harpie's Pet Dragon (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 7)!" Mai summoned the dragon in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone at the left side of the Harpie Ladies.

"And then I summon another Harpie Lady from my hand!" Mai summoned another copy of Harpie Lady that she just drew in Attack Position beside Harpie's Pet Dragon in Main Monster Zone.

"Harpie's Pet Dragon gains 300 ATK for each Harpie Lady monster I control." Mai was controlling three Harpie Lady Monsters, so her dragon's ATK was increased to 2900.

"An ATK of 2900?!" Serena exclaimed in shock. Now the dragon has 100 ATK higher than her Panther Dancer.

Furthermore, her Mai has four monsters in total on her Field while she only has Panther Dancer without any set card or one in hand. Once Harpie's Pet Dragon destroyed her Panther Dancer, there would be nothing left of her, while Mai still has three more monsters to attack.

"Battle! I attack Moonlight Panther Dancer with Harpie's Pet Dragon! Saint Fire Giga!" Mai began her counterattack. Harpie's Pet Dragon opened its mouth wide, firing a burning energy blast the burned the Moonlight Fusion Monster into nothing and nearly blew Serena away.

 **SERENA LP: 3200 = 3100**

"Now your Field is wide open, dear. No holding back! I attack directly with Harpie Lady Three sisters!" Mai motioned her three Harpie Ladies to attack. Each Harpie Lady has the chance to strike Serena, sending her on her lying on her back with quite bruises.

 **SERENA LP: 3100 = 450**

"And for the finishing move, I attack directly with Harpie Lady!" Mai finally delivered the finishing blow with the Harpie Lady she just summoned earlier, sending a strong kick that once again sent Serena sprawling on the ground just as she returned to her feet, depleting all of her LP.

 **SERENA LP: 650 = 0**

"Ugh…I lost…" Serena groaned while struggling to stand up again. She looked up when she noticed Mai's shadow hover her.

"You did well, Serena. However, I'm afraid that you're too much focusing on unnecessary things that you can't see the bigger picture." Mai told her, placing her hands on her waist without showing any indication that she will help her up.

"You're talking about your aromatic trick? I won't refute that…" Serena admitted. She was ashamed of herself for getting distracted by that. But even without that trick, she now knew for sure that Mai is strong and has more experience than her.

"Yes. But there's one more thing, Serena." Mai revealed, confusing Serena.

"What is it?" Serena asked. What else that she failed to see?

"Something you can show but you can't see." Mai simply told her, which confused the younger girl even more. "That is a riddle that someone I know once gave to me. If you can solve that riddle, you'll know the answer."

Mai stretched her hands up before retreating back. "Let's take a little break and then we'll continue another round. You can't force yourself too much." She told Serena, continuing her interrupted sunbathe.

Serena was still too tired to move so she stayed at her spot for a while. While she waited for her strength to return, she was pondering what Mai has told her. Something she can show but she can't see? She truly didn't have any idea the answer to that riddle, but it most likely has something to do with the way she was dueling. But what is it?

" _You know, in certain situation, you became so small-minded Serena. If you keep that up, why not just give up beautifully next time to make it easier for me and you won't embarrass yourself?"_

Yuri's face with that smug smile and sarcastic remark suddenly popped out in her head that it pissed her off. It was like Yuri was there with her and mocking her. She felt like kicking him now.

" _Why the hell am I thinking about him?!"_

Unbeknownst to her, Mai was observing Serena with amused expression. She didn't know exactly what the girl was thinking, but she has a hunch what it was. Called it a woman's intuition.

" _Fufufu… Looks like I have got myself a cute disciple that will be fun to tease."_

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Flower Chevalier & Black Enforcer** – Yugo is taken by a woman named Sherry LeBlanc who is one of the famous Riding Duelists in the whole Empire. The two get at the wrong start, prompting Yugo to challenge Sherry to a Duel. Meanwhile, at Celica's place, Rin is taken by Celica's second guardian, Kyosuke Kiryu who is a Pro Riding Duelist and former member of the reformist faction.

* * *

 **FANFIC ORIGINAL CARD MEMO:**

 _ **MOONLIGHT GOLDEN BEE**_ : (DARK / WARRIOR-BEAST / EFFECT / ATK: 1000 / DEF: 500 / LV: 3). When you control 2 or more Moonlight Monsters, you can special summon this card form your hand and then destroy a Magic or Trap your opponent controls.

 _ **MOONLIGHT SLIP:**_ Special summon a Moonlight Monster in your Graveyard but its effect negated. (Magic Card)

 _ **HARPIE SWARM**_ : Harpie Monsters you control cannot be destroyed until the end of this Turn and their ATKs are increased by 700. When this card is in Graveyard, you can banish it to special summon a Harpie Monster from your hand or Deck. (Trap Card)

* * *

 **Sorry for the late update. I finally got the time to write this chapter. Since I'm writing two Duels in one chapter, I decided not to keep the Duels so long and also to show how strong the mentors are. I'm sorry if I make any mistake. I hope you like the interaction between the mentors and the students in this chapter. Ryo and Yuri in particular are partially inspired by** _ **dvdryms'**_ **fanfic Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V: The Fith Factor that also depicts a mentor-student relationship between the two. But mine will be different of course. Still, thank you very much** _ **dvdryms**_ **!**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter~**


	13. Flower Chevalier & Black Enforcer

**Big thanks to** _ **Ulrich362, Ryujomaru15, Unknowedz, SSJGamerYT, Yuka Kuroshiro, CityLover96, Big duels, dvdryms, Demons Anarchy of Pride, aqua9597, Daniel Kazami, matrixnis, GamingGuy84, Playerhood18, Elbarto4000, No1yet, Guest, VioletStarVN**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter~**

* * *

 **HALLWAY – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yugo was walking towards Sherry's room after he received a wakeup call from her that told him their training will start in 10 minutes. When he only replied 'yeah' without any intent to wake up as she told her to and was ready to go back to sleep, Junkuriboh was there to tackle him right on his stomach, which painfully woke him up wide. It took him a few minutes to recover from the pain on his stomach (which was as worse as when Rin kneed him). He yawned, face visibly annoyed as he was woken up from his comfortable sleep. Another ten minutes later and Yugo couldn't quite keep the irritation from showing on his face as he arrived in front of Sherry's room. He was already annoyed enough, so he wanted to get this over with.

And so, the moment Yugo arrived in front of her room…

"Hey, I'm here! Let's start the training already and make it quick!" Yugo opened the door of her room without a second thought, demanding his mentor to hurry…

…Yugo froze when he realized that Sherry was in the middle of changing into her Riding Duel suit. For the first three seconds, no one made any move or sound, and then both Yugo and Sherry's face turned red. Sherry's face, however, aside from her blushing, her eyes turned murderous at Yugo. Even though the boy didn't exactly see her naked since thankfully she was still wearing her clothes on before taking it off, the boy has invaded her privacy. Didn't anyone teach him manners? What kind of guy who just went into a woman's room without greeting first?

"KNOCK FIRST, FOOL!"

The next thing that happened was Yugo's scream echoed throughout the hallway and the boy was lying on the floor outside Sherry's room with quite heavy bruises on his face.

"Darn it…why do girls around me like to beat me up like this…?" Yugo wondered while holding his bruised cheek. First, Yuzu pushed him back when they arrived in City together and smacked him with her paper fan when he compared her sizes with Rin's. Second, Serena punched and kicked him for a couple of times when he mistook her as Rin before and after their Duel. Third, Rin kneed him twice during their reunion. Fourth, Ruri (through her older brother) head-locked him. Did those really warrant him this much of a beating?

Beside him, Junkuriboh was looking at him with disbelieving and disappointed eyes as if it could read Yugo's thought. Maybe it really could. Its eyes were saying 'you didn't learn do you?'

Sherry slammed the door happened. Now she was ready in her Riding Duel suit. She looked down at Yugo who was still sitting on the floor with deadly eyes, prompting the boy to quickly stand up straight.

"Haven't you ever heard the words 'delicacy' and 'politeness'?" Sherry questioned the boy.

"Can't you just forget about it already? It's not like I saw you naked or anything." Yugo replied with annoyed tone, earning him another smack right on the face that sent his back to the floor again.

"That's not the point. You need to learn some manners, especially to those who are older than you." Sherry yanked Yugo by the back of his Riding Suit collar and then pinched his ear, dragging him out of the hallway all the while ignoring his pained protests.

 **DUEL FIELD – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yugo was rubbing his pinched ear right after Sherry finally let go of him once they arrived at the Duel Field where Yugo deduced they will start their training. There were traces of the Duel Field has been used. Yugo assumed it was used by Yuri and his mentor since when he and his Xyz and Pendulum counterparts awoke, Yuri was nowhere to be seen. His Fusion counterpart was a morning person to start training so early in the morning.

"What are you spacing out for? Pay attention. You need to learn not only Duels but also manners." Sherry scolded Yugo, which irked the boy.

"Sheesh. You're also as noisy as Rin! Maybe even more than her! I get it already! I'm sorry! So will you stop bringing that up?" Yugo yelled at Sherry. Both Sherry and Rin always liked to say the same thing over and over again even though he already said he understands. It was very annoying really.

"There's no point of you apologizing if you still don't understand delicacy and may repeat the same thing again in the future. You need to get it through your thick skull and _never_ repeat it again." Sherry pointed her finger right in front of Yugo's face between his brows, poking him.

Junkuriboh went to Sherry's side and sat on her shoulder. It was siding with the older woman in this.

"You ass kisser!" Yugo said accusingly at his Kuriboh.

"I said I get it! Shut up already! You don't need to say it again since I understand!" Yugo felt like stretching his hair from frustration. He already had enough with Rin to act like a mom, so he doesn't need another one or else it'll drive him insane!

"Argh, this is a hassle! Let's just settle it with this then!" Yugo raised his Duel Disk and then pointed his finger at Sherry. "If I win, you'll accept my apology and never bring it up again!"

Sherry flung her hair before raising her own Duel Disk. "So that's how you want it to be. Then I have no objection. If I win, you'll do as I say without making a fuss over it. I am your mentor."

"Deal!" Yugo agreed with the condition.

The two Riding Duelists activated their Duel Disks. Since they were going to have a Master Duel and Speed Duel lesson today, they decided to go with Master Duel, beginning the match.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm taking the first Turn! From my hand, I summon Holy Knight's Spearholder (ATK: 800 / DEF: 400 / LV: 2)!" Sherry summoned Spearholder in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Sherry concluded.

"My Turn! I Summon Speedroid Bamboo Horse (ATK: 1100 / DEF: 1100 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Yugo Summoned a horse-like Monster.

"When this card is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Speedroid Monster from my hand! I Summon Tuner Monster, Speedroid 23 Ship (ATK: 100 / DEF: 200 / LV: 1)!" Yugo Summoned another Monster from his hand, a blue ship-like Monster.

"I Tune Speedroid Bamboo Horse with Speedroid 23 Ship! Synchro Summon! Feel the pulse of this swordsman's soul! Level 5! High-Speedroid Chanbarider (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 5)!" Yugo summoned Chanbarider in Attack position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack Holy Knight's Spearholder with Chanbarider!" Yugo declared attack. Due to its effect, it gains 100 ATK, making its current ATK 2100.

"Trap Card: Floral Shield! I negate your monster's attack and draw 1 card!" Sherry opened her Trap, calling forth petals of white flower that formed into a shield, blocking Chanbarider's attack. Sherry then drew a card from her Deck.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Yugo concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Swift Horse of the Flower Knight Order (ATK: 400 / DEF: 800 / LV: 3)!" Sherry summoned Swift Horse in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Spearholder.

"I activate its effect! When it was normal summoned, I can draw 1 card!" Sherry drew another card from her Deck.

"I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse Holy Knight's Spearholder and Swift Horse of the Flower Knight Order! Fusion Summon! Level 6! Centaur Mina (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 600 / LV: 6)!" Sherry summoned Centaur Mina in the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Flower of the Knights! I can increase the ATK of a Warrior or Beast-Warrior Types Monster I control by 800 until the end of this Turn!" Sherry increased Centaur Mina's ATK to 3000.

"Battle! I attack High-Speedroid Chanbarider with Centaur Mina!" Sherry declared attack on Yugo's Chanbarider. Centaur Mina let out a battle cry before running towards the Synchro Monster.

Yugo quickly opened his first facedown card. "Trap Card: Burning Sonic! I negate your Centaur Mina's attack and my Chanbarider gains 500 ATK!" He summoned a burning orange wave that blocking Chanbarider from the incoming Centaur Mina.

"It's useless! Centaur Mina's effect activates! I can negate the effect of a Trap my opponent controls and return it to original position!" Sherry negated Yugo's Burning Sonic and set it facedown again. The protection around Chanbarider was dispelled, allowing Centaur Mina to tackle and destroyed the Synchro Monster.

 **YUGO LP: 4000 = 3100**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Sherry finished, reverting Centaur Mina's ATK to normal.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Resurrection of the Dead! I special summon a Monster in my Graveyard!" Yugo revived Chanbarider in Attack Position.

"And then from my hand I summon Tuner Monster, Speedroid Domino Butterfly (ATK: 100 / DEF: 300 / LV: 2)!" Yugo summoned Domino Butterfly in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I tune Chanbarider with Domino Butterfly! Shining wings, deliver divine speed and illuminate heaven and earth! Synchro Summon! Level 7! Clearwing Fast Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 4)!" Yugo summoned his Synchro-Pendulum Monster.

"A Monster that resembles Clear Wing. Interesting. Show me what this dragon of yours can do!"

"You bet I will! I activate Clearwing Fast Dragon's Effect! Once per Turn, during either player's Turn, I can target 1 Monster my opponent controls! That Monster's Effect is negated and its ATK becomes 0!" Yugo revealed while pointing Sherry's Centaur Mina, sealing the Fusion Monster's effect and made it powerless.

"Battle! I attack Centaur Mina with Clearwing Fast Dragon!" Yugo declared attack.

The Synchro-Pendulum Monster flew high to the sky until it was high enough and then green lights were accumulated in Clearwing's wings while its body then enveloped by the same bright light. Eyes marked on its target, Centaur Mina, Clearwing dashed down towards the Fusion Monster with its highest speed.

"I activate Trap Card: Fleur Guard! This Turn, my Monster cannot be destroyed by Battle!" Sherry opened her facedown card. Pink petals appeared from the card, surrounding Centaur Mina, allowing the Fusion Monster to endure Clearwing's onslaught. The Fusion Monster held Clearwing by its shoulders as the dragon continued to push it back together with Sherry until the dragon retreated.

 **SHERRY LP: 4000 = 1500**

"You're holding up well. But don't think I'll let you make a comeback next Turn." Yugo said as he activated his second facedown card. "I activate Continuous Trap Card: Dragon's Bind. I choose a Dragon-Type Monster I control, neither player can special summon monsters with ATK lower than or equal to the targeted dragon's ATK."

Sherry raised a brow. "So far the monsters I've summoned have lower ATKs and has the effect that negate your Traps. Is that why you summoned that dragon and then combined it with your Continuous Trap? That way I can't special summon monsters like Centaur Mina and any attempt to increase my monster's ATK or negating your Traps will be negated by your dragon's effect." She deduced Yugo's strategy.

"Yuno is a strong Duelist and for thousands years old man, I'm sure he has a whole lot more experience and knows Duelists' skills. If he chose you as my mentor, that means you're very strong. I have to be careful against you." Yugo explained. Before coming here, he had seen of Sherry's D-Wheel when they passed by her garage, and he could tell that takes a great care of her D-Wheel and tune it properly. No ordinary D-Wheeler could do that. From that, he deduced that Sherry is an expert D-Wheeler and Riding Duelist.

Sherry blinked at Yugo, astonished. "You maybe a brat with no delicacy and lacking manners, but you are an honorable Duelist. I owe you an apology for that." She replied. Her opinion about the boy changed quite a bit from that. She admitted that she has underestimated Yugo, thinking he was just some ill-mannered brat. But it turned out he wasn't as bas he she thought him to be.

"But if a mentor lost against her student in their first training, then I have no right to be called a mentor or face Yuno after this. I'm going to defeat you in this Duel, Yugo." Sherry's eyes sharpened. Her Duelist spirit was starting to burn up now.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Tuner Monster, Fleur Synchron (ATK: 400 / DEF: 400 / LV: 2)!" Sherry summoned Fleur Synchron in Attack Position in Main Monster Zone.

"Tuner?! Then you're also a Synchro user?!"

"I tune Centaur Mina with Fleur Synchron! Synchro Summon! Level 8! Fleur de Chevalier (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 2300 / LV: 8)!" Sherry summoned her Synchro Monster in Attack Position in Extra Monster Zone, replacing Centaur Mina.

"Its ATK is higher than your Clearwing, so I have no problem special summoning it." Sherry told Yugo, emphasizing her Synchro Monster's ATK.

"And that's not all! I activate Quick-Play Spell: Knight's Play! When a Warrior-Type Monster is special summoned, I can destroy a Trap or Magic that my opponent controls!" Sherry destroyed Yugo's Dragon's Bind.

"When Fleur Synchron is sent to the Graveyard as a Material for Synchro Summon, I can special summon a Level 4 or lower Monster from my hand!" Sherry summoned Apprentice Knight in Attack Position in Main Monster Zone.

"But don't forget Clearwing's effect! I can negate your monster's effect and make its ATK 0!" Yugo reminded.

"Of course I've prepared for that too." Sherry said as she took out another card from her hand and activated it. "I activate Quick-Play Spell: Fleur Blessing! My monster cannot be targeted by monster effects until the end of this Turn!"

"What?!" Yugo exclaimed. Even if he activated Clearwing's effect now, it won't affect Fleur de Chevalier.

"This is it, Yugo! Battle! I attack Clearwing Fast Dragon with Fleur de Chevalier!" Sherry declared attack with her Synchro Monster. Fleur de Chevalier ran towards the white dragon, its hand on its weapon ready to slash it.

"Trap Card: Burning Sonic! I negate the attack!" Yugo quickly opened his trap that has been negated by Centaur Mina's effect in the previous Turn.

"Fleur de Chevalier's effect! I negate your Trap and destroy it!" Sherry countered by activating her Synchro Monster's effect, destroying Yugo's Trap for good.

"What?! It has the same effect as Centaur Mina?!" Yugo exclaimed in shock as his Trap was negated for the second time. Fleur de Chevalier slashed his dragon in two with its sword, destroying it. Yugo got skidded backwards from the attack, but he held on.

 **YUGO LP: 3100 = 2900**

"But my LP will still remain this Turn!" Yugo pointed out. Even if Sherry used Apprentice Knight to attack him directly, he will still have 1900 LP, enough for him to survive to his next Turn.

Sherry smiled confidently in respond. "I almost forgot to tell you, due to Fleur Blessing's effect, Fleur de Chevalier can attack one more time!" She revealed as she motioned Fleur de Chevalier to attack again.

"You gotta be kiddin' me!" Yugo yelled in dismay as Fleur de Chevalier delivered a kick towards him, sending him to the ground.

 **YUGO LP: 2900 = 200**

"And now, I finish this with Apprentice Knight!" Sherry delivered the finishing blow with her Normal Monster. Apprentice Knight used the back of its sword to strike the kneeling Yugo, sending him completely on his back.

 **YUGO LP: 200 = 0**

"You've done well for a beginner in Master Duel. You're also a fast learner, so I'm sure you'll get used to Master Duel and Speed Duel soon." Sherry told Yugo while extending her hand to help him stand, which Yugo accepted.

"Damn straight I will! I'm going to master these Master Duel and Speed Duel and then beat those Apophis creeps, especially that Neon woman!" Yugo declared determinedly. He had vowed he will pay Neon back in folds for what she did to Clear Wing and to him, and he has every intention to fulfil that vow!

"Alright, Sherry! Let's go another round! Do your job properly as my mentor and guide me to become stronger!" Yugo demanded. He didn't get to say anything more as Sherry has given him another strong punch on his face, sending him to a near oblivion.

"First of all, show some respect to your mentor." Sherry told the boy. He was still unruly child after all.

 **PARK – PALACE TOWN – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Cats' loved ear massages. The cat sitting on Rin's lap lowered down even more, its eyes shutting close out of bliss. A deep purring sound started to emerge from his throat, sending vibrations up Rin's arms. The girl smiled. She then continued by rubbing the cat's tummy. The purring became louder as the white cat now stretched in delight on her lap. The girl, after waking up, decided to take a brief walk at the Palace Town. Since everyone in the town has already been informed about her and her counterparts, all of them treated her like they would treat Celica. It was hard to get used to the 'royal' treatment since most of her life she had lived as Commons in a slum where people there must take care of themselves if they want to survive.

While she was happy that the townspeople treated her nicely, she was feeling quite suffocating with the sudden attention that she got. She was sure her counterparts will agree with her too. That's why she settled with wearing a hat and a pair of glasses to cover her face as to not make the townspeople know who she was.

"You seem to be having fun."

Lips thinning, Rin blinked before turning left, only for her shoe to slide out from under her, sending her crashing gracelessly to the ground as gravity dragged her downwards. Spluttering as she tried to right herself, and shaking the dirt off her clothes, she glanced towards the bridge and immediately recognize who it was.

"K-Kiryu-san!" Rin recognized her appointed mentor.

"No need to be so nervous." Kiryu chuckled as he jumped down from the bridge to help the girl stand.

"S-sorry." Rin felt embarrassed, to be seen like this. She didn't know what to say about her appointed mentor. Her first impression when she first met him was quiet. He was a young man who didn't speak much and his gaze was a bit cold, but for a reason she didn't know herself, she has a feeling that her mentor is not as cold as he appeared to be, and his earlier reaction proved it. Still, she didn't know what to do with him. Most of her friends are cheerful, noisy, warm, and bright, so she was confused how to act around a quiet person like Kiryu even though she knew he is nice. She hoped that he was the one who will start a conversation somehow. This wish was granted seconds later.

"You're taking a walk before we start our training?" Kiryu asked.

"Yes. I want to know what the town is like." Rin answered. "You too, Kiryu-san?"

"No. I visited the town's cemetery. My friends are buried there." He answered with a sad smile.

"I'm sorry for asking." Rin immediately apologized, but Kiryu gave her a pat on her head and smiled at her in assurance.

"It's okay. So, what do you think of the town?" Kiryu asked, changing the subject.

"It's a nice town. The people are nice too…but how about the other towns and the common people? I've heard that the relation between the nobles and the commoners is not good. Hearing Celica-san's story reminded me of how my hometown used to be." Rin told Kiryu. Things may look great here, but the same maybe can't be said to towns outside this. The nobles may live in luxury while many commoners live in struggle.

"I take it that you dislike nobles?" Kiryu asked.

"No, it's not like that. Both nobles and commons can be as good as bad. In my place before it changed, the rich people looked down on us commoners like we are trashes. But commoners were also as bad because they can only look up to the riches cursing them without even trying to do anything to change and only wait for someone to change their situation…" Rin explained. This reminded her of what Yugo's inner-self once told her in their Duel. There were still people in Neo Domino City who are opposing the changes.

"You're perceptive. You don't see things as black and white. That's good. It's just as you said." Kiryu praised Rin in a way that he just confirmed something in her story. Realizing this, Rin's interest picked on.

"So the condition of the empire is also the same?" Rin asked again.

"I don't think it's as bad as how your hometown used to be. But yeah, discrimination is not something uncommon to happen. To be honest I don't like most nobles, but still I became Celica's guardian. It must be confusing you." Kiryu took a seat on nearby bench together with Rin.

"Not really. I think Celica-san is a good person. She is different from most nobles." Rin only knew Celica for a few days, but yet for some reason something insider her convinced her that the woman is a kind person and can be trusted. Was it because they were related by blood?

"Indeed. She saved my life and also my friends from Aberforth…" Kiryu replied, though he quickly went silent. It was a slip.

"Aberforth? The supreme leader of the Imperial Army?" Rin blinked as she recognized the name. There was a history between Kiryu and the supreme leader? That's why he was on Celica's side?

Kiryu didn't answer to that question and instead stood up from the bench. He turned to Rin who was still sitting on the bench and raised his Duel Disk to her.

"If you wish to know more, try to prove yourself in our training. It's about time." Kiryu said while pointing at the clock near the fountain park. They were so deep in their talk that they lost the sight of time. It was almost pass their scheduled training.

Quickly following Kiryu from behind, the two returned to the palace for their Master Duel training.

 **DUEL FIELD – TRAINING GROUND II – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

From Rin's observation of their training field, it was made so Duelists can do both usual Duel and Riding Duel. Surrounding the normal Duel Field was a Duel Line usually used in Riding Duel. Spotting Kiryu's D-Wheel confirmed this even more. Now, Rin and Kiryu were standing against each other, Duel Disks raised.

"You already knew the difference between the normal Duel and Master Duel, right?" Kiryu asked to make sure Rin didn't make a mistake in the Duel.

"Yes! I've studied the rules and all! I think I can do this!" Rin replied confidently.

"Then let's do this." Kiryu said, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm taking the first Turn! From my hand, I summon Infernity Knight (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 400 / LV: 3)!" Kiryu summoned Infernity Knight in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I set 3 cards and end my Turn!" Kiryu concluded the first Turn.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Wind Witch Flow! I send two Wind Witch Monsters in my hand to Special Summon Wind Witch – Flake Bell (ATK: 500 / DEF: 500 / LV: 4)!" Rin summoned Flake Bell in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"And then from my hand, I Summon Wind Witch – Glass Bell (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 4)!" Rin summoned Glass Bell in Attack Position beside Flake Bell. Following its Effect, she added a Wind Witch Monster from her Deck to her hand.

"I activate Flake Bell's Effect! Once per Turn I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to the total ATKs of Wind Witch Monsters in my Graveyard!" She has sent Ice Bell with 1000 ATK and Snow Bell with 100 ATK, making the total damage that Kiryu will receive is 1100 damage. Flake Bell twirled its staff to create a tornado of wind that inflicts damage to the mentor.

 **KIRYU LP: 4000 = 2900**

"I activate Magic Card: Air Revival! I can Special Summon a WIND-Element Monster from my Graveyard!" Rin summoned one of her Wind Witch – Ice Bells (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3) from Graveyard in Attack Position.

"When this card is summoned, I can inflict 500 damage to my opponent!" Rin declared, motioning Ice Bell to point its wand at Kiryu, shooting strong cold winds that decreased his LP by 500.

 **KIRYU LP: 2900 = 2400**

"And then I Tune my Level 3 Ice Bell with Level 4 Glass Bell! Winds of winter, snow and ice! Become my power to blow everything away! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 7! Wind Witch - Winter Bell (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Rin summoned her ace Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Winter Bell's Effect! I can copy the Effect of a Wind Witch Monster in my Graveyard until the End Phase! I copy Ice Bell's Effect!" Winter Bell chimed its bell, sending the same cold wind that Ice Bell unleashed, inflicting another 500 damage to Kiryu.

 **KIRYU LP: 2400 = 1900**

"Battle! I attack Infernity Knight with Winter Bell!" Rin declared attack with her ace monster. Winter Bell jingled its bell, sending soundwaves that obliterated the black knight-like Monster.

 **KIRYU LP: 1900 = 900**

"I activate Infernity Knight's effect! By discarding my entire hand, I can special summon it from Graveyard!" Kiryu revived Infernity Knight right after it got destroyed.

"I end my Turn." Rin finished.

" _She shaved my LP to red on her first Turn. She's stronger than I expected. And I'll make her stronger, just as you told me to, Celica."_ Kiryu thought determinedly. His Duelist blood was getting excited even though they were just getting started.

"My Turn! I tribute Infernity Knight to Advance summon Infernity Archer (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 6)!" Kiryu summoned Infernity Archer in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Infernity Archer's effect! When I have no cards in my hand, it can attack directly!" Kiryu declared Battle Phase by directly attacking Rin. Infernity Archer shot its arrow, striking Rin's shoulder, causing the girl to wince and held her shoulder.

 **RIN LP: 4000 = 2000**

"I end my Turn." Kiryu concluded.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack Infernity Archer with Winter Bell!"

"Trap Card: The Black Cauldron! When I have no cards in my hand, I can negate destruction of an Infernity Monster by Battle!" Kiryu opened his first facedown card, allowing Infernity Archer to endure Winter Bell's attack.

"But you'll still take damage!" Rin reminded as Kiryu got skidded backwards from the impact.

 **KIRYU LP: 900 = 500**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Rin finished. She has advantage in LP at the moment, but she has a bad feeling of what will happen next.

"My Turn! Draw!" Kiryu looked at the card he drew and then at his monster on his Field. After a few seconds, he finally spoke. "I end my Turn."

Rin blinked in confusion. He didn't use nor discarding the card he got. What kind of card that he drew? Her uneasiness grew at each passing seconds. She bit her lip to snap her from her thought. She must focus on the Duel, taking opportunity that she has.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Wind of Soul! I increase the ATK of my WIND-Attribute Monster by 500!" Rin opened her facedown card. She increased Winter Bell's ATK to 2900. With this, if she destroyed Infernity Archer, Kiryu's LP will be depleted completely.

"Battle! I attack Infernity Archer with Winter Bell!" Rin declared, motioning her ace Monster to attack for the finishing blow.

"Trap Card: Infernity Sacrifice! By discarding an Infernity Monster in my hand, I can negate attack directed at an Infernity Monster I control!" Kiryu discarded the card he drew in his previous Turn and stopped Winter Bell's attack. Infernity Archer shot its arrow, which paralyzed Winter Bell on its spot.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Rin concluded. She stared warily at Kiryu. From what she understood so far, Kiryu's monsters' effects required him to discard all cards in his hand. But she doesn't think that Kiryu discard his entire hand for this sole purpose. It's possible that he may gain benefit by sending his monsters to Graveyard. She could slow down his play by forcing him add cards to his hand or using nuke so that he has no cards in his hand for a comeback.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Infernity Sage (ATK: 400 / DEF: 800 / LV: 2)!" Kiryu summoned Infernity Sage in Defense Position beside Infernity Archer.

"I activate Infernity General's effect in my Graveyard! By banishing it, I can special summon two Level 3 or lower Infernity monsters form my Graveyard with their effects negated!" Kiryu summoned Infernity Shield Bearer (ATK: 0 / DEF: 1100 / LV: 3) and Infernity Spear Bearer (ATK: 1100 / DEF: 0 / LV: 3) in Attack Position beside Sage and Archer.

"I tune Infernity Sage, Infernity Shield Barrier, and Infernity Spear Barrier! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 8! Purgatory Dragon – Ogre Dragoon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 8)!" Kiryu summoned Ogre Dragoon in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"A Synchro Monster with 3000 ATK?!" Rin exclaimed in shock. Her Winter Bell was no match for the dragon, and Kiryu still has Infernity Archer to attack her directly.

"In that case, I activate Trap Card: Bewildering Wind! When my opponent Special Summon a Monster, I can negate that Monster's Effect and halve its ATK!" Rin activated her facedown card she has set in the previous Turn. This way she could protect Winter Bell and lessen the damage she would take.

"I activate Ogre Dragoon's effect! When my hand is empty, I can negate the activation of a Trap or Magic that my opponent controls and destroy it!" Kiryu revealed as Ogre Dragoon shot a blast that destroyed Rin's Bewildering Wind.

"Also, Ogre Dragoon gains 500 ATK when using this effect!" Kiryu increased his dragon's ATK to 3500.

"No way!" Rin looked in disbelieve and shock.

"Battle! I attack Wind Witch – Winter Bell with Ogre Dragoon!" Kiryu declared attack with his dragon. Ogre Dragoon opened its mouth as it flew above Winter Bell. It unleashed a lightning blast that went straight at the opposing Synchro Monster. Winter Bell pushed Rin away, avoiding her from getting hit by the blast that destroyed it.

 **RIN LP: 2000 = 900**

"Winter Bell!" Rin cried out in dismay at her monster's destruction.

"And then I attack directly with Infinity Archer!" Kiryu continued his attack with his Infernity Monster who shot its arrow straight towards Rin, striking her down.

 **RIN LP: 900 = 0**

Rin fell on her knees, covered in dust and several bruises. It has been a while since she was surprised like this in a Duel. She clearly didn't expect that kind of dragon to appear.

"Sorry. Did I overdo it?" Kiryu asked in concern, kneeling to check on his disciple.

"Yes. I'm okay. Hahaha…I guess I failed to prove myself…" Rin tried to laugh it off.

"No. You've proven yourself to me. Not everyone can inflict so many damages in their first Turn like you do. You've a great promise, Rin." Kiryu placed his hand on Rin's shoulder before standing up again.

"But I'm afraid I can't tell you yet about me and Aberforth. I can only say that my friends and I used to be working for him. I'm not going to say he is evil or anything, but there's no denying that what he is doing is also causing suffering to a lot of people. The rest is for you to judge." Kiryu told Rin before taking his leave, telling her they'll be taking a break before continuing their training.

Rin didn't move from her spot, still wondering what Kiryu has told her. There are still many things she has yet to understand about the conflict between the factions in this dimension. Neither she nor her counterparts and her friends can make big decision yet without fully understanding the situation. If they want to save both this dimension and their dimension, then the first thing would be finding out and understanding their enemies and people who they think will do well as allies. And Rin knew where she is going to start her research…

"Heidel Aberforth, huh…"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Water & Ice – **Yuto is taken by Ryoga Kamishiro, a famous Duelist widely known as Shark. Hearing Shark has history with Rowan, Yuto ask him for more, but Shark only agrees if Yuto duel him first. At the palace, Ruri is taken by Celica's third guardian who is also Shark's younger fraternal twin sister, Rio Kamishiro and the two bonds due to their mutual feelings for their respective older brothers.

* * *

 **Sorry it took a while to update this chapter. Busy as usual with work. I'm personally interested in how Kiryu was portrayed and also his Deck in the manga, so I decided to adopt manga Kiryu instead of the anime one in this story, but maybe I'll also include his cards from the anime in future chapters. Based on reviews and PMs I got, I know that some of you may have reservations at the outcome of the Duels due to a reason like this character lost to that character when they were supposed to be stronger and all. I don't want to make any argument or debate, I'll only say that each of us have different opinion and how to write story. Thank you for your understanding. Also, just because Ryo is not native to Artificial Dimension, it doesn't mean the other legacy characters are from other dimensions too. Their backstory will be revealed more in future chapters.**

 **The Custom Cards in this chapter will be included later. I want to take a little bit more rest first.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter~!**


	14. Water & Ice

**Big thanks to** _ **dvdryms, aqua9597, ThePLOThand, Elbarto4000, Big duels, Ulrich362, Ryujomaru15, CityLover96, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Playerhood18, Unknowedz, scififan599, Daniel Kazami, GamingGuy84, matrixnis, SSJGamerYT, Yuka Kuroshiro**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter!**

* * *

 **DUEL FIELD – TRAINING GROUND – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD'S HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuto was holding a pile of books while trying his best to follow his appointed mentor, Ryoga Kamishiro who was commonly known with his nickname Shark. This morning, right after he awoke, he received a call from Shark to inform him that their training will start soon. He was told to meet at the library, and when Yuto came there, Shark immediately gave him several books for a light reading. When Shark told Yuto that the books were for him to learn after their training, Yuto grimaced. This pile of books was far from a light reading, but Yuto knew it was necessary for him.

On their way to their training ground, Yuto couldn't help but looking at his mentor. He didn't know much about him. So far, Shark gave a vibe of a typical loner, being indifferent and cool about most things, usually sporting a stoic face or scowl. He didn't talk much, only saying what is necessary and nothing more than that. This quite reminded him of Shun when he detached himself from others after Ruri got kidnapped a year ago. And thinking about that, somehow there's another thing that he felt from his mentor that is similar with his best friend, but he doesn't know what it is.

"I heard you've duelled Rowan?" Shark suddenly asked, almost making Yuto bumped into him.

"Y-yeah. But I won't say it's my real win. He held back so that he can take Dark Rebellion…" Yuto frowned at that, remembering how his ace dragon got stolen from him infuriated him until now.

"You knew that he was holding back because Yuno told you or you realized it yourself?" Shark asked again.

"During our Duels I noticed he had many chances to outwit me, but yet he didn't take that chance until Dark Rebellion disappeared. And before the Duel…I felt strong presence from him. It told me how different he is from opponents I've fought until now…" Yuto explained.

"You're sharp. Looks like you got that from Yuno." Shark smiled at Yuto. "I have also fought against Rowan before you guys arrived here. He may look polite and honourable, but behind those he is as bloodthirsty as the other five."

Yuto looked at Shark straight in the eye, his attention was piqued. "Can you tell me more about him?" He asked. He had no doubt he will crossed path against Rowan again. And when that time comes, he is sure they will fight with full power, to the best of their skills.

"Before we get to that, I want to test your Dueling first. Defeating Rowan while he is holding back is not an easy feat. Many skilled Duelists were defeated by him when he was holding back. But you still managed to defeat him proves you're exceptionally skilled." Shark told Yuto while wearing his Duel Disk. He then pointed at the table nearby, motioning Yuto to put the books over there while they train.

"I won't call myself exceptionally skilled, but I'll say that I have no intention to lose to you, training or no training." Yuto replied, activating his Duel Disk. Considering how strong Yuno is and the fact that Yuno himself handpicked Shark as part of his personal squad and assigned Shark as his mentor, the purple haired Duelist must be a strong opponent.

"That's what I like to hear." Shark's eyes narrowed and glinted in excitement. Looks like he can expect much from this Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm taking the first Turn! I set 3 cards, and end my Turn!" Yuto started by setting 3 facedown cards and immediately ended his Turn.

"My Turn! I summon Saber Shark (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Shark summoned Saber Shark in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Since I control a WATER-Attribute monster, I can special summon Silent Angler (ATK: 800 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Shark summoned Silent Angler in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone via its own effect.

"I overlay Saber Shark and Silent Angler! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! No. 101: Silent Honors Ark Knight (ATK: 2100 / DEF: 1000 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Shark summoned Ark Knight in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

Yuto blinked at a small data of the card that appeared on his screen. "Numbers Archetype? This is the first time I heard it…" He said out loud.

"I'll explain that after I defeat you! Battle! I attack directly with Ark Knight!" Shark declared attack, prompting Ark Knight to shot itself straight towards Yuto.

"Double Traps: Phantom Knights – Lost Vambrace! During this turn, Phantom Knights on my Field won't be destroyed by battle and I can reduce the ATK of one opposing monster by 600 points!" Yuto opened two of his three facedown cards. Since it's doubled, Shark's monster loses 1200 points, making Ark Knight's ATK reduced to 900.

"After its effect is activated, I can Special Summon this card as a Normal Monster in Attack Position!" Yuto then summoned two Lost Vambraces in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"But you'll still take damage!"

 **YUTO LP: 4000 = 3700**

"When I receive battle damage, I can activate the Quick-Play Magic: Phantom Knights Double Badge! I select two Phantom Knights monsters on my Field and use them as materials to perform an Xyz Summon!" Yuto opened his third facedown card.

"Oh? Xyz Summon in my Turn?" Shark looked amused.

"I overlay the two Level 2 Lost Vambraces! Pierce through thousands of soldiers! The cursed spear of rebellion buried beneath the darkness! Descend! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 2! Phantom Knights Cursed Javelin (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 0 / RNK: 2 / ORU: 2)!" Yuto summoned Cursed Javelin in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"Cursed Javelin's Monster Effect can be used during the opponent's turn! By detaching an Overlay Unit, it can negate the effects of one monster on the Field, and reduce its ATK to zero!" Yuto negated Shark's Ark Knight's effect and reduced its ATK to 0 as Cursed Javelin strikes the opposing Xyz Monster with its purplish lightning shock.

"To think that you can pull something like this on my own turn… Interesting. I set a card and end my turn!" Shark concluded his Turn. This was only a beginning, but he knew that Yuto was skilled. He must be serious if he wants to win.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack No. 101: Silent Honors Ark Knight with Cursed Javelin!" Yuto countered Ark Knight's attack with Cursed Javelin. The skeleton-like Xyz Monster pierced its right through Ark Knight's abdomen, destroying the Numbers Monster.

 **SHARK LP: 4000 = 2400**

"I set two cards and end my Turn." Yuto concluded. While he has destroyed the Numbers Monster without much difficulty, Yuto could tell that Shark still has something under his sleeve.

"My Turn! Draw!" Shark looked at the card he draw and immediately revealed it to Yuto."I activate Rank-Up Magic: The Seventh One! I can target and special summon an Over-Hundred Number monster from my Graveyard or Extra Deck, ignoring its summoning condition and negating its effect if its from Graveyard! Then, I can Special Summon a C monster from my Extra Deck that is one Rank higher than that monster, using that monster as the Overlay Unit!"

Shark special summoned the destroyed No. 101: Silent Honors Ark Knight from the Graveyard and then overlay it together with the Rank-Up Magic Card.

"Rank-Up Xyz Change! Rank 5! C No. 101 Silent Honor Dark Knight (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 1500 / RNK: 5 / ORU: 2)!" Shark summoned Dark Knight in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone, replacing Ark Knight.

"I activate Dark Knight's effect! Once per Turn by detaching an Overlay Unit, I can target a Special Summon Monster my opponent controls and attach it to Dark Knight as an Overlay Unit!" Shark pointed at Yuto's Cursed Javeling, intending to make it an Overlay Unit for his monster.

"I activate Cused Javelin's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can negate your monster's effect and make its ATK 0!" Yuto countered by activating his monster's effect to stop Dark Knight's effect. Unfortunately, Shark has already anticiapted that.

"Trap Card: Chaos Catapult! I negate the activation of an Xyz Monster's effect!" Shark opened his Trap Card, negating Cursed Javelin's effect, and thus, allowed his Dark Knight to change it into its Overlay Unit, leaving Yuto's Field wide open.

"Battle! I attack directly with Silent Honor Dark Knight!" Shark motioned his Xyz Monster to attack. Dark Knight strikes Yuto with its spear, causing the Phantom Knights user to fall flat on his back from the attack.

 **YUTO LP: 3700 = 900**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Shark finished his Turn. "Come on, stand up. This is just a warm up." He told Yuto with a cheeky grin.

Yuto jumped back to his feet, facing Shark with increased determination. "Time to get serious then! My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Spiritual Phantom Knights! By banishing two Phantom Knights monster with the same Levels, I can add 2 Phantom Knights monsters into my hand!" Yuto banished his two Lost Vambraces in the Graveyard and then added two new monsters into his hand.

"With Scale 2 Phantom Knights Nemesis Horse and Scale 8 Phantom Knights Black Hood, I Set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuto set his Pendulum Scale, allowing him to summon Level 3 to 7 Monsters. However, he didn't perform Pendulum Summon, instead he took a card from his hand.

Shark blinked. "So not only Yuya Sakaki, you're also capable of using Pendulum Summon." He mused while looking at the Pendulum Scale.

"I activate Magic Card: Pendulum Xyz! This card allows me to Xyz Summon using Monsters in my Pendulum Zones as Materials! I Overlay Nemesis Horse and Black Hood! Fangs of rebellion gain new power and slash the pall of darkness! Xyz Summon! Rank 7! Dark Anthelion Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2500 / RNK: 7 / PS: 10)!" Yuto summoned his Xyz-Pendulum Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"A Pendulum-Xyz?!" Shark exclaimed in shock.

"When Nemesis Horse leaves the Field or Pendulum Zone, I can add a Spell Card from my Deck to my hand." Yuto added another card to his hand.

"I activate Dark Anthelion's Effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can halve the ATK of a Monster my opponent controls and Dark Anthelion will gain the lost ATK! Absorb Eclipse!" Yuto halved Dark Knight's ATK to 1400 and then increased Dark Anthelion's ATK to 4400.

"Also, my LP is recovered equal to that amount!" Yuto increased his LP by 1400.

 **YUTO LP: 900 = 2300**

"Battle! I attack Silent Honor Dark Knight with Dark Anthelion Dragon!" Yuto declared attack. Dark Anthelion Dragon accumulated blue energies into its mouth, preparing for a blast. Dark Anthelion spread its beautiful stained glass-like wings and raised its chest. The dragon then shot a powerful fiery blue blast from its mouth towards the Xyz Monster.

Shark quickly opened his facedown card. "Trap Card: Sea Cocoon! I halve the damage I'll take!" He was then enveloped by a sea water in a form of a coccoon, partially protecting him from the dragon's blast while he watched his monster got destroyed by the scorching flames.

 **SHARK LP: 2400 = 900**

Shark smiled, however, afterwards. "As Silent Honor Dark Knight was destroyed while it has Overlay Units, I can special summon it from the Graveyard and gains LP equal to its original ATK!" He revealed his monster's other effect, summoning it back to the Graveyard and recovered his LP with a huge amount.

 **SHARK LP: 900 = 3700**

"What?! Not only you summoned it back but you also recovered your LP?!" Yuto exclaimed in disbelieve. Then the only way for him to defeat Shark would be first he must reduce Dark Knight's Overlay Units to nothing and then destroy it. He need to come up with a new counterattack in his next Turn.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuto reluctantly ended his Turn, reverting Dark Knight's ATK and effect to normal.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Cross Draw of Destiny! Both players draw and reveal a card. If they are Monster Cards, it is special summoned to the opponent's side of Field in Defense Position and its owner gain LP equal to its ATK!" Both Shark and Yuto drew a card and revealed it to each other. Yuto drew Phantom Knights Phantom Fog Blade while Shark drew Coral Shark (ATK: 0 / DEF: 900 / LV: 2). Coral Shark was summoned to Yuto's Field in Defense Position, but since its ATK was 0, Shark didn't receive any LP recovery.

"I activate Coral Shark's effect! When it was summoned to my opponent's Field while I control an Xyz Monster, I can attach it to the Xyz Monster I control as its Overlay Unit." Shark turned his Coral Shark into Dark Knight's Overlay Unit.

"Battle! I attack Dark Anthelion Dragon with Silent Honor Dark Knight!" Shark declared attack again using his newly revived monster. Dark Knight clashed its spear with Dark Anthelion's hand that caught it. The dragon's hand easily crushed the spear and then used its other hand to crush through Dark Knight's chest, destroying it.

 **SHARK LP: 3700 = 3500**

As it was destroyed and sent to the Graveyard while it has Overlay Units, Shark reactivated the effect of Silent Honor Dark Knight, Special Summoning it and gaining LP equal to its original ATK.

 **SHARK LP: 3500 = 6300**

" _A LP of 6300…! I'm at great disadvantage here…!"_ Yuto clicked his tongue as he saw the huge difference between his and Shark's LP. It would be difficult to shave down Shark's LP.

"When Coral Shark is sent to Graveyard, I can banish it to destroy my opponent's Trap or Magic that he controls, and then add a Magic or Trap into my hand." Shark banished Coral Shark and then destroyed Yuto's only facedown card before adding a Magic Card into his hand.

"I activate Magic Card: Power Stream. I can attach it to a WATER Xyz Monster that was Special Summoned during the Battle Phase as an Overlay Unit." Shark added an Overlay Unit for Silent Honor Dark Knight, allowing it to be revived and recovered Shark's LP again if it got destroyed.

"Battle! I attack Dark Anthelion Dragon with Silent Honor Dark Knight!" Shark attacked again with his Dark Knight. "Power Stream's second effect activates! When the Monster targeted by this card attacks, its ATK is increased by 1000 during damage calculation!" Shark increased Dark Knight's ATK to 3800.

"But my LP will still remain!" Yuto reminded as he prepared to endure the incoming attack.

"I activate Chaos Catapult's second effect in Graveyard! When an Xyz Monster I control destroy a Monster, I can banish this card to inflict damage equal to the ATK of the attacking Monster!" Shark banished his Spell Card, powering up Dark Honor's destructive attack.

"What?!" Yuto exclaimed in shock.

Dark Knight ocne again clashed its spear with Dark Anthelion's hand. However, this time, Dark Anthelion's hand cracked from the clash and got deflected. Dark Knight used the opening to pierce its spear right through Dark Anthelion's chest. The dragon let out a pained cry before its entire body cracked and exploded into nothingness, blowing away the Phantom Knights user.

 **YUTO LP: 2300 = 0**

"Not bad at all. You really are Yuno's descendant." Shark told Yuto who was struggling to stand. He didn't extend his hand to help him up like certain people do. The Phantom Knights user could stand on his own. That little explosion won't incapacitate him. He could feel the iron will and steeled determination from each of Yuto's attacks during their Duel. The Phantom Knights user truly reminded him of his leader in that matter.

Yuto was back to his feet, wiping the dust from his clothes. "Your Numbers Monsters are strong. Is it correct to assume that other Numbers cards are like that?" He asked again.

"They are certainly powerful cards. That's for sure. According to the legend that has been passed down in the empire, the Numbers are the first Xyz Monsters ever come into existence." Shark revealed while looking at his Numbers cards in his hand that he used in the earlier Duel.

"The first Xyz Monsters in the world?!" Yuto exclaimed.

"Yeah. It is said when Duel Monsters first discovered, each summoning methods have archetypes that came first before all. Nekroz of the Ritual Summoning, HERO of the Fusion Summoning, Warrior of the Synchro Summoning, Numbers of the Xyz Summoning, and Cyberse of the Link Summoning." Shark mentioned them one by one.

"Nekroz…it's the archetype that Ray used… And Edo is using Destiny HERO…" Yuto recalled.

"This is only an old tale that was told to me and Rio when we were little though." Shark added.

"Rio?" Yuto repeated the name in question.

"She's my younger twin sister. She is working as the Imperial Priestess at the Palace. Ever since we were little, she has strong affinity and attachment with Duel Monster spirits. She became their ears and mouths, and she eventually chose to become a priestess." Shark answered. He and his sister were living separately now, but they still maintain contact with each other.

Yuto smiled softly at Shark, earning him a questioning look from the latter as to why he was suddenly smiling at him.

"Sorry. I can't help but think that you are devoted to your sister like Shun." Yuto answered as he remembered his best friend whenever he was taking care of Ruri.

Shark raised a brow at that. "You mean, your missing friend? I don't know what kind of person this Shun is, but I'll make this clear, I never spoiled my sister and honestly, she can get pretty harsh towards me that it's annoying. But I wouldn't say we get along badly or anything… She is a great sister, priestess, and Duelist…"

Yuto chuckled quietly as Shark, without himself realizing, continued to talk about his younger sister more than necessary. Shun often also like to talk about Ruri a lot. While their ways showing affection and interacting with their sisters are different, their love for their respective sisters are the same.

" _Aahh… That's why he feels familiar. He is like Shun when it comes about their younger sister…"_ Yuto thought fondly. He missed the day Shun would fuss over his sister.

"Enough talking. We're going to the city's library now." Shark stood up, beckoning Yuto to carry the pile of book with him.

"Why? Can't we just start the lesson in this mansion's library?" Yuto asked, not making any move yet.

"Some people in this place don't know the meaning of 'quiet', even in the library. We can't concentrate if we study here, so we're going to the city's library. Come on, it'll only take a single stop at the station to reach there. Plus, there are more study materials there than here." Shark added.

Yuto inwardly grimaced. He wasn't bad at studying. In fact, he was a straight A student, one of the best in his class. But it doesn't mean he likes to read this much of a pile of books that was taller than him when he was carrying it, and Shark just said he will add more later.

Oh well, best to get used to it form now on.

 **TEMPLE – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Ruri was midway to where her training ground was when she noticed a temple nearby. She recalled overhearing the servants mentioned about the palace temple where certain people will go to communicate with high-rank Duel Monster spirits or trying to get a vision or simply a peace of mind. Due to her status as Celica's descendant and thus, a part of the imperial family, Ruri has the privilege to enter the temple. When she was about to enter the temple, she heard a voice, a beautiful singing voice. She entered and saw her mentor, Rio Kamishiro, to be the one who was singing. Her voice was soothing and her song was comforting.

Ruri sat comfortably hearing her mentor singing. She found herself feeling relaxed the moment she entered the temple. Honestly, part of her also wanted to do a prayer for her brother. She prayed that wherever her brother is right now, he is safe, and she hoped she can meet him again soon. She missed him so much.

"My, what's wrong?" Rio has stopped singing and approached Ruri. "What kind of trouble that you have?" She asked softly, taking a seat beside Ruri.

"I'm thinking about my brother…" Ruri revealed, smiling sadly.

Rio placed a hand on top of Ruri's, smiling gently at her. "I understand your feeling. I also have older brother. There are times when he got me really mad, but it was fun being with him. It's much easier to act now that he is not around doing reckless things or being too protective, but I still find it lonely sometimes." She shared a bit of herself and her brother. It has been half a year since they lived separately, but they sometimes would meet at the capital when they were not busy, spending times like they used to do.

"You're right! Older brothers really get on your nerves when trying too much becoming one, but they can be easy to tease." Ruri nodded in agreement. While she appreciated his love for her, she often found it suffocating, so she would tease him to make the both of them relaxed.

"Right! Also, they often like to look cool when in front of others or when trying to protect us, but actually that can make them cute. Ryoga can be insensitive and callous, causing fighting and arguing." Rio recalled how her older brother was so easy to get upset or worked up whenever she brought up his strange fear of onions, and that would usually led to a sibling squabble between them. They have done it 100 times already that they settled with a Duel.

"My Brother is always making a fuss whenever something bad happens to me even though it's not that of a big deal." Ruri remembered how her older brother constantly tried to take care of her and won't let slide anyone who looked at her the wrong way.

"Older brothers can be stubborn and prideful." Rio sighed, placing a hand on her right cheek.

"It would be nice if they put more faith in us, the younger siblings." Ruri also sighed, putting her hand like Rio but on the opposite cheek. Her eyes then saddened again. "I miss my brother... I miss the way he scolded me, fussing over me, being kind and sweet... I don't mind if he is going to be so overprotective or anything to me like before...I just want him back safely..."

Rio's hand on Ruri's tightened but still gentle, making Ruri to look at the priestess. "It's okay. You said your brother is strong, right? I'm sure he'll be fine. Older brothers are stubborn, they won't die so easily."

The two girls looked at each other and giggled. They have a lot in common than they thought. Ruri felt more relaxed around Rio more. She was initially nervous when she first was being introduced to Rio. She had initially thought the priestess was a serious and motherly-type of person, so it was a huge relief to know that the priestess was easy to talk to.

"Let's go to the training ground. It's about time for us to begin the training." Rio said as she stood up, which followed by Ruri.

"Yes!"

 **DUEL FIELD – TRAINING GROUND III – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Have you remembered the rules of Master Duel?" Rio asked, raising her Duel Disk.

"Yes. I have memorized both Master Duel and Speed Duel rules yesterday." Ruri assured her mentor.

"Good. But even knowing the rule, newbies can still make a mistake because they haven't gotten used to it. For that reason we are doing this training." Rio explained.

"I will do my best to answer your expectation then!" Ruri replied, activating her Duel Disk, which signalled the start of the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm taking the first Turn! I summon Blizzard Thunderbird (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4)!" Rio summoned Blizzard Thunderbird in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Next I activate Blizzard Vision! I can target a WATER monster I control and special summon Blizzard Vision as a monster with the same Level, Attribute, and Type, with 0 ATK and 0 DEF!" Rio summoned Blizzard Vision as a Monster Card with the same stats as Blizzard Thunderbird except its ATK an DEF.

"I overlay Blizzard Thunderbird and Blizzard Vision! Xyz Summon! Number 103: Ragnazero (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 1200 / RNK: 4)!" Rio summoned Ragnazero in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Rio concluded the first Turn.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Lyrical Luscinia – Cobalt Sparrow (ATK: 0 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1)!" Ruri summoned Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position.

"If I control a Lyrical Luscinia Monster, I can Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia – Sapphire Swallow (ATK: 100 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) from my hand and one Level 1 Lyrical Luscinia Monster!" Ruri summoned Sapphire Swallow along with another copy of Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position.

"I activate Cobalt Sparrow's Effect! I can add a copy of Cobalt Sparrow from my Deck to my hand!" Ruri added another copy of Cobalt Sparrow to her hand.

"And then I activate the Effect of another copy of Sapphire Swallow in my hand!" Ruri once again Special Summoned another copy of Sapphire Swallow, and then she summoned Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position.

"I overlay all my five Monsters! Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Xyz Summon! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia – Assembly Nightingale (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / RNK: 1 / ORU: 5)!" Ruri summoned her ace Monster in Attack Position in Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Ragnazero's effect! Once per Turn I can detach 1 Overlay Unit and target a face-up Attack Position monster my opponent controls whose current ATK is different from its original ATK and destroy it!" Rio detached an Overlay Unit, prompting Ragnazero to threw its dual blades towards its opponent like boomerangs.

"I activate Assembly Nightingale's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can negate its destruction by Battle or card effects!" Ruri detached an Overlay Unit, negating its destruction but also lowered its ATK to 400.

"Assembly Nightingale gains 100 ATK for each Overlay Units attached to it. Also, it can attack directly a number of times for each Overlay Unit it has! There are 5 Overlay Units, so it can attack you directly 5 times!" Ruri activated her Monster's Effect, extending her arm towards Rio to motion her ace Monster to attack her.

Assembly Nightingale swung its wings four times, inflicting 1600 damage to the priestess who nearly got blown away by the winds.

 **RIO LP: 4000 = 2400**

"I end my Turn." Ruri concluded. The damage she inflicted was not as big as she has originally planned as usual due to Regnazero's effect decreasing Assembly Nightingale's ATK, but at least she almost cut half of her LP.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack Assembly Nightingale with Ragnazero!" Rio declared attack at the opposing Xyz Monster. Ragnazero held tight its ice spears in both hands as it lunged forward at Assembly Nightingale.

"I activate Assembly Nightingale's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can negate its destruction by Battle or card effects and I take no damage from it!" Ruri detached an Overlay Unit to negate Assembly Nightingale's destruction again, deflecting Ragnazero's attack with a strong blow of wind as it flapped its wings.

"Quick-Play Spell: Fairy's Icicle! When a WATER Fairy-Type monster I control failed to destroy my opponent's monster, I can inflict damage equal to its original ATK!" Rio sent barrages of icicles towards Ruri, inflicting damage equal to Ragnazero's ATK.

 **RURI LP: 4000 = 1600**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Rio concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Bird's Flock! I can add two Lyrical Luscinia Monsters from my Deck to my hand!" Ruri activated one of the cards in her hand, adding two Lyrical Luscinia Monsters.

"I summon Lyrical Luscinia – Malachite Swan (ATK: 300 / DEF: 500 / LV: 3 / PS: 3) from my hand!" Ruri summoned one of the two Lyrical Luscinia Monsters that she has added in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I Release Malachite Swan to Advance Summon Lyrical Luscinia – Quartz Linet (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 2300 / LV: 6 / PS: 5)!" Ruri summoned the second Lyrical Luscinia Pendulum Monster that she has added in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"When Malachite Swan leaves the Field, I can place it in Pendulum Zone." Ruri placed Malachite Swan in her right Pendulum Zone.

"So that's a Pendulum Monster and Pendulum Zone." Rio stared in awe. Hearing and seeing it yourself was a diffeent experience.

"I activate Quartz Linet's Monster Effect! I can increase its ATK by 500 for each Xyz Monster on the Field!" Ruri increased Quartz Linet's ATK. Since there were two Xyz Monsters on hers and Yuto's Field, Quartz Linet's ATK was increased to 2900.

"When Quartz Linet is Special Summoned from hand, I can Special Summon a Level 5 or lower Lyrical Luscinia Monster from my Deck!" Ruri summoned Lyrical Luscinia – Carnelian Robin (ATK: 200 / DEF: 600 / LV: 4 / PS: 7) in Attack Position beside Quartz Linet.

"I activate Carnelian Robin's Effect! Once per Turn, I can Draw 2 cards!" Ruri drew 2 new cards from her Deck.

"I activate Ragnazero's effect! I detach an Overlay Unit to destroy your Quartz Linet!" Rio reactivated her monster's effect again, this time targeting the powered up Quartz Linet.

"It's pointless! I activate Quick-Play Spell: Lyrical Block! I negate a destruction of a Lyrical Luscinia monster I control!" Ruri created a barrier that protecting Quartz Linet from Ragnazero's dual blades, negating its destruction. Now Ragnazero has no Overlay Unit left.

"Battle! I attack directly with Assembly Nightingale!" Ruri declared, motioning Assembly Nightingale to flapped its wings four times, blowing back the priestess who received the attack.

 **RIO LP: 2400 = 1500**

"And then I attack Ragnazero with Quartz Linet!" Ruri declared her second attack with her Effect Monster.

"Continuous Trap Card: Numbers Agreement! Numbers Monsters cannot be destroyed non-Numbers Monster!" Rio revealed as Ragnazero endured Quartz Linet's attack.

"But you'll still take damage!" Ruri reminded as Rio got skidded backwards from the impact.

 **RIO LP: 1500 = 1000**

"I end my Turn." Ruri finished. Just a little bit more.

"My Turn! Draw!" Rio looked at the card she drew and her eyes glinted. She smiled at Ruri as she revealed her card to her. "I activate Rank-Up Magic: The Seventh One! I can target and special summon an Over-Hundred Number monster from my Graveyard or Extra Deck, ignoring its summoning condition and negating its effect if it's from Graveyard! Then, I can Special Summon a C monster from my Extra Deck that is one Rank higher than that monster, using that monster as the Overlay Unit!"

"Rank-Up Xyz Change! Rank 5! C No. 103 Ragnafinity (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2400 / RNK: 5 / ORU: 2)!" Rio summoned Ragnafinity in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone, replacing Ragnazero.

"As I control a WATER monster, I activate Magic Card: Distortion Crystal! Whenever the ATK of an opponent's monster is changed this turn, the value it is changed by will be doubled!"

"I activate Magic Card: Crystal Blade! I reduce the ATK of a monster my opponent controls by 400!" Rio lowered Ruri's Quartz Linet's ATK to 2500.

"As the ATK of my opponent's monster was changed, I activate Ragnafinity's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I inflict damage to my opponent equal to the value it was changed!" Rio pointed at Ruri as Ragnafinity detached its Overlay Unit. Ragnafinity swung its scythe, sending a slash wave that pushed Ruri several steps back.

 **RURI LP: 1200 = 800**

"I'll end this now, Ruri-san! Battle! I attack Quartz Linet with Ragnafinity!" Rio declared her attack. Ragnafinity twirled its scyhte before flying towards the Lyrical Luscinia Monster. Quartz Linet raised its wings, preparing to block the scyhte.

Ruri tried to calm herself. Even if Quartz Linet was destroyed, she will still have 300 LP and she still has Assembly Nightingale to negate destruction and reduce damage to 0 for three more times. She can still survived for this Turn.

"I won't be relieved if I were you, Ruri-san. I activate Crystal Blade's second effect! I can double the damage inflicted to my opponent!" Rio revealed as Ragnafinity's scythe was covered in crystal, intensifying its destructive property.

"What?!" Ruri exclaimed in shock.

Ragnafinity used the back of the scythe to slice Quartz Linet's wings before using the huge blade of the scyhte to finally slash the Lyrical Luscinia Monster's body into two, exploding it, which depleted all of Ruri's remaining LP.

 **RURI LP: 800 = 0**

Ruri fell on her knees by the last attack. The new rule was harder to get used to than she thought. She nearly made a mistake by trying to summon Recite Starling when there's only one Extra Monster Zone and she has no Link Monster, so she instead settled by summoning Quartz Linet. Although even if she did manage to summon Recite Starling somehow she would still lose due to Rio's Crystal Blade. She needs more support cards and gets a Link Monster to improve her Deck.

"Your Lyrical Luscinia Deck is a good Deck, Ruri-san. Did you come up with them by yourself?" Rio asked while extending her hand to help Ruri stand.

"At first yes, but in the war a year ago, my Deck and I have grown thanks to my brother and my friends' support." Ruri answered as she accepted Rio's hand and returned to her feet.

"Yes! Growing stronger together with friends is the best for Duelists." Rio stated.

"Thank you… But…I'm still not good enough with the way I am now. I think I'm going to need a Link Monster. No not just me but Yuzu and the others too. The problem is how and where we can get it…" Ruri placed a finger under her chin as she pondered. If they can't find one, they need to come up with new strategies against Apophis' group, which would be difficult.

Rio took Ruri's hands into hers and smiling excitedly that it confused the latter. Why was she smiling like that?

"Don't worry! For your Link Monsters, we already got that covered!"

 **STATION – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

After their visit in the town's library was finished, Shark told Yuto to go back ahead because there was something that he must do first, so Yuto now was alone at the station. Yuto sighed heavily as he leaned his back on the bench, a plastic of drinks and snacks in his hand. He spent most of his day training with Shark about Master Duel and Speed Duel and studying more about their enemies. It was quite a lot to take in, and he admitted it made his head dizzy.

 _"It seems rather than becoming stronger as a year passed, I becoming even weaker...to be tired because of this...or perhaps because it was due to stress? I have a lot of thinking lately..."_ Yuto face palmed.

"This is no time to think about that...Neither Shun nor Dark Rebellion will be happy if they knew this...hahaha..." Yuto chuckled softly.

"...First Shun, and then Dark Rebellion... Just where are you guys...at the time like this?" Yuto wondered softly. He missed his best friends very much. It was so different without them around. He wants to meet them again soon.

He noticed the time on his watch. It's almost late and the cold wind proved it. No wonder there were only few people...or actually, he's the only person at the station right now.

Yuto yawned and rubbed his eyes. It was then he noticed there's someone on the other side of the station. The gust of winds interrupted his vision despite it was supposed to be summer and the broken lamps that turned on and off on the other side of the station only worsened it as the person's figure covered by shadow.

"Who would be here at this hour?"

The lamp turned on again as the winds calmed down, followed by the sound of the incoming train that will pass the station. Yuto got a much clearer look at the person. The person wore buttoned long black coat with black T-shirt beneath and black trousers and silver belt. His hands were inside his pocket.

"...!"

Yuto's eyes widened and abruptly stood from the bench as he realized the short midnight green hair a teal colored bang that is swept to the side, and the pair of yellow, bird-like eyes that directed at him. The only thing new was a small scar on his left cheek. The only person he knows to have those eyes was…

"S-Shun?!"

The moment Yuto uttered the name the train passed the station, blocking the young man from Yuto's view. When the train has finally passed entirely the young man has already disappeared and nowhere to be seen on the other side of the station. Yuto was still stunned and stood frozen until he finally inhaled the air. He had unconsciously stop breathing. He covered his face with his hand.

"Was it...just my imagination...?"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Gambling Warrior & Gem Master** – Yuya is taken by Katsuya Jounochi, whose friendliness quickly makes the two of them get along well. The two start their lesson through Duel. Yuya is surprised by Jounochi's gamble dueling that constantly turns the tide. Meanwhile, Yuzu is taken by Johan Andersen, Celica's most trusted guardian who is the most adept in communicating with Duel Monster spirits.

* * *

 **FANFIC ORIGINAL CARDS MEMO:**

 **Chaos Catapult:** You can negate the activation of an Xyz Monster's effect. When an Xyz Monster you control destroy a Monster, you can banish this card from Graveyard to inflict damage equal to the ATK of the attacking Monster. (Trap Card)

 **Spiritual Phantom Knights:** By banishing two Phantom Knights monster with the same Levels from Field or Graveyard, you can add 2 Phantom Knights monsters into your hand. (Magic Card)

 **Sea Cocoon:** When a WATER Monster you control is destroyed or damage is inflicted while you control a WATER Monster, halve the damage. (Trap Card)

 **Coral Shark:** (WATER / EFFECT / ATK: 0 / DEF: 900 / LV: 2) When it was summoned to your opponent's Field while you control an Xyz Monster, you can attach it to the Xyz Monster you control as its Overlay Unit. When Coral Shark is sent to Graveyard, you can banish it to destroy your opponent's Trap or Magic that he controls, and then add a Magic or Trap into your hand.

 **Fairy's Icicle:** When a WATER Fairy-Type monster you control failed to destroy your opponent's monster, you can inflict damage equal to its original ATK. (Quick-Play Spell)

 **Numbers Agreement:** Numbers Monsters cannot be destroyed non-Numbers Monster (Continuous Trap Card)

* * *

 **These Duels somehow felt more difficult than the others to write. For Shark's Xyz Monsters, I used their anime effects but without the effect that only Numbers cards can destroy it. For Rio's monsters, I used its OCG/TCG effects. And maybe some of you have been wondering about Yukiya, don't worry, he will appear again in the next chapter. Sorry if there's any error. Gonna fix it later if there's any. The fanfic Custom Cards will be added tomorrow.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	15. Gambling Warrior & Gem Master

**Big thanks to** _ **Ryujomaru15, aqua9597, Unknowedz, MarBer123, Citylover96, Ulrich362, Yuka Kuroshiro, Playerhood18, Elbarto4000, dvdryms, Big duels, GamingGuy84, ThePLOThand, scififan599**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter!**

* * *

 **TRAINING GROUND – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD'S HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuya was staring at his Duel Disk. He was doing that for every five minutes. He couldn't help it. He was expecting for a reply from Zarc to come. The latter has promised him he will contact him after they logged out from the Duel in LINK VRAINS yesterday (Yuya has given his contact moments before logging out), but until now there has been no reply yet. He was anxious to know Zarc's reply. Will he join them? Will he refuse the invitation?

" _I really hope he will help us… I hope we can fight together. Yuri may scold me again though, even if I tell him I'm not doing this because I want to get to know him because of his past self…"_ Yuya thought, recalling what Yuri has told him two days ago. He understood what Yuri has said, and that was precisely why he wants to get to know the current 'Zarc'.

Speaking about Yuri, the Fusion user has becoming much more distant lately. It was worse than before. Something was clearly bothering him, but when he asked, Yuri simply returned his question with guarded smirk or flat out ignoring him. But what bothered him the most was…

" _There's sadness behind his eyes whenever I saw him responding like that…"_ Yuya thought. He didn't like the face Yuri has showed him that time. It worried him. But what can he do?

Yuya was so deep in thought that he didn't realize his mentor has been approaching him and calling for him, but when he didn't respond, his mentor gained his attention by giving a slap on his back, startling him. His heart almost leaving his body from the shock. Kuribohder instantly jumped onto his shoulder to comfort him.

"What's with the gloomy face? Cheer up!" Jounochi told the younger boy, ruffling his hair roughly.

"J-Jounochi-san!" Yuya exclaimed while placing a hand on his chest where his heart was beating fast from the shock.

"We're finally going to train, so don't ruin the mood by being gloomy like that! You can't beat Apophis or his henchmen if you don't have the spirit!" Jounochi said so cheerfully while ruffling Yuya's hair again, but gentler this time.

"Sorry. I'm worrying about Yuri." Yuya said as he held Kuribohder closer to him.

"Yuri? You mean the rude guy with that thick eyebrows and stupid creepy grin on his face?" Jounochi asked, referring to Yuri from the very first impression he got from the boy. A bad impression. Yuya couldn't help but chuckled from how Jounochi described his Fusion Counterpart.

"Yeah…he has been acting weird lately. Unlike himself…" Yuya muttered, looking down at Kuribohder who snuggled itself to Yuya in respond.

"How is he usually like?" Jounochi asked, suddenly getting interested.

"He would smirk more, making fun of practically anybody he takes interest in, throwing sarcastic remarks at any given time, calmly observing things to amuse himself, quite self-centered…" Yuya trailed off when he noticed Jounochi making a face that saying 'seriously?', and realized he may have actually revealed Yuri's bad qualities.

"B-but he is not that bad! Well, yeah, he did horrible things a year ago during the war, but he has changed (I think)! He may not look like it, but he became better (again, I think)!" Yuya quickly tried to clear his Fusion Counterpart's bad qualities. He tried to tell the good parts of his Fusion Counterpart, but he couldn't think of the right example of it.

Jounochi's face softened before patting Yuya's head again, making the boy looked up to him.

"I know. He is definitely a pain in the arse, but I know he is not that bad of a kid. Winged Kuriboh chose him after all." Jounochi assured Yuya he understood what Yuya was trying to say. He didn't like Yuri already right after their first meeting, but he knew at least much the boy was not as bas as he appears to be. Still, he knew the two of them would never get along. They have a very opposing chemistry.

"What does Winged Kuriboh has anything to do with it?" Yuya asked, tilting his head in question. What was the relation between Winged Kuriboh and Yuri's character?

Instead of replying, Jounochi flicked Yuya's forehead. "We'll talk about that later. It's training time! Apophis is strong so we have to train super hard if we want to ever beat him to a pulp for good this time!" He told his student, yanking Kuribohder away so the little monster can't interfere with the training. This caused a brief brawl between the Kuriboh and Jounochi.

"For the training today, we're going to do a Master Duel, right?" Yuya recomposed himself, patting Kuribohder who was leaning closer to him as it still sensed discomfort from Yuya.

"Yeah! You already did it once against Dante, but you're still trying to get used to it, right? Don't worry; you can leave it to your master here, Katsuya Jounochi!" Jounochi said with a huff while jabbing his finger to his chest so proudly and confidently.

" _He is really like Yugo…"_ Yuya sweat dropped but at the same time amused as he saw the splitting image of his Synchro Counterpart beside his mentor. When Yuya first met Jounochi, he could tell that he and Yugo would no doubt get along well and will be a good duo. He had expected him to be paired with Yugo for training, but instead he Jounochi was paired with him. When he voiced his confusion, Yuri answered the question by saying 'pairing an idiot with another idiot would only result with much bigger idiots'. Yuya wanted to disagree with his Fusion Counterpart's rude remark, but when he tried to imagine the scenario of the two training together…somehow Yuya could see a little bit truth in Yuri's words. No offense to both Yugo and Jounochi.

"You're ready? Let's commence the Duel!" Jounochi told Yuya, already waiting for him on the Field. His voice was quite impatient.

"R-right!" Yuya hurriedly went to the other side of the Field, facing Jounochi.

The mentor and student activated their Duel Disks, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! When I control no monster, I can summon Grappling Warrior Ultimator (ATK: 700 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4)!" Jounochi summoned his first monster in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I release Grappling Warrior Ultimator to Advance Summon Magic Knight Giltia (ATK: 1850 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 6)!" Jounochi summoned Giltia in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Jounochi concluded.

"My Turn! With Scale 2 Entermate Ballad and Scale 5 Entermate Barracuda, I Set the Pendulum Scale! With this I can simultaneously summon Level 3 to 4 Monsters! Sway, Pendulum of the soul! Create an arc of light across the aether! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my Monsters!" Yuya summoned two Monsters to his Field, which consisted of Entermate Handsome Liger (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 400 / LV: 4) and Entermate Drumming Kong (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 900 / LV: 5) also in Attack Position.

"Here it is! Pendulum Summon! No matter how many times I've seen it from the video, seeing it directly in front of my eyes is different!" Jounochi's eyes sparkled at the sight of the Summoning Method that was totally new to him.

"Battle! I attack Magic Knight Giltia with Handsome Liger!" Yuya pointed at the Magic Knight Monster, surprising Jounochi as Handsome Liger dashed at his Monster.

"What are you trying to do with your Monster that only has 1800 ATK?" Jounochi questioned.

"I activate Entermate Ballad's Pendulum Effect! When an Entermate Monster attacks, I can reduce the ATK of my opponent's Monster by 600!" Yuya reduced Giltia's ATK to 1250.

"Next I activate Entermate Barracuda's Pendulum Effect! When the values of a card on my opponent's Field changed, the value of that change is doubled!" Yuya doubled Giltia's ATK change, making its current ATK 50.

"Lastly, I activate Drumming Kong's Effect! When a Monster that I control battles, I can increase my Monster's ATK by 600 until the end of Battle Phase!" Drumming Kong punched its drum chests, increasing Handsome Liger's ATK to 2400.

Handsome Liger was about to swing its sword for a slash when it suddenly disappeared from both Yuya and Jounochi's view, surprising the former who looked around for his monster's whereabouts. Jounochi grinned as he revealed his Trap Card that he had opened right before the attack hit his monster.

"Trap Card: Skewer Pitfall! When my opponent's normal or special summoned monster declares attack, I can destroy the attacking monster and inflict damage equal to the half of the original ATK of that monster!" Jounochi explained as he pointed at the location where Handsome Liger has disappeared to. Yuya looked closer and realized there was a pit trap and Handsome Liger was stabbed by multiple skewers at the bottom of the fall.

 **YUYA LP: 4000 = 3200**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuya finished his Turn, reverting Giltia's ATK to normal.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack Entermate Drumming Kong with Magic Knight Giltia!" Jounochi declared Battle Phase. Giltia pointed its weapon at the gorilla-like Entermate Monster, launching a magical blast towards it.

"Trap Card: Entermate Chivalry! I negate destruction of an Entermate Monster I control!" Yuya opened his facedown card, creating a transparent barrier for Drumming Kong that blocked the magic attack.

"But you'll still take damage!" Jounochi reminded as Yuya got skidded backwards from the impact of the attack.

 **YUYA LP: 3200 = 2950**

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Jounochi finished.

"My Turn! With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Appear! Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 4)!" Yuya summoned his dragon in Attack Position from his hand in Main Monster Zone.

"Oh! That's the dragon you used against Dante!" Jounochi instantly recognized the Pendulum Monster.

"Battle! I attack Giltia with Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!" Yuya declared attack again with his dragon. Due to Drumming Kong's Monster Effect, Odd-Eyes' ATK was increased to 3100.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Angel's Dice! I increase all my monsters' ATK and DEF equal to the result x 100 of the six-sided rolled die until the End Phase!" Jounochi summoned an angel-like monster holding a dice and threw it. The dice roll showed 4, which means Jounochi's Giltia's ATK and DEF were increased by 600, making them 2450 and 1900.

"Too bad, but Odd-Eyes' ATK is stronger!" Yuya exclaimed, but Jounochi was undeterred by the fact and instead putting up a smile, which confused the Pendulum user.

"I won't be so sure about that yet, Yuya." Jounochi said as he extended his hand at his two Reverse Cards and opened the two of them at the same time.

"Double Trap Cards: Devil's Dice! All monsters my opponent controls lose ATK and DEF equal to the result x 100 of the six-sided rolled die until the End Phase!" Jounochi summoned two small devils carrying a dice each and threw them. The first dice roll showed 6, which means Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon lost 600 ATK and DEF, making them 2500 and 1400 respectively. The second dice roll showed 5, lowering Odd-Eyes' ATK and DEF to 2000 and 900.

"My Odd-Eyes' ATK is now lower than Giltia!" Yuya remarked in shock. He couldn't stop the attack.

Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon unleashed its burning blast. However, Giltia easily dissolved the burning flames with a swing of its weapon before retaliating by unleashing its own magic sphere that destroyed the dragon and blew Yuya away.

 **YUYA LP: 2950 = 2500**

"Before I met Yuno, I don't have access to powerful cards, and these gambling cards are the only ones I could rely on. To put it simply, I relied on luck to win. Lots of my opponents said I'm an idiot for relying on luck to determine the Duel." Jounouchi reminisced his time when he was still an amateur Duelist. He initially tried filling his Deck with just powerful Monster Cards, which led him so easily being beaten. But then he made new friends through Yuno. Since then His Deck became more balanced as he learns more about Dueling. However, his strategies still involve luck and he is sometimes criticized for it.

"But I don't care whatever they're saying about my choice in Deck! As long as I have chances no matter how slim it is, I'm gonna take it!" Jounouchi stated. In the end, luck is also a part of Duel. Luck is what determined the card they got during Draw Phase, and later it's up to the Duelist to coordinate the cards they got with their strategy.

Yuya smiled softly. "I don't think it's stupid. Yugo sometimes is also using cards that rely on dice rolls. He said that luck is also part of Duel. He once was criticized for that, but he won eventually." He shared a bit the time when Yugo won against Serena in the Friendship Cup.

Jounouchi's face brightened. "Oh? Really?! I think I'm gonna like that Yugo kid!" He exclaimed. Not many Duelists are using the same strategy and cards like he does, so it was a relief to know that there's someone who has the same way of thinking as him.

" _No doubt about that. The two of you are similar in many ways."_ Yuya commented inwardly as he saw Jounouchi's happy face.

"But of course now I've gained new cards to support my Monsters other than my gamble cards! My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Life Draw! I pay half of my LP to draw until I have 5 cards in my hand!" Jounouchi resumed his Turn, sacrificing half of his LP to gain 5 cards to his empty hand.

 **JOUNOCHI LP: 4000 = 2000**

"Also, through Life Draw's effect, if one of the cards I drew is a Monster Card, I can special summon it. I summon Baby Dragon (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 700 / LV: 4)!" Jounouchi summoned Baby Dragon in Attack Position from his hand in the Main Monster Zone beside Giltia.

"I release Baby Dragon and Magic Knight Giltia to Advance Summon! Come forth! Red-Eyes Black Dragon (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Jounouchi summoned Red-Eyes in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack Entermate Drumming Kong with Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Jounouchi declared attack, pointing at Yuya's only monster on his Field. Red-Eyes opened its mouth, shooting dark crimson flame that burning the Entermate Monster until there was nothing left of it.

 **YUYA LP: 2500 = 1700**

"I set 3 cards and end my Turn." Jounouchi concluded, smiling wider at Yuya. "How was that, Yuya?! It's one of my strongest monsters in my Deck!"

Yuya returned the smile with his own. "It's strong, Jounouchi-san. But it's still not enough to take me down! My Turn! I banish Entermate Chivalry to add two Level 5 or lower Entermate Monsters from my Deck to my hand." He banished his earlier Trap Card from Graveyard and to add two new Entermate Monsters into his hand.

"With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon!" Yuya revived Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone and summoned Entermate Fusiongolem (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4) from his hand in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"During my Main Phase, if Fusiongolem was Pendulum Summoned this turn, I can Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck, using monsters I control as Fusion Materials, including this card! I fuse Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon and Fusiongolem!" Yuya fushed his dragon and Fusiongolem. Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon stood at the top of Fusiongolem as the Fusion Vortex was formed.

"Dual-colored eyes that illuminates the dark night, become one with the ancient demon and awaken a new life! Fusion Summon! Descend! Level 7! Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 7)!" Yuya summoned Odd-Eyes Vortex in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone, replacing Odd-Eyes Phantom.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon's effect! When this card is Special Summoned, I can target 1 opponent's face-up Attack Position monster and then return it to the hand!" Yuya returned Jounochi's Red-Eyes back to his hand, leaving Jounouchi's Field wide open without any monster.

"Battle! I attack directly with Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon!" Yuya declared Battle Phase. Odd-Eyes Vortex whirled its body, creating a strong whirlwind going towards Jounouchi.

"Trap Card: Skewer Pitfall! I destroy your monster and inflict half of its damage to you!" Jounouchi opened one of his Reverse Cards, activating another copy of the Trap Card he used in the second Turn.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Vortex's second effect! Once per Turn, I can shuffle a Pendulum card from my Extra Deck back to my Deck to negate the activation of Spell, Trap, or monster effect, and then destroy that card!" Yuya revealed, shuffling Odd-Eyes Drumming Kong back to the Deck, which negating Jounouchi's Trap and destroyed it. For a second, Yuya thought the attack would connect, but Jounouchi's eyes were saying otherwise.

"I got you, Yuya!" Jounouchi said as he pointed at his second facedown card and opened it.

"Quick-Play Spell: Roulette Spider!" Jounouchi summoned a green-colored roulette-shaped spider with the following effect: When an opponent's monster declares an attack, roll a six-sided die and apply the following result:

1: Halve your LP.

2: Make that attack a direct attack.

3: Choose 1 monster you control, change the attack target to it, and perform damage calculation.

4: Choose 1 other monster your opponent controls, change the attack target to it, and perform damage calculation.

5: Negate the attack, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's ATK.

6: Destroy that opponent's monster.

As Roulette Spider stopped Odd-Eyes Vortex's attack by entering the center of the whirlwind and blocked its eyes, the dice stopped at 6, destroying Yuya's Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon.

"I activate Entermate Spirit Whisperer's Monster Effect! When a monster I control is destroyed through card effect, I can discard this card from my hand to special summon that monster, but it cannot attack!" Yuya discarded the other Entermate Monster he has added a while ago, reviving Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon in its prime condition but unable to do anything.

"I end my Turn." Yuya concluded. He wondered how much luck Jounouchi has. So far, the gamble cards Jounouchi used have helped him more than Yuya could imagine in gambling. He was starting wonder if there was some kind of trick for Jounouchi to always get good result in his gamble cards. He quickly dismissed it though since Jounouchi doesn't seem to be that type of person, like Yugo. They truly believed in luck.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Dragon Illumination! I discard a Dragon-Type Monster from my hand to special summon a Dragon-Type Monster in my hand ignoring its summoning condition! Appear!" Jounochi opened his last facedown card, discarding his Red-Eyes that Yuya has returned to his hand.

Yuya won't let that happen. "I activate Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon's effect! Your Magic Card will be–"

"Any effect that prevents this card's activation will be negated!" Jounochi revealed as Yuya's Duel Disk screen showed his monster's effect being negated. As Red-Eyes has been discarded, Jounochi then summoned Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2400 / LV: 10) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone from his hand. It was the card he just drew.

"I activate Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon's effect! Once per Turn, I can special summon a Dragon-Type Monster from my hand or Graveyard! Of course, I'm gonna choose my ace monster!" Jounochi revived Red-Eyes back to the Main Monster Zone beside Red-Eyes Darkness in Attack Position.

"And don't bother trying to use your Odd-Eyes Vortex's other effect on my dragons, because I can use Dragon Illumination second effect to stop it." Jounouchi warned Yuya with a quite smug look. His mentor just basically giving him a clue about Dragon Illumination. He hoped his mentor won't do this in real battle.

"Battle! I attack Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon with Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" Jounouchi declared his attack with his new Red-Eyes. The metal armored dragon shot black flames coated in red flames spiraling around towards the Fusion Monster.

"I activate Spirit Whisperer's effect! When this card is sent to the Graveyard via its own effect and the monster summoned through its effect is targeted for an attack, I can banish it to negate destruction and reduce the damage to 0!" Yuya banished Spirit Whisperer from his Graveyard. Spirit Whisperer appeared as apparition, creating a barrier that protecting Yuya and his dragon from the flame, saving them.

"Almost! I'm gonna got it next time! I end my Turn." Jounouchi decreed before ending his Turn.

"My Turn! Draw!" Yuya looked at the card he drew. He smiled as he just got a new chance. His eyes glinted with hope. Yuya faced Jounouchi with his entertainer expression as he showed the card.

"Jounochi-san, the fun starts now!"

"I activate Magic Card: Pendulum Unison! I destroy cards in my Pendulum Zones and add the total of their ATKs to an Extra Deck monster I control and then draw 1 card!" Yuya added Ballad and Barracuda's ATKs to Odd-Eyes Vortex as he removed them, making the Fusion Monster's ATK 3500.

"And then I summon Entermate Drago Remora from my hand!" Yuya summoned Drago Remora in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Drago Remora's monster effect! I can increase the ATK of a Dragon-Type Monster I control by 500!" Yuya increased Odd-Eyes Vortex's ATK to 4000 as the golden coin on Drago Remora's forehead glowed, blessing the other dragon.

"Battle! I attack Red-Eyes Black Dragon with Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon!" Yuya began his counterattack. Odd-Eyes Vortex once again whirled its body, creating a whirlwind that went towards Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Lightning sparks surrounded the whirlwind.

"Dragon Illumination's second effect! I banish it to prevent Dragon-Type Monster I control from leaving the Field until the end of this Turn!" Jounouchi banished his Trap Card, enabling Red-Eyes to endure the whirlwind that crashing its body. Red-Eyes howled as it tried its best to hold on the attack.

"But you'll still take damage!" Yuya reminded. Red-Eyes got blown away by the wind, landing right in front of Jounouchi, causing its owner to fall on his behind from the shock while Odd-Eyes Vortex retreated back to Yuya's side.

 **JOUNOCHI LP: 2000 = 400**

"I end my Turn. How do you think for a counterattack, Jounouchi-san?" Yuya concluded his Turn with quite a satisfaction. After much struggle, he was finally able to land a blow and inflict damage to his mentor. But this won't lower his guard. The Duel still continued.

Jounouchi returned to his feet, wiping the dust that got on his pants before facing his student. "Yuya, you remember when I said my Deck and I improved significantly ever since I met Yuno?" He instead asked, referring the time when he said now he gained new cards to support his monsters other than gamble cards. Yuya blinked, confused as to why Jounouchi brought this up again now.

Jounouchi's confident smile widened. "Now, I'm going to show you the power I got from my bond with Yuno! I activate Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon's effect! I special summon a Dragon-Type Monster from my Graveyard!" Jounouchi revived Baby Dragon to his Main Monster Zone in Attack Position.

"Come forth! The circuit that will lead to the future of the warriors!" Jounouchi formed the Link Summoning Circuit, shocking the Pendulum user.

"Don't tell me…!" Yuya looked in disbelieve at the Link Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 2 Dragon-Type monsters! I set Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, and Baby Dragon on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" As Jounouchi gestured his arm at the Link Circuit, the three dragons went to the circuit's Link Markers.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Red-Eyes Dark Meteor Dragon (ATK: 2600 / Link: 3 / Link Arrows: Left, Bottom, Bottom-Left)!" Jounochi summoned his Link Monster in Attack Position in Extra Monster Zone. It closely resembled Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon but its body was rockier in shape and bigger in size. There were red lines throughout its body and wings.

"I activate Red-Eyes Dark Meteor Dragon's effect! Once per Turn, it gains 1000 ATK for each Red-Eyes Monster in the Graveyard!" Jounochi increased his Link Monster's ATK to 4600. Red-Eyes Dark Meteor's wings unleashed flames resembling the flames covering a meteor when entering the atmosphere.

"Also, during the Turn this effect is activated, I can choose a Monster my opponent controls, that monster cannot activate its effect and its ATK is halved!" Jounouchi revealed.

"What?!" Yuya exclaimed as Odd-Eyes Vortex's ATK was halved to 2000.

"This is the end! Battle! I attack Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon with Red-Eyes Dark Meteor Dragon!" Jounouchi declared his last attack. Red-Eyes Dark Meteor spread its wings wide as the flames from its wings intensified. The lines and orbs around its body glowed while Red-Eyes was accumulating its attack in its mouth. The energies gathering inside Red-Eyes' mouth kept growing bigger until it was about as a size of a meteorite. Accumulated enough, Red-Eyes shot down the energy from the air, the attack resembling a falling meteor going down at Odd-Eyes Vortex. The meteor strikes down the Fusion Monster, destroying it completely together with Yuya's remaining LP.

 **YUYA LP: 1700 = 0**

Yuya fell on his back from the attack, groaning from the pain.

"You're okay?" Jounouchi asked while extending his hand for Yuya, who gratefully take it and stand up.

"I've been through worse than this. But man, Jounochi-san, you're really amazing. It takes more than luck to pull off that kind of Dueling." Yuya genuinely praised his mentor. The Link Summoning was the least thing that he expected.

Jounouchi rubbed the back of his head and grinning bashfully, you could see his nose becoming longer. "I know! I've learned a lot to get this far. Wins can't be put down only on something small like luck or miracle. The desperation to win and the concern for our burden, they are the true strength of a Duelist." He told Yuya. While he included gamble cards in his Deck, Jounouchi has always known he can never win with luck alone, especially when something very important is at stake. He cannot afford himself to lose, so he must add cards that would ensure his victory.

"Besides, it would be embarrassing if a mentor loses to his student in their first training, especially elderly mentor!" Jounouchi said with a huff, going back to his bashful mode.

"Elderly?" Yuya blinked at Jounochi. Did his mentor just call himself an elderly? He heard it wrong, right? After all, Jounochi was clearly only a few years older than him no matter how you look at him.

"N-no! I mean…your senior! Your mentor! My tongue just slip!" Jounochi quickly corrected himself, laughing awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head. Yuya blinked again and didn't comment on that. So it really was just a slip of a tongue.

"Never mind about that, tell me how to Pendulum Summon! It's amazing! I wanna do it too! You can summon multiple monsters at the same time and revive your monster no matter how many times it got destroyed, it's an awesome Summoning!" Jounouchi demanded, looking maybe a little too excited that Yuya must raised his hands in front of him.

"Sorry, but you can't perform Pendulum Summon without Pendulum Cards." Yuya told Jounochi. In respond, Jounochi rounded his arm around Yuya's head and pulled him into his chest as he looked down at the younger boy.

"Then let me give it a try! Let me borrow one! Come on, just once! A student is obligated to obey the words of the mentor!" Jounouchi insisted all the while dragging Yuya to the side of the Field, ignoring his said student's plea.

 **TRAINING GROUND IV – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuzu was looking outside the window where she could see the city. It was beautiful looking it from high floor. But her mind wasn't exactly mesmerizing the beautiful view, but rather wondering what Yuya was doing right now. She has been worried sick ever since he dueled Dante. He looked exhausted after the Duel, so she couldn't help but worry for him. Celica promised that she will let them see the boys once their training was finished, but when is that? She wanted to meet him soon.

"Hey, Ruby, don't run off like that!"

Yuzu blinked when she heard a voice behind her. When she turned, she was greeted by a small purple monster jumping onto her shoulder, startling her. Her appointed mentor, Johan, arrived, looking at the Duel Monster sitting on her shoulder. Yuzu observed the young man. She has asked the servants and Celica herself about her mentor, and they all said that Johan was the friendliest of all and the most adept in communicating with Duel Monsters, even more than Rio who was a priestess.

"Ruby, don't surprise her like that!" He scolded.

"It's okay. It's very cute." Yuzu said as Ruby cooed and gave what seemed to be a peck on Yuzu's cheek, earning a giggle from the pink haired girl.

"Ruby likes you." Johan said, smiling at how Ruby was leaning closer to his student.

"Really? I'm happy to hear that. Nice to meet you, Ruby-chan." Yuzu greeted the Duel Monster, petting its head with her fingers gently. "Are your other monsters like Ruby?"

"No. Most of them can only appear as spirits. Even though I have strong wavelength in communicating with Duel Monsters, it's still hard to help them give corporeal bodies." Johan explained while petting Ruby, and the monster leaned to his touch.

"Can I do it too?" Yuzu asked.

"You and the other girls have bigger power than mine and most people. Maybe because you're Celica's descendants. If you're trained properly, I'm sure you can do it much better than I do." Johan answered.

"Are we going to start our training now, Johan-san?" Yuzu asked as Ruby returned to its master's side.

"Yeah. We'll do a Master Duel first. I'm sure you already knew the rules, all that left is to master it. Come on. And you don't need to be so formal. We are comrades." Johan told Yuzu with a smile so genuine that her heart skipped a beat looking at it.

"I-I'll try my best." Yuzu replied, recomposing herself.

The two Duelists activated their Duel Disks, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I take the first Turn! With Scale 2 Astrid the Melodious Diva and Scale 9 Ella the Melodious Maestra, I Set the Pendulum Scale! With this I can simultaneously Summon Level 3 to 7 Monsters! Pendulum Summon! Appear!" Yuzu Summon Soprano the Melodious Songstress (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4) and Prodigy Mozart the Melodious Maestra (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8) in Attack Position.

"So this is the Pendulum Summon I've heard so much about. It's a magnificent Summoning!" Johan cupped his chin as he was impressed looking at the Pendulum Summon being performed.

"I activate Soprano's Effect! I can Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck using Monsters from my hand or side of the Field as Materials! Angel's song! Supreme genius! With the guidance of the baton, gather your power! Fusion Summon! Now come here to the stage! Sing the song of victory! Bloom Diva the Floral Melodius Saint (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 6)!" Yuzu summoned her ace Monster in Attack Position.

"I Set 1 card, and end my Turn!" Yuzu concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Continuous Magic Card: Gem Tree! Now each time a Gem Beast monster is placed in either player's Spell & Trap Card Zone, Gem Beast will gain one Gem Counter!" Johan played his Magic Card before taking out another card.

"I summon Gem Beast Amber Mammoth (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Johan summoned Amber Mammoth in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack Bloom Diva with Amber Mammoth!" Johan declared attack, pointing at the Fusion Monster.

"Bloom Diva's effect! It cannot be destroyed by special summoned monster, and any damage is inflicted to the opponent and that monster is destroyed!" Yuzu revealed her ace monster's effect as Bloom Diva deflected Amber Mammoth's attack.

Johan quickly took out another card from his hand. "Quick-Play Spell: Gem Flash! I can take a Gem Monster from my hand and place it in my Spell & Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell Card to prevent my monster's destruction and reduce the battle damage to 0!" He placed a Gem Beast Monster in his Spell & Trap Zone from his hand, negating Amber Mammoth's destruction and reduce the damage to 0.

"I end my Turn." Johan concluded his Turn.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack Amber Mammoth with Bloom Diva! Reflect Shout!" Yuzu countered with her own attack. This time, Bloom Diva managed to destroy the Gem Beast Monster with its signature attack, blowing Johan backwards.

 **JOHAN LP: 4000 = 3300**

Yuzu wasn't finished yet with just that. "I activate Trap Card: Melodious Rhapsody! When a Melodious Monster I control destroys a monster by Battle, I can inflict additional damage equal to the Melodious Monster's ATK!" She inflicts another damage to Johan, blowing him even further back.

 **JOHAN LP: 3300 = 2300**

"When Amber Mammoth is destroyed, I can add it to the Spell & Trap Zone as Continuous Magic Card!" Johan added Amber Mammoth into the Zone beside Emerald Turtle.

"I end my Turn." Yuzu concluded.

"Your Fusion Monster is not bad, Yuzu! I didn't make a mistake to going with this! My Turn! I summon Gem Beast Sapphire Pegasus (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4)!" Johan summoned Sapphire Pegasus in Attack Position.

"I activate Sapphire Pegasus' effect! When this card is summoned, I can place 1 Gem Beast monster from my hand, Deck, or Graveyard face-up in my Spell & Trap Zone!" Johan placed Gem Beast Ruby Carbuncle into the Spell & Trap Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Rare Value! When there are 1 or more Gem Beast cards in my Spell & Trap Card Zone, I can select 1 Gem Beast card from my Spell & Trap Card Zone and send it to the Graveyard. Then, I draw 3 cards!" Johan sent Amber Mammoth to the Graveyard before drawing 2 cards. He immediately took one of the two cards and activated it.

"I activate Magic Card: Rainbow Blessing! I pay 1000 LP and place another Gem Counter to Gem Tree." Johan added another Gem Counter, making four Gem Counters in total at the cost of his own LP.

 **JOHAN LP: 2300 = 1300**

"I activate Gem Tree's second effect! I send it to the Graveyard to special summon Gem Beast Amethyst Cat, Gem Beast Emerald Turtle and Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger from my Deck, and place them in my Spell & Trap Card Zone as Continuous Spell Cards."

"Now that I have all seven Gem Beasts on my Field or Graveyard, I can Special Summon the ultimate Gem Beast Monster! Appear! Level 10! Rainbow Dragon (ATK: 4000 / DEF: 0 / LV: 10)!" Johan summoned his ace monster in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside the other three Gem Beast Monsters.

"Battle! I attack Bloom Diva with Rainbow Dragon!" Johan declared attack, pointing at Bloom Diva.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Gem Seal! I negate the effects of a monster my opponent controls!" Johan activated a card from his hand, negating Bloom Diva's effect.

"Bloom Diva's effect?!" Yuzu exclaimed in shock. Since Bloom Diva's effect has been negated, this means Rainbow Dragon cannot be destroyed and the damage will be fully inflicted to her.

Rainbow Dragon strikes Bloom Diva with its body, sending it crash to a pillar nearby, destroying the Fusion Monster as Yuzu skidded backwards from the impact of the blow.

 **YUZU LP: 4000 = 1000**

"I end my Turn." Johan concluded. "You can still do more than this, can't you Yuzu?" He questioned, challenging the girl.

"Yes! I will!" Yuzu replied with a determined smile, beginning her Draw Phase. When she looked at the card she drew, her eyes glinted.

"From my hand, I activate Magic Card: Oracle of the Angels! I target the Angel-Type Monsters in my Pendulum Zone and treating them as having the same Level, and then perform Xyz Summon using them as Materials!" Yuzu declared as her Pendulum Monsters in the Pendulum Zone turned into red and green energies.

"What?! An Xyz Summon using Monsters from Pendulum Zones?!" Johan was taken aback. So, not only his student can use Pendulum and Fusion, but she can also use Xyz?! She even used Pendulum Monsters as the Materials!

"I Overlay Astrid and Ella! Angelic Diva, spread your pristine wings and blessed the sorrowful souls with your song of solace beneath the beautiful petals! Xyz Summon! Descend! Bloom Seraph the Angelic Melodious Saint (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 3000 / RNK: 6 / ORU: 2 / PS: 10)!" Yuzu summoned her Xyz-Pendulum Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Bloom Seraph's Effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can double its ATK until the End Phase!" Yuzu doubled Bloom Diva's ATK to 5000. Now that her monster's ATK was higher than Rainbow Dragon, she can win this!

"Battle! I attack Rainbow Dragon with Bloom Seraph! Heaven's Judge!" Yuzu declared attack, pointing at the dragon. Bloom Seraph spread its wings as it flew quite high, its body covered in bright white light. As the Xyz Monster began to sing, the light separated itself from Bloom Seraph and formed into swords, pointing down at Rainbow Dragon. Following the song, the swords fell down one by one.

Johan pointed at his dragon in respond. "I activate Rainbow Dragon's effect! I can return all Gem Beast cards I control to the Graveyard, and this card gains 1000 ATK for each card sent!" He returned the other three Gem Beast monsters to the Graveyard, giving Rainbow Dragon 3000 additional ATK, making its current ATK 7000.

"What?! An ATK of 7000?!" Yuzu was completely taken aback. She didn't expect for Rainbow Dragon to have such kind of attack. She couldn't stop her attack now, and she didn't have any card in her hand or Field that can stop this.

Rainbow Dragon easily deflected each of the lightning swords shot down by Bloom Seraph, causing the Melodious Monster to stop singing. Rainbow Dragon flew up towards Bloom Seraph at alarming speed. Its body was covered in rainbow-colored energies. Yuzu could only watch Rainbow Dragon strikes through her Xyz-Pendulum Monster, destroying it together with her remaining LP.

 **YUZU LP: 1000 = 0**

Yuzu sat down on the floor, suddenly feeling exhausted. Ruby quickly rushed to her side, sitting on her lap while looking up at her. Johan also rushed to her, sitting so he is on the same level as her.

"You're great, Yuzu. It's not common to see a Duelist who is capable of mastering multiple summoning methods." Johan praised her, giving her a pat on her head.

"Thank you. But I still need to learn more." Yuzu replied humbly. "You're amazing, Johan-san. You really took me by surprise when you summoned Rainbow Dragon. And the Gem Beast Deck, it reminds me a bit of a rival of mine who is also using a gem-themed Deck, though she is using a different type of monsters." Yuzu's thought flashed to Masumi and her Gem Knight monsters. Their monsters weren't exactly resembles each other, but they were surrounded by gem theme.

"Is that so? I would like to meet her one day. And no need to be in hurry. You're still young, just grow and polish your skill steadily. You still have lots of times." Johan assured the girl, making Yuzu chuckle.

"Johan-san, just now the way you said it makes you sound like an old man." She remarked, earning her a soft laugh from Johan.

"Maybe because I'm often hanging around with an old lady." Johan said jokingly, referring to Celica. He helped her stand, but didn't let go of her hand. "It's almost time for lunch, so why don't we grab some food at the town? You can't train with empty stomach."

Johan didn't wait for Yuzu to react. He pulled her with him out from the training field. The girl was clearly still quite nervous around him. He needed to make her comfortable around him first, that way she'll find the training more enjoyable. The girl was still 15. Even in the war, he didn't want her to forget how to have some fun, always remembering how it feels to be happy. They are fighting for the future of young people like her after all.

 **YUKIYA'S ROOM – KANBARA RESIDENCE – APARTMENT – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yukiya has been preoccupied in his room almost the whole day, sitting in front of his computer. It has been two days since he last met with Yuya. He promised that he will contact him immediately after the Duel, but then there were things came into his mind while considering the offer made by Yuno and Yuya. He already made his decision this morning, but he has a program to finish before he could send his reply to Yuya. Not only programs, but also other things needed to fight against Apophis and his group.

" _Just a little bit more. It'll be done in a few more minutes."_ Yukiya thought to himself while taking another sip of coffee that helped him filling his stamina and strength to keep moving his arms.

" _I must finish this by today. I can't make them wait much longer!"_ Yukiya told himself, encouraging himself to keep continuing whatever he was making until it was finished. He had told his family that he was doing a school project, so they won't bother him other than leaving some foods and snacks for him.

"Aaand…Done!" Yukiya exclaimed as he typed the last keyboard, finally finishing his project. Rechecking just in case, and he was satisfied with the result. Linkuriboh and Cyber Cosmos' spirits appeared beside him, and he smiled at them.

"Thanks, guys. I can do this thanks to your help." Yukiya told them. He then transferred what he has made into his Duel Disk, giving him the feeling of accomplishment.

The Link user stood from his chair, stretching his arms and legs, massaging his temples that went quite sore. He slumped to his bed, deciding to relax his body for a little bit more before giving his reply to Yuya. He looked his two monster spirits, smiling brighter at them. What he just finished was something that he got from his strange dream, and while he was skeptical, once he started making it, the more he thought it would work perfectly and he looked forward finishing it.

"This is one of the best things I have ever made…"

 **TOWN SQUARE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuzu was enjoying her outing with her mentor more than she thought. Johan was truly a role model of an ideal mentor and big brother even. Johan guided her to shops and stalls that he knew she would like, and true to his words, he didn't let her pay even once. It helped that Johan was open-minded and friendly so it was easy to talk to him. They spent their break eating, looking around the town, and talking about each other.

"What is that?" Yuzu asked while looking at the gather crowds at the town square. Both nobles and commoners were present. When she looked closer, she noticed there were military cars and Duelists setting a perimeter. What was happening?

"As I thought… I forgot that it's today…" Johan said with a passive face while gazing at the direction of the crowds. To be precise, to what the crowds were looking at.

Yuzu followed her gaze and spotted a man around his 40s standing facing the whole crowds. He has an imposing physical built. His hair was darkish brown almost reaching his shoulder and black colored on each side. He was wearing a blue frock with black lining with a large collar that has a purple trim, and armored boots. Black downward-pointing sword symbols are found on the hem and sleeves of his coat, as well as a large crest.

"Citizens of the Capital, fellow countrymen, Cantidel far and wide, I thank you for your attention." The man began his speech, and everyone there were listening.

"I am Heidel Aberforth, the acting representative of the Imperial Government. We stand today in the face of formidable threat. All of you, I'm sure, are aware of what has transpired in recent days. Apophis, our nemesis since ancient times, has revived and launched several attacks with his group. Lives of brave and hard-working men and women of our people have been wiped and innocent citizens were harmed by the crossfire." He remarked what have happened since days ago.

"As we have moved to safeguard our national interests, armed conflicts have broken out. Our enemies point to this as an example of fate for those who defied them, but we must not let ourselves being controlled by fear. Apophis arrogantly claimed the entire universe is his to command, and accused us for taking that right from him. They used their abominable power to destroy the Imperial Fortress, the stronghold that has long protected the very gates of this country!" He revealed what has yet to be informed to the public, causing the crowds to murmur in worries.

"I ask you, brothers and sisters of the Empire, do we allow such an odious act to go unpunished? Do we sit idle as our pride and dignity as humans are spat upon and trampled underfoot? We cannot. We must not. And we will not! With blood and iron, we shall mete out justice! In such tumultuous times, we must set aside our differences. We must look past the ideologies that divide us! I will not deny the rift that has grown between the two factions in this Empire, especially in recent times, but how childish, how insignificant such squabble seem when the enemy marshal its strength in our world?!" He questioned, and the crowds seemed contemplating his words deep into their hearts. Even Yuzu must agree that this is no time for the factions to fight against each other, they must work together if they want to win against Apophis. However, for some reason, she felt something wasn't right from the man.

"As you all knew, the path to our original world has opened, the original dimension that is now known as ARC-V. I have discussed with His Majesty the Emperor, and have secured permission to embark on the course we now must. We shall work together with our brothers and sisters in ARC-V together we unite and deliver the fitting punishment to the monsters who have shed the bloods of our people!" Heidel decreed, earning cheers and encouraging words from everyone who were listening.

"Johan-san, is he…?" Yuzu glanced up at Johan uncomfortably, and noticed Johan's expression hardened at Heidel.

"Yes. He is Haydel Aberforth, the leader of the military faction, and one of the three most powerful people in this dimension." Johan confirmed before taking Yuzu's hand and pulled her away from the town square, and Yuzu let herself being pulled by him.

" _He said they are going to work together with the people in ARC-V… Does this mean he will go to ARC-V for negotiation?"_ Yuzu looked back at Heidel. She has heard how aggressive his policies are according to both Celica and several people. And by looking at him, she has a strong feeling that he didn't seem to care how many enemies he made as the result of his action.

" _Reiji... If something happens over there, I hope you and the others can handle it well…"_

* * *

 **Entertainer Showdown! –** Yuya and the others visit an orphanage and meet a famous Charisma Duelist, Go Onizuka, who actually came from the same orphanage. Go is frustrated by the sudden fame that Zarc and Phantom gained in the aftermath of Dante's attack and wishes to duel them. Interested in Go who claims to use Entertainment Style Dueling, Yuya logged into LINK VRAINS as Phantom, confronts Go.

* * *

 **Finally finished with the introduction Duels between the mentors and students. From the next chapter, the plot will move forward again. I actually planned to reveal Jounouchi's Link Monster in later chapters, but I decided to introduce it earlier because I haven't shown Link Monsters in a while. I'm sorry if Yuzu's Duel against Johan was shorter than the other girls. For some reason I'm having a difficulty how to write the Duel between her and Johan. Once I come up with better Duel, I'll replace it. If you have any suggestion how to make Yuzu vs Johan Duel better, I'm open to suggestion.**

 **I'm mixing Jounochi's cards from manga, anime, and TCG. One of them is Giltia, it's an Effect Monster in the manga & anime instead of Fusion Monster in TCG. And I also make Ultimator as an Effect Monster. For Johan, I changed a bit of his Rare Value effect from drawing 2 cards to 3 cards. And responding to **_**Elbarto4000's**_ **review in the previous chapter, since there's no Chaos power in this fanfic, all C Numbers Monsters' summoning chant become simply 'Rank-Up Xyz Change' like other Xyz Monsters.**

 **For the Link Monster, there's one thing that has been bothering me. In the VRAINS Anime, there are many instances when Duelists can still perform Link Summon even though the number of monsters are not exactly the same as the Link of the Link Monster. For example, when Yusaku first summoned Firewall Dragon in episode 11, he only used Decode Talker and Encode Talker even though it's a Link 4 Monster. Can someone explain this to me?**

 **The fanfic original card memo will be added later. I'm sorry if there's any mistake. I'll fix it later if there's any. Thank you for your understanding.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter~**


	16. Entertainer Showdown!

**Big thanks to _Citylover96, Yuka Kuroshiro, Elbarto4000, Unknowedz, Big duels, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Ulrich362, MarBere123, aqua9597, Playerhood18, GamingGuy84, dvdryms, Meemo, ThePLOThand, Sylver287_ for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **ORPHANAGE – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

In Cantidel Empire, the vast majority of legal adoptions was more than 90% are of adults and are usually carried out for inheritance or family succession purposes. A house with only daughters, say, will adopt a grown man who can maintain the family business and family name. The remaining adoptions are all of infants who will likely never be told by their adoptive parents that they are, in fact, adopted. These children can learn they were adopted later in life since the fact is recorded in the family register, but if a person isn't looking for it, he or she can easily go through life never knowing.

Generally speaking, orphans in Cantidel are hidden from society's sight. In many cases, these children have either been abandoned by their parents or taken away from them by the authorities because of abuse. There are many orphanages throughout Cantidel, and at the moment they are filled to capacity. What goes on there is a secret, and the media rarely reports on these institutions, unless something odd occurs. Sometimes, this resulted with some of the orphans tried to runaway because they cannot stand to live in "jail".

However, that cannot be said to Den City Orphanage, the only orphanage in Cantidel that not hidden from society and instead quite famous in public for being orphanage that often visited by several organizations for charity performance every year. The orphanage is solely dedicated to helping orphaned children and children in orphanages in Den City. It is a non-profit, charitable organization registered with the help of the Brotherhood that masked as Internal Revenue Service in Den City. The conditions at the orphanage that day back in the 1990s were sad. While there was some food at the orphanage, there was not a substantial amount of food on hand, nor was enough nourishing food to feed the 30 children there on a long-term basis. Many windows were broken and did not have screens. Drainage ran across the courtyard. The children's shoes and clothes were well worn and many were tattered.

That was until the Brotherhood decided that perhaps others would want to help the children in the orphanage on a regular basis. But this Fund would need to be different because so much money donated in the name of "charity" actually goes for administration and not solely for helping others – who are truly in need. So, the Den City Orphanage Fund was founded on the premise that 100 percent of all money donated to the Fund would help children in orphanages in Den City – first to buy nourishing food for the children each week, second, educational needs, including, school supplies, shoes, uniforms, clothes and making upgrades to their homes, the orphanages and medical needs.

In return for each and every donation, each fall every donor would receive a copy of each store receipt – signed by the director of the orphanage or the principal care giver who is at the orphanage at the time of delivery - to verify their donations were spent exactly as they wanted to help the needy children in orphanages. In addition, the name, address and telephone number of the orphanage would be provided to each donor as well as a list of the children in each orphanage and donors would always be welcome to visit the orphanage and participate in the children's lives. Also included in each annual report is the name and location of the banking institution, how much money is in the account and what interest accrued on the money earned is also provided to the donors.

The Fund has an open-door policy with all contributors. And, it is believed that because of this, those donors will genuinely feel good about making contributions to the Fund because of the way the Fund is conducted: with 100 percent of every donation going toward orphaned children in Den City, because of the verification for each donation and lastly, because of the detailed accounting provided to donors. Every year in a week, some people from the Brotherhood have to visit the orphanage and showing a performance or playing or anything to amuse the children there, as well as for charity performances.

For that reason, now, Yuno was standing in front of the orphanage together with his four descendants whom he has dragged willingly and unwillingly to help him distributing new toys and clothes and Yuya, being a performer he is, was asked to do some magic tricks for the children, which Yuya gladly accepted. Yuno thought this would be a good breathing for them after two days training. Yuto who was used to being surrounded by children whenever he was Dueling in the park with his friends and Yugo who was an orphan himself were also more than willing to help. The same, however, cannot be said to Yuri, who didn't know how to deal with children.

"I'm not interested in babysitting." Yuri said with annoyed face while looking at the children running around in the room.

"Then at least you help watching over them for a bit. Only for two hours. Come on. Show them your smile." Yuno told the Fusion user while gesturing him to smile.

When one of the children approached Yuri out of curiosity, the Fusion user looked down at the boy and gave him a freeze smile that petrified the boy for a few seconds before he ran out crying, followed by other children who were watching behind him. Yuno sweat dropped at that.

"Stop with that freeze smile. You're scaring them." Yuno told his Fusion descendant, making the latter pouted.

"Hey, everyone! Why don't we watch TV?" Yugo offered, turning their attention from Yuri who was still scaring them. The Synchro user snickered at his Fusion Counterpart's pouting face. This made him unaware of the sweet revenge that the said counterpart was planning for him after noticing his snicker.

When the TV was turned on, the screen showed the replay footage of Zarc and Phantom's Duels against Apophis' Duelists. All the children's attention immediately went to the show, all sitting while cheering for Zarc and Phantom while holding pictures and boards they made to cheer the two Duelists.

"Zarc and Phantom were all over the news ever since those Duels." Yuno looked sharply at Yuya, causing the said boy to flinch and smiling apologetically.

"You're still on with that? It all ends well, so it's okay, right? You need to chill." Yugo told ancestor, placing a hand on his shoulder. His gesture was returned with a strong painful pinch on his left cheek, causing him to cried out in pain.

"That's not the problem here. If it didn't end well, you can bet that the punishment you'll get would make you never dare to do that kind of stunt ever again." Yuno said with a straight face, but the aura he was unleashing was menacing. It made Yuya and Yugo shivered under his gaze.

"We're sorry…" Yuya and Yugo said together, bowing their heads to their ancestor.

"Thank you so much, Yukito-san, for coming as always." The caretaker offered her gratitude to Yuno.

"It's fine. I like children, so I don't mind coming here." Yuno told the

The Oracle's face was never revealed to the public. Whenever Yuno made his appearance, he would always wear a mask that covering his face. Any attempt to find out his real face was dealt effortlessly by his comrades and supporters. People who knew his real face have sworn to secrecy and they would know if there's one of them who even considering to reveal his identity. Whenever he is taking a walk as a normal person, he uses 'Yukito' as his civilian name as precaution so no one would suspect him.

"It's about time he will arrive. But with this…" The caretaker frowned as she was looking at the children who were still watching and cheering for Zarc and Phantom.

"There are still snacks in the car. I'll go get them." Yuya said, reaching for the knob of the door. When he opened the door to go outside, he was surprised to find someone standing right in front of the door. He bumped into him and nearly fell back if it were not for the person steadying him by grabbing his arm.

"Are you okay? Sorry, I surprised you."

"N-no! I'm okay!" Yuya looked up to face the person and was surprised when he came face to face with the Charisma Duelist he met two days ago in LINK VRAINS, GO Onizuka, known as Go Onizuka in real life. A man who seemed to be his manager also came in behind Go.

"G-GO Onizuka?! Why are you here?" Yuya asked in surprise, not expecting for the Charisma Duelist to be here.

"Go Onizuka volunteers at this orphanage, and also donates to it." The caretaker answered before greeting Go.

"Why is he doing that?" Yugo asked Yuno whom he thought may know the answer, and yes, Yuno knew.

"He lived in this orphanage when he was a kid. He uses his Entertainment Dueling to earn money. He's basically doing it for the kids' future." Yuno answered in a low tone as to not to be heard by the said Charisma Duelist.

"He is a good guy!" Yugo was touched hearing that. Until after the war a year ago, no one bothered to donate or giving any help in the orphanage where he and Rin were living. Their environment was following dog eat dog world rule, people like them were neglected. He and Rin, who were the oldest amongst all the children, would salvage parts for the factories to earn money and work extra hard to make sure they found enough to give to the other kids when they couldn't find any. It was nice to know there's someone like Go who was generous enough to donate the orphanage regularly.

At the corner of his eyes, Go was looking at the children who were still watching the TV, not minding Go who came for them. The caretaker repeatedly apologized to the Charisma Duelist for this despite Go's assurance that he understood. Yuya could see frustration behind Go's normal expression from the corner of his eyes. When Go excused himself to place the souvenirs he bought for the children in another room together with his manager, Yuya followed them, though not understanding himself why.

At the room, where there's no one beside himself and his manager, Go punched a sandbag that he sometimes used to exercise in frustration. Yuya nearly yelped from that, almost making a sound from the other side of the door.

"Damn it!" Go cursed.

"No need to be so angry. You won't be able to win if you can't keep a cool head." His manager said calmly, trying to ease Go's anger.

"You haven't seen the news? Look! They're all talking about Zarc and Phantom! I'm supposed to be the champion of Link VRAINS!" Go yelled as he turned on the TV that showed the news about Zarc and Phantom.

"I know. You've put in a lot of effort in order to reign over Link VRAINS. I know that better than anyone." His managed said in understanding. They have been working together for a few years, so he knew how much of efforts Go has made to claim the title of champion.

"I'll beat them to a fine pulp when I find them!" Go swore.

Yuya sweat dropped hearing that. He entered LINK VRAINS because he only wanted to meet Zarc, but his Duel against Dante not only has successfully made him the main topic in all news but also earned him a grudge from one of the most popular Charisma Duelists who was also known as champion of LINK VRAINS. He wondered if he messed up a big time. Yuya leaned his back to the door while pondering, forgetting it was open. The door opened, and Yuya fell forward, letting out a startled shriek as he hit the floor.

"You're okay?" Yuya looked up to see Go and his manager looked at him in surprise.

"S-sorry!" Yuya squeaked, bowing slightly.

"No, it's okay. Sorry if I surprised you again." Go leaned down and taking Yuya's hand and grasping it firmly, pulling Yuya back to his feet.

"I-I didn't mean to eavesdropping. I thought I can help you with the souvenirs…" Yuya explained himself almost frantically. He actually didn't even know himself why he wanted to follow them in the first place.

A sound from the news that showed another footage of Phantom's Duel against Dante was shown again, causing Go to growl.

"I'm sorry…" Yuya found himself apologizing to Go. He never thought that his action would frustrate Go this much. Go, on the other hand, blinked at the boy, wondering why he apologized again. He then noticed Yuya was looking at the news that showed Phantom and made an understanding sound.

"I see. You're also a fan of Phantom and Zarc?" Go concluded. The boy must have overheard his frustration for Phantom and Zarc and felt the need to apologize because he was admiring them like the children did.

"E-eh? No! I mean, err… Yes!" Yuya answered weakly while looking down, didn't dare to face Go. A misunderstanding, but better this way since he doesn't want to be punished by his ancestor for letting his identity found out now. He could imagine his ancestor and counterparts were holding a sign with the words 'HE IS THE PHANTOM' written on the sign pointing at him.

Go gently patted Yuya's head, smiling kindly at the younger boy. This made Yuya looked up at Go.

"You don't need to apologize. As much as I hate to admit it, Zarc and Phantom are strong and excellent Duelists. They won and saved LINK VRAINS, of course everyone would admire them. Especially that Phantom. His Pendulum Summon and tricks. He really is an entertainer." Go said with his arms crossed, nodding with acknowledgement for the Duelists despite his anger and frustration. Yuya blushed a bit hearing the praise.

"As an entertainer myself, I want to Duel Phantom. I want to know which one of us is the better entertainer!" Go said determinedly.

Yuya chuckled. It has been quite a while since he met an Entertainment Duelist like himself. And this one was a passionate one to booth. Putting aside the others, Yuya was also genuinely interested in Go's Dueling that was said to be Entertainment Style. He hasn't heard much about Go other than that one time when Yuno explained to them, but now that he met him in person, Yuya would like to know more about Go and his Dueling.

He wanted to Duel Go.

A light bulb turned on in Yuya's head. He smiled sneakily. Yuri would have been amused seeing Yuya growing out devil ears and tail. Go wanted to Duel Phantom. Yuya was the Phantom and wanted to Duel Go as well. Dueling against him is possible. Yuno may scolded him again for this or even punished him, but this maybe a super rare opportunity. He must do it while he can.

Excusing himself, Yuya retreated from the room, leaving Go and his manager alone. Making sure no one was following him and carefully made his way out while everyone was busy taking care of the children, Yuya went back into the limousine, wearing his Duel Disk.

"Into the VRAINS!"

 **MAIN ROOM – ORPHANAGE – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuno and the rest were enjoying their times playing with the children while also watching a TV show after the news has finished. Yuto was explaining a group about certain cards, Yugo was piggybacking a boy while the others were waiting for their turn, Yuno was reading stories to the children while drinking a soft drink he bought, while Yuri was having has his hair and shirt being pulled by another group of children all the while trying to ignore them with the best of his patience.

Their fun was interrupted when the show was suddenly changed into a Live News. The MC whom Yuto and the others recognized having commented in the Duels at the plaza three days before when Apophis' group attacked appeared.

"Hello, everybody! Look what we have here! In LINK VRAINS, he appeared again! The Phantom and new hero of LINK VRAINS from another dimension has appeared again for the second time! Not only that, facing against him is the Charisma Duelist GO Onizuka!" The MC announced, showing the said avatar standing at the top of a building with GO standing across him.

Yuno blurted out his drink hearing the news, turning his attention immediately to the news with wide incredulous disbelieving eyes. Yuto and Yugo also shared the same shocked expression though not as bad as Yuno. Yuri, on the other hand, whistled. He was impressed by the Pendulum Counterpart's act of defiance. He applauded him for it.

"Since when Yuya became such a bad boy?" Yuri voiced the question. Out of the four of them, Yuri had expected Yuto and Yuya being the two who would follow the rules and the least ones to break it. But Yuya has successfully deliberately disobeying Yuno's instruction for the third time even after Yuno made clear of his threat 30 minutes ago.

"Ever since we came to this dimension?" Yuto began to wonder if something happened to Yuya when they got transported there through the wormhole that affecting his head that Yuya became so…rebellious.

Yugo sneaked a glance behind to see Yuno's reaction, and he quickly turned back to the TV when he caught a glimpse of flame of anger from his ancestor who was glaring at Yuya. He prayed for his Pendulum Counterpart that whatever Yuno was going to do to him, he will survive.

"…He is so dead…" Yuno said with barely concealed angry tone.

 **DUEL FIELD – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY SERVER – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"You came." Phantom said as he faced Go. Immediately after leaving the room, Yuya has sent a message of challenge to Go. It didn't take a few minutes for Go to log into LINK VRAINS after he did.

"You finally showed yourself again! The world treats you and Zarc as the hero who saved Link VRAINS. Hmph! Not for long, though! In Dueling, victories determine who's in the right!" GO exclaimed.

"I have to disagree with that. Winning is not everything." Phantom replied.

"I am GO Onizuka! I'm a real hero, and I'm gonna expose you for the wannabe hero that you are, and reclaim my title as Number 1 Charisma Duelist and the greatest entertainer!" GO declared, vowing to win.

"I don't really care about the title of hero or champion in LINK VRAINS, but as an entertainer, I'm interested in you. That's why I'm challenging you. Show me what you got, GO Onizuka!" Phantom encouraged as he jumped onto his D-Board.

"You'll get it!" GO replied, also jumping to his D-Board.

 **[SPEED DUEL!]**

"Yuya…you disobeyed again. For the third time." Yuno said through Phantom's Duel Disk, surprising the latter.

"Yikes, Yuno!" Phantom flinched hearing the voice coming from is Duel Disk.

Yuno sighed. "We'll talk thoroughly later. Focus on the Duel for now." He told Phantom.

"I'm going first! My turn! I'm summoning Gouki Suplex Rex (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 0 / LV: 4) from my hand!" GO summoned Suplex Rex in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"When Suplex Rex is summoned, I can Special Summon a Gouki from my hand. I'm summoning Gouki Twist Cobra (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 0 / LV: 4)!" GO summoned Twist Cobra in Attack Position.

"I end my turn." GO concluded.

"He's putting on an Entertainer act. In that case, I'll defeat him with my own Entertainment!" Phantom couldn't help but smile wide. This is it. His first time in real Speed Duel. And against an Entertainment Duelist like himself from this dimension.

"My turn! I set one card face-down!" Yuya set the card he just drew before showing two cards from his hand.

"Using the Scale 3 Entermate Return Tantan, and the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, I set the Pendulum Scale! With this, I can simultaneously summon monsters from Level 4 to 7! Swing! Pendulum of the Soul! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Come forth! My monsters!" Yuya summoned Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 4) and Entermate Dag Daggerman (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 600 / LV: 5 / PS: 2) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Wow! Pendulum Summon right in his first Turn!" A spectator exclaimed.

"GO Onizuka, huh? It's about time we get a new hero." Another spectator said while looking at GO with dismissive eyes.

"Oh, really? I really like how GO Onizuka can turn the tables despite being cornered in a Duel." The spectator beside him said in defense.

"That Dueling style is just lame! It's outdated! I'm betting it on my new hero! Phantom! Give GO Onizuka a beatdown!" The other spectator cheered for the Pendulum user.

"All right! A Duel between the Charisma Duelist GO Onizuka and Link VRAINS's new hero, Phantom, has begun! Is GO Onizuka turning from babyface to heel? Or as GO Onizuka said, is he going to unmask the new hero of justice? Now, this is a Duel you don't want to take your eyes off!" The MC announced, pointing at the TV screen that showed the two Duelists.

"Phantom!"

"You're the hero who protected Link VRAINS!"

"Good luck, Phantom!"

The children in the orphanage cheered, holding pictures and boards of the Phantom's name while their caretaker and Go's manage were watching from behind them.

"They sure are excited, huh?" Go's manager commented while observing the children.

"Even though Onizuka-kun has done so much for us…I'm sorry." The caretaker apologized. She felt guilty for Go. The Charisma Duelist regularly supports the orphanage by providing them money, and every time he came to visit, he would bring many gifts for the children and played with them. But then, because of one appearance of a Duelist from another dimension who saved LINK VRAINS, their attention was quick to turn to the new Duelist.

"Children are honest. They're supporting the cool hero who fights for justice." Go's manager assured her that neither her nor the children were to blame.

"Yes… But if Onizuka-kun wins just like usual, they'll support him again." The caretaker said, hoping for the Charisma Duelist's victory.

"GO Onizuka's Dueling is Entertainment Style. He makes his enemy seems stronger, and then crushes them all with overwhelming might. Perhaps his style will triumph, even if he's up against Phantom." Go's manager explained while watching the Duel continue.

"GO Onizuka sure is a baffling character. He purposely lets his opponent attack him and puts himself in danger." Yuto

"Kinda reminded me of that Sergey guy…" Yugo shivered at the thought of Sergey, the mad Duelist from his dimension who nearly killed Yuzu in their Duel.

"Hey, don't compare Onizuka with that guy!" Yuto scolded. Didn't Yugo say that the Gouki user is a good respectable guy early today when they visited the orphanage?

"Yeah, my bad. I didn't mean to compare him with Sergey. Onizuka is 100 times better than that freak!" Yugo immediately corrected himself. He only met Go just one time today, but from the children and the caretaker's reaction, Yugo knew that Go was definitely a good guy and would never harm Yuya like Sergey did.

"HAHAHA! It's a 2 vs 2 brawl between the monsters, eh? It's like a tag match in Pro Wrestling! Pro Wresting is like my specialty… I'll count from one to three, and I'll definitely win!" Go declared, imagining them and their monsters were standing in wrestling ring, facing against each other.

"We'll see about that! The fun starts now! Battle! I attack Gouki Suplex Rex with Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!" Phantom declared his first attack with his dragon. Odd-Eyes shot its signature blazing blast, burning the Gouki monster into nothingness.

 **GO LP: 4000 = 3300**

"Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon's effect! When it inflicted damage during the Turn it was summoned, I can inflict additional damage equal to the total of the ATKs of Monsters in my Pendulum Zone! Atomic Force!" Phantom added another damage, inflicting 1600 damage to GO, causing the Charisma Duelist seemed to have difficulty on remaining standing on his D-Board.

 **GO LP: 3300 = 1700**

"He can use Gouki Twist Cobra's effect to strengthen itself. If he does that, he'll also be able to negate the battle." Phantom mused as GO accepted the attack without even bother trying to defend himself.

"That's true. He took the damage on purpose. Oh, I forgot to mention, but another gimmick of GO Onizuka is that he puts himself at a disadvantage to entertain the audience, but he has never lost. It looks like he's going to lose, but then he'll make a big comeback and get the audience hyped up." Yuno explained while looking up about GO's records.

"Hehehe. I thought so. The best way to surprise the audience would be when an entertainer makes a big comeback!" Phantom said excitedly. He could imagine the audiences' faces when that happens. He often did the same in his Duels after all. More than often even. Although, unlike GO, he always did it in different ways.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" Yuno said with a sigh from the other side of the call.

Meanwhile, the orphanage caretaker was watching GO worriedly. The Charisma Duelist has already received so much damage in early Turn. Go's manager placed a hand on her shoulder to assure her.

"He'll be fine, ma'am. Doing something like this is proof that he's his usual self. He'll show off his signature move soon." He told her, returning his eyes to the Duel.

"Big Bro Onizuka is already on his knees!"

"Phantom is going to win!"

"Oh! As expected of GO Onizuka! In Pro Wrestling, when both of your shoulders touch the mat, the referee will start tapping on the mat!" The MC and the audience started the count down from one to three. However, before they could finish…

"Oh, wait! GO Onizuka managed to lift his shoulders at count 2.9!" The MC exclaimed as GO returned to his feet with his monster and continued his move.

"When Suplex Rex is sent from the Field to the Graveyard, I can activate its effect. I can add a Gouki card, except itself, from the deck to my hand." GO added Gouki Rising Scorpio (ATK: 2300 / DEF: 0 / LV: 5) to his hand.

"That was really just an act after all… He's probably planning his next move." Phantom's heart was beating fast from excitement. He was looking forward what Go is planning to do next. But first,

"Next, I attack Gouki Twist Cobra with Dag Daggerman!" Phantom declared his second attack using his Entermate Monster. Dag Daggerman threw its knives, stabbing and destroying Twist Cobra.

 **GO LP: 1700 = 1200**

GO didn't seem to be perturbed by the attack. "Power…I'm going to put more power into my hand! All right! Let's get fired up! I activate my Skill: Fighting Spirit! Fighting Spirit Special Summons all Gouki monsters that were destroyed through battle in this turn!" He revived both Suplex Rex and Twist Cobra in their prime conditions.

"I end my Turn." Phantom concluded, watching GO's movement with bemusement.

"My turn! Draw! Due to the effect of Rising Scorpio, I can summon it from my hand without releasing!" GO summoned Rising Scorpio in Attack Position beside the other two Gouki monsters in the Main Monster Zone.

"Whoa! He sure made a big comeback!" Phantom whistled. He was genuinely impressed.

"He hasn't showed his trump card yet." Yuno told the Pendulum user.

"Come forth! My very own circuit!" GO opened the Link Summoning Gate.

"There it is! A jaw-dropping Link Summon!" The MC announced, making the audience to grow excited.

"Arrowheads confirmed! The summoning condition is two or more Gouki monsters! I'm setting Suplex Rex, Twist Cobra, and Rising Scorpio into three Link Markers! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Show yourself! Link 3! Gouki the Great Ogre (ATK: 2600 / LINK: 3 / ARW: Bottom-Right, Bottom, Bottom-Left)!" GO summoned his ace monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"Go's Dueling is not just about winning, but also about satisfying the audience. That is his philosophy." Yuno updated the info about GO to Phantom.

"It's almost the same as me then." Phantom smiled softly. His and GO's philosophy in Dueling were not so different. He respected GO for that.

"What's going to happen next?" The caretaker asked.

"Go will soon take the lead in this Duel." Go's manager replied, smiling at GO as the children began to cheer for the Gouki user again like they always did.

"You're awesome, Big Bro Onizuka!"

"You can do it, Big Bro GO!"

"Good luck, Big Bro!"

"Hahaha! How was it? Did my Dueling get you hyped up?" GO questioned the Pendulum user behind him.

The Phantom faced GO with cheerful smile. "Definitely! Now, show me the full power of your Entertainment, GO Onizuka!" He challenged the Gouki user.

"I activate the effects of the Gouki monsters that were sent from the Field to the Graveyard! I can add Gouki cards besides themselves from the deck to my hand" GO added Rising Scorpio, Gouki Rematch, and Gouki Headbatt (ATK: 800 / DEF: 0 / LV: 2) to his hand.

"There's more to come. As long as Great Ogre, all face-up monsters will lose ATK equal to the amount of their DEF. Take this! Ogre Pressure!" GO declared as Great Ogre swung its axe, sending shockwaves that greatly weakened both Odd-Eyes Phantom and Dag Daggerman, making their current ATKs 500 and 1400, respectively.

"From my hand, I activate the Magic Card, Gouki Rematch! I can Special Summon two Gouki monsters with different Levels from my Graveyard in Defense Position!" GO summoned back Rising Scorpio and Twist Cobra in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Just when I thought he was only going to Link Summon, he decides to reinforce his defenses as well!" Yugo stated with impressed look at GO and his monsters. "I thought he was just some flashy entertainer, but he's unexpectedly meticulous!" Yugo added.

"No. That's not his aim." Yuno interjected, earning a confused look from Yugo and Yuto.

"I activate Twist Cobra's effect! I release Rising Scorpio, allowing Great Ogre to gain its ATK until the end of the turn!" GO increased Great Ogre's ATK to 4900 by tributing Rising Scorpio.

"If Yuya takes that attack head on, he'll lose!" Yugo stared worriedly at his Standard Counterpart.

"Looks like this match is over." Go's manager stated, smiling proudly at GO.

"Then, by sending Twist Cobra from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Headbatt! Due to Headbatt 's effect, Great Ogre will gain 800 ATK until the end of the turn." GO increased Great Ogre's ATK further to 5700.

"Hahaha! This is my Finishing Hold! Battle! I attack Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon with Great Ogre!" GO declared Battle Phase. Great Ogre jumped at the Pendulum Monster with its axe raised up, prepared to crush the dragon into half with its sheer power.

"Trap Card: Entermate Saviour! When a monster I control is targeted for an attack while I control an Entermate Monster, I can lower the damage I'll take equal to the original ATK of that Entermate Monster and then draw a card!" Phantom opened his facedown card, lowering the damage he would take by Dag Daggerman's original ATK, 2000, making him receiving 3200 points of damage instead.

 **PHANTOM LP: 4000 = 800**

Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon was crushed by Great Ogre's axe, destroying the dragon. Phantom nearly fell from his D-Board, but was helped by Dag Daggerman who held his back, helping him balancing himself on his board.

"Phew. That was close!" Phantom staggered a bit. That really took him by surprise.

"You did well surviving my attack. I end my Turn! Now, it's your Turn to show your Entertainment, Phantom!" GO concluded his Turn, reverting Great Ogre's ATK to normal.

Phantom flicked his fingers and winked. "Of course! Everyone, sorry to have kept you waiting, the fun starts now!" Spotlights appeared and focused on the Pendulum user's form, marking the beginning of his Entertainment Duel.

"Ladies and gentlemen! First off, I shall remodel the Pendulum Zone. I target Timegazer Magician, and activate the Magic Card, Scale Up! Until the End Phase of this turn, its Pendulum Scale is increased by two!" Phantom increased Timegazer's Scale from 8 to 10.

"With this newly set Pendulum Scale, I can simultaneously summon monsters from Level 4 to 9! Swing! Pendulum of Souls! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Come forth!" Phantom summoned Entermate Laughmaker (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8 / PS: 5) from his hand in Attack Position beside Dag Daggerman in the Main Monster Zone and then revived Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon from his Extra Deck in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I see. He raised his Pendulum Scale, so that he can summon Laughmaker. But their ATKs will be decreased equal to their DEFs!" GO pointed out as Phantom's monsters got their ATKs lowered equal to their DEFs.

"I activate Return Tantan's Pendulum Effect! Once per Turn I can return a card I control to my hand!" Phantom removed Return Tantan itself from the Pendulum Zone, returning it to his hand.

"I activate Dag Daggerman's Monster Effect! I can send 1 Entermate Monster from my hand to the Graveyard, and then draw 1 card!" Phantom discarded Return Tantan and then drew a card.

"Watching it unfold is all part of the fun! Since things are getting lively, I shall invoke a spell that brings smiles to everyone, friends and foes alike! Magic Card: Starlight Fireworks! I target 1 Monster I control with highest Level and destroy all other monsters I control with Levels lower than the targeted Monster!" Phantom chose Laughmaker, destroying Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon and Dag Daggerman.

Odd-Eyes and Dag Daggerman dispersed into dozens of various fireworks that shot up to the sky. Some shoot straight up before exploding, others whirl in a spiral, some shatter into thousands of sparks, and others tumble like a scarlet waterfall or float in a glittering silver shower. The spectators, both online and offline were watching with brightened expression, their lips parted and closed, almost loss at words to describe what was occurring at the moment. The spectators who initially were watching from afar in LINK VRAINS immediately tried to follow the two Duelists, continuously cheering for the two of them.

"So pretty!"

"No matter how many times I see it, it always makes me feel happy!"

"There's no way I can just watch it from here! I'm going to LINK VRAINS!"

"Me too! Seeing it directly would be more awesome!"

People who were watching offline despite having accounts in LINK VRAINS started logging in to watch the Duel directly. After the display, they just couldn't sit or stand still outside. They need to watch it with their own eyes in the server. They wanted to savor this experience themselves.

"And then, the targeted Monster will gain 1500 ATK for each monster sent until the end of Turn!" Phantom combined Odd-Eyes and Dag Daggerman's ATKs, increasing Laughmaker's ATK to 3500.

"An ATK of 3500?!" A boy in the orphanage exclaimed.

"It's higher than Great Ogre!" A spectator in LINK VRAINS remarked.

"Battle! I attack Great Ogre with Laughmaker! Laughing Spark!" Phantom extended his hand at Great Ogre as he declared his Battle Phase.

Following Phantom's attack declaration, Laughmaker formed a purple smile icon with its staff that shot sparks of purple shockwave towards the Gouki Link Monster. Laughmaker's figure looked so dazzling under the fireworks, glimmering with energies gained from Odd-Eyes and Dag Daggerman. For a moment, neither GO nor Great Ogre made any move at the lightning came straight towards them. A few seconds before the lightning strikes the Link Monster, GO extended his arm at Twist Cobra on his right side.

"I activate Great Ogre's effect! When it was about to be destroyed, I can destroy the Monster linked to its Link Marker instead!" GO revealed as Headbatt moved to the front, blocking Laughmaker's lightning that destroyed it in Great Ogre's stead. Following Headbatt's destruction, GO added another copy of Twist Cobra into his hand from his Deck. With Laughmaker's attack ended, and Phantom has nothing in his hand or Field to do left, the Phantom's Turn ended, reverting Laughmaker's ATK to normal.

 **GO LP: 1200 =**

"There's nothing you can do anymore! The winner of this Duel would be me! The hero of LINK VRAINS, GO Onizuka!" GO declared, announcing his impending victory.

Phantom closed his eyes, still smiling. "…Yeah. I don't have anything left that I can use to counter your next attack. This Duel will be yours. But if that's the case…" He clicked the screen of his Duel Disk that showed Starlight Fireworks in his Graveyard.

"I activate Starlight Fireworks' second effect! I banish it from Graveyard to increase all ATKs of monsters on the Field by 400!" Phantom banished his Magic Card. The moment the card was banished, another round of fireworks exploded in the sky of LINK VRAINS. Glimmering particles rained down the whole area, earning chorus of gasps of astonishment from the spectators. Some of the particles were flying around like fireflies. The monsters' bodies were glittering as the particles touched them, increasing all of their ATKs by 400.

"You're increasing my monsters' ATKs too?" GO questioned as he looked at his monsters who all gained power up, especially Great Ogre whose ATK increased to 3000.

"Yup! If we're going to end this Duel, let's make it end with a bang, shall we? Now that I've set the fitting stage for you, deliver a powerful ending for this Duel!" Phantom raised arms up and wide as another firework exploded above them, forming a smile icon.

"Why would you go so far? You're going to lose." GO asked again. Even though he knew he will lose, how come the Pendulum user was able to still smiling so sincerely.

"Because it's my Entertainment Dueling philosophy. Dueling is supposed to be fun, after all. A Duel is a conversation! If you open up your heart, you'll enjoy the Duel more! I want us to understand each other and smile together through Dueling! That applies to my opponents, our monsters, and the audience!" Phantom extended his arm towards GO as the spotlights focused on him and his monsters, becoming the center of attention.

"Now, GO Onizuka! Deliver the grand finale with your Dueling!" Phantom encouraged the Gouki user, opening his arms wide, ready to accept the full brunt of his attack

The spectators were roaring. The crowd buzzed with excitement. Rush of excitement and adrenaline thrilled GO, burning his entire body. His heart was pounding like a thousand drums. His adrenaline was rushing through his body like he was being transformed into a new being. Crowds and crowds of people like an enormous party in LINK VRAINS all gathering together to cheer for the both of them. GO smiled. This was the first time he felt like this.

"Hmph! You don't need to tell me that! My Turn! I summon Twist Cobra!" GO summoned the Twist Cobra he added into his hand previously in Attack Position.

I activate Twist Cobra's effect! By releasing a Gouki Monster, I can make another Gouki Monster I control gains the released Monster's ATK until the end of Turn!" GO released the other Twist Cobra, increasing Great Ogre's ATK to 4900.

"Battle! I attack Laughmaker with Great Ogre! Ogre Axe!" GO declared his final attack.

The two monsters were standing on the wrestling ring in their battle stances, both ready to make a move at any given second. Great Ogre jumped forward. Laughmaker also did the same at the same time, readying its staff that was coated with purple lightning to counter Great Ogre's axe. The two monsters unleashed their most powerful blows, clashing their weapons against each other with all of their power. Laughmaker's staff started to crack at the weight of Great Ogre's axe until it was crushed into two, allowing Great Ogre to continue its attack, striking Laughmaker, which depleted all of Phantom's LP.

 **PHANTOM LP: 800 = 0**

The children in the orphanage shouted joyfully, jumping up and down, celebrating their older brother figure's victory.

"Big Bro Go won!"

"Big Bro is really the best!"

The caretaker sighed in relief while Go's manager simply smiled, the two of them were happy for Go. He has successfully won over the hearts of the children in the orphanage again.

"GO Onizuka really is a hero of LINK VRAINS!"

"But Phantom is not bad either!"

"Yeah, without him, I don't think GO Onizuka's finishing move will be that awesome!"

At LINK VRAINS, the whole audience gave a round applause for the two Duelists who have given their best in the Entertainment Duel. The two performed splendidly, showing their respective entertainment in each of their respective ways that they knew were not yet the best they saw from them. The Duel were refreshing and fun to watch. After the attacks by Apophis for recent days, the people in the empire was worried and haunted with fear by another attack that may appear at any moment. The Duel between these two just no has given them a new hope.

"I've lost. But it's really fun! I enjoyed dueling against you, GO Onizuka!" Phantom said cheerfully as he stood up from the floor, smiling brightly at the Gouki user.

"No…I won the Duel, but I lost the battle." GO replied, eyes looking down and his smile was not so energetic.

"Eh?" Phantom blinked in confusion.

GO glanced at the audience around them. The crowd were cheering and jumping up and down with excitement for the both of them, winning or losing. Before, as he looked at them through his rear view he thought about his Duels so far and thought how his Dueling is perfect enough to satisfy the audience and himself as the winner. But now, seeing them gathering like this, he realized that in actual fact he still has lot to learn. Phantom, the boy in front of him who lost against him, was a superior entertainer than him. His entertainment has given smile and courage to everyone. This also including both of their monsters and GO himself. Understanding through Dueling and make the Duel enjoyable for both of them and their monsters…that never occurred in GO's mind until now.

"It's time for me to leave." Phantom held onto the fence, ready to jump to his D-Board. He halted to turn back to GO who was still standing behind him. He smiled confidently at him. "Next time, I won't lose! I still have a lot of ways to entertain you!"

GO was silent for a second before returning Phantom's declaration with his own.

"Bring it on! I'll take you on and defeat you again!" GO replied, offering a distant fist bump to the Pendulum user who returned it before jumping onto his D-Board, disappearing from everyone's view.

 _"I wonder if there are lots of Duelists like him in ARC-V…"_

GO wondered as he logged out, leaving LINK VRAINS with a renewed resolve and expectation. He was looking forward to meet more with people from another dimension.

 **OUTSKIRT – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY SERVER – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Phantom landed in an alleyway of LINK VRAINS. He was so tired but satisfied at the same time by the Duel that he didn't want to log out right away. He leaned on the wall, relaxing himself. His body was still trembling from the fun sensation he has in the Duel. The Duel was so much fun. The most fun he has in a while. He felt so great. He wanted to do that Duel again sometimes, somehow. It would be much more fun once he got used to Speed Duel and learned his Skill.

"Yu…ya…"

The atmosphere soon dropped and Phantom cold sweats were dripping from his face rapidly as he sensed a hostile presence behind him. He slowly turned around, rigidly, and found Yuno, using his avatar, was glaring at him so sharply and intensely and he could have sworn he saw his entire body was burning in flames. To make it worse, he noticed Yuno was holding something in both his hands. Was that a gun he was holding? Real or not real, Phantom knew that it wouldn't be a pleasant experience! Phantom took a step back while Yuno took a step forward.

"Any last word?" Yuno said while pointing his guns at Phantom.

"Umm…don't try to kill me…?" Phantom said with a weak smile and tried to laugh it off, but a click from the gun silenced him.

"Yeah right!"

Sounds of gunfire and screams were echoing throughout the alleyway. Zarc was watching the whole thing from the top of the building with a sigh.

"I guess I'll wait until they're finished."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Reunion –** Wanting to meet Zarc's real life in person, Yuno and Celica registered Yuya and his friends into Den City Middle School as transfer students after marching down the possibilities of Zarc's location.

* * *

 **FANFIC ORIGINAL CARDS MEMO:**

 ** _ENTERMATE SAVIOUR_ : **When a monster you control is targeted for an attack while you control an Entermate Monster, you can lower the damage you'll take equal to the original ATK of that Entermate Monster and raw 1 card. (Trap Card)

 ** _STARLIGHT FIREWORKS_ : **Target 1 Monster you control with highest Level and destroy all other monsters you control with Levels lower than the targeted Monster until the End Phase, the targeted Monster will gain 1500 ATK for each monsters destroyed until the end of this Turn. You can banish this card from Graveyard to increase all ATKs of the Monsters on the Field by 400. (Magic Card)

* * *

 **Sorry for the late update. I was busy with many things. The next chapter would probably the same.**

 **Having the protagonist win against an experienced or Pro Duelist of the dimension on their first try all the time would be boring, even if now Yuya himself is also a Pro Duelist. Also, Yuya has only done three times training in Speed Duel and still has difficulty adjusting his Pendulum Summon with the new rules that is much more restrictive so I want to show that he is still inexperienced. That's why I made him lost the Speed Duel but at least won in terms of entertainment. Feel free to criticize the result of this Duel if you don't like it. If I can't accept and endure critics, I'll never grow as a writer (^_^)**

 **And to _Unknowedz_ , I didn't even know about Red Eyes Darkness Dragon when writing Red-Eyes Dark Meteor Dragon, so any similarity between the two is really just a coincidence.**

 **Thank you _Meemo, dvdryms, Sylver287_ for clearing up about the Link Summon in the previous chapter!**

 **Maybe some of you are wondering why Yuya didn't use any Skill in this Duel. That's because I'm saving the Skill for Chapter 18 :D**

 **I'm sorry if there's any mistake. I'll fix it later if there's any. Thank you for your understanding.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter~**


	17. Reunion

**Big thanks to** _ **aqua9597, Ryujomaru15, Venomous Blade, Unknowedz, scififan599, Playerhood18, Big duels, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Ulrich362, dvdryms, Yuka Kuroshiro,**_ _ **Meemo, Elbarto4000, GamingGuy84, ThePLOThand**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **ALLEYWAY – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY SERVER – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Five minutes later, Phantom was lying on the ground while Yuno was huffing and hovering over the Pendulum user, placing back his guns on the belt around his waist. Zarc chose to make his presence known now. Jumping off from the roof, he landed behind Yuno and Phantom, startling the latter. Yuno didn't seem surprise or anything, and Zarc deduced that Yuno must have noticed his presence but stayed silent until he revealed himself. Sharp.

"Zarc!" Phantom stood up immediately like nothing has happened. After a few days, Zarc finally showed up again.

"Are you going to give your answer to my invitation?" Yuno asked, crossing his arms.

"Yeah. I'll say this straight and clear, I refuse to be a part of the Brotherhood. It's not like I don't trust you, but I feel restricted working with an organization as big as yours even if you have lots of resources that I need. But…" Zarc extended his arm to them and then from the palm of his hand, a blue glowing cube appeared. The cube flew into Phantom's Duel Disk. When the Pendulum user checked, something has been sent to him.

"If you need any help or clue about Apophis, then I'll lend you a hand." Zarc told them, completing his answer.

"I see. So you prefer to help us as some sort of part-timer instead of full-timer? I can't say I hate that." Yuno smiled in amusement. While it was unfortunate that Zarc won't join the Brotherhood, at the very least he is on their side and would help them in his own way. And Yuno had to admit, there were things that can only be solved by breaking laws or rules, something that cannot be done by his organization without huge consequence, so having Zarc who was working outside the lay would be good for them.

"See you later then. I already gave you my contact in case something happens." Zarc turned his back on them, ready to log out, but he was surprised by a pair of hands holding his arm tight.

"W-wait!" Phantom held him tight before giving more space but still holding his arm. Phantom looked up to Zarc, lips parted and closed as if unsure what to say, but he then finally said it.

"Please be friends with me!" Phantom asked almost in pleading tone, surprising Zarc and Yuno. Phantom let go of Zarc, raising his hands up with a blush on his face out of embarrassment.

"Ah…um…I know it's really random, but… No matter what, I want to be friends with you…! Of course, it's not because so you'll join the Brotherhood or anything, I just want to become friends with you without any ulterior motive! Sincerely!" Phantom was frantically explaining himself. It wasn't a lie when he said he wants to be friends without ulterior motive, but Zarc may think otherwise if he stayed silent. He finally has the opportunity right in front of him, and he won't let it go now, whatever Zarc's respond would be.

"I'm fine with that." Zarc replied immediately.

"Really?!" Phantom looked at Zarc with smile so bright that he almost felt overwhelmed by it. "You're 100% sure? I can be dorky and reckless and a weirdo. I can say that with 100% confidence!" The Phantom asked again, wanting to make sure he heard it right.

"Are you actually trying to convince him be friends with you or against it?" Yuno sweat dropped at Phantom's choice of words.

"Well, you don't seem to be boring." Zarc responded. He didn't know why, but there was this…entertaining aroma from Phantom – Yuya. He has a strong feeling everyday would be fun if they become friends. Because he is an entertainer? Zarc chuckled seeing Phantom's overly happy reaction. He was like a little kid who finally made his first friend. It was funny.

"See you later then. You can contact me whenever you–"

Zarc was cut off when something whizzed the belt of his waist. He slowly turned around to where it came from…it was from Yuno's gun. Zarc paled at how Yuno was smiling so playfully. He must have made it so the bullet would miss just to know his reaction. Zarc made a reminder to himself from this; never do a Russian Roulette with this guy. Never ever.

"You didn't budge. Cool. You'll do well in battlefield." Yuno simply said, seemingly bemused by Zarc's reaction.

"I'm taking my leave now." Zarc said and immediately log out, leaving Yuno and Phantom.

"Now, with that settled, let's go back and then we'll continue your punishment." Yuno said, taking Phantom by the back of his cloak, pulling him up, his feet dangling above the ground.

"Am I haven't been punished enough?!" Phantom asked in disbelief. The first one earlier was already painful, and Yuno still wanted to continue?!

"You also need to experience it with your real body." Yuno smiled evilly at him that Phantom swore he could have mistaken him as Yuri when he was being his sadistic self. His ancestor will do well on his threat, and that won't be good for him!

"Will you kill me softly?" Phantom pleaded meekly, smiling weakly at his ancestor whose smile dropped as they began the log out process, his anger returned.

"No."

Phantom cried out waterfall tears from his eyes.

There was no escaping this.

And afterwards, Phantom – Yuya carved deeply into his heart a self-reminder: Never anger the Oracle.

 **MEETING ROOM – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

After leaving the orphanage and returned to the mansion, Yuno spent four minutes to give Yuya his punishment before holding a meeting with his squad and descendants. As a side note, after his punishment, Yuya, again, carved deeply into his heart a self-reminder: Never anger the Oracle. The meeting was held as usual, in the same room where Yuno first introduced his group to his descendants. Now, all of them were sitting on their seats surrounding the large table.

"Before we start the meeting, let's call them first." Yuno placed his Duel Disk at the center of the table. He enlarged the holographic screen so everyone can see it.

The screen was flickering before it finally connected and showed Celica's face, smiling at them.

"Hello everyone." She greeted.

"It's been a long time, Celica!" Jounouchi greeted cheerfully.

"As energetic as always, Jounouchi-kun." Celica chuckled at the Red-Eyes user.

Yuya and his counterparts were blinking seeing Celica. They have heard from Yuno everything about Yuzu and the other girls were in the Cantidel Palace under protection of his close friend who helped him sealed Apophis, Celica. Not only that, Celica was also the ancestor of the girls just as Yuno was their ancestor. They have a hard time believing until Yuno showed them Celica's photo. And yes, that convinced them. Her resemblance with the girls was too uncanny to be a coincidence. Yuno even provided DNA test as another proof just in case. On the topic, they have also done DNA test to make sure Yuno wasn't lying about them being related, and the DNA said Yuno was telling the truth.

"You must be Yuya-kun, Yuto-kun, Yugo-kun, and Yuri-kun. Even though not directly, it's nice to finally meet the four of you. I'm Celica, Yuno's friend and the Imperial Adviser." Celica greeted the boys and introduced herself.

"Yes, nice to meet you too. Yuno has told us many things about you, Celica-san." Yuya greeted back.

"I actually want to bring the girls into this meeting as well, but they are still training. But don't worry. You'll meet them again tomorrow at school." Celica assured the boys.

"Wait, school? What do you mean?" Yuto asked.

"That's what we want to talk about. Starting tomorrow, the four of you will attend Den City Middle School as transfer students." Sherry told them calmly while showing a holographic photo of the said school to them.

"Why do we need to attend school?" Yugo asked, not seeing the point of attending one in this situation.

"Because that's where the real person behind Zarc avatar is attending." Yuno answered, turning everyone's attention to him.

"Zarc is in that school?! How do you know about this?!" Yuya asked, standing from his seat out of reflex. Everyone's stares prompted him to sit down again, muttering a low apology.

"When I shot Zarc, I actually put a tracker on him. The program can be comparable to that of an ant that you won't realize it was there." Yuno revealed. He and Yuya recalled when Yuno, without warning, shot Zarc by his belt. Zarc and Yuya thought that was just Yuno testing or teasing him, and they were so wrong. The Oracle really knew how to hide things.

"Not only that, we think the four of you would understand more about the empire by blending into this society like ordinary citizens. We don't think it will be good and enough for the four of you to learn everything from us. See this world with your own eyes and make your own decision." Ryo explained further. They didn't want to confine them and limited their knowledge and judgment only based from what Yuno and they taught them. The best for people to truly grow and learn is to experience it themselves.

"What he said." Shark gestured to Ryo, agreeing with him. "Get to know what kind of people, society, culture, and everything about Cantidel by becoming part of it yourselves. And you can help in looking more intel about our enemies and your dragons."

"That does sounds good for us." Yuto agreed. After reading many books that Shark told him to read, he grew interested to know more about the empire.

"Speaking about Zarc, does this mean you know who Zarc's real identity is?" Yuri asked, shifting the topic back.

"Yeah. This is him."

Yuno showed the holographic photo of Zarc's real life person. Yukiya Kanbara. 15 years old student of third year Den City Middle-School. A member of the middle-school's Duel Club. His overall scores in school were average, good enough to pass, and he rarely missed school. He lived with his parents and older sister at an apartment four blocks from the school.

"Yukiya Kanbara… He is the present Zarc…" Yuya murmured while staring at the holographic photo. He truly was Zarc's reincarnation like them, and the one who resembled him the most.

"And I also looked on about the friend he said was hospitalized by Dante. This is her." Yuno showed another holographic photo that this time showed Yukiya's friend.

Sara Akie. 15 years old student of third year Den City Middle-School. She was a classmate of Yukiya and also a member of the Duel Club. Her overall scores in school were higher than Yukiya and she ranked top 10 in her class. She lived with her parents at the house that was only a block away from the apartment where Yukiya lives. Two weeks ago, she was found brutally attacked in her home while her parents were working and was hospitalized. Since then, she was in a coma.

"This is her! She must be Ray's reincarnation! Like Zarc!" Yugo pointed out.

"How is her condition now?" Yuya asked, worrying about the girl.

"Her condition is stable, but she hasn't regained her consciousness. Must because of Dante's doing." Yuno said while looking at Sara's stats.

"We'll do something about her later. For now, just be prepared for tomorrow. We have arranged backgrounds for all of you. You can read and memorized them. It's short so it won't be difficult and no one would be suspicious." Sherry handed each of the boys files that detailing about their made-up background.

"Our meeting is done for now. The four of you, go to bed once you memorized them, you have school tomorrow morning." Yuno clasped his hands, ushering them to leave the meeting room and go straight to their quarters.

It was very hard for Yuya not to smile. Tomorrow, he finally can meet Yukiya, Zarc's current incarnation, in person! He was looking forward for this.

"I better tell him that we'll attend his school tomorrow."

 **THE NEXT DAY – CLASS 3-2 – MIDDLE SCHOOL BUILDING – DEN ACADEMY – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yukiya was having a straight face at the moment. He was reading the message that Yuya sent to him a few minutes ago, about him and his friends going to attend Den City Middle School in the third year, which coincidently the school he was attending and where he was sitting now. There was no way this is a coincidence. They somehow must have traced him and came into conclusion that he attends this school. But how did they…? Yukiya gasped softly as he remembered the few seconds before he logged out after meeting Phantom and Yuno. The Oracle grazed him with one of his bullets.

" _That must be it! He placed a tracker on me at that second!"_ Yukiya came into realization. He covered his face with his hand, scolding himself for letting his guard down. He should've known to be on guard around the Oracle.

"Kanbara, don't daydreaming in the class!" The homeroom teacher hit Yukiya's forehead with his chalk.

"Sorry." Yukiya apologized, rubbing his forehead that got hit.

"Today we have four transfer students in this class. Alright, you can come in." The teacher said to the transfer students who then entered the classroom one by one.

Yukiya has expected for Yuya and his friends to come in, but instead, the ones who came were four girls. The first one was a girl with blue eyes and dark pink hair, which she wears tied up in pigtails, clipped down by blue, spherical hair clips. The second one was a girl with indigo hair tied into a ponytail with a large yellow ribbon, and green eyes. The third one was a girl with shoulder length aqua green colored hair with two light green side tails and orange eyes, and she was wearing a pair of blue studded earrings. The last one was a girl with pink eyes and a very long, dark purple hair; it extends past her lower back, even when secured with a winged-shaped barrette in a loose bun, and was wearing feather-shaped earrings.

All four of them were bearing striking resemblance to his best friend, Sara. What the heck kind of a coincidence is this?! Is something like this really possible?! His classmates were also thinking the same.

" _Wait…putting aside their faces…they somehow feel familiar…"_

Meanwhile, Yuzu and the others were quick to nice Yukiya, but made sure they didn't focus their gazes on him or else everyone will get the wrong idea. Celica has provided fake background to make it easier for them to blend in. They were quadruplets twins from the capital who moved due to their parents' work. They all shared Ruri's surname, Kurosaki. The reason for the surname choice was to make it easier for them to look for Shun without having people got suspicious of their fake background.

"I know it's shocking to see them, but despite their resemblances they are not related to the absent Akie. The four of them are not related by blood with Akie, so if there's someone who mistake them, please clear this up. We do not want to trouble Akie and her family with misunderstanding." The teacher, which met with incredulous expression. He couldn't blame them. After all, what chances to meet four girls who bears resemblance with one of his students yet they were not related to her in any way? This dimension was not as small as he thought it was.

"You may introduce yourselves now." The teacher told the four girls.

"I'm Yuzu Hi– Yuzu Kurosaki! It's nice to meet you! I hope we can get along well." Yuzu tried her best to act normal, but she was panicking inwardly for her near slip. Unlike Serena and Rin, she has a family and surname, so it would be hard for her to get used to this. She hoped no one noticed it. Fortunately, no one did. They were more interested in knowing the new transfer students.

"She's cute."

"Yeah. Kinda my type."

Yuzu blushed as she heard the faint murmur from some boys sitting in the front rows. She clenched her fists, trying her best to pretend not to hear that. She turned to Serena who was the next one to introduce herself.

"I'm Serena Kurosaki. If you are strong Duelists, then feel free to come at me, I'll accept challenge at anytime." Serena said with a straight challenging face while crossing her arms. The reaction she got? Everyone went speechless for a good 10 seconds before thye finally found their words.

"…is she picking a fight…?"

"She does look the tomboyish type. Kinda scary."

"Really? I think she's cool."

"Serena, I thought we already got over this! That's not a good impression." Rin scolded, patting Serena's back, though the said girl didn't seem to understand what's the problem with her introduction. Rin sighed. They needed more behavior lessons after this.

"I'm Rin Kurosaki. I apologize for Serena earlier, please don't think badly of her." Rin began her introduction, though it was more of an apology. Still, this gave her a good reception.

"I guess she's the motherly type."

"The one who will be annoying with her scolding, but she is also cute."

Finally, it was Ruri's turn for her introduction. "It's pleasure to meet you. I'm Ruri Kurosaki. I hope we can get along." She said with a sweet smile that managed to win over Yuto at first glance.

"She's gorgeous."

"Totally my type."

"I'm in love at first sight."

Yukiya sighed softly at the murmurs he couldn't help but to hear no matter how hard he tried to ignore. Apparently, each of the girls has gained admiration and perhaps some fans amongst their new classmates on their very first day. Good for them.

"I heard in other class there are quadruplets transfer students too."

"That makes eight transfer students, right? Wow. To get so many in the third year."

"And each half is quadruplets. Is this really coincidence?"

"Who cares? We got four more cute girls in our class!"

"Quiet. The homeroom time is over. Time for class! Be nice to them. Hmm…Yuzu-kun, you can sit beside Kanbara over there, while the three of you can sit behind them." The teacher told him while gesturing to Yukiya.

Yukiya blinked when the teacher was pointing at the empty seat beside him. He didn't get to object since Yuzu has made her way there and sat beside him, and the other three girls were also taking their seats behind.

"Nice to meet you, Kanbara-kun." Yuzu greeted him.

"Yeah. Nice to meet you too." Yukiya greeted back. He was about to return to his Duel Disk, but then Yuzu handed a paper to him. He opened the paper and read what was written. The message made him took a long sigh quietly.

 _I've heard everything from Yuya. It is nice to meet you, Zarc._

" _So when he meant by transferring together with his friends…are these four…"_

 **CLASS 3-3 – MIDDLE SCHOOL BUILDING – DEN ACADEMY – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Okay, everyone, today we have four transfer students in this class. You may come in." The teacher gestured Yuya and his counterparts to enter the class. Yuya came in first, followed by Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri.

The background that Yuno has provided was not difficult. The four of them were quadruplet twins and shared Yuya's surname, Sakaki. They were from a wealthy common-class family who moved from the capital for educational purpose (Den Academy was one of the most prestigious schools in the whole empire).

"Wow. We got a full set of four twins in our third year."

"I heard the other class also got quadruplets of transfer students, but they are girls."

"What?! So lucky! There aren't many cute girls in this class."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Well, these four are much cuter than you all!"

"Alright, alright, everyone, calm down! Quiet. You don't want to agitate your new friends here." The teacher sighed in exasperation, clapping his hands as loud as he could to silence the murmuring students. He glanced at the new transfer students, urging them to do their introductions.

"My name is Yuya Sakaki! I hope we can be good friends!" Yuya greeted as cheerfully and friendly as he always did. He wouldn't want to make a bad impression on his first day, so he must pull out his best smile. His smile was so sincere and bright like a little boy that some students laughed or giggled.

"He is like a kid. So cute."

"Very cute. Makes me want to hug him."

"My name is Yuto Sakaki. It's nice to meet you." Yuto greeted politely without making any particular expression. Yuya nudged him, trying to urge him to say more, but the unexpectedly good reception he got made this unnecessary.

"He looks cool~"

"Quiet and cold. Totally my type!"

Yuya snickered as quietly as possible while meekly glancing at Yuto. He has charmed a few girls with his cool demeanor. Too bad for the girls, Yuto already has Ruri who was in different class. Now that he thought about it, Ruri was also pretty. He has no doubt that boys would got attracted to her.

" _Wait, what about Yuzu? Will she be popular among guys, too?!"_ Yuya found himself panicking at the possibility that crossed his mind. Yuzu was cute, and it wasn't difficult for her to gain fans back home… Great. Now he was starting to get worried!

"I'm Yugo Sakaki! You can count on physical exercise to me, but don't expect much on studies cause' I'm not a book person! Nice to meet you all!" Yugo greeted with voice louder than his counterparts and jabbing his finger to his chest, huffing proudly. His counterparts sweat dropped at the seeming implication that the Synchro user has declared himself stupid in studies without Yugo himself realizing.

"What an idiot." Yuri murmured so that no one can hear.

"He's a funny guy!"

"If he's as good as he said, he'll make a good addition for our club."

Now, it was Yuri's turn. To be honest, Yuri didn't care much of what kind of impression he would get under normal circumstances. However, if he wants to get as much as information no matter how small it is, he'll need wide connection. He'll need good pawns that he can use to get them. To do that, he must present himself as a good person. He was perfectly confident in his acting skill. He managed to deceive many people before. It has been a year since he acted, but he can do this. He still remembered what to do. He will be a good student and slowly entangle them to do his biding. He couldn't careless of what his counterparts think of this. All he wanted is to get this war over as soon as possible and return together with Starve Venom.

"My name is Yuri Sakaki. It's a pleasure to meet you all. I know we have our differences, but still I hope we can be good friends." Yuri said with his best imitation of a good boy smile. And just as he expected, it worked. The students in the class was quick to be charmed by his façade. He could feel the sharp stares his counterparts gave him, but he flat out ignoring them. As he said, he couldn't careless and they couldn't stop him anyway.

With the introduction finished, Yuya and his counterparts sit together side by side. They didn't know if it was a coincidence of Yuno has also arranged this, but there was a row of empty four seats that were too perfect for them. Not that it really mattered since in this school, students don't have any designated seats, they can change their seats whenever they want. And none of them care either way anyway. All they care about was to meet Yukiya once it was lunch time. Yuya, in particular, was very eager.

" _Please make this quick!"_

 **LUNCH TIME – HALLWAY – MIDDLE SCHOOL BUILDING – DEN ACADEMY – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

It was finally lunch time. Yukiya tried his best to ignore the stares he got from every student he passed by. Why he became the center of attention? That was because he has four girls with the same faces following behind him. Why they were following him? That was because they were going to meet Yuya and the rest who were placed in another class under pretense showing around the school. He could feel some jealous and envious stares from boys passing by who were looking at him and the girls. It's not like he was doing this because he wanted to, but he had no choice!

"Yukiya!"

Yukiya stopped when he heard his name being called. He looked from the floor to the path in front of him. Speak of the devil. The person he was looking for was coming towards him…with another set of three following behind him, having the same face as him. Really. How can there be five people with having the same faces at the same time? Seeing Yuya's smiling face, however, pushed away these thoughts. Nevertheless, he was happy to see Yuya. The Pendulum user felt warm, and that prompted him to accept his invitation to become his friend.

"Hello! We finally meet!" Yuya greeted Yukiya

"Yeah. This is a one big surprise. Yuno did well putting that tracker on me…" Yukiya replied.

"You realized the tracker?" Yuya blinked.

"Only until after I read your message this morning before class." Yukiya sighed in exasperation. "That Yuno sure is something."

"You must never anger him. Yuno can be…deadly." Yuya said with a quite horrified look on his face as he remembered the punishment Yuno gave to him yesterday. Experiencing it online was already bad, experiencing it real life was even much worse. It was worse than receiving the end of Yuzu's paper fan. He will think more carefully before considering disobeying Yuno ever again. Receiving that punishment is the least that he wanted at the moment.

"I don't know what happened, but you have my condolences…" Yuno patted Yuya's shoulder sympathetically. Whatever happened to Yuya for making Yuno mad, it wasn't good.

"Let's go to the cafeteria. We can talk there." Yukiya suggested. While usually people would do introduction right where they met, hallway won't be the perfect place, especially with the attention they got gathering like this. They'll talk and do introduction while they were eating.

 **AFTER SCHOOL – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

For the whole day, Yukiya and the eight new students were talking about themselves while he gave hem a tour around the school, though it was mostly Yukiya listening to their stories. Even during classes, they still have chances to exchange messages. Now, he was on the way home with Yuya while the girls said they were going to do a bit shopping and Yuya's twins also said they have their own business before going home. This was enjoyable to him after what happened recently. Although, strange enough, some of what they have told him felt he has known them from the very beginning. They have just met and talked today, so why almost everything felt too familiar to him? It was as if he was part of their stories. This wasn't the first time. This has happened before, when he first met Yuya in the Brotherhood's Mother Computer. And that dream he had before. It was definitely Yuya in his dream, and the girl was Yuzu. It was only a dream, he tried to convince himself, but his heart kept telling him otherwise. He couldn't understand at all. It was quite frustrating.

Another thing he realized from talking with Yuya, the tomato haired boy often talked as if he knew him almost like they were one and the same person. The others did too, but not as much as Yuya. And then, there were times even though Yuya smiled at him so warmly, even though talking with him made him so happy, somehow his eyes didn't reflect this moment. It was so unbearably painful.

"What's wrong, Yukiya?" Yuya asked, noticing Yukiya's seemingly hollow expression.

"No. I'm okay. Just thinking about new strategies to fight against Apophis." Yukiya lied. He didn't want to worry him. "Ever since Apophis awakened and Sara is in coma, I can find myself enjoying Duels like before…"

"That's no good. It makes me super happy when watching you enjoy your Duels." Yuya said, looking down with a sad smile.

"Watching me enjoying my Duels makes you happy? Why?" Yukiya asked, confused.

"A…friend of mine, enjoyed dueling and loved making people happy with his dueling…" Yuya answered. His smile was even sadder than before. It was like he was thinking a bittersweet memory. It made his heart ache seeing Yuya smiling like that.

"What does that has anything to do with me?" Yukiya asked again, not understanding what was the connection between Yuya's old friend who enjoyed dueling with his dueling making the tomato haired boy happy.

"Oh, I mean… you two are very much alike!" Yuya answered.

Yukiya stopped when he heard that answer. Yuya didn't mean anything bad from what he said. Yet to him, Yuya's words stung and felt it was going to break him. A rush of disappointment came into him.

"I'm thinking about this now…are you really looking at me?" Yukiya finally asked. He made a pained expression as he looked at Yuya. "Because somehow I have a feeling that you're looking at someone else in me. Now that you said I'm like someone that you knew, because of that you want to be friends with me no matter what?"

Yukiya didn't know what was gotten into him. His mouth opened and kept letting out words he didn't mean to say. He didn't understand. It just kept coming out. He tried to tell himself to stop, but he couldn't. Something inside him was telling him that he must speak. He must let out everything or else nothing will change. Why? Why do he want this to change? What was happening to him?

"That's all there is to it? Am I just some kind of substitute? When you're talking and smiling at me, it feels like you'll leave and chasing after someone else one day." Yukiya didn't know. But he does know this. If he truly wanted to be friends, he wouldn't say this kind of thing. It's not Yuya's fault. He just felt lonely and want to run away. Everything was okay a while ago, so why he felt like this only by what Yuya said that held no ill will whatsoever against him?

"You said you wanted to be my friend. But…if it's like that…then I can't be your friend."

Yukiya didn't dare to look Yuya's face. He dashed as fast as he could, away from Yuya.

" _What's wrong with me? After I met him the first time, I wanted to see him again. And then when he asked me to become friends, I felt so happy. When I also become friends with the others, I became happier. Then why Yuya's words affecting me this much now? Even though he didn't mean anything bad…"_

Yukiya clenched his chest tight. He felt horrible.

 **ZAIZEN RESIDENT – APARTMENT – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

A girl arrived in her home, being welcomed by a pink robotic caretaker. She threw her school bag on the table while she sat on the couch. The girl has light brown hair in bob-cut and yellow eyes. She was wearing Den Academy uniform that consisted of a slate-colored jacket with a light blue trim, which she wore over a light yellow jumper. Underneath, she has a white dress shirt with a blue tie and heart-shaped clip. Her uniform also included a short black skirt with black socks that reach below her knee and brown shoes.

The girl's phone rang. She took it out from her pocket skirt and looked at the name of the caller. Akira Zaizen. She accepted the call, showing Akira on the full screen of her phone.

"Aoi. Are you home now?" The young man asked the girl, Aoi.

"Yes, Brother. I've just arrived." Aoi replied to her older brother.

"Lord Haydel wishes to speak with the both of us tomorrow at the office. It seems he has a job for you as Blue Angel." Akira told her. His voice didn't sound happy.

"Understood. I'll go to the office after school. We'll meet there?" Aoi didn't look as happy as Akira did, but since this was her job, she has no choice.

Akira frowned seeing his younger sister's tired face. "Aoi. If you don't want to do this anymore, just tell me. I'll talk with Lord Haydel. You're–" Before he could finish, Aoi cut him off.

"It's okay, Brother. I'll go. This is something that I've decided. Don't worry." Aoi tried to assure her brother with a smile, but it was difficult for her to even try smiling. Akira knew this too, but he didn't want to make her think too much than she already has.

"I'll come home earlier today. Let's make dinner together. I'll buy the ingredients. How about we have oden tonight?" Akira offered, trying t cheer his little sister.

"Okay. I'm looking forward to it." Aoi replied before they turned off the call.

Aoi leaned completely on the couch. Her head was up, looking at the ceiling as exhaustion left her body. She covered her eyes with her arm, trying to suppress the stress that has been building up in her lately.

"I have to do this…"

 **THE NEXT DAY – ENTRANCE – DEN ACADEMY – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

It has been a whole night, and Yukiya still felt horrible for what he did yesterday. Two days ago he agreed to become Yuya's friend, only to break their very brief friendship the next day afterwards. In street language, he felt like a shit. A piece of shit. The lowest of the lowest. Now neither Yuya nor his friends will come near him again. Because he has arbitrarily said they should stop being friends and it must have hurt Yuya. He didn't want to go to school and face the eight new transfer students. He didn't know how to act around them now. He was afraid to be honest.

"YUKIYA STOP RIGHT THERE!"

Yukiya flinched when he heard someone shouting his name so loud. He looked behind him and gaped when he saw Yugo was running towards him at full speed with a face that was practically telling him 'move or die'. However, only an idiot would just stay on his spot when there was someone coming at them with such expression. What kind of sane person who would do that? That's why Yukiya was running like his life was on the line. Then again, perhaps his life was indeed on the line since Yugo seemed ready to murder him. The Synchro user was chasing after him like the wind itself that won't stop until he got him. It was seriously scary.

"Don't come near me!" Yukiya yelled back at Yugo who downright ignore him. Instead, his gaze intensified and fastened his speed, prompting Yukiya to do the same. He ran and ran without paying attention to where he was going or people who were looking at them. The power of will was truly amazing. Under normal circumstances, he would have already exhausted and unable to run by now.

"NOW YUTO!" Yugo suddenly said.

Yukiya was so focused on escaping Yugo that he was late to realize an arm appearing in his view. The next thing he realized was a strong pain on his face as the arm hit him. He fell flat on his back on the ground. When he regained his vision, he saw Yuto hovering over him. From his arm gesture, Yukiya realized it was Yuto who strikes him. That hurt.

"Your turn, Yuri!" Yuto shouted, turning to his right.

Everything, again, happened so fast in Yukiya's mind. Before he knew it, Yuri has tied him up with a rope, placed him on a stroller, and dragged him away.

"What the hell is this all about?! Why are you kidnapping me?! Where are you taking me?!" Yukiya protested, struggling in vain to free himself from his bind.

"Our youngest brother wants to speak with you. We knew you're going to run away after what happened yesterday, so we have to use force." Yuri explained nonchalantly, smiling as if this was a normal thing to do.

"Of course I'm going to run away with you doing this to me! Anybody would!" Yukiya stared at Yuri in disbelief. Is he a sadist or what?

"Don't bother. He won't listen to anyone but Yuya once he is like this." Yugo told Yukiya.

" _You're also as guilty!"_ Yukiya screamed in his mind at Yugo.

"Sorry. We'll pay you back after this is over. Please just be patient for a bit." Yuto apologized. He truly regretted doing this. Yukiya could tell he was the most reluctant out of the three.

"If he messed up, it's okay if I leash him, right?" Yuri said while holding the said leash with expectation. His eyes glinted madly and Yukiya felt sick. Fortunately, Yuto and Yugo disagreed. Good. As long as these two were around, he won't get hurt more than this.

They stopped at a riverbank. Yuri untied Yukiya and then pushed him down, almost falling into the river in the process. Yukiya quickly back to his feet, wiping the dirt and grasses from his uniform. A footstep made him looks back, expecting him to see triplets. However, it turned out to be the very person he was trying to avoid after what happened yesterday. Yuya was standing in front of him while his three brothers were watching from the sideline.

"Zarc…! No! Yukiya…! What do I have to do so we can become friends?!" Yuya asked straight to the point. Yukiya stumbled upon hearing what Yuya has to say.

" _He doesn't get it…!"_ Yukiya clasped a hand over his face.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable and upset you, Yukiya. But…even after you said that, I still want to be friends with you!" Yuya looked at Yukiya so pleadingly, and Yukiya's heart winced. Yuya wanted to be his friend this much. It made him feel even guiltier, especially that Yuya never made him uncomfortable let alone upsetting him.

"There's something important that I-we haven't told anyone else in this dimension other than Yuno and the Brotherhood. You may not be able to understand it and you may think I'm crazy or a weirdo… And yet because I want us to get to know each other, get along well and close, I'll tell you! I want to form a strong friendship with you!" Yuya said it with all of his emotions. Words, voice, expression, his emotion was see-through. The more Yukiya looked at Yuya, the more he sensed Yuya's sincerity.

"Won't you give me a chance for us to become friends?" Yuya looked at him straight in the eyes. He has no intention to back down from this.

"Geez… You big moron…! You've got a lot of nerve, you know that!" Yukiya yanked the point of his green hair. This tomato headed guy was driving him crazy!

"B-but, I can't help it! If you don't want to become my friend, I'll make you want to somehow!" Yuya said between his cries. Even when he was being treated like this, he was still determined not to back down.

"How are you gonna do that?!"

"That's up to you! If you hate me, I'll do my best to make you like me until we become best friends!"

" _This is no use! I'm being pulled into his pace! Why is he so insistent?!"_

Yukiya crouched down, having a headache. All of this was so confusing. He agreed to become Yuya's friend, not only because of his entertaining aroma, but also because Yuya gave off warmth he never got other than from Sara. When he thought Yuya only want to be friends with him because of his old friend it hurt him, so he left. After that, though, Yukiya felt something was loss in his heart. After talking with Yuya and his friends, he couldn't help but want to be with them more. He wanted to form a strong bond with them no matter what. That was what he felt. Also, he doesn't hate them, especially Yuya.

"Fine. I give up…" Yukiya stood up again, letting out a long breath with his hand covering his eyes before he removed them, revealing his smile.

"I'll do my best, to be you friend." Yukiya finally relented. Maybe Yuya was still seeing him like a substitute for his old friend he mentioned. Then the answer should be simple. He will make Yuya see him for who he was from now on. He was an idiot for not coming up with this answer yesterday.

"Thank you!" Yuya hurtled to hug him. They almost fell out with an oof, but Yukiya managed to catch themselves.

"Yuya, I'm gonna choke!" Yukiya's arms flailed briefly.

"S-sorry, I'm just so happy…!" Yuya let go of Yukiya, giving his new friend one of his best bright smiles. Yukiya felt relieved seeing that smile. Looks like he made the right decision.

"Hi. Good to hear the two of you made up." Yuto approached the two with Yugo while Yuri decided to stay and watch on the same spot.

"Yuya's friend is our friend too! Welcome to the group, Yukiya!" Yugo smacked Yukiya's back in friendly manner, almost making Yukiya to fall again.

Yukiya laughed. There were still things that were bothering him about them. He would find out about them eventually. But for now, he would enjoy this moment and the next, creating as many good memories as he can with these new friends whom he knew he would never hate. They maybe obnoxious, reckless, one even a sadist, but they were not bad. He just knew everything would be fine between them.

"I'm looking forward to get to know you all, friends."

 **MEETING ROOM – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Have you ever heard of 'hearts and mind' strategy?"

Sherry asked the moment everyone were gathering again like last night. Just as Yuya and the others arrived back, Shark suddenly came to pick them up, saying they were having another meeting. Yugo complained that he was tired. All four of them were tired, but Shark said they should just be tried more and then they'll get a long nice uninterrupted rest. Reluctantly, the four boys followed Shark to the meeting room, where everyone was already there, waiting for them.

"It's a concept occasionally expressed in the resolution of war, insurgency, and other conflicts, in which one side seeks to prevail not by the use of superior force, but by making emotional or intellectual appeals to sway supporters of the other side. In other words, you want to gather more supporters through some sort of symbol." Yuri answered. It was one of the strategies he learned from his times in Academia. The Professor himself was the example of the symbol of that strategy.

"Mostly correct. The Phantom's first appearance opens this possibility for us." Ryo responded.

"Wait. What do you mean 'mostly correct'? That's not what you're aiming?" Yuto asked. By introducing Phantom who was the savior of LINK VRAINS as a member of the Brotherhood, there will be no doubt many supports for the Brotherhood would grow considerably, or perhaps even more.

"Our aim is not to make the populace to support the Brotherhood, what we want is to convince them to put aside their differences and work together." Jounouchi answered, correcting the boys' deduction. He then turned to Yuya, his student. "Yuya, Phantom has gained admiration and support from both commoners and nobles alike. You gave them hope. We wish for that hope to remain in people's hearts."

"I…gave them…hope?" Yuya blinked, not expecting that. His last stunt has given motivation to people?

"You once told us about the conflict in Synchro Dimension, right? It's not so different like when you dueled Jack in the Friendship Cup a year ago. Unite the people of this empire the same way you did with the people of the City at that time." Sherry recounts what Yugo has told her. From hearing Yugo's story, it wasn't difficult to guess that the condition of Yugo's hometown before it changed was the similar as the condition in this empire. Just as Yuya has given the people of City hope and became their symbol as the one who united them together with Jack, they wished for Yuya to do the same.

"Now that you mention it, it does sound possible. You've done it once, you can do it again, Yuya!" Yugo encouraged his Pendulum Counterpart.

"But of course, we won't ask Phantom alone to do this." Yuno looked not only at Yuya, but also at all of his descendants, and they stared back at him.

"The four of you will be the ones to make that possible."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Phantom Dragons, Log In! –** Having fully understood Speed Duel and Master Duel, Yuya and his friends enter LINK VRAINS as a group just in time to stop another attack of Apophis's group using their newly improved avatars.

* * *

 **Sorry there's no Duel in this chapter. I'm trying to focus on the start of friendship between Yuya and Yukiya, and also with the others of course. This chapter is also the first introduction of Aoi and Akira…briefly. But don't worry, the two of them will be explained more in the next chapter and they will appear more in chapter 19. The next chapter will finally the real debut of Yuya and co's Speed Duel!**

 **By the way, I'm thinking about this, I've already thought up the whole plot from beginning until the end, but before going on with the plot, do you think I should write around 3 or 4 chapters that showed their new school life for some refresher? Before moving on to the serious stuff? The deadline for this would be once the next chapter is updated, which will be around…4-5 days? I'll wait for your respond.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	18. Phantom Dragons, Log In!

**Big thank you to** _ **Yuka Kuroshiro, Ulrich362, Gentyman, Unknowedz, Ryujomaru15, dvdryms, aqua9597, matrixnis, Big duels, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Playerhood18, GamingGuy84, MarBere123, SSJGamerYT, Elbarto4000, Rogue or Karma Ackerman, scififan599**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **P.E PERIOD – GYM – DEN ACADEMY – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yukiya and Yuya's class were having a joint exercise for today's P.E period. The P.E teacher decided to hold a volleyball game. Each class will be divided into different groups and play against each other. The grouping was decided by the teacher to ensure fairness and balance, especially considering the addition of two sets of quadruplets in the two classes. There were two fields. The right one was used by the boys while the left one was used by the girls.

"Kyaaaa! Serena is so cool!"

The girls cheered as they watched Serena hit another score in volleyball, resulting in her team's victory. Following her team's victory, several girls gathered around her, giving the indigo haired girl their praises and words of admiration. Several boys who were watching also sneaked glances at her.

"She's definitely not the princess type." Yukiya mused while taking a drink.

"You think so too, huh?" Yuya said as he washed his face with his water drink.

"She is a gorilla-girl, alright!" Yugo said, recalling the nickname Yuri and Dennis gave for Serena.

"Where is Yuri?" Yukiya asked, noticing the violet haired twin was gone.

"He is still playing volleyball over there." Yuto answered, pointing at where Yuri was playing with his team.

"Before meeting us, Serena had spent most of her life learning military Dueling so she didn't really know how to act feminine and had quite poor social skill, but she's getting better now." Yuzu came into the conversation, also watching Serena beside the boys together with Ruri and Rin.

"This Academia you guys talked about is definitely not a school that I want to attend." Yukiya said, recalling what Yuya told him about Academia during the war in ARC-V a year ago.

"Don't worry, the academy no longer teaches military training and doesn't isolate the students any more, so if you attend the school, you'll be fine." Yuzu assured the silvernet, though the latter still pass the idea of attending Academia.

"What are you talking about?" Serena asked as she approached them while wiping the sweats on her face with a towel.

"Nah, we're just talking how you're not like a princess at all." Yukiya answered.

"Princess? What do you mean?" Serena blinked in confusion.

"Rather than a princess, you look more like a prince who is protecting the princess." Yuya added. Ever since his adventure crossing dimensions with Serena, Yuya found it hard to see Serena as a type of girl that needed to be protected. She was stubborn, hardheaded, determined, and brave girl who prefer to directly face the danger head on instead of running away from it. She refused to standby and just watched others to fight and insisted to join the fray. If it were not for her fondness for moonflowers and her certain cuteness, Serena would have perfectly passed on as a boy. He knew that he was not the only one who thought this way.

"Oh? Then…that means Yuri is my princess?" Serena suddenly responded, tilting her head in thought.

The boys went silent as they were processing Serena's words. Instantly, they imagined Yuri as a princess as Serena put it. A jeweled crown, long pink frilly dress, wearing lipstick and eyelashes… They all tried hard not to fall out laughing from their imagination. In the end though, they settled with snickering as the image of Yuri as a princess latched in their minds.

The other three girls, on the other hand, sighed at the boys' insensitivity. The three huddled together in a circle and whispered quietly as they analyze Serena's wonder.

"Serena immediately considers Yuri as her 'princess', do you think that means…?" Rin whispered, implying a possible budding love in their Fusion counterpart.

"Well, Serena is very slow and don't understand well about this kind of thing. Maybe she said that while thinking about it subconsciously." Yuzu deduced.

"If this is true, then we must support her!" Ruri encouraged, feeling obligated to help the Fusion Counterpart.

"But this is Yuri that we are talking about. Do you think it'll work out?" Yuzu interjected. She just couldn't imagine Yuri and Serena together. The two are too much of an opposite from each other.

Back to the boys, they were still snickering from their imagination of 'Princess Yuri'.

"Seeing the grinning bastard like that would be hilarious!" Yugo exclaimed, unable to contain his laughter.

"Hey, If Yuri heard you, he'll be mad." Yuya shushed Yugo, but the Synchro Counterpart ignored him.

"It's fine! He is still busy with his volley–" Yugo didn't get to finish as a volleyball hit him right on his face, pushing him down flat on his back. Yuya, Yuto, and Yukiya were so startled that they were late to react. Yuya and Yukiya checked at Yugo who was holding his reddened face from the strike.

"Oh? I hit you? Sorry about that, Fusion." Yuri apologized while picking up the ball with oh so innocent face that reflecting zero guilt of his action. Yugo's face twitched with fury as he attempted to punch back the grinning Fusin Counterpart if it were not for Yuya and Yukiya holding him back.

"It's Yugo! Not Fusion! And you clearly did it on purpose! Come here so I can rip out that creepy grin of yours!" Yugo struggled from Yuya and Yukiya's hold. The two strengthened their arms to prevent the fight that will occur if they let go Yugo while trying to calm him down with soothing words.

"I don't know what kind of conversation you are having, but my instinct is telling me you're talking something rude about me, so we're even." Yuri replied as his two pointy antennas-like hair stood straight as if to emphasize it.

"Yuri! Did you get the ball yet?!" A student from Yuri's team called him out.

"Coming!" Yuri replied. He gave his four look-alikes a mocking grin before retreating back to his volley game.

"Dammit that bastard! Let me go! I'm gonna kill him!" Yugo started another round of struggle so he can chase after the Fusion Counterpart.

"You need to chill already." Yukiya told the Synchro user.

It has been three days since Yuya and the others transferred into Den Academy. The arrival of two sets of quadruplets have caused quite uproar throughout the school's middle-school section. Plus, the eight of them were almost like a glue, often hanging out together and that made them stand out without them meaning to. Each of the twins having their own charms also garnered admirations from other students:

Yuya and Yuzu were friendly and open so they were fun to talk to. Yuya's specialty in magic tricks and his 'straight-man comedy act' with Yuzu also made them likeable (Yukiya himself also enjoyed this). Yugo's physical skill in sports impressed various sport clubs in the school who invited him to join them. Rin's motherly air, especially when scolding Yugo (which became number 2 show that was amusing to watch after Yuya and Yuzu's act), made her easy to talk to. While Yuto was nice, he didn't talk much to others other than to his twins the girls. Not to mention being introduced as the oldest of the twins and when they saw him scolding the other three for something they did gave everyone the impression that he is the cool responsible older brother type of guy, making him popular with girls. Ruri was considered the most beautiful of the girls. Her politeness and kindness only made her all the more popular with the guys. Yuri was good with his words and knew how to handle people, winning the hearts of students from both inside and outside class. Serena's tomboyish demeanor and strong will plus her excelling in sports that was on par with Yugo also gained her admirers.

"Yukiya, do you have time after school? We want to discuss about the program you gave to us and the program Yuno-san made." Yuya asked as he reminding about the program Yukiya gave to him after his Duel against Go.

"Sure. Let's do it in the Duel Club's room. There's no club activity today, so it's empty." Yukiya suggested. "But in exchange, tell me more about this Action Duel you're talking about, deal?"

"Okay!"

 **YUNO'S OFFICE – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD'S HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuno entered his room to finish his paperwork, but then he found Lilac sitting on his chair while busying herself in front of her laptop. When Yuno approached her, she was so absorbed in her work that she didn't even hear his call. He took a peek at what she was working, and when he did, he snapped her from her work by clapping his hand loudly right beside her right, prompting her to cover her ears and nearly jumped from shock.

"Yuno-sama! Don't startle me like that!" Lilac protested.

"I already called you like ten times but you didn't listen to me." Yuno retorted before pointing at her laptop. "Now, minding explaining what is this you're working?"

"Everyone already your plan to use hearts and mind strategy by using Yuya-kun and the others. I thought this would help for their propaganda." Lilac answered with sparkling eyes, clearly proud of what she was working on.

"As long as it doesn't involve hijacking TV studios or anything similar to that, I don't mind." Yuno told her with straight face, knowing exactly what she was thinking. This made her pout.

"Aww…but that was the most fun part!" Lilac complained, earning her a flick on her forehead.

"Yuya has already made uproar in the media together with Zarc due to his recent stunts, so hijacking is not necessary. Plus, no offense to your work, I don't think this will be much of help. People got drawn to Zarc and Phantom for what they did at that very moment, not because something that was scripted…"

"I knew you'd say that. That's why I have prepared this just in case." Lilac said with sneaky grin, making Yuno to stare at her questioningly.

"Prepared what?"

 **AFTER SCHOOL – CITY LIBRARY – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"So we pick these Action Cards once per Turn and we can use it at any time?" Yukiya remarked with awe as Yuya explained about Action Duel. Again though, he felt this wasn't the first time he heard about Action Duel. He felt he had done it before.

"Yeah. But Action Card is not always good. There is also an Action Trap. If we get that, it may make our situation worse." Yuya explained more.

"Hey, talking about Action Card is cool and all, but can you save it for later and instead focus on these programs here?" Yuri pulled the two by the back of their collars, pulling them to the front of the computer.

"My bad. I'll get into it." Yukiya sat in front of the computer and keyboards and started typing, checking the programs made by him and by Yuno. Yukiya decided to check Yuno's first.

"Wow! So these are the avatars and Skills that the Oracle created for you guys?" Yukiya looked at the four avatars stats on his computer screen with amazement. Yuya's avatar was Phantom, Yuto's avatar was Shadow, Yugo's avatar was Sync, and Yuri's avatar was Venom.

Phantom retained his goggle and hooded cloak, but now he didn't wear any mask and the outfit underneath the cloak consisted of a black top, an orange unbuttoned vest with red markings, and red-brown pants. His hair was red and green-colored.

Shadow was wearing a dark purple frock with black lining with a large collar that has a black trim with a flowing blue cape, and armored boots. His face was covered by a goggle and black mask, the same one he used during his time as Resistance. His hair was light purple and black.

Sync was wearing two bands on his right arm, white gloves, a white shirt with a yellow pattern, and a sleeveless white vest with a dark green flannel shirt attached underneath. His lower attire consisted of matching white pants with a faint windy print. His face was partly covered by his blue-colored visor goggle. His hair was yellow and blue.

Venom was wearing a yellow shirt with a black vest over it, and his neck was tied with purple cloak. His attire consisted of red pants, violet jacket with black stripes, and red gloves. His face was covered by a black mask and violet-colored visor goggle. His hair was pink and violet.

"Of course we also helped in creating them…a bit." Yugo added.

"We made them to fit our Decks. We also learned hacking in the process." Yuto revealed. While improving the avatars and their programs together, the Oracle also urged them to learn more about computers and hacking. Yuya, amongst the four of them, was surprisingly the fastest to learn.

"How about you girls? You haven't created your avatars yet?" Yukiya asked the four girls.

"Ours are still in progress. Johan-san and the others said they'll tell us once the time is right." Yuzu answered.

"We have also learned a bit about hacking and programming." Ruri added.

"Technologies these days are essentials after all. It's better for you to learn more." Yukiya noted before moving to check to his program.

"By the way, are you sure it's okay to give these to us?" Yuya asked as Yukiya typed his keyboards.

"No problem at all. We're friends now, right? Friends help each other. Besides, Cyber Cosmos and Linkuriboh also talked me into this. They won't be happy if I'm keeping this for myself." Yukiya assured his new friends without his eyes leaving the screen.

"Kuri~" Hearing Yukiya, Linkuriboh landed itself on Yuya's shoulder, leaning to the boy's cheek to tell him it's okay. Yuya patted the Kuriboh gratefully, chuckling when the Kuriboh leaned to his touch. This caught Kuribohder's attention, prompting the Kuriboh on Yuya's lap to tug his shirt so the Pendulum user will also pay more attention to it. Knowing this, Yuya gently ruffled Kuribohder's fur. Didn't expect his Kuriboh could get jealous so easily.

"Why am I the only one who got a not nice Kuriboh?" Yugo pouted after looking at Linkuriboh and Kuribohder. This, however, earned him a headbutt from his Junkuriboh from behind, taking him by surprise. Obviously, Yugo began a childish struggle against Junkuriboh. Again, why this kind of Kuriboh chose him? Yuri of all people got a far nicer one! This was unfair!

"By the way, are you guys sure you're going to do what the Oracle told you? About this hearts and mind strategy." Yukiya asked his four look-alikes.

"Yeah. If this will really help motivating the two factions to unite, then I'll do it." Yuya answered without a hitch, voice smooth and determined.

"Yuya is pretty much already a symbol in ARC-V, so it shouldn't be so difficult here. But we won't let him bear it alone." Yugo agreed, placing his arm around Yuya that emphasizing his support.

"Besides, we may catch Apophis or our dragons' attentions if we make ourselves stand out." Yuri added, confirming that he also joined into the plan.

"Shun too. If he is watching us like this, he will know that we are here and show himself." Yuto conceded to the plan as well. Even if they were using avatars, Shun surely would recognize them through their Cards and Duel styles. He hoped Shun will watch them and send some kind of message that will tell his condition or location.

Yukiya smiled, placing his arms behind head. "Since you guys have made up your mind, I won't stop you. I will do my best to support you as Zarc." He gave them a thumb up. While he wasn't an official member of the Brotherhood and he will never be, he didn't mind giving the full support to his new friends. He didn't understand why, but he trusted them with his life. Strange, considering he just knew them for a few days.

A loud alarming noise interrupted their moment. Yukiya turned back to the computer, opening the live news channel in LINK VRAINS. Speak of the devil. Four Servants, low-ranking members of Apophis' group, has logged into LINK VRAINS and wrecked havoc again. There was no sight of any upper-rank member with them. They were most likely only some hoodlums fond of beating up weak Duelists for pleasure. Yukiya did, however, noticed several viruses and bugs being spread into the server.

"It's Apophis' Servants." Yukiya informed his friends, showing the live footage that showed the Servants defeating one Duelist after another.

"They're attacking Link VRAINS again?!" Yuzu exclaimed with frown, covering her mouth as a Duelist has been purged by a Servant.

"Aside from defeating Duelist, they're also spreading viruses and bugs into the server. I don't know why they're doing this since I don't know what kind of viruses and bugs these are, but it certainly something we cannot ignore. They need to be stopped." Yukiya stated as he reached for his Duel Disk, but Yuya then placed a hand over his, stopping him.

"Leave this to us. Times for us to make our debut." Yuya told Yukiya, showing a message with written instruction from Yuno for them to take immediate action. Yuya looked at his counterparts. The four of them nodded and wore their Duel Disks.

"Be careful everyone!" Serena told the boys who were in their positions.

"It's okay! We'll return!" Yuya promised to Yukiya and the girls. He looked at his counterparts again. "Ready, everyone?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Yuri responded with a raised brow and excited grin. They were more than ready.

"Into the VRAINS!"

 **LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY SERVER – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The Servants of Apophis mercilessly attacked and purged any Duelist they crossed paths with. As the continued their onslaught, the viruses and bugs they have scattered along the way began to corrupt the server, enveloping it in what looked like pitch-black void. People who came in contact with it instantly got deleted. At the same time, in real life, various electronic malfunctions occurred.

"Do you think this is enough? It will spread the entire area in a few minutes." A Servant with red insignia asked his companions as he saw the spreading blackness.

"No. Not yet. Let's hunt down more preys before we finish this." A Servant with blue insignia replied, spotting an escaping player before him. He and his three companions were ready to give the said prey a chase when wind-like blades barely grazing them, stopping them.

"That's as far as you can go!"

The four Servants turned to the source of the voice. Another wave of Data Storm came into the view. Riding the Data Storm were four people whose avatars took appearance of teenagers around 14 or 15 years. The four of them were riding D-Boards like they did and were approaching them in high speed. They were late to react as the four newcomers clashed their D-Boards with their own, separating them.

"Who are you people?!" The Servant with green insignia questioned angrily.

"We are the Phantom Dragons, the ones who will put a stop at you!" Shadow answered as he pushed further the Servant he was clashing against, motioning the other three to do the same. Following the motion, the four youths split up, allowing each of them to face their enemies one-on-one.

"Oh? So Phantom brought his comrades along this time." The Servant said with a mocking tone as he faced his opponent. "We'll show you the real horror of Lord Apophis with the dragons he have granted to us!"

"And we'll show you the power of Duelists from ARC-V!" Shadow retorted, activating his Duel Disk.

 **[SPEED DUEL!]**

"I'm taking the first Turn! I set 3 cards and end my Turn!" Shadow started his Turn by simply setting three facedown cards. This confused the Servant, but he then snickered while staring at Shadow with condescending look.

"You only set 3 cards without summoning any monster? What a joke. This will be quick." The Servant said. This Duel will be a breeze to him. He was sure of it.

"My Turn! I set a card facedown." The Servant set one card.

"I Special Summon Hack Worm (ATK: 400 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)! When there's no monsters on my opponent's Field, I can Special Summon it from my hand." The Servant summoned Hack Worm in Attack Position in Monster Zone.

"I'm Special Summoning another Hack Worm!" The Servant summoned another copy of Hack Worm beside the other.

"I release the two Hack Worms to Advance Summon! Show yourself! Cracking Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 0 / LV: 8)!" The Servant summoned Cracking Dragon in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack directly with Cracking Dragon!" The Servant declared attack immediately, pointing at his designated target whose Field was wide open. Cracking Dragon lunged forward, opening its mouth as if ready to consume the Phantom Knights user.

Shadow picked the only card in his hand. "When my opponent declares Direct Attack, I can discard Phantom Knights – Ghost Mask (ATK: 500 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3) from my hand to halve the damage!" He sent Ghost Mask to his Graveyard, creating a barrier that lessened the damage he took as Cracking Dragon crashed its head against the invisible barrier, deflecting the dragon back to its user.

 **SHADOW LP: 4000 = 2500**

"When I received damage, I can activate Double Trap: Phantom Knights – Night Guard! I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to the half of the damage I took!" Shadow opened two of his three facedown cards. Since there were two cards, each card inflicted 1500 damage, amking it 3000 damage in total.

 **SERVANT LP: 4000 = 1000**

"Kuh! To think you inflicted this much damage during my Turn!" The Servant clicked his tongue in annoyance and surprise.

"I'm not done yet! Then I can special summon Night Guards as Normal Monsters with their Levels one Level lower than my opponent's highest Level Monster!" Yuto summoned Night Guards with 0 ATK and DEF and Level 7 in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I overlay my two Night Guards! Fangs of rebellion gain new power and slash the pall of darkness! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 7! Dark Anthelion Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 7 / ORU: 2)!" Shadow summoned Dark Anthelion in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I end my Turn." The Servant concluded his Turn.

"My Turn! I activate Dark Anthelion Dragon's Monster Effect! Once per Turn, I can detach an Overlay Unit to halve the ATK of an opponent's monster and added that lost ATK to Dark Anthelion! Furthermore, I gain LP equal to the same amount of ATK it gained and it cannot be destroyed the Turn I used its effect!" Shadow halved Cracking Dragon's ATK to 1500 while increasing Dark Anthelion's ATK to 4500 and then increased his LP by the same amount.

 **SHADOW LP: 2500 = 4000**

"Go! Dark Anthelion! Attack Cracking Dragon! Absorb Eclipse!" Shadow declared attack. Dark Anthelion flew straight at Cracking Dragon, ready to pierce the black dragon with its fangs.

"Trap Card: Wall of the Dark! I change Cracking Dragon into Defense Position and it cannot be destroyed by Battle!" The Servant instantly changed his dragon into defensive, and due to its Trap Card, the black dragon crashed its head against Dark Anthelion's, enduring its attack.

"I end my Turn." Shadow concluded. Due to its effect, Night Guard was banished the moment it was sent to the Graveyard.

"My Turn! First, I change Cracking Dragon to Attack Position." The Servant made his dragon into offensive stance again.

"I activate the Skill, Double Draw!" The Servant drew 2 cards from his Deck.

"I activate Equip Spell: Data Enhance! The monster equipped with this card gain 800 ATK!" The Servant increased Cracking Dragon's ATK to 3800.

"Battle! I attack Dark Anthelion Dragon with Cracking Dragon!" The Servant declared attack again with his powered up dragon. Cacking Dragon opened its mouth, shooting green laser straight at the Xyz-Pendulum dragon.

"I activate Phantom Knights – Quiet Air's effect! I can banish it from my hand to negate my monster's destruction!" Shadow discarded the card he drew in his previous Turn, enabling Dark Anthelion to block the green laser with its hands, though it caused his hands to crack as Shadow received damage.

 **SHADOW LP: 4000 = 3200**

"Don't be relieved just yet! I activate Quick-Play Spell: Follow Slaughter! When a monster I control inflicted damage to my opponent, I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to the original ATK of the monster!" The Servant played the only card in his hand, inflicting additional damage to Shadow.

 **SHADOW LP: 3200 = 200**

"How's that?! Now your LP is only 200! You'll be finished on my next Turn!" The Servant laughed mockingly, sticking his tongue out at the Xyz user.

"If you have your next Turn, that is." Shadow replied calmly, expression undeterred.

"I activate Skill: Phantom Resurgence! I can return 2 cards that I banished back to my Graveyard!" Shadow retrieved Night Guard and Quiet Air back to the Graveyard from the Banish Zone.

"I activate Ghost Mask's effect in the Graveyard! I banish it to special summon as many Phantom Knights Monsters in the Graveyard with their ATKs and DEFs become 0!" Shadow revived his Night Guard and Quiet Air in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"It's the time! Come forth, the circuit of shadow that cover the world!" Shadow opened the Link Circuit in front of him.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 1 Phantom Knights Monster! I set Dark Anthelion Dragon, Phantom Knights Quiet Air, and Phantom Knights Night Guard in the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Shadow set Dark Anthelion in the Top Marker, Quiet Air in the Left Marker, and Night Guard in the Bottom Marker.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyber Rebellion Dragon (ATK: 2300 / Link: 3 / LM: Left, Top, Bottom)!" Shadow summoned dragon similar as Cyber-Eyes Dragon but with purple bodies and fangs similar to Dark Rebellion and electrical stain glass-like wings with black armors on its torso.

"I activate Quiet Air's second effect! By banishing it from Graveyard, I can special summon a monster in my Graveyard in Defense Position with its effect negated!" Shadow revived Dark Anthelion Dragon in Defense Position and its effect sealed.

"I activate Cyber Rebellion's effect! I can lower my opponent's monster's ATK equal to the ATK of a monster pointed by Cyber Rebellion's Link Marker!" Shadow lowered Cracking Dragon's ATK equal to Dark Anthelion, reducing its ATK completely to 0 as Cyber Rebellion electrocuted the black dragon with the lightning from its wings.

"Battle! I attack Cracking Dragon with Cyber Rebellion Dragon!" Shadow declared his last attack. Cyber Rebellion Dragon covered its entire body with purple electricity from its wings, particularly its fangs that glowed brightly. The dragon let out a loud roar before flying forward, eyes focused solely on Cracking Dragon. In a few seconds, Cyber Rebellion's fangs pierced through the black dragon, exploding it to bits of data and blew away the Servant.

 **SERVANT LP: 1000 = 0**

Shadow landed at the top of a building, waiting for his other three comrades who were still fighting. While waiting for his comrades, he looked at the new card given by Yukiya. He only heard about Cyberse Archetype once from Shark. He had thought that the Cyberse Archetype would be powerful much like Numbers Archetype, but this was beyond his imagination. Was it because Yukiya did some modification? He will have to ask the Supreme King user later.

At the other side of the building, Sync was fiercely bumping his D-Board against the Servant who became his opponent. He knew that they should settle this with a Duel, but the Servant's continuous bumps has succeeded to encourage him to retaliate by crashing his D-Board back against his opponent. He was the one who asked first, so he couldn't help it.

"It's about time we end this! Raise your Duel Disk! Duelists should settle dispute with Duel!" The Servant finally said, having enough with clashing against Sync with their D-Boards instead of their Decks.

"Now you said it! Come on! I'll give you guys a lesson not to mess with us!" Sync activated his Duel Disk as he was told, finally beginning the Duel.

 **[SPEED DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! When neither of us controls any monter, I can special summon Speedroid Passing Rider!" Sync summoned Passing Rider in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I set a card and end my Turn!" Sync concluded his Turn, turning to the Servant behind him warily.

"My Turn! I Special Summon Hack Worm (ATK: 400 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)! When there's no monsters on my opponent's Field, I can Special Summon it from my hand." The Servant summoned Hack Worm in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I'm Special Summoning another Hack Worm!" The Servant summoned another copy of Hack Worm beside the other in the Main Monster Zone in Attack Position.

"I release the two Hack Worms to Advance Summon! Show yourself! Cracking Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 0 / LV: 8)!" The Servant summoned Cracking Dragon in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone, replacing the two Hack Worms.

"Battle! I attack Passing Rider with Cracking Dragon!" The Servant immediately declared attack, motioning Cracking Dragon to shoot its green laser at the Speedroid Monster.

"Trap Card: Barrier Gum! I negate my monster's destruction by Battle!" Sync opened his facedown card, blocking the laser from Passing Rider, though the impact of the clash pushed back Passing Rider and Sync.

 **SYNCLP: 4000 = 3200**

"With this I end my turn." He concluded.

"My Turn! I summon Speedroid Domino Butterfly!" Sync summoned Domino Butterfl in Attack Position beside Passing Rider.

"I tune Passing Rider with Domino Butterfly! Shining wings, deliver divine speed and illuminate heaven and earth! Synchro Summon! Clearwing Fast Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 2)!" Sync summoned Clearwing in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Clearwing Fast Dragon's effect! I negate my opponent's monster's effect and reduce its ATK to 0!" Sync sealed Cracking Dragon's effect and made it powerless.

"Battle! I attack Cracking Dragon with Clearwing Fast Dragon!" Sync declared attack. Clearwing whirled its body like a whirlwind, covering its body with green-colored spiraling winds. The Synchro dragon dashed forward, striking the black dragon. Due to the black dragon's effect, however, it wasn't destroyed as Clearwing has lower Level than it.

 **SERVANT LP: 4000 = 1500**

"Take that, you jerk! I end my Turn." Sync concluded with a proud look at his dragon.

"You'll pay for that! My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Triple Crush! I can negate the effect of a monster my opponent controls and my monster's ATK is increased equal to the original ATK of that monster!" The Servant sealed Clearwing's effect and increased Cracking Dragon's ATK to 5500.

"What?! It negated my effect and gain ATK equal to my dragon's?!" Sync exclaimed in surprise as he stared at the powered up dragon.

"Say goodbye to your dragon! Battle! I attack Clearwing Fast Dragon with Cracking Dragon!" The Servant retaliated Sync's previous attack. Cracking Dragon shot its green laser again, but this time there were teal-colored flames spiraling around the laser that increased its destructive power.

"I activate Skill: Speed Roll! I play a dice, and the effect I will get depend on the number of dice shown!" Sync activated his Skill, calling forth a six-eyed dice with the following effects for each number on the dice:

1\. Draw 2 cards

2\. Monsters on your Field gain 500 ATK

3\. Destroy Magic or Trap on the Field

4\. Negate monster's destruction and special summon Level 4 or lower Speedroid monster from Graveyard

5\. Negate the attack and summon a Tuner Monster from Deck or Graveyard

6\. Destroy all monsters on the Field

The dice stopped at 4, allowing Sync to negate his Clearwing's destruction and special summon Domino Butterfly from his Graveyard in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone. Clearwing blocked the laser, deflecting Cracking Dragon back to its controller.

 **SYNC LP: 3200 = 200**

"So you managed to survive by a hair due to pure luck, huh? But luck won't happen frequently! I'll finish you off in my next Turn!" The Servant declared confidently while pointing at Sync.

Sync smiled smugly at the Servant in response. "Luck is also part of every Duel you know. I'm not going to expect you to understand, so I'll just skip the talk and go straight to the finale!"

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice!" Sync summoned Tri-Eyed Dice in Attack Position beside Domino Butterfly in the Main Monster Zone.

Sync then raised his arm up, his smile widened together with his excitement. "Appear, the circuit of acceleration that sway the wind!" He called forth the Link Circuit, forming it above him.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 1 Speedroid Monster! I set Clearwing Fast Dragon, Speedroid Domino Butterfly, and Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Sync set Clearwing on the Upper-Right Link Marker, Domino Butterfly on the Bottom-Left Link Marker, and Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice on the Bottom-Right Link Marker.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyber Wing Dragon (ATK: 2300 / Link: 3 / LM: Upper-Right, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right)!" Sync summoned a dragon similar with Cyber-Eyes and Cyber Rebellion, but its body was light green-colored with wings similar, as Clearwing and it didn't have any legs. There were cybernetic lines and several rectangle-shaped patterns on its body.

"I activate Cyber Wing Dragon's effect! Once per Turn, I can special summon a Level 5 or lower Monster from my Graveyard!" Sync revived Passing Rider in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Cyber Wing's second effect! Once per Turn, I can increase its ATK equal to the ATK of a monster pointed by its Link Marker!" Since Passing Rider was pointed by Cyber Wing's Bottom-Right Link Marker, Cyber Wing's ATK was increased by 2200, making its current ATK 4500.

"What?!" The Servant exclaimed. His LP was exactly at 1500. If the attack destroys Cracking Dragon…

"Battle! I attack Cracking Dragon with Cyber Wing Dragon!" Sync declared his final attack. Cyber Wing's wings unleashed a strong wave of winds that cut the black dragon until it was disintegrated into nothing while its controller was blown away by the wind as its LP was completely depleted.

 **SERVANT LP: 1500 = 0**

"Heh! You're years too early to think you can defeat us!" Sync declared proudly at the falling Servant before jumping onto his dragon and then landed right next to Shadow on the rooftop.

"Only two more to go." Shadow remarked as Sync arrived.

"For Phantom and Venom, it'll be a piece of cake!" Sync stated, expressing his confidence in their Pendulum and Fusion counterparts.

At the same time, the said Venom was facing one of the last two Servants remained. He crossed his arms as he eyed his opponent with that of a predator setting his eyes on his prey. His playful smile turned into a bloodthirsty grin seemingly ready to skewer his prey into shreds. The said Servant shuddered at the cold gaze Venom was giving him. It was like a terror was going to happen.

"My, you seem pretty pale. Are you unwell? But do not worry, because I, Venoms, shall grace you with a poison that will send you to a peaceful rest." Venom licked his lips in excitement. The Servant shivered but then forced himself to stand tall.

"I'll make you eat those words, ignorant fool!" The Servant retorted, activating his Duel Disk, which marked the beginning of the Duel.

 **[SPEED DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! My Turn! I Special Summon Hack Worm (ATK: 400 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)! When there's no monsters on my opponent's Field, I can Special Summon it from my hand." The Servant summoned Hack Worm in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I'm Special Summoning another Hack Worm!" The Servant summoned another copy of Hack Worm beside the other.

"I release the two Hack Worms to Advance Summon! Show yourself! Cracking Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 0 / LV: 8)!" The Servant summoned Cracking Dragon in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I end my turn with this." He concluded.

"Why do hoodlums like to use the same Archetype? It'll make it easier for opponents to figure out your strategy you know. My Turn! From my hand, I summon Predator Plants Moray Nephentes (ATK: 1600 /DEF: 1000 / LV: 4)!" Venom summoned Moray Nephentes in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"When my opponent summoned exactly one Monster, I can make your monster lost its ATK equal to its Level x200 until the end of Turn and inflict damage equal to the lost amount of ATK! Cracking Howl!" The Servant decreased Moray Nephentes' ATK to 800 and inflicted damage to its owner the same amount.

 **VENOM LP: 4000 = 3200**

"I activate Magic Card: Fusion. I fuse Moray Nephentes on my Field and Sarcodes Iguana in my hand! Two beautiful flowers with insect-alluring fragrance become the dragon with dripping poison and consume until your hunger is satisfied! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 7! Starve Venemy Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 1)!" Venom summoned Starve Venemy in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Starve Venemy's effect! Once per Turn I can negate the effect of a monster on the Field and acquired that effect and I also lower that monster's ATK by 500 and inflict 500 damage to my opponent!" Venom sealed Cracking Dragon's effect and then lowered its ATK to 2500 before shooting energy bullets from its mouth that inflicted 500 damage to the Servant.

 **SERVANT LP: 4000 = 3500**

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Venom concluded his first Turn, reverting Cracking Dragon's ATK to normal and allowed it to use its effect again.

"Now, please struggle as much as you can. Or else this game would be very boring." Venoms taunted his opponent despite having lower LP and lower ATK monster. His face was still showing complete confidence that he will win without a fail.

"I'll end your dragon this Turn! You are finished!" The Servant declared angrily. The brat dared to act all high and mighty even though it was clear he has the advantage. The nerve of the rotten brat!

"I activate the Skill, Double Draw!" The Servant activated his Skill and was ready to draw two cards from his Deck. However…

"At this moment, I activate Skill: Snap Jaw! I can negate the activation of a Skill and steal it!" As Venom declared, a shadow of venus flytrap appeared from his body and lunged at the Servant with its jaw opened, hitting the Servant.

"What?!" The Servant was dumbstruck as the jaw retreated into his opponent and he found himself he couldn't activate his Skill.

"Now your Skill is mine. Don't worry. you can still use your Skill in your next Turn. If you can survive until your next Turn that is." Venom taunted further, daring the Servant to make his attack. As he expected, the Servant took his bait too easily.

"Tch! Then I attack Starve Venemy with Cracking Dragon!" The Servant declared attack, prompting his black dragon to shot its green laser at the Fusion-Pendulum Dragon.

"Trap Card: Predator Wall. I can negate destruction DARK Monster I control." Venom opened his facedown card, creating a black wall that blocked the laser from destroying his dragon, though he still took damage from it.

 **VENOM LP: 3200 = 2300**

"I end my Turn…" The Servant reluctantly ended his Turn. Frustrated overwhelming him.

"I'll defeat you using the Skill I've stolen from you." Venom stated as he activated Double Draw, allowing him to draw 2 cards.

"I activate Magic Card: Fusion Pillars. Monsters that I used as Fusion Materials can be special summoned with their Effects negated." Venom revived Moray Nephentes and Sarcodes Iguana in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"And then from my hand, I summon Predator Plants Banksia Butterfly (ATK: 800 / DEF: 700 / LV: 2)." Venoms summoned Banksia Butterfly in Attack Position beside Moray Nephentes and Sarcodes Iguana.

"Now, it's time for you to see hell! Appear, the circuit of thorn that open the path to the abyss!" Venoms' eyes slit like a serpent and his grin became even more menacing as the Link Circuit formed beside him.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 1 Predator Plants Monster! I set Starve Venemy Dragon, Predator Plants Banksia Butterfly, and Predator Plants Sarcodes Iguana in the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Venom set Starve Venemy at the Top Link Marker, Banksia Butterfly at the Bottom-Left Link Marker, and Sarcodes Iguana at the Upper-Right Link Marker.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyber Venom Dragon (ATK: 2300 / Link: 3 / LM: Top, Bottom-Left, Upper-Right)!" Venom summoned a dragon similar to Cyber Rebellion and Cyber Wing, but it was violet colored and it doesn't have any wings and instead there were four mouthed protrusions on its back and mouth-like hole on its stomach.

"I activate Cyber Venom Dragon's effect! I can lower the ATK of my opponent's monster equal to the total ATK and DEF of a monster pointed by its Link Marker!" Venom lowered Cracking Dragon's ATK equal to Moray Nephentes' ATK and DEF combined, making the black dragon's current ATK 400.

"My Cracking Dragon's ATK became only 400?!" The Servant looked at his weakened dragon in shock and disbelieve.

"Now, it's your meal time, Cyber Venom. Consume Cracking Dragon!" Venom declared, extending his arm at the designated dragon. Cyber Venom opened the mouth on its stomach as its protrusions grabbed the black dragon and pulled it into the Link Monster. The black dragon disintegrated as Cyber Venom ate it whole.

 **SERVANT LP: 3500 = 1600**

"But my LP still remains!" The Servant reminded, but he flinched when Venoms grinned at him.

"I activate Cyber Venom's second effect. When it destroys a monster, I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to the ATK of the monster pointed by its Link Marker!" Venoms revealed as Cyber Venom opened one of its protrusions and shot pink laser that strike through the Servant's avatar, making him fall from his D-Board and logged out.

 **SERVANT LP: 1600 = 0**

"Fufufu… You're a certainly marvelous dragon. I like you." Venom said as he patted Cyber Venom's head before landing on the rooftop, standing beside Shadow and Sync.

"Stop that creepy grin. It's sickening." Sync commented.

"No can do. This is my face." Venom responded while fixing his goggles.

Shadow automatically placed himself between Venom and Sync before the two started bickering. Shadow then turned to the last remaining enemy and their counterpart who has yet to return. Only one more to go.

"I'm putting a stop to this." Phantom responded, raising his Duel Disk.

"Bring it on! Your victory against Dante-sama is only a fluke! I'll put an end to you now! The stain you have inflicted on us will be wiped clean by me!" The Servant accepted the challenge, activating his Duel Disk.

"Try if you can!" Phantom also activated his Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[SPEED DUEL!]**

"I shall go first! My Turn! I Special Summon Hack Worm (ATK: 400 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)! When there's no monsters on my opponent's Field, I can Special Summon it from my hand." The Servant summoned Hack Worm in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I'm Special Summoning another Hack Worm!" The Servant summoned another copy of Hack Worm beside the other in the Main Monster Zone.

"Watch this! I release the two Hack Worms to Advance Summon! Show yourself! Cracking Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 0 / LV: 8)!" The Servant summoned Cracking Dragon in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I set a card and end my turn." He concluded.

"My Turn! With Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, I set the Pendulum Scale! With this I can simultaneously summon Level 2 to 7 monsters! Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Create an arc of light across the aether! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my monsters!" Phantom summoned Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 4), Entermate Curly Kitty (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 700 / LV: 4 / PS: 3) and Entermate Curly Puppy (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 800 / LV: 4 / PS: 6) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Curly Puppy's effect! I can double the ATK of one Monster I control!" Phantom chose his dragon, increasing Odd-Eyes' ATK to 5000.

"Battle! I attack Cracking Dragon with Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!" Phantom declared attack with his dragon. The white-colored dragon burned the black dragon with its fiery blast. However, due to Cracking Dragon's effect, it cannot be destroyed by Battle since Odd-Eyes has lower Level than it, allowing Cracking Dragon to survive the attack.

 **SERVANT LP: 4000 = 2000**

"I already know your dragon's effect, so I've prepared! Continuous Trap Card: Cracking Pierce! I can negate the effect of a monster my opponent controls! This effect lasts as long as Cracking Dragon is on the Field!" The Servant opened his facedown card, sealing Odd-Eyes Phantom's Monster Effect.

"I end my Turn." Phantom concluded.

"My Turn! I activate the Skill, Double Draw!" The Servant drew 2 cards from his Deck right after his Draw Phase.

"From my hand, I activate Magic Card: Cracking Circuit! I lower the ATKs of monsters my opponent controls equal to the ATK of a monster I control!" The Servant lowered Odd-Eyes Phantom's ATK by 3000, making the Pendulum Monster's current ATK 2000.

"And then I activate Equip Spell: Dark Data Armor! When the monster equipped with this card destroyed a monster, it can attack two more times! Battle! I attack Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!" The Servant declared attack with its black dragon. Cracking Dragon opened its mouth as green energies accumulated into it before the dragon finally unleash destructive green blast towards the Pendulum Dragon, destroying it.

 **PHANTOM LP: 4000 = 3000**

"Once again, I attack Curly Puppy!" The Servant continued its attack following the Equip Spell's effect. Cracking Dragon shot another blast, destroying the curly furred puppy-like monster and pushed the Phantom further back.

 **PHANTOM LP: 3000 = 1500**

"And lastly, I attack Curly Kitty!" The Servant made its last attack. Cracking Dragon shot the same blast and destroyed the Phantom's last remaining monster on the Field. The last attack nearly pushed him off from his D-Board, but he managed to retain his balance.

 **PHANTOM LP: 1500 = 100**

"I end my Turn. Hmph. Your LP is only 100 now, and even if you brought back your Odd-Eyes, I can negate its effect with my Trap! My next Turn will be the end of you!" The Servant told Phantom smugly, confident of his victory.

Phantom smirked back at the Servant. "As long as I still have my LP, the Duel is not over yet! My Turn!" He looked at the card he drew, and his smiled widened.

"I activate Skill: Pendulum Encore! I can add up to 3 Pendulum Cards from my Extra Deck to my hand!" Phantom took back his face-up Pendulum Cards that got sent to his Extra Deck after they were destroyed earlier to his hand. Now, he can summon them again to his Main Monster Zone instead of Extra Monster Zone.

"With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Appear!" Yuya summoned back Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon, Curly Puppy, and Curly Kitty back to the Main Monster Zone in Attack Position exactly like before.

"I told you it's pointless! I banish Cracking Pierce to negate your Odd-Eyes' Monster Effect!" The Servant banished his Continuous Trap from his Graveyard, allowing him to once again seal Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon's Monster Effect.

"Are you sure about that? My show has yet to call the main performer!" Phantom revealed, looking back to the Servant with his confident smile, which unnerved the opponent.

"What?"

"The fun starts now! Come forth, the circuit of entertainment that enlighten the future!" Phantom spread his arms up and wide; calling forth the Link Circuit that appeared above him.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 1 Odd-Eyes Monster! I set Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon, Entermate Curly Kitty, and Entermate Curly Puppy to the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Phantom set his three Pendulum Monsters. Odd-Eyes went to the Top Link Marker, Curly Kitty went to the Bottom Link Marker, and Curly Puppy went to the Right Link Marker.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyber-Eyes Dragon (ATK: 2300 / Link: 3 / LM: Top, Bottom, Right)!" Phantom summoned a red-colored dragon-like monster with mechanic body. Throughout the whole body were circuit-like lines with jewel-like orbs attached midline on its abdomen. It has electric white wings that span roughly the same length as its body.

"But your dragon's ATK is still weaker than my Cracking Dragon! It's even weaker than your Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!" The Servant pointed out.

"No! This is according to my plan!" Phantom retorted as he showed the card he just drew.

"From my hand, I summon Entermate Party Pigeon (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4)!" Phantom summoned a white-colored pigeon-like monster wearing a clown outfit in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone right beneath Cyber-Eyes Dragon.

"I activate Cyber-Eyes' effect! I can increase its ATK equal to the total ATK of DEF of the monster pointed by its Link Markers!" Phantom declared, prompting the lines and orbs around Cyber-Eyes' body to glow. Party Pigeon's body was covered in red articles that went into the dragon's lines and orbs. The dragon was absorbing Party Pigeon's energy, increasing its ATK to 3300.

"And that's not all! I activate Party Pigeon's effect! It can copy the Monster Effect of an Entermate Pendulum Monster face-up in the Extra Deck!" Phantom chose Curly Puppy's Monster Effect. Party Pigeon twirled its performer staff before pointing it at Cyber-Eyes as its staff was covered in white light that granted the dragon a power up, doubling its ATK to 6600.

"An ATK of 6600?!" The Servant exclaimed in disbelieves.

"Battle! I attack Cracking Dragon with Cyber-Eyes Dragon!" Phantom declared his counterattack with his newest dragon. Cyber-Eyes Dragon spread its wings, the orbs around its body produced white electrical circles that starting to form white spiraling energy sphere. Cyber-Eyes' dichromatic eyes glinted as it shot the sphere, striking down the black dragon. The Servant fell from his D-Board to the rooftop of a building as his LP was completely reduced to nothing.

 **SERVANT LP: 2000 = 0**

" _Amazing. The dragons Yukiya gave to us are amazing."_ Phantom remarked in his mind while looking at new dragon in awe. Phantom jumped from his D-Board to ride on his dragon's back. Cyber-Eyes brought Phantom up to the sky as it shot several blasts that exploded like fireworks in the sky, enchanting the audience watching them before landing on another rooftop where his comrades were waiting for them.

Offline, all channels were showing the four Duelists who have defeated Apophis' servants with relative ease. The avatars that have been sent to scoop news in LINK VRAINS focused on them, which as Yuno has hoped and expected. This is when things will depend on the four of them…or Yuya to be precise. Yuya, as Phantom, must convince the citizens of Cantidel to fight together with his words. While he was good at Dueling, giving speech for…seemingly political purpose is just not his style. He tried not to look as uncomfortable as he felt. He resisted the urge to run a nervous hand through his hair. He wasn't…he wasn't cut out for this. He felt like he was going to fall to pieces in a minute, what with all the eyes on him. But he must do this if he wants to win over their hearts. He must stand strong and show them they can be trusted. He wasn't alone. His counterparts were there with him.

" _I can do this…!"_ Phantom told himself to steel his resolve before he finally spoke.

"People of Cantidel Empire, there is no need to be afraid! We are Phantom Dragons of Lancers, a part of group from ARC-V who came to help you to defeat Apophis who have attacked our dimension as well. It has been days since we arrived in this dimension, but we have understood the current condition of this Empire…"

Phantom's eyes flickered down to his knees, and he felt the entire area suddenly grow tense and cold. His stomach twisted briefly—and then it relaxed. He lifted his eyes back to the eyes who watched them, who broadcasted this to whole empire.

"Let us no longer be broken between factions. Apophis would have us all fall to his ambition. I ask this last request: nobles, commoners, people of Cantidel, of this dimension—join hands with us to fight him. Join with us and let us join with you, that we can end his terror and restore the peace for both our dimensions without fear."

The reaction was nearly immediate. Most people watching let out shouts of approval. They were overjoyed by the fact that people of the original dimension has confirmed their alliance with this dimension. The hope they have just became higher and higher. They felt at more ease with this announcement.

Amongst the crowds, Go was watching the whole thing with a smile together with the children who were cheering.

"Looks like more Duelists from ARC-V have come… I'm looking forward to meet them." Go stated.

 **OFFICE – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuno and his comrades were watching the live news from his office with satisfaction on their faces. Things have gone smoothly as they have planned. Yuno could tell that it made Yuya's stomach twist horribly to think about being forced in front of such a crowd like that, so he was glad that Yuya managed to pull it off. He initially thought to have either Yuri or Yuto to do the speech, but then he realized that Yuya must be the one to do it – Phantom must be the one to do it since he had spread influence from the beginning. He actually didn't like making his descendants doing this kind of thing, but both he and his descendants knew it was a necessary…'political' gesture for the sake everyone watching.

The relation between the Phantom Dragons and the Brotherhood must not be found out or misunderstanding may grow within them. What they needed right now was someone or a group who can become a neutral force and bridge between the two dimensions. That's why the Phantom Dragons' identity must be kept secret at all cost until the right time comes.

"Are you okay, Yuno? You don't look that happy." Jounouchi asked, glancing at Yuno with concern.

"I'm fine. I'm just glad they did it." Yuno assured the Red-Eyes user. He stood from his chair and placed his hands on the table, earning everyone's attention.

"Everyone we cannot celebrate yet. This is just the start of our counterattack. We must always be prepared for Apophis' next attack. He won't stop at nothing to gain what he wants." Yuno told his compatriots with determined gaze, and they all responded him with their own determination.

"Now that they have understood Master Duel and Speed Duel, you can proceed to the next training stage." Yuno told the mentors who nodded dutifully.

"We still need to find Apophis' whereabouts now that he has lost his physical body. He can't move freely and his power weakens, if we can find him before he can restore his power, we can put an end to him. This is our chance. Try your best to look for him." Yuno told his compatriots.

"Also, this viruses and bugs, I want you to analyze them. Zarc is helping us too and said he will give an update if he finds something ahead. These are maybe the reason why Apophis' attack has been focused on LINK VRAINS instead of the real world recently." Yuno told Lilac as he hand over the data sent Yukiya.

With their respective assignments being given, the meeting was concluded.

 **OFFICE – ABERFORTH ENTERPRISE – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"The Phantom Dragons, a group of Duelists from ARC-V who came to help us against Apophis. Fascinating." Haydel mused as he watched the live footage of the Phantom Dragons' appearance on TV before turning the TV off to speak with two people in front of him, Aoi and Akira.

"It is good news that the people of the original dimension are in opposition against Apophis. However, I'm afraid that they do not represent ARC-V as whole, and I have no doubt there will be others from both factions will try to win over them so they will follow their whims." Haydel stated, turning his eyes to Akira with his hands under his chin.

"Chief Zaizen, I want you to do investigation on into the backgrounds of its members. We must not let these youths with so much potentials to be manipulated by potential hostile groups." Haydel told Akira, his faith in the young man was clear in his voice.

"I have already anticipated that they will pique your interest, Commander. The investigation is underway, so you don't need to worry." Akira assured his boss. He had expected Haydel will be interested in the Phantom Dragons since his leader has already shown interest in Phantom after seeing his first appearance in LINK VRAINS. If they could find them, he was sure Haydel can sway the four Duelists to join forces with them.

"Excellent, Zaizen. I knew I could count on you." Haydel smiled proudly at Akira.

"As much as I am relieved there are Duelists from ARC-V who came to help us, it doesn't mean we, as the resident of this dimension, can just leave everything to them. We must protect our homeland with our own hands." Haydel said as his eyes slowly shifted to the younger Zaizen, Aoi.

"Aoi-kun, this is where your role as Charisma Duelist is important. I have great expectations for you. Nurture the bonds you share, and train up bodies and wills of steel… For I have no doubt you'll need them in the turbulent times to come."

Aoi immediately was assaulted by a sense of pressure that caused her to almost stumble. It was neither gentle nor hostile, but the air of authority from the Supreme Commander was enough to cause her to flinch. Her older brother tried to ease her by briefly patting her back, something which she was grateful of despite how little it helped her. Aoi could only nod her head obediently to the Supreme Commander.

"…I shall endeavor to. I hope I'll live up to your expectation."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Reformist Idol, Blue Angel! –** Aoi Zaizen, the real life persona of famous Charisma Duelist Blue Angel, feels pressured by the expectation from her peers to make a further support for reform movement. While looking information about Phantom Dragons, she meets Ruri and Rio who are asking around for information about Shun.

* * *

 **First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Wish you all the best in 2018!**

 **Finally this chapter is done. Since eight people are dueling at the same time, I shortened the Duels. I thank you for the ones who helped me coming up with the Skills for Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo, and also some Link Summoning Chants! I'm truly grateful! I have trouble coming up with the avatar designs for the boys and it eventually became like this. For those who may be curious, they have different goggles designs that suit them, but I'm having trouble to describe each of their goggles. And their hair colour in LINK VRAINS is reversed from their normal hair colour. Take Ghost Girl as an example. For their VR names; Yuya's Phantom as you all now is from the manga, Yuto's Shadow is from another word that I could come up with related to Phantom Knights, Yugo's Sync is a short from Synchro.**

 **I've decided to write 3 refresher chapters before moving on with the plot and go to the serious stuff starting from chapter 20 until chapter 22. I will still add some bits about the plot and clues of the mystery in those chapters, but the three chapters will mainly focusing on the characters and their interactions. Who knows, maybe I'll add more teasing romance between the counterparts XD**

 **The next chapter will be Aoi vs Ruri (Speed Duel in LINK VRAINS of course)! Stay tune if you want to know their Duel! As for the reason why I chose Ruri out of the four girls…you may already guessed it yourself, but I'll still explain it in the next chapter note. Fanfic OC Memo will be added later. About Cyberse Archetype will be explained in the next chapter too. Sorry for any error. I'll fix it later.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter~**


	19. Reformist Idol, Blue Angel!

**Big thanks to** _ **Yuka Kuroshiro, Ryujomaru15, aqua9597, GamingGuy84, Unknowedz, Big duels, Elbarto4000, Playerhood18, Ulrich362, Demons Anarchy of Pride, dvdryms, CityLover96, bladewriter3, Pimsan, SSJGamerYT**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **AFTER SCHOOL – MIDDLE-SCHOOL BUILDING – DEN ACADEMY – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Yukiya, Yugo and Yuya said they are having trouble with homework and need helps. Want to come along to the library with us?" Yuzu offered to the silvernet beside her as they were putting their books into their bags in preparation to go home.

"Sure. I have nothing to do anyway. The others will be there too?" Yukiya asked, turning to the rest of the girls

"Sorry but I have something to do. Maybe next time." Ruri replied as she took her bag, ready to leave. She turned to the door and saw the person she has been waiting for.

"Ruri, you're ready?" Yuto asked as he poked his head into the classroom, looking at her. This prompted Ruri to quickly go to his side, almost falling from the stairs in the process, but Yuto stopped her right on time, steadying her. After thanking Yuto, Ruri turned to her counterparts and Yukiya as she and Yuto excused themselves.

"See you later everyone!" Ruri told them with Yuto waving at them.

As the two Xyz counterparts were leaving, Yukiya blinked a few times before pointing to where they went while looking at the other three girls.

"Something to do means a date?" Yukiya asked the rest of the girls who simply nodded in reply.

This caught the attention of the rest of the classmates, especially the boys who all have a crush on Ruri. As Yuto and Ruri walked together side by side while conversing so happily, many students were watching the two of them with various expressions and murmuring with each other. Both Yuto and Ruri were too comfortable talking with one another to even notice the stares and talks about them.

"Looks like they really are dating…"

"It sucks, but they do match each other."

"Yeah, look at her. She is very beautiful and refined…"

"Girls do like cool guy like him…"

"Don't forget that guy is also good in sports and strong."

"Do you think the same also goes to the other twins?"

When Yuto and Ruri reached the front gate, they saw Shark and Rio were waiting for them. Shark was wearing his normal purple clothes, but Rio, as opposed to her priestess clothes, was wearing a white jacket over a light pink shirt, black stockings, white skirt and shoes. The left coattail of her jacket has a conch-like ornament hanging down. Shark was staring at them passively with his hands inside his pocket while Rio was waving her hand at them.

"Ryoga-san, Rio-san, sorry to kept you waiting." Ruri said to the Kamishiro siblings.

"Don't worry. We've just arrived." Rio assured the two. She then pulled out a paper from her bag. "I've prepared what you needed."

Shark took the paper from his sister's hand. "We're really going to do this? I don't think this will work out." He said skeptically, earning him a jab on his chest by his sister who smiled sharply at her. He groaned but stayed quiet.

"Better than nothing at all. Let's go." Rio said, ushering Ruri and Yuto, leaving the school ground.

 **LIBRARY – MIDDLE-SCHOOL BUILDING – DEN ACADEMY – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Ruri and Yuto are going to register Kurosaki as a missing person?" Yuzu remarked after hearing the reason behind Yuto and Ruri's leave from Rin and Yuya.

"Yeah. Yuto said that Shark told him registering Kurosaki as missing person in Cantidel's police force would be faster since the Brotherhood currently doesn't have many people to be dispatched to look for him and the locations where they can look are also limited at the moment." Yuya explained the conversation they were having last night. Despite the performance they pulled in LINK VRAINS, Yuto thought that was still not enough so confided to Shark about it who then suggested the registration.

"And when he heard that Ruri also planned for the same thing after she discussed it with Rio-san, they decided to go together." Rin finished Yuya's explanation.

"Then shouldn't we be helping them? Let's try like handing out fliers of missing person with Kurosaki's face on!" Yugo suggested and seemed ready to bolt out from the library with that in mind, but his collar was effectively yanked by Rin, stopping him from leaving.

"Yuno-san has specifically asked me to watch over your study, and I also agree with him. I won't let you use this as an excuse to skip doing your homework." Rin told her childhood friend, forcing him to sit back on his chair. The Speedroid user let out a pout from his failed attempt to escape. He never liked book study.

"By the way, Yukiya, how and where did you get your hands on the Cyberse cards? I heard from Yuto that Cyberse Archetype is one of rare archetypes that cannot be found just anywhere since they are the first archetype of Link Monsters." Yuya asked. When he first used the Cyberse card he got from Yukiya in his Duel against the Servant a day before, Yuto told him about the Cyberse Archetype and what made them so special than other Link Monsters. Of course, he also heard about the other archetypes as well.

"I'm not the one who found them. Sara did." Yukiya answered.

"Sara? Your comatose friend? She found it?" Yuya remarked with surprise.

"Yeah. She hasn't told me all the detail, but she said when she was taking a walk in LINK VRAINS, she heard voices. When she followed the voices, she somehow ended up in a different area that she was positive is not supposed to exist in LINK VRAINS where there were strong Data Storm. She got into the Data Storm by accident, and from within that Data Storm she got them." Yukiya explained. It happened around a week before Sara was attacked and got into coma. She suddenly came to his house and showed him new cards she got and asked him to help her analyze it.

"Those monsters came from Data Storm?!" Yuya exclaimed in surprise, causing others who were in the library to shush at him. Yuya apologized meekly before quieting his voice.

"Yeah. She didn't know what to do with them so she entrusted them to me." Yukiya continued.

"How about the modification? How did you improve these cards?" Yuri asked, also interested with the new monsters they got.

"They were originally come from Data Storm in the network, so it's not difficult to make changes while they were still in data form before materializing them as cards in real life. Plus, I already have permission from the monsters themselves." Yukiya replied.

"Awesome…I wanna try that too…" Yugo said with awe while looking at his cards.

Before the boys could speak more, they each got a smack on their head from Yuzu's paper fan. She, Rin, and Serena were crossing their arms while looming over the boys.

"Talk later and do your homework first."

 **ROOM – ZAIZEN RESIDENT – APARTMENT – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Aoi sat on the couch with brooding look, neglecting her schoolbag on the floor. She then turned on the TV that was showing news about the place where her older brother was working at, the Aberforth Enterprise. The Aberforth Enterprise was a globally operating multinational trading company that found by Heidel Aberforth. The organization was the one who primarily maintaining LINK VRAINS and also doing researches of Duel Monsters. As the organization in charge of LINK VRAINS, they have access to technologies that overlook the Cyberspace, including City Scan and Log-Out Prevention programs. Her older brother, Akira Zaizen, was working there as the head of the group. He was also one of a few people that people said to be trusted the most by Heidel, the owner of the company.

Aoi watched the news tiredly as she watched her brother being surrounded by dozens of reporters interviewing him.

"There are rumors that Aberforth Enterprise will arrange a Duel between Blue Angel and one of the Phantom Dragons!"

"And you will also arrange her to duel Zarc!"

"Is this to promote friendship between the two dimensions? Or is this a new business strategy?"

"So these Duel arrangements are to ensure our dimension's alliance with ARC-V?"

"But there is also a rumor that this is simply to win over them to the Military Faction."

Aoi frowned as she looked at her brother's face. It was clear that all this troubled her brother. Rumors sure spread fast. She was also troubled by this. Her career as Charisma Duelist Blue Angel has brought her enormous popularity, especially from the commoners after she defeated a Duelist from a noble family in Speed Duel a year ago. This victory and her rising popularity earned the attention of Heidel, her brother's superior. She was called to meet him and asked to help in his reform movement. Honestly, she didn't really care about the conflict between the nobles and commoners and anything related to that. She was content by simply having her brother by her side. But she wanted to help her brother and gain his recognition and she feared if she declined, it might jeopardize her brother's position in the company, so she accepted.

Since then, she did what Heidel asked her to whenever she could. In no time, she was known as 'Reformist Idol' for her actions instructed by Heidel seemed to support the reform movement. Things started to get quite hard for Blue Angel since then. She faced harassment and even death threats from several nobles whenever she logged into LINK VRAINS. Fortunately, this didn't extend to the real life, as no one knew of her identity thanks to the protection given by Heidel. Still, it was quite frustrating.

" _I can endure this. For Brother's sake, I will endure this forever if I must…!"_ Aoi thought to herself. There were times she thought about stopping, but the thought of troubling her brother and her wish to be recognized by him pushed her to keep moving forward in this path.

" _Time to determine my next opponent…"_ Aoi opened her laptop, searching through Duelists in LINK VRAINS who was of noble bloodline with not-so-well reputation. Whoever it will be, she will defeat her opponent.

" _If I do this, Brother's position in the company won't change… He may acknowledged my efforts too eventually…"_

 **POLICE STATION – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuto and Shark handed the photograph of Shun to the investigator for the search while Ruri and Rio were waiting outside at street nearby handing out fliers of the missing young man. The procedure wasn't so long or difficult thanks to Shark's connection as a member of the Brotherhood. All they needed were filling some bios and then they could leave it to the police for the search.

"Is there really any point doing this? You'll also look for him yourself, aren't you?" Shark asked his student.

"Right now if there are any resources that can be helpful in finding Shun no matter how small the chance is, I'll take it. Me, Ruri, everyone…we just want him back safe and sound…" Yuto said as he looked at photograph of him with Shun, Ruri, and their friends from Clover Branch that was taken a few months ago. They were having a picnic during school vacation at that time. Ruri and Sayaka were the ones who prepared for the foods while the boys were the ones handling everything else. It was one of the most funs they have recently.

"You're very close with this Shun, huh. You're thinking about him this much. You said I reminded you of him, but really, what kind of person he is?" Shark asked, growing curious after seeing Yuto worrying so much about his best friend.

"Before the war that I told you before, Shun was a brighter person, the opposite of me who is more quiet and timid. He often dueled with our friend and rival Kaito in the plaza where children often gathered to watch them. After the Duel, the children would always surround them with admiration. Seeing Shun like that, I feel he represents the children's hope and dream. Me, on the other hand, only watched the two of them like a shadow…" Yuto started to tell his story.

When it was still the early days after he and Shun started becoming friends, Yuto was always fine following behind Shun like a shadow as he put it. He wasn't very talkative compared to Shun who despite being the type not to talk so much still talked and interacted more than him. Shun was friendly to children who admired him and sometimes spent times with them. While Yuto himself also liked children, at that time, he was confused on how to interact with them. That's why he preferred to watch from afar, becoming one with the shadow of the trees that covered him.

" _Shadow, huh…"_ Shark's expression became colder, but he didn't stop Yuto from telling his story. In fact, he listened to him even more. The topic suddenly gained his interest.

"But Shun, and then Ruri, they both pulled me from the dark. I realized that what I want is to be able to walk side by side together with the both of them as both Duelist and true friends. I also want to give the children and other people hope like they do." As times passed, Yuto began to reflect his thought about being fine to be always in the shadow. This was furthered after he met Ruri. The Kurosaki siblings seemed to have noticed his thinking, as they were always insistent on having him around in their Duels and various activities that made him as stand out as them. They showed him that they wanted the three of them to stand side-by-side bringing happiness and hope to others together.

"When I realized that, I decided that I must change. It's not only Shun and Ruri actually. Yuya and my other friends also helped me. I became the way I am now thanks to them." Yuto stated with a fond smile as he thought about his friends. He felt so blessed to be able to meet them. By meeting them, he became stronger, and became a better human being.

"And yet you chose 'Shadow' as your account name in LINK VRAINS." Shark said with a sigh. Yuto's choice of name seemed to be the exact opposite of what he just said.

"To be honest it's just something that popped out in my head." Yuto said with a soft laugh. He chose the name 'Shadow' because he thought it fit his Phantom Knights Deck, not because he was still thinking he was just a shadow or anything. Then again, maybe he still felt that he was a shadow, but in different meaning from before. It has more positive meaning to him carrying the name.

"…You turned out to be stronger than me…" Shark murmured, which Yuto barely heard.

"What did you say?" Yuto asked when he heard the faint murmur.

"Nothing for you to think about. Let's just head back to Rio and Ruri. I'm sure they're waiting." Shark dismissed immediately, urging his student to go back to where the girls were waiting for them. Fortunately, Yuto didn't think much about it.

As he secretly gazed at Yuto beside him, Shark was brought to an old memory that happened a few years ago. In his head, he was younger and stood under a tree while watching his younger sister and someone else were playing with the children. They were laughing so cheerfully, showing their cards to children who were gathering around them. They were like the light itself, so different from him.

" _If only I thought like this guy did that time…maybe it won't come to that…"_

 **STREET – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Aoi was on her way back home from grocery store after buying ingredients for tonight's dinner. Her brother said he was going to come home earlier, so she decided to cook his favorite's food tonight. It was rare for him to come home so early, so this was a special dinner for her. He must be tired from his work. She must do her best to make him comfortable and ease his exhaustion even though she was tired herself after her Duel an hour ago. She won her Duel again likes she always did, but it didn't give much of an impact like before.

" _Must be because of Phantom Dragons' rising popularity…"_ Aoi thought. All media were all talking about the Phantom Dragons ever since their debut. While others like her was still mentioned, it was so little compared to the four Duelists from ARC-V.

" _Maybe…if I duel one of them like Go Onizuka did against Phantom, things may change?"_ Aoi wondered, considering to challenging one of the Phantom Dragons.

Aoi was so deep in thought that she didn't notice someone was in front of her. The two of them bumped into each other, and the other person dropped the papers she was holding from the bump, causing it to scattered around on the ground. There was another person behind the one she bumped into and she gasped in surprise by their crash.

"I'm sorry!" Aoi immediately apologized. She quickly helped the girl she bumped into picking all the papers scattered on the ground.

"It's okay – ow…" The girl, whom Aoi now saw closely, was a few years younger than her, winced as she looked at her ankle.

"Ruri, are you okay?" The other girl asked, kneeling at Ruri with worry.

"It's nothing serious, Rio-san." The girl, Ruri, tried to assure the other girl but she winced again.

Aoi gasped quietly. The girl, Ruri, must have sprained her ankle when they bumped each other. Aoi helped Ruri stand with Rio and carefully guided her to the nearby convenience store. She bought necessary medic to treat the younger girl's sprain and two bottles of water while the girls were waiting, sitting on the bench outside in front of the store.

"I'm truly sorry. I didn't pay attention." Aoi apologized while treating Ruri's ankle and gave the bottles of water to her and the other girl.

"It's really okay. You don't need to do this far. I was also wrong for focusing too much on the papers." The girl offered apology of her own while arranging the papers, that Aoi now realized were papers for missing person.

"You're looking for someone…?" Aoi asked curiously while looking at the paper as she took a seat beside them.

Ruri smiled sadly, looking at the paper. "Yes. My older brother. Two weeks ago he…went for a work but didn't come back. He didn't leave any message or anything and no one has seen him since he left… I've looked everywhere I could think he could be, but he was not there…" She told the older girl.

"We heard someone saw him in this city, so we came here to look for him. But so far we have no luck." Rio added, placing a hand on Ruri's shoulder to sooth her a bit.

"I'm sorry to hear that…" Aoi trailed off. She didn't know what else to say. She also has older brother herself and she would feel the same way if her brother went missing. They have lost their parents when she was little, so her brother was everything to. If she were to lose her brother too, maybe she will break.

Glancing at Ruri meekly, she blinked when she noticed a book sticking out from the younger girl's bag. She recognized the cover of that book. She often read it when she was a child. That book was the origin of the path she took as Charisma Duelist.

"That book is…" Aoi said while looking at the book.

"This? I borrowed it from library. I thought I can read this to the children in the orphanage. I haven't read it myself though." Ruri said, taking out the book from her bag.

"Oh? Let me see. What is this book about?" Rio leaned closer to Ruri to take a look at the book. It was an illustration children's book. The cover showed a girl with blue-colored two pony-tailed haired girl with white wings wearing a frilly dress. The girl on the book seemed to be an angel. As a matter of fact, the title of the book itself said it.

"Blue Angel." Aoi suddenly said, causing the two younger girls to look at her. "It's a story about an angel who lived a lonely life due to her cold-hearted personality. Although she acted tough, the angel by herself cried due to loneliness, shedding teardrops with color of blue. When she was attacked by the evil monsters, her fellow angel comrades come to her aid. Through the battles, she learned of friendship and kindness, and changed for the better, gaining friends who fill the void in her heart. However, for reason unknown, the angel continues to shed tears as she vanquishes the evil monsters."

"You've read this book?" Ruri asked.

"My brother used to read the book for me when I was younger to comfort me." Aoi answered while looking at the book with a smile. It was nostalgic. Whenever she was crying for something bad that happened, her brother would pat her head and then showed the book to her, offering to read it for her. She would stop crying and sat on her brother's lap while was reading the book and she listened from the very beginning until the end.

"Storybook, huh… My brother also used to do that too whenever I was sad…" Ruri stated while recalling her childhood days. Their parents bought various storybooks that she liked, and her brother often offered to read for her as bedtime stories before sleeping or, just like Aoi's brother, to comfort her whenever she was crying due to something.

When Aoi looked at the expression Ruri made, she saw her younger-self overlapped with hers. "If I may know…what kind of person your brother is?" She asked. When she realized it, it was too late. When seeing Ruri made the same face, as she was when she was young, curiosity sparked in her head and her mouth asked first before her mind.

Ruri leaned her back on the bench and then looked up to the sky. "He is strong-willed and kind, but sometimes he is so easy to lose his temper and also a worry-wart and overprotective. Even though I understand that he cares for me very much, I also wanted him to understand that I'm not a little girl anymore. I can take care of myself." She answered. It has been a while since she talked about her brother. It felt refreshing in a way.

Aoi made a look of understanding. "I can understand that. My brother is almost the same. He often worries too much for me. I've been trying my best to gain his recognition, but he doesn't seem to realize it…" She understood that her brother was working so hard for her sake so she wouldn't suffer any hardship. He tried the best of his ability to ensure she can live a descent life. But he was so busy with his work that he seemed to fail to realize that she was not the same little girl she was years ago that needed to be protected by him. She was already old enough to take care of herself in a way. It frustrated her that her brother has little faith in what she can do.

"Have you shared this with your brother?" Rio asked, joining the topic.

"No. I don't want to bother him. He is in a difficult position now due to his work." Aoi said, shaking her head. Her brother was so busy lately. She could tell by only looking at his face. He already has many problems enough; she didn't want to add her own problem into the mix.

Ruri placed a hand on top of Aoi's, smiling at her. "Then tell him. You have to. At a time like this, the best way to solve it is by talking directly with your brother. That's what sibling – what family does." She told her. There were lots of times she argued with her brother. While arguing wasn't exactly a fun thing to do, it helped them understand each other.

"What family does…?" Aoi repeated, looking at Ruri and Rio in question.

"Yes. There are times squabble between siblings brought them closer. It's like that between me and my brother. It's because we are family we must be honest with each other. That way we can understand and help one another. Rio added. She often has a fight with her brother from the tiniest to the biggest reason. While it was not something the both of them enjoyed, it also made them closer because through their squabbles they were able to know each other's feeling.

"Understand…and help one another…" Aoi clenched her chest. She never thought about that before. She didn't want to trouble her brother so much with her problems that the thought never crossed her mind. In fact, as far as she remembered, she never has a sibling squabble with her brother. She respected and fond of him so much that she didn't want to anger him for fear he may hate her. However, listening to these two, when they put it that way, a sibling squabble didn't sound so bad…

"It's almost time for us to go back." Rio suddenly said, noticing the time from her cell phone.

"I'm sorry I took your time with my story. Thank you for the water and the treatment." Ruri apologized and thanked Aoi, bowing respectfully.

"No, it's okay. It's nice talking with you. I'll try to help looking for your brother. My brother has many connections, so maybe he can help." Aoi said, taking one of the fliers with her. And she couldn't help but think she has made the right decision because Ruri's face brightened instantly.

"Really? Thank you very much! I really appreciate it, erm…" Ruri blinked and trailed off. She hasn't asked for the older girl's name.

"Aoi. Aoi Zaizen. It's nice to meet you." Aoi introduced herself. Rio blinked upon hearing the name, but didn't say anything further.

"I'm Ruri. Ruri Kurosaki. It's nice to meet you too, Aoi-san! Again, thank you very much!" Ruri held Aoi's hands and shook it before letting her go home. The two bowed at each other for one more time before going separate ways.

"So she is Akira Zaizen's younger sister." Rio finally said once Aoi was no longer.

"You know her, Rio-san?" Ruri asked, blinking at her mentor.

"I knew her brother. Akira Zaizen is the head of Aberforth Enterprise, a company found by Heidel. He is also one of Heidel's most trusted men." Rio explained. She has met Akira once during a meeting between the Brotherhood and Aberforth Enterprise. In her first impression, Akira was a man who values work above all other things. He seemed to be a stubborn workaholic though from Aoi's story, there was more to Akira than when she first met him.

"If she is Aoi Zaizen, then that means she is Blue Angel." Rio concluded. Since Yuno was keeping an eye on Heidel, they were obliged to investigate his closest aides, Akira included. Their investigation of Akira's background also led them to find out about his younger sister's online identity as Blue Angel, one of Heidel faction's main support gatherer.

"Blue Angel? You mean the Charisma Duelist using the Trickstar Deck who is also supporter of the reformists?" Ruri asked, remembering Rio has mentioned about her once when they were studying about the empire during one of their lectures.

"Yes. When she said her brother is in difficult position, it must be has something to do with what happened recently. After Yuya and the others' appearance as Phantom Dragons, supports starting to shift to them. Heidel and people working with him most likely are pushing Blue Angel to be more active to gain more supports for the reformists." Rio deduced, placing a finger under her chin while pondering it.

"If something happened to Blue Angel, then Akira will most likely receive backlash as her older brother…is that what you're trying to say?" Ruri questioned, making her own conclusion. When Rio nodded, Ruri turned to where she last saw Aoi. She got it now. Aoi was torn. She felt pressured by the expectation people have for her but she couldn't complain because people may turn on her brother and she herself also wanted to be acknowledged by him for her efforts.

"Aoi-san…"

 **ROOM – ZAIZEN RESIDENT – APARTMENT – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"I'm home." Akira greeted, and he was welcomed by the house robot and his younger sister who were placing the plates for her and her brother at the diner table. Akira smiled briefly at Aoi before taking off his jacket and let it on the couch and sat together with her for dinner.

The dinner went on quietly with none of the siblings saying anything. Akira was thinking about his work while Aoi was thinking about what Ruri and Rio told her this afternoon. Akira wanted to tell her not to worry about his work while Aoi wanted to tell him what was in her mind. However, the two siblings didn't have the heart to tell each other out of consideration for one another. It has been a while since they were having dinner together; they didn't want to ruin the moment by talking about anything related to work.

A ringtone from Akira's cellphone interrupted their peaceful dinner. Akira stopped eating, putting his chopsticks for a bit to answer the phone. Looking at the number, he frowned. He went out to the balcony to speak, telling Aoi to just continue the dinner without him. Aoi, being a curious girl she was, quietly followed him to eavesdrop his conversation.

"What is it?" Akira answered the phone. Aoi couldn't hear what the person from the other side of the phone was saying, but Akira made a disappointed sound.

"I see. So there's nothing you can find about the Phantom Dragons. Like Zarc, they deleted their activities log and any traces about them…" Akira sighed. The person behind the phone then said something that made her brother flinched and he made a troubled expression.

"Aoi has done more than enough. There's no need to push her more than she already has. I'll do something about that. I shall take this matter to Lord Heidel myself." Akira told to the person on the phone before ending the call. Akira leaned his back on the wall as he stared at the scenery from the balcony.

Aoi decided to leave her brother then. She finished her dinner quicker and then returned to her room. She took her iPod, browsing news related to the Phantom Dragons, particularly Phantom's Duel against Go Onizuka. Phantom suddenly appeared and challenged Go Onizuka to a Duel. Go must have done something to get the Phantom's attention. If she can do the same, then maybe Phantom or one of his comrades will appear before her.

"The Phantom Dragons…"

 **THE NEXT DAY – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY SERVER – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Blue Angel logged into LINK VRAINS. She immediately received requests from other Duelists for Duels, but she immediately declined their requests. She has set her sight on her target for today. The Phantom Dragons were quite like the Brotherhood. They were not on either side, what they wished was for everyone in this dimension to work together regardless of their social statuses. She didn't know if this will work out, but she hoped the fact that she was the idol of the reformists would catch their attention. She has nothing against the Phantom Dragons, but if she can defeat at least one of them her brother won't get into trouble and he will know she can hold her own.

She noticed reporters rolling a camera at her. Good. She could use that. She turned to the camera, waving her hand before landing on a rooftop, pointing at the camera cutely.

"Everyone, I'm here! You there! And you over there! Watch! I declare that I, Blue Angel, will duel one of the Duelists from ARC-V!" Blue Angel announced, indirectly referring to the Phantom Dragons.

"Come out, any one of you! C'mon! I know you're watching! Accept my challenge! Duel me!"

People who were watching got fired up from the announcement. First it was GO Onizuka, and now Blue Angel. They would love to watch another Duel between one of the most famous Charisma Duelists and Phantom Dragons. It would be a rare opportunity. This, of course, gained the attention of the said Duelists. Yuya, Yuzu, and their counterparts who were having lunch with Yukiya on the plaza were watching the public declaration.

"Are any of you going to duel her?" Yukiya asked his four look-alikes.

"Pass. Not interested." Yuri answered immediately.

"Yuno just sent a message not to accept her challenge." Yuya said, showing the said message to Yukiya. A minute right after Blue Angel's announced her challenge, Yuno immediately typed and sent message to the four of them not to do anything that will make them stand out for a while. And Yuya who has learned his lesson after receiving Yuno's punishment both online and offline relented.

"Too bad. I kinda want to see you duel her." Yukiya said while munching his hotdog.

"I feel sorry for her, but I agree with Yuno. Don't you think so too?" Yuto turned to the girls but then blinked when he noticed one person was missing amongst them.

"Where is Ruri?" Yuto asked, not seeing the dark purple haired girl, prompting everyone to look for her as well. Since when she left?

Back at LINK VRAINS, Blue Angel was waiting for any of the Phantom Dragons to appear. But a few minutes passed and none of them appear. People who gathered expecting for a Duel started leaving one by one. Blue Angel herself was about to give up when she sensed a presence behind her. She whirled around, expecting to face one of the Phantom Dragons. However, the one behind her was none of them.

It was a girl. She was wearing glasses and has long-braided light purple hair. Her outfit consisted of an outstretched fashion with long frilled sleeves and navy-violet long dress opend from her stomach with a red scarf looping around her waist and yellow cape resembling wings. She was wearing black leggings that covered her entire thighs and brown boots covering her entire legs. She was also wearing bracelet made from bird feathers.

"Who are you?" Blue Angel asked.

"I am Canaria, a Duelist from ARC-V." The girl introduced herself with a sweet smile. Her introduction, however, immediately rolled the cameras to her.

At the plaza in the real world, Yuya and the others were staring at the monitor with wide eyes and opened mouth.

"That's…Ruri…!" Yuzu finally got the words out of her mouth.

"What is she thinking?!" Rin exclaimed, standing from her chair.

"So the four of you have completed your avatars for LINK VRAINS?" Yuri asked calmly like it was not a big deal.

"Ye-yeah. We finished it yesterday… Wait! This is no time to be so calm!" Rin slammed her hands on the table in panic.

"There's no point panicking either. She must have a reason, no?" Yuri replied while sipping his cola.

"Ruri…" Yuto mumbled, pondering his girlfriend's action. He didn't know why she did this, but as Yuri said, she must have an important reason for confronting Blue Angel. Whatever it was, he will support her. Putting aside, her avatar fits her and her Deck perfectly. Her choice of name, Canaria, especially matched her. Without him realizing, his cheeks slowly turned pink seeing her.

"She is so cute~"

Yuto blinked when he heard the voice. He turned to Yuri who has been the one whispering them with a teasing smile. He then realized the rest of them were also giving him the same look after noticing the face he was making thanks to Yuri's remark.

"That's what you're thinking about her, right?" Yuri snickered. Yuto's face turned full red out of embarrassment and he gave his Fusion counterpart barrages of punches that Yuri easily blocked and dodged until crowds started gathering again and pointed at the monitor.

"I am not one of Phantom Dragons, but I am their ally. They can't come due to a real-life matter, so I've decided to come in their place. Am I enough, Blue Angel?" Canaria asked, offering herself as the Trickstar user's opponent. When Blue Angel seemed sceptical, Canaria made a sound of understanding

"Oh, my apologies. I must show the proof that I am from ARC-V, am I?" Canaria took out one of her cards from her Deck and showed it. It was one of her Pendulum Cards that everybody in this dimension knew exclusively possessed by people from ARC-V.

"A Pendulum Card! Then you're really are…" Blue Angel stared at Canaria with surprise in her eyes.

"I ask you once again, am I enough to be your opponent?" Canaria asked one more time, waiting for Blue Angel's response. She hoped Blue Angel will be okay with her as her opponent. She must duel Blue Angel. After hearing about Aoi and her brother yesterday, Ruri understood Aoi's turmoil. As a little sister she couldn't help but wanting to help. Even though she knew but she didn't do anything to help, she will feel horrible. She couldn't leave Aoi – Blue Angel alone like this…or else she might walk down to the fallen path…like _him_.

"Very well! You're also a Duelist from ARC-V, so you will do! I'm interested to duel against Duelist from other dimension!" Blue Angel accepted Canaria as her opponent. She wasn't a Phantom Dragon, but maybe duelling against her would still help her brother in a way.

The two girls jumped off from the building onto their D-Boards, riding on the Data Storm. Blue Angel took the lead with Canaria following behind her, beginning the Duel.

 **[SPEED DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! I activate Field Spell: Trickstar Light Stage!" As Blue Angel activated the card, a stage with various heart-shaped and floral motives appeared, the heart-shaped skull above the stage being the most stand out.

"I can add a Trickstar Monster from my Deck to my hand!" Blue Angel added Trickstar Lillybell (ATK: 800 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 2) from her Deck to her hand. As Lilybell was added to Blue Angel's hand using a method other than drawing, she activated its effect, Special Summoning it in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"And then I summon Trickstar Candina (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 400 / LV: 4)!" Blue Angel summoned Candina in Attack Position beside Lilybell in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"As Candina was Normal Summoned, I can add a Trickstar card from my Deck to my hand!" Blue Angel added Trickstar Reincarnation to her hand.

"Next I activate Trickstar Lycoris' effect in my hand! I can return a Trickstar Monster I control to her hand to special summon it!" Blue Angel returned Candina to her hand and then special summoned Lycoris (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4) in Defense Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Trickstar Hallucination! I can special summon 1 Trickstar monster from my hand, but its ATK becomes halved, also it has its effects negated, then each player draws 1 card!" Blue Angel special summoned Candina in Attack Position with its ATK reduced to 900.

"I activate Lycoris' effect! As a card was added to my opponent's hand, I can inflict 200 damage to my opponent for each card!" Blue Angel revealed. Lycoris pointed its wand at Canaria, shooting a blast that inflicted damage to the younger girl.

 **CANARIA LP: 4000 = 3800**

"Furthermore, as Trickstar monsters inflicted damage, Light Stage inflicts 200 more damage to my opponent!" Blue Angel added, inflicting additional damage to Canaria.

 **CANARIA LP: 3800 = 3600**

"And finally, I will summon the main star to the stage! Everyone is here, so I'm going all out from the start today! Come out! The circuit of hope and dream!" Blue Angel opened the Link Circuit, preparing to Link Summon.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is two Trickstar monsters! I set Lilybell and Candina in the Link Markers! Circuit combine!" Blue Angel set Lilybell in the Bottom-Right Link Marker while Candina in the Bottom-Left Link Marker.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Trickstar Holly Angel (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / Bottom-Right, Bottom-Left)!" Blue Angel summoned her ace monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"She performed Link Summon already?" Yuya commented with surprise.

"The way she swarmed her monsters on the Field and inflicts effect damage is almost like Ruri's usual tactic." Yuto remarked.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Blue Angel concluded her Turn.

"It's like you're tickling me with needles. I don't hate that. My Turn!" Canaria drew a card. Due to Lycoris' effect and Light Stage, she received 400 damage.

 **CANARIA LP: 3600 = 3200**

"Holly Angel's effect! It gains ATK equal to the damage until the End Phase!" Blue Angel increased her ace monster's ATK to 2200.

"From my hand, I summon Lyrical Luscinia – Cobalt Sparrow (ATK: 0 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1)!" Canaria summoned Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Lyrical Luscinia – Bird Strike! When I control a Lyrical Luscinia Monster, the effects of my opponent's entire monsters are negated!" Canaria sealed Lycoris' effect, which also sealed Light Stage's effect since Lycoris couldn't inflict damage to her.

"If I control a Lyrical Luscinia Monster, I can Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia – Sapphire Swallow (ATK: 100 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) from my hand and one Level 1 Lyrical Luscinia Monster!" Canaria summoned Sapphire Swallow along with another copy of Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Cobalt Sparrow's Effect! I can add a copy of Cobalt Sparrow from my Deck to my hand!" Ruri added another copy of Cobalt Sparrow to her hand.

"Since you're going all out from the start, I'll also do the same!" Canaria got pretty excited as she raised her hand up.

"I overlay Sapphire Swallow and Cobalt Sparrows! Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Xyz Summon! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia – Assembly Nightingale (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / RNK: 1 / ORU: 3)!" Canaria summoned her ace Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone. Due to its effect, it gained 300 ATK and DEF.

"I activate Magic Card: Nightingale Tweets! I can add 2 Level 4 or lower Lyrical Luscinia Monsters from my Deck to my hand!" Canaria added another copy of Sapphire Swallow and Malachite Swan (ATK: 300 / DEF: 500 / LV: 3 / PS: 3) to her hand.

"I activate the Effect of another copy of Sapphire Swallow in my hand!" Canaria once again Special Summoned another copy of Sapphire Swallow and then the other copy of Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I overlay Sapphire Swallow and Cobalt Sparrow! Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and raise courage with your dance! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Xyz Summon! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia – Recite Starling (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / RNK: 1 / ORU: 2)!" Canaria summoned Recite Starling in Attack Position in the other Extra Monster Zone.

"Two consecutive Xyz Summons?!" Blue Angel exclaimed in surprise. However, she quickly snapped out from her surprise. "But both of your monsters have lower ATKs than my Holly Angel!" She pointed out the difference between their monsters' ATKs.

"It doesn't matter to me." Canaria replied calmly, confusing Blue Angel.

"Recite Starling gains 300 ATK and DEF for each Overlay Unit it has!" Canaria increased Recite Starling's ATK and DEF to 600.

"Also, if Recite Starling is Xyz summoned, I can target 1 face-up monster on the Field, that monster also gains 300 ATK and DEF for each of its Overlay Unit!" Canaria targeted Assembly Nightingale, increasing her ace monster's ATK to 900.

"Assembly Nightingale can attack directly a number of times for each Overlay Unit it has! There are 3 Overlay Units, so it can attack you directly 3 times!" Canaria activated her monster's Effect, extending her arm towards Blue Angel to motion her ace monster to attack the angelic Duelist. Assembly Nightingale flapped its wings three times, sending equally three gusts of winds that nearly caused Blue Angel to fall from her D-Board.

 **BLUE ANGEL LP: 4000 = 1300**

"Wow! 2700 damage right off the bat! Canaria has delivered a threefold counterattack that instantly reduced so much of Blue Angel's LP!" The MC commented excitedly in the real life, impressed by Canaria's tactic.

"So this is why you're not bothered by your monsters' low ATKs. It's because your monster can attack me directly." Blue Angel sweat dropped at the attack she just received. It has similar effect as Lilybell.

"I end my Turn." Canaria concluded. Following the End Phase, Holly Angel's ATK also reverted to normal.

"My Turn! I set a card." Blue Angel set one Reverse Card.

"In that case I'll destroy your monsters myself! Battle! I attack Lyrical Luscinia – Assembly Nightingale with Trickstar Holly Angel!" Blue Angel declared attack with her ace monster. Holly Angel brought out its whip as she flew towards Assembly Nightingale and lashed its whip at the Xyz Monster.

"I activate Assembly Nightingale's effect! I detach an Overlay Unit to negate its destruction and the battle damage is reduced to 0!" Canaria detached an Overlay Unit to protect her ace monster at the cost of losing 100 ATK, making her ace monster's current ATK 800.

"I've anticipated that! Trap Card: Trickstar Scatter! If a Trickstar monster battled this turn, while I controlled it I can target 1 monster my opponent controls and destroy it!" Blue Angel opened one of her two facedown cards. She pointed at Assembly Nightingale who was protected by a barrier as it deflected Holly Angel's whip. From Holy Angel's wings, flower petals rained down the Xyz Monster, destroying it, leaving Canaria with only Recite Starling.

"I end my Turn." Blue Angel concluded.

"My Turn! Draw!" Canaria began her Turn again. Due to Lycoris and Light Stage's effect, she received another 400 damage and Holly Angel's ATK was increased to 2200 once more.

 **CANARIA LP: 3200 = 2800**

"I activate Rank-Up Magic: Lyrical Luscinia – Egg Hatch! I can use this card and a Lyrical Luscinia Xyz Monster as Xyz Materials to special summon an Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck with one Rank higher than the Xyz Monster I control!" Canaria opened the Overlay Network using Recite Starling and the Rank-Up Magic Card.

"Birds with colorful wings! Gather on the battlefield and sing the song of hope! Xyz Summon! Rank 2! Lyrical Luscinia – Opera Nightingale (ATK: 200 / DEF: 200 / RNK: 2 / ORU: 2)!" Canaria summoned Opera Nightingale in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone replacing Recite Starling.

"I activate Opera Nightingale's effect! If this card is Xyz summoned, it gains 400 ATK for each Level 3 or lower Lyrical Luscinia monsters in my Graveyard!" There were 5 Level 1 Lyrical Luscinia monsters in her Graveyard, so its ATK became 2200.

"Opera Nightingale's ATK is now equal to Holly Angel!" Rin exclaimed.

"I activate Opera Nightingale's effect! I detach an Overlay Unit to lower my opponent's monster's ATK equal to half of Opera Nightingale's current ATK!" Canaria decreased Holly Angel's ATK by 1100, making its current ATK the same amount it lost.

"Yosh! Now Opera Nightingale's ATK is higher than Holly Angel! Go, Canaria!" Yugo cheered.

"Don't be happy with that just yet! I activate Skill: Trickstar Fraud! I discard a Trickstar card during my opponent's Turn to let my opponent draw until she has 3 cards in her hand! Now, Draw!" Blue Angel forced Canaria to draw until she 3 cards in her hand. At this moment, Lycoris and Light Stage's effects activated again, inflicting 800 damage to Canaria.

 **CANARIA LP: 2800 = 2000**

"Fufufu, so you have that kind of Skill. It really suits you." Canaria laughed softly, genuinely impressed by the Trickstar user's Skill.

"Why are you smiling like that even though you received damage?" Blue Angel asked, confused that even at this situation the Xyz user still retained her smile.

"Because this Duel is getting fun. Do you not think so? Do you not enjoy this Duel?" Canaria asked, tilting her head to the side at Blue Angel.

"Enjoying…this Duel…?" Blue Angel repeated, not sure about it herself.

"Do you not enjoy dueling, Blue Angel? Then why did you become a Charisma Duelist? Is it for fame? For money? For recognition? Or just like the rumor said for reform movement?" Canaria questioned more. This was her opportunity.

"No! That's not… I…" Blue Angel felt her words stuck in her throat. Why couldn't she say it? The answer was supposed to be obvious, so why she couldn't answer it?

Observing Blue Angel's confused look, Canaria closed her eyes briefly before opening them again. "Looks like we'll have to save the answer for after this Duel is over." She said, making the two to return to the Duel again.

"Battle! I attack Trickstar Holly Angel with Opera Nightingale!" Canaria declared her attack. Opera Nightingale flapped its wings, sending gust of winds coated in green sparks of energies, making it look like a pixie dusk.

"Trap Card: Trickstar Cleanse! When a Trickstar Monster I control is targeted for attack, I can halve the ATK of that Trickstar Monster to negate the attack!"

"Dammit! She was so close!" Yugo exclaimed in disappointment.

"Ruri still has a chance in her next Turn! She can do this!" Yuzu stated, cheering for her Xyz counterpart.

"I end my Turn." Canaria concluded.

"My Turn! Draw!" Blue Angel looked at the card she drew. Her eyes glinted with hope. _"I can win this Duel with this!"_

"Everyone, this is the moment for me! I will end this Duel this Turn!" Blue Angel declared, earning her cheers from her fans who were watching.

"From my hand, I summon Trickstar Mandrake (ATK: 0 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 2)!" Blue Angel summoned Mandrake in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Lycoris.

"Come out! The circuit of hope and dream!" Blue Angel opened the Link Circuit, preparing to Link Summon.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is four Trickstar monsters! I set Lycoris, Mandrake, and Holly Angel in the Link Markers! Circuit combine!" Blue Angel set Lycoris in the Bottom-Right Link Marker, Mandrake in the Bottom Link, while Holly Angel in the Top and Right Link Marker.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Trickstar Bella Madonna (ATK: 2800 / LINK: 4 / Bottom-Right, Bottom, Top, Right)!" Blue Angel summoned Bella Madonna in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone, replacing Holly Angel.

"I activate Bella Madonna's effect! If this card's Link Markers doesn't point a monster, it is unaffected by other cards' activated effects and once per Turn I can inflict 200 damage to my opponent for each Trickstar Monster with different name in my Graveyard!" There were 5 different Trickstar monsters in Blue Angel's Graveyard, making the damage 1000 in total. Bella Madonna raised its arms up as colorful white sphere of energies was formed in its hands. The Trickstar Monster then threw the sphere down, striking Canaria as she received the damage.

 **CANARIA LP: 2000 = 1000**

"And now for the finishing move! Bella Madonna! Attack Lyrical Luscinia – Opera Nightingale!" Blue Angel declared her final attack, pointing at the Xyz Monster.

"I activate Trickstar Carobaein's effect in my hand! When a Trickstar Monster I control battles an opponent's monster, I can send this card from my hand to Graveyard to increase my monsters' ATK equal to its original ATK until the end of this Turn!" Blue Angel revealed more, discarding Carobein from her hand and added its ATK to the attacking Bella Madonna, increasing the Link Monster's ATK to 4800.

"An ATK of 4800?!" Canaria exclaimed in shock.

Bella Madonna formed its axe swinging it down at Opera Nightingale, unleashing purplish pink shockwave. Canaria gazed at the shockwave with awe before a smile formed on her

 **CANARIA LP: 1000 = 0**

"It's decided! The winner is Blue Angel! First GO Onizuka, and now our cute idol Blue Angel has won against another Duelist from ARC-V! Give your round applause, everyone! Give your applause for our pride and joy!" The MC announced happily, urging the audience clap their hands. Although, even without him telling them, they still did it.

Blue Angel and Canaria stopped at a rooftop. Canaria approached Blue Angel, taking one of her hands into hers as she smiled gratefully at the Trickstar user.

"I really enjoyed our Duel. Thank you very much for going all out, Blue Angel." Canaria sincerely thanked Blue Angel, making the older girl's heart flutter a bit.

"It was nothing, really. I just did what I want to do." Blue Angel replied.

"Do you have the answer now? The answer to my question earlier?" Canaria asked as she let go of her hand.

"My reason for becoming Charisma Duelist…" Blue Angel pondered. She definitely didn't do it for money or fame. She also didn't do it for the reform movement or disliking the nobles either. She became Charisma Duelist so her brother will acknowledge her. However, there was another reason…but what was it? How come she forgot about it…?

Canaria smiled again and turned her back on her while looking up at the sky. "I don't know your reason becoming Charisma Duelist or why you start Dueling to begin with. If you fought for yourself or to gain recognition, I think it's not wrong." She turned to Blue Angel again.

"If you carry the hopes of others, you're fighting for everyone. When it's like that, a wish for you to fulfill their expectations will bloom in your heart. But someone once said this; while we must fight for people's desires to make them happy, we too must fight for what we believe in. Never let your conviction wavers." Canaria

"For what we believe in…" Blue Angel repeated, placing a hand on her chest as she felt warmth.

"Yes. Otherwise, you will lose sight of yourself and what is precious to you. Always remember that, Blue Angel." Canaria told her before she logged out, leaving Blue Angel to think for herself.

"My conviction…" Blue Angel looked up, pondering her long-forgotten conviction.

Back at the plaza in the real world, Yuya and the others were waiting for Ruri to come back while talking about the Duel that just took place. Their opinions varies, with Yugo and Yukiya felt bad for Ruri's loss, Yuya and the girls were proud of her, while Yuri and Yuto didn't make any comment. Yuri because he didn't seem to be that interested while Yuto was too focused on waiting for his girlfriend to come.

"Ruri lost…too bad…" Yugo pouted.

"But she seemed to enjoy the Duel, so it's fine, right? There's always a chance for payback." Yuya told in respond, not bothered by the result of the Duel that much.

"Ruri has improved since last time. That Xyz Monster, Opera Nightingale was new to us." Serena remarked.

"Yeah. We also must do our best from now on." Rin became even determined in her training.

Yuto stood from his chair and rushed off. He couldn't stay still anymore. His patience has reached its limit. Before anyone could ask where he was going to, Yuto turned without stopping.

"I'll go to where Ruri is!" He told them, not waiting for their respond.

 **PARK – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Ruri was taking a seat at a nearby bench, sighing tiredly from the Duel. Even though she lost, she didn't think her debut in LINK VRAINS was bad. She was satisfied since she gave her all. She just hoped that she was able to help Aoi finding her answer. In her view, Blue Angel was quite similar as Zarc. They were pushed by people around them to fulfil their expectations, and that stressed them out. However, it was not too late for Blue Angel yet. She hasn't lost sight of herself, and she hoped her reminder would help the Trickstar user to always remember her love for her brother and her love for Dueling.

"Ruri!"

Ruri turned to the voice calling her name. She smiled when she saw Yuto was running towards her. She straightened her back as she sat up, waving at her boyfriend.

"You're okay?" Yuto asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. Just a little bit tired. Do you think I did well in the Duel?" Ruri asked as Yuto sat beside her.

"I think you did great even if you lost." Yuto replied sincerely, smiling in assurance at her.

"You're not going to ask why I challenged Blue Angel?" Ruri asked again. She has expected for Yuto to question her action, but Yuto shook his head.

"You must have your own reason. I won't ask if you don't want to answer it now. You came back safe and sound and enjoyed your Duel was enough for me." Yuto said while fondly ruffling Ruri's hair.

Ruri blushed and leaned her head to Yuto's shoulder, closing her eyes as she comfortably completely leaned on Yuto. The Phantom Knights user blushed at her sudden move for a second before recomposing himself and leaned his head back on her, placing a hand on top of hers. They didn't say anything. For once they didn't mind if people saw them like this, not like there will be one since no one was at the park for a moment as they were busy watching what just occurred in LINK VRAINS. They immersed themselves in their own world like there was no one else but the two of them, savoring each other's warmth, feeling safe in each other's company.

They were content if they could stay this way for the whole day.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Spirit Farm –** Den City Middle School is having a trip to a farm where Duel Monsters who are able to form real bodies are being taken care of so they can learn more how to interact directly with Duel Monsters. Johan, who happened to work there, become their guide. Meanwhile, Rin is troubled by a love letter she received from a boy from another class.

* * *

 **FANFIC ORIGINAL CARD MEMO:**

 _ **NIGHTINGALE TWEETS:**_ You can add 2 Level 4 or lower Lyrical Luscinia Monsters from your Deck to your hand. (Magic Card)

 _ **LYRICAL LUSCINIA – EGG HATCH:**_ You can use this card and a Lyrical Luscinia Xyz Monster as Xyz Materials to special summon Xyz Monster from your Extra Deck with one Rank higher than the Xyz Monster you control. (Rank-Up Magic)

 _ **LYRICAL LUSCINIA – OPERA NIGHTINGALE:**_ (WINGED-BEAST / WIND / XYZ / ATK: 200 / DEF: 200 / RNK: 2 / 2 + Level 2 Lyrical Luscinia Monsters). If this card is Xyz summoned, it gains 400 ATK for each Level 3 or lower Lyrical Luscinia monsters in your Graveyard. Once per Turn you can detach an Overlay Unit from this card to lower your opponent's monster's ATK equal to half of this card's current ATK.

* * *

 **I changed Recite Starling's effect a bit because I think it doesn't give too much advantage for itself but more to other monsters.**

 **Finally this chapter is finished. Honestly, I thought of making the Duel result in a Draw between Blue Angel and Canaria, but then I decided to make Blue Angel win the Duel for the same reason as why GO won his Duel in the previous chapters. Starting from the next chapter, it'll be three filler chapters focused on the characters. There will still be things related to the plot though.**

 **By the way, I'm having a second thought about Yuri's current pseudonym in LINK VRAINS. If anyone has a suggestion for a better name for Yuri, feel free to tell me. But as long as the name fits Yuri's character or Deck or anything related to him. But I can't promise I will use the suggested name. It's possible that I'll grow used to it or something along the way. For the deadline, it's until Yuri start his Speed Duel again, which is still many chapters away.**

 **Sorry for any error, I'll fix it later. Also, in case someone forgot, Speed Duel in this fanfic has 2 Extra Monster Zones for EACH player's Field. I've written it in chapter 10 as well for changes in rules in this fanfic.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter~**


	20. Spirit Farm

**Big thanks to _Elbarto4000, Ulrich362, Unknowedz, aqua9597, Big duels, Yuka Kuroshiro, Guest, Ryujomaru15, Playerhood18, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Meemo, dvdryms, RogueKarma Ackerman, GamingGuy84_ for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **SCHOOL BUS 1 – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Today, Den Middle-School was having a two days and one night field trip. Field trips were recognized as important moments in learning; a shared social experience that provides the opportunity for students to encounter and explore novel things in an authentic setting. However, the place where the students were going was not some ordinary place that one who grew up in ARC-V would ever expect, or anyone who lived a relatively normal ordinary life in normal ordinary environment.

"What is this Spirit Farm again?" Yuzu asked her female classmate with ponytailed hair who sat beside her.

"It's a special farm for Duel Monsters that are capable of staying in this world like us. It's the place where those monsters are kept and breed." She replied while giving the pamphlet of the said farm to Yuzu.

"These Duel Monsters doesn't stay inside the cards?" Serena who was sitting behind them asked.

"Yeah! We also don't know the details that much. But it's a rare chance to interact with Duel Monsters directly! I mean, true, we can interact with them if we use our Duel Disks, but don't you think it'll be different this time!" The girl who sat beside Serena exclaimed excitedly, eager to see the Duel Monsters.

"Yeah. Not everyone can converse and understand Duel Monsters and see them in their apparition form. If only I have that kind of abilities." Another girl who sat at the seat across them said while reading the pamphlet.

"I can't wait to see the Duel Monsters! I wonder if we are allowed to touch them." The other girls who were sitting near them at another seats said.

Yuzu and Serena could understand their feelings a bit. Sure, they could see Duel Monster spirits as apparitions and heard their voices, but they and Rin and Ruri couldn't interact with them as better as Yuya and other three. They thought it was partly due to being Ray also has the same level of ability the ability they inherited was also on the same level. The same also goes for the boys who inherited the ability from Zarc. However, their mentors have told them during their trainings that developing this ability to the next level was possible. Unlike the boys whose ability came more naturally, their development involved the growth of both bodies and minds. Their mentors said that they have improved, and it's only a matter of times until they can communicate with Duel Monsters like the boys do.

"Eh?! You got a love letter, Rin-chan?!"

Yuzu and Serena quickly turned to Rin upon hearing the squeal. They turned to Rin's seat with Ruri and the sleeping Yukiya sitting behind her. Rin was fidgeting while showing what looked like a love letter with confused expression. She was staring and holding at the letter uncertainly as if not knowing what to do with it. From the envelope though, she has already opened and read the letter.

"Wow, for real?! From who?!" Yuzu couldn't help but ask. The girl who sat beside Rin took the envelope and opened the letter. She glanced at Rin who didn't seem to mind with the letter being read as long as it won't reach the whole class or any other class. And so, the girl read the letter with voice loud enough for only the girls around their seats to hear it.

 _I've always watching you ever since I first saw you, you're very pretty._

 _I think I fell in love at first sight. I like you, please go out with me._

 _I'll be waiting for your positive answer._

 _Kiyohiro Nakanishi._

"Nakanishi? He is from class 3-1. He is quite good-looking and studious." The girl beside Rin stated, remembering the guy. He was commonly wearing small-framed glasses, and has green hair as well as black eyes. He was quite popular with girls and while he was not at top of the class, his grades were good.

"So? What are you going to do? You're going to accept him?" The girl sitting beside Yuzu asked.

"N-no! I do not think of him that way!" Rin said. She never even met the guy before until this morning before they set off. He suddenly came and gave her the letter before running off to his own bus. She didn't even have the chance to react until she gets into the bus.

"Why? He is not that bad. I think it's a waste." The girl beside her said.

"Unless…you already have someone that you like?" The girl sitting beside Serena asked with teasing grin, making other girls to look at her with almost the same expression.

"You're always so close with Yugo-kun, Rin-chan. Are you dating him? I mean, you often hugging, holding hands, and putting arms around shoulder with him." The girl beside Yuzu said, recalling instances when Yugo was hugging her and she hugs him back or when Yugo held her hand and Rin didn't make any fuss for it. That led many people to get the impression they were going out.

"That's not it! Yugo and I are childhood friends! We are like siblings! Something like that is normal for us!" Rin replied but her face was blushing mess as she waved her hands in denial. Why would she get so flustered over this if she thought Yugo was just her childhood friend?

"Are you sure? Yugo-kun seems to think of you more than that." The girl beside her said. Yuzu and Ruri mentally wrote signs that were saying her guess was a spot on. She has a sharp observation skill. Rin, who heard this, fell from her seat while looking at her seatmate with incredulous that was close to expectant eyes.

"S-seriously? He said that?" Rin asked. Her heart was beating so fast.

"I'm just joking…" The girls all sweat dropped at Rin's reaction. How someone as smart and mature as her could be so dense?

Rin made a disappointed expression for a second before returning to her seat, coughing. "A-anyway, I don't know how to reject Nakanishi-kun. This is the first time I received a love letter, and I don't want to hurt his feeling…" She continued. This was the first time a boy was interested in her this way and asked her to date him. She never interacted much with boys other than Yugo for most of her life, so she was so confused what to do. Other than Yugo, the boys she interacted with would be his counterparts, Jack, and Crow, but they were friends to her and they were not interested in her that way either.

"There's no way you can reject someone without hurting his feeling! Love can be cruel, you know!" The girl beside Serena slammed her drink on the table while saying so to emphasize her means.

"He'll be even more hurt if you don't tell him. You have to make it clear if you're not interested in him." Ruri suggested, agreeing with the girl who was sitting beside Serena.

"R-right…I guess I have to tell him…" Rin wasn't so sure with this, but she couldn't stay quiet. She must tell him how she feels.

"Yugo won't be happy if he hears this…" Yuzu whispered to Ruri.

"Should we tell him then?" Ruri asked.

"No, let's just let Rin handle this." Yuzu replied. If Yugo knew about this who knows what he would do considering his personality and his own feeling for Rin.

"Hey, can I ask something?" Serena finally made a sound after the discussion, sticking her head out from her seat.

"What is it, Serena?" Ruri asked back. The question that left Serena's mouth caused all the girls to either sweat dropped or made them lost their balance from their seats.

"What's a love letter?"

 **SCHOOL BUS 2 – SPIRIT FARM – MOUNTAIN – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Hey, Yuto, is it true that you're dating Ruri?" A boy sitting beside Yuto asked while offering a snack to him. He was grinning widely while asking. Ever since Yuto and Ruri were seen leaving the school together and were alone in many occasions around the school, the two of them became recent hot topic throughout the middle-school section since the two were popular.

"Yeah." Yuto answered calmly with straight face.

"Wow, so bold! You admitted it!" The boy smacked Yuto's back, causing the latter to wince.

"Damn it! Not only you're a chick magnet, you even have a super gorgeous girlfriend! Give me some of your charm!" An envious male classmate who was sitting beside Yugo exclaimed. It wasn't just him, he was sure many boys were jealous and envious of Yuto in many things.

"Hey, how far the two of you have gone? Have you kissed yet?"

The question instantly made Yuto blushed and nearly spills his snack. Yuya meekly gazed at Yuto, also curious of the relationship between him and Ruri. He wondered if maybe he can ask for some advice about Yuzu. Yuri who was sitting on the seat behind Yuya was listening with fox ears and tail popping out him, making sure to make a mental note of this topic so he could have some fun later.

"N-no we haven't! And I won't tell you anyway!" Yuto answered while trying to reply himself, but then remembered the kiss on the cheek Ruri gave him before. It wasn't a kiss his classmates were expecting, but it was still count as a kiss. Still, he won't share this information…except Yuya and Yuzu who already knew this. Aahh…that one lovely yet also embarrassing moment…

"What do you think Yu–what the heck is wrong with you, Yugo?!" Yugo's seatmate turned to Yugo only to find the latter was wearing a deadly face, his soul seemed to be ready to leave through his mouth. His head was leaning completely on the seat while his eyes were hollow not looking to particularly anywhere while his mouth was mumbling.

"Kiss…my first kiss…was stolen…by that bitch…" Apparently the question has triggered the one memory he has tried to bury deep, no, he tried to erase completely from any part in his mind. That time when that woman destroyed his room, threatened the children in the orphanage, and most of all stole his first kiss! Every time the topic came out, his head automatically rewind to that one moment. It was sickening! Why can't he just forget it?!

"That's still bothering you…?" Yuya felt sorry for his Synchro counterpart. He never experienced that so he didn't know how Yugo felt, but he knew at the very least how it feels having difficulty to forget something painful to remember.

"Why don't you have a kiss from Rin? Maybe that will erase your tainted memory." Yuri suggested from the side. As he expected, Yugo snapped out from his dead state. The Riding Duelist went into flustered mode, panicking by himself.

"K-kiss with R-Rin?!" Yugo flailed with a blushing mess by himself, which was entertaining to watch for everyone in the bus. Yugo tried to imagine himself and Rin kiss, but he couldn't get to it itself as he was just too embarrassed to even think about it. "N-no! M-my heart is not prepared for that yet!"

"Are you sure? Don't you want to hold her with everything you got while your lips locked and your tongues played with each other?" Yuri took this opportunity to tease Yugo further with the details, urging him to imagine it.

"GYAAAAA!" Yugo shouted while trying his best to covered his ears from Yuri's teasing. But it was too late; the image slowly came into his mind made him more embarrassed.

 _"He'll combust if that happens."_ Yuya and Yuto thought while watching Yugo who continued to flail.

 **FARMHOUSE – SPIRIT FARM – MOUNTAIN – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

After a few hours, they have finally arrived. Spirit Farm could be considered one of the biggest farms in Cantidel. It was located at the south east of the empire in the mountain area. It has 6,000,000 acres and 16,500 Duel Monsters. Even though it was called a farm, it wasn't exactly similar as normal farms where the animals will eventually be sent to the slaughterhouse, but it's more like a nature preserve to protect the Duel Monsters who manifests themselves.

"Everyone, thank you for coming to this farm. I am the owner of this farm Karim and this is the one who will become your guide, Johan." The head of the farm, Karim, introduced himself and then turned to Johan who was standing beside him with Ruby on his shoulder.

"Hello, everyone." Johan greeted nicely, waving at the students while quickly noticing Yuzu and the other girls amongst them. The students began to murmur when he was introduced, all recognized him as he often accompanied Celica whenever she appeared in public.

"Isn't he one of Lady Celica's guardians?"

"Why would he be in this farm as our guide?"

The introduction speech went fast before the students knew it and then they were escorted to where they can see the Duel Monsters from up close. Kuriboh, Naturia, Weenie Beasts, and other various Duel Monsters from the little ones to the big ones were there. Each monster was separated based on their archetypes.

"They're so cute!"

"So cool!"

"I want to bring one home!"

The girls said while looking at the smaller ones, squealing at their cuteness. Most of the boys, on the other hand, were more interested in the bigger cool-looking ones. Johan allowed them to get closer to the little ones. While some complained they also wanted to get close to the bigger ones, they reluctantly relented after Johan pointed out the bigger ones fighting against one another. While it was normal for Duel Monsters, who knows what will happen if they join the fray. Johan could have guided them to the bigger ones, but he will face the school's wrath if he let them without permission.

"Don't let their appearance fool you. They can grow to about 51 kg." Johan told the students who were in awe looking at the smaller Duel Monsters.

"It's about weigh as much as a girl?" Yugo commented tactlessly, remembering occasions when Rin checked her weight and was in dismay to learn she was getting fatter. He didn't understand her problem though. She still looked pretty slim to him.

"Yugo-kun, come here for a second."

Yugo's comment, while having no bad intention, stung the girls who heard him very much. The girls who heard him all turned to Yugo with red furious eyes while the boys gulped while silently praying for Yugo's stupidity and tactlessness to be cured and survived the wrath from the girls. The girls started gathering around Yugo. Not just the ones who heard him, but also other girls. The moment the girls heard his remark, they spread this to the other girls, thus, earning their wrath as well. Yugo flinched and paled when seeing the girls were trapping him with their murderous eyes.

"What did I do?!" Yugo questioned, raising his hands in defeat. He didn't know what he said wrong, but he was sure he was screwed.

Yuya, Yuto, and Yuri decided not to put their nose into it. A glare from the girls was enough to convince them to stay quiet, although Yuri has no intention to help him to begin with since to him, it was another amusing scene to watch. And so, Yugo was left alone at the mercy of the girls while the rest were listening to Johan's explanation.

"To make it faster for you to learn, you'll be taking care of them now." Johan said as he opened the door, allowing the students to go into the field to freely play with the Duel Monsters, but not before giving them a warning though. "Don't be rough or violent on them unless you want to either receive a penalty or be hospitalized. For the Kuribohs case, you'll even face death penalty."

"Yes, sir!" The students said together.

The students ran into the field, greeting and be greeted by the Duel Monsters who all were seemed eager to play with them. For some reason they didn't understand, Yukiya and Yuya and his counterparts' attention quickly landed on the Kuribohs even though there were still many other monsters. In return, the Kuribohs also set their eyes on them the five of them the moment they entered. Was it because they have Kuribohs with them? Speaking about them the said five Kuribohs came out from their cards but as apparitions to make sure the other students couldn't see them. They were special Kuribohs after all.

The Kuribohs all went towards them in horde. Yuya fell on his butt as several Kuribohs landed on his lap, snuggling to him. Kuribohder couldn't help but landed on Yuya's shoulder as if making it clear to other Kuribohs that Yuya 'wasn't available', making them let out noises that resembles pouting. Yuya chuckled at that. They were so cute. Yuto's Rainbow Kuriboh did a good job to make sure the other Kuribohs surrounding its master didn't overwork him. Thanks to this, Yuto could each of them foods (provided by the farm) without any of them being impatient. Yuri was having quite a hard time with the Kuribohs tugging at his uniform, demanding for him to play with them no matter how much Yuri protested. Again, he wondered why they were gathering around him so much. It's not like he hated them, he didn't know how to deal with them. To make it harder, Winged Kuriboh seemed to urge the other Kuribohs to get him to play with them. Yukiya playing happily with the Kuribohs with various toys he brought for them (provided by the farm). However,

"Why do they like to attack me?!"

Yuya, Yukiya, Yuto, and Yuri turned to Yugo's scream. Yugo was running away from the horde of Kuribohs led by none other than his own Junkuriboh chasing after him like bulls ready to tackle their opponents with their horns. Yugo didn't last long. He tripped, allowing the Kuribohs to hit him one by one, making a mountain of Kuriboh with Yugo buried under them. It didn't last for long though as Yugo regained his strength and threw the Kuribohs burying him away from him.

"You bastards! What did I do wrong that you tackled me like that, huh?! And you! Why do you always like that towards me?!" Yugo pointed at the Kuribohs, especially his Junkuriboh, angrily yelling them. Some of the Kuribohs yelped at his loud voice and retreated to his four look-alikes.

"Don't shout at them like that. You're scaring them." Yuto scolded his Synchro counterpart while patting one of the scared Kuribohs.

"Yeah. Be nice to them, Yugo. They are so cute and obedient." Yuya added as he looked at the Kuribohs who all gave him puppy-dog-looking-faces.

"They just want to play with you." Yukiya added, sighing at Yugo's behavior towards the Kuribohs.

"They are delicate creatures. Be more considerate, Fusion." Yuri added, also sighing at Yugo's tantrum.

Yugo looked at his look-alikes in disbelief. "Are you blind?! In what way these rascals are cute and obedient and considerate to me?!" He protested, which earned him a smack from Junkuriboh. Oh, that did it. Yugo challenged the remaining brave Kuribohs, starting a childish brawl with them.

"But still, it sure surprises me that the little ones are so attracted to Yuri. Is it because he has Winged Kuriboh with him?" Yuto stated while looking at his Fusion counterpart who finally relented and played with the Kuribohs.

"Yeah. I didn't expect him to be a type that would be liked by these little ones." Yukiya said while observing Yuri's interactions with the Kuribohs.

Seeing Yuri like this reminded Yuya of what Jounouchi once told him before they began their first training.

 _"I know he is not that bad of a kid. Winged Kuriboh chose him after all."_

What did Jounouchi meant by that? Afterwards, they were so immersed in their training and stories about their respective homeland that Yuya forgot to ask about it again. He turned to Johan who was watching over the field, making sure the students didn't leave their designated areas. Since Johan worked at this farm and Yuzu said he was the most adept in communicating with Duel Monsters out of all Celica's guardians, maybe Johan knew the answer.

"Johan-san, is there any connection between Winged Kuriboh and a person's personality?" Yuya asked, approaching the guardian.

Johan nodded, confirming it. "There is. Winged Kuriboh is not an ordinary monster. Winged Kuriboh is able to sense humans' hearts more than even themselves, especially goodness. Winged Kuriboh is not a type of creature that would come near humans with wicked hearts. If Winged Kuriboh is so attached to someone that means that person must have kindness in them even if that person himself doesn't show it." He said while looking at the said Kuriboh sitting on Yuri who was still taking care of the Kuribohs.

"Kindness…" Yuya murmured while watching Yuri. He started to feel relieved. If this was true, that means Yuri was returning to his old self that Serena and Dennis knew in their childhood. He won't harm people again even without the choker.

"There is one more reason. Winged Kuriboh also tends to get attached to someone who needs to be saved." Johan added.

"Be saved from what?" Yuya looked up at Johan questioningly. Somehow he didn't like the sound of it, especially when Johan simply smiled at him with sad eyes.

"You'll have to ask Yuno-san about it." Johan replied before leaving Yuya and his group. Yuya didn't get to chase him because the Kuribohs started asking him to play with them again.

 **YARD – FARMHOUSE – SPIRIT FARM – MOUNTAIN – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

After playing with the Duel Monsters, the students were escorted to the farmhouses. There were three farmhouses enough for the whole students and teacher to stay at for the night. Reaching evening, the students were given dinner and then free time, but they were not allowed to leave the farmhouse area. Several Duel Monsters were on the watch in case there were students tried to sneak out during the night. Serena and Ruri returned to their rooms with their respective groups while Yuzu went out to get some fresh air. The mountain air at night sure felt refreshing, especially after taking a nice bath. It was then she noticed her mentor outside not far from her.

"Johan-san!" Yuzu ran to her mentor who was playing with several Duel Monsters with Ruby.

"Hi, Yuzu. Want to play with us?" He offered, pulling her hand to them. The monsters were small Weenie Beasts type; Lock Cat, Key Mouse, Rescue Cat, Nimble Big Hamster, and others.

"They are so cute." Yuzu commented while rubbing Nimble Big Hamster's soft fat stomach. "I heard you're breeding them. Do you breed them like people breeding cattle in normal farms?"

"Not really. Duel Monsters are closer to humans than animals even if at times they seem to behave like the latter. We said breeding, but we really just taking care of these monsters like we are taking care of people who need protection until they are able to return." Johan explained.

"Return? You mean return becoming a card?" Yuzu raised a brow. Now that she thought about it, why didn't these monsters just returned to their cards form in the first place?

"Duel Monsters actually came from another realm in this dimension that we even don't know where. It has been like this since thousands of years ago. Cards are actually mediums for Duel Monsters so their spirits can interact with humans while their bodies stayed in their own realm. Cards are like a gate that connect our realm with their realm." Johan continued, showing Ruby as a card to point it out.

"Cards are only mediums? So they have their own place to stay?" Yuzu was surprised by this new information. She thought the card itself was like the monsters' home.

"Correct. These guys, however, for reason we don't know yet, somehow ended up directly in our realm. We don't know how they got here or where they came from. It's like they just suddenly appeared out of nowhere one by one. They are scared as they are in the environment that they don't know and there are people who tried to gain profit by capturing them. That's why this farm was formed to protect them." Johan pulled the little monsters into a hug while explaining this as if fearing they will be taken away from him and he vowed to protect them.

"By the way, sorry I didn't tell you that I'm working in this farm. I wanted to make it a surprise." Johan apologized while feeding a Rescue Cat in his arms a bottle of milk. The others seemed to be waiting for their turn to be fed and pampered. Again, so cute.

"You're working here even though you're Celica-san's guardian?" Yuzu asked. She was honestly curious. Johan already got a good high job from his work as Celica's guardian, so why would he work here? The palace also has its own place for Duel Monsters to interact with.

"I've been working in this farm even before I became Celica-san's guardian." Johan revealed. He just finished feeding the Rescue Cat in his arms. The cat-like monster fell asleep so Johan carefully placed it on its sleeping basket before taking a Key Mouse to his arms for its turn to feed.

"Then how did you become Celica-san's guardian?" Yuzu asked again, getting curious. She was under impression that Johan came from nobility or a high-class family, but that didn't seem to be the case now that he revealed he was working here before becoming a guardian.

"It happened two years ago. A family of nobility tried to take over this farm. Using their money and authority, it's not difficult for them to achieve it and no matter how hard we tried and no matter how many supports from people around us we can't do a thing." Johan recalled the hard times he experienced that time. He grew up as a commoner. He was raised as one of the most pious families albeit relatively wealthy farmers in this area. His father helped in establishing this farm with its owner. He enjoyed his peaceful life in the vast farmlands while taking care of the monsters in this farm together with his family, the other workers, and the owner of this farm. One day, however, a son of a marquis suddenly came, saying he wanted to buy the farm and offered plenty of cash, but he and the others who take care of the farm refused without a second thought.

"Why would they want this farm? Because of the Duel Monsters?" Yuzu asked while helping Johan in feeding the monsters.

"That, and they want to expand their territory and to make profit using these monsters. If you saw the way they treated the Duel Monsters when they came to visit, you wouldn't want to give these monsters to their hands." Johan frowned while recalling it. The son of the marquis and people who came with him treated the monsters like they were animals ready to be skinned or forced to fight in a gladiator's match without their consideration. But they were just farmers with little money and privilege compared to the nobles. They couldn't put a lot of fight with them having many sources and connections.

"This farm was saved thanks to Celica-san. She noticed my strong abilities to communicate with Duel Monsters and offered me the position to become her guardian. Becoming the Imperial Adviser's guardian equals gaining higher privilege and rank than that noble family. I accepted her offer without having to think long and saved this farm." At that time, he met Celica who disguised herself as a country girl visiting the farm to see the monsters after hearing about them. He gave her a tour while also telling the problem the farm was facing. He was so surprised when the next day afterward, Celica came dressed in royalty and offered him position to become her guardian in exchange she would make sure the marquis' family would never touch the farm ever again.

 _"Although, even without me accepting her offer, Celica-san will still help save the farm…"_ Johan thought with a smile. He knew that Celica was kind who didn't differentiate nobles or commoners. She treated them both with respect. Plus, she also loved Duel Monsters and disagreed with how the marquis' son treated them.

Johan inclined his head. Then he turned off towards the rolling hills and put two fingers to his lips. He let out one pure note in a quick whistle. For a moment, Yuzu's ears only rang. And then over the crest of a nearby hill, a dragon appeared. It was Johan's Rainbow Dragon in spirit form so no normal person could see it. Then the dragon cantered down the length of the hill. She didn't pay that much attention to it before, but Rainbow Dragon was bigger. Yuzu gasped, pressing back against Johan as the dragon approached. Yuzu darted behind Johan. She had never been around such a big dragon (not counting Supreme King Dragon Zarc).

"Hey, it's okay," Johan soothed. He cupped the dragon's face in his hand, his forehead pressed to the dragon's head. "You can come closer. He doesn't bite. He says you can come closer. He's alright with it."

Yuzu hesitated. Rainbow Dragon was so big. Her throat felt dry. But in spite of herself, she found one foot moving forward, and then one after another. Slowly, one step at a time, she brought herself almost even with Johan, looking up at Rainbow Dragon nervously.

"Hold your hand out like this," Johan said. He demonstrated, holding his hand out flat. Yuzu tried, and Johan carefully fixed his fingers. "There you go."

Yuzu trembled a bit, her hand outstretched and flat. Rainbow Dragon huffed once, dropping his nose towards Yuzu's hand. His nose snuffled at Yuzu's palm for a moment, and Yuzu was almost positive that he was going to bite—

Rainbow Dragon let out a heavy sighing sound, and took a move forward so that he could push his head gently against Yuzu's face.

 _"Oh—he was soft!"_ Yuzu carefully put her hands against Rainbow Dragon's chin, petting softly. Her heart fizzed all at once. She was petting him. Rainbow Dragon wasn't trying to bite or swallow or anything. But she should have known that since Rainbow Dragon was Johan's ace monster.

"He likes you." Johan told her, laughing softly at the two.

"R-really?" Yuzu said happily as she pets the dragon more. The dragon seemed to enjoy her touch.

"Dueling isn't something you can do alone. You have to be considerate of your partners, your Duel Monsters." Johan extended his hand to Rainbow Dragon, prompting the dragon to move to his master.

"At first glance it may look like Duelists can just make Duel Monsters do whatever it is they want them to do, but the truth is that a lot of time, we rely on Duel Monsters' abilities and guidance. The Duel Monsters supports the Duelists and guides them all the way until their limit, so the first thing we need to be able to do is trust in our monsters and hope they will help us." Johan explained while petting Rainbow Dragon's head and chin, and the dragon sounded content with his touch.

"People like us who are able to hear their voices and communicate with Duel Monsters are the ones who should have understood this more than anybody. It's not something you can understand just by somebody telling you. You must realize it on your own. Then you take that trust and use it to deepen the bond you have with your monsters." Johan told Yuzu as Rainbow Dragon returned into the card.

Yuzu understood what Johan was saying. She used to think that Duel Monsters would simply follow what she thought they would do following her wishes. It wasn't until she learned they have true souls like every creature do and able to sense feelings she finally realized how much she has been helped by her monsters in her Duels, not just because of her abilities alone. Her awakening as Ray's fragment also awakened her inherited ability to hear their voices and sensed their feelings. It was then, she came to appreciate her monsters and cherish them more than she ever did before.

"Yes… I will always remember that."

 **BACKYARD – FAMRHOUSE – SPIRIT FARM – MOUNTAIN – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Now that they have free time, Rin called Nakanishi, the boy who gave her the love letter to the backyard of the farmhouse so they could talk in private without anyone interrupting or eavesdropping them. Rin didn't want this to spread outside her female classmates and her counterparts. She was glad that they promised they would keep this an absolute secrecy. Rin honestly was nervous giving her reply, but she must do this so it will be settled once and for all.

"I'm sorry. I can't accept your feeling." Rin finally gave her reply to the boy, returning his love letter.

"Why? Do you have someone that you like?" Nakanishi asked as he looked at his letter and then at Rin with questioning eyes.

"N-no…! That's not…I uh…" Rin blushed as Yugo's face suddenly came into her mind. Why was she thinking about him? Didn't she say Yugo was only a childhood friend who was like a brother to her when her classmates asked her in the bus on their way here? So why Yugo was in her mind?

Nakanishi didn't seem perturbed by her answer and then spoke calmly. "Then how about we go on a date once? Maybe you'll change your mind." He suggested as he leaned closer to Rin.

"N-no! I can't. Really. I'm sorry." Rin shook her head immediately, but Nakanishi didn't seem willing to back down.

"Come on, just once. I'll make you enjoy our date and show you I'm the man for you." He cornered her to the wall behind as he leaned closer.

"I really can't!" Rin insisted, but Nakanishi won't listen. When he leaned his face closer to hers, Rin was prepared for her knee attack or a punch to push him away. Good-looking and studious her butt, this guy was egotistical narcissist jerk! There's no way she is going to date this guy!

"No need to be so such a coy. Come on–"

Nakanishi's face suddenly got away from Rin and he fell on his butt on the ground. Someone has pulled the back of his collar to pull him away from Rin. Nakanishi was ready to give whoever pulled him a piece of his mind but a hand then gripped his collar tightly, forcing him to stand and face a cold gaze of a tall young man a few years older than him. His cold angry gaze, his tall figure, his black clothing coupled with thin light of the moonlight made him all the more intimidating.

"Kiryu-san?!" Rin exclaimed, recognizing her mentor.

Kiryu tightened his grip on the boy's collar and leaned his face closer to him while glaring at him. "My pupil already said 'no', hasn't she? Or do I need to make you understand the hard way?" He told the boy with a voice that could make him and any other boy shat their pants. He was intent to execute his threat right at this very moment.

Nakanishi quickly shook his head, sweating in fear. "I-I'm sorry! I understand! I won't bother her anymore!" He said with horrified voice. Once Kiryu let go of him, Nakanishi made a run back into the farmhouse like a coward he was.

"Kiryu-san, why are you here?!" Rin asked, still surprised by his sudden appearance.

"The owner of this farm is an old friend of mine. I cam to visit him." Kiryu replied, his cold gaze disappeared and replaced with a calm smile.

"Thank you for your help." Rin thanked her mentor. She could have dealt with Nakanishi herself, but Kiryu's method was far more effective. She was positive Nakanishi would never dare to bother her again especially not when Kiryu already told him she was his pupil.

"Don't mention it." Kiryu offered her a bottle of water while gesturing her to sit beside him. Rin accepted the water and sat beside Kiryu, watching the beautiful stars in the sky quietly.

Rin glanced at Kiryu. After her first training with him, she has conducted her own investigation about Heidel and Kiryu. Unfortunately, she has rather limited sources of information. She only knew Heidel based on what people around her were talking about him, and their opinions varies that she didn't know well. And none of their stories she could relate to Kiryu because she has little information about him. He was her mentor, and getting to know her mentor was important for student. At least that was what she believes.

"Umm…Kiryu-san…about what we talked last time…" Rin asked again about the conversation they had in their first training. But when she Kiryu turned to her, her guts shrunk and she looked away. "No. Sorry, never mind..."

Kiryu stared at Rin and knew what she was trying to ask. She has heard from some people about how she asked people about Heidel and him. When he told her to find out about Heidel and him by herself, he never thought she would do exactly as that. Did she want to know about his past that much? Or she did it to get to know more about one of the important figures in this dimension?

Kiryu sighed and leaned his back to the wall to get a better view of the sky. "Me and my old friend who was the owner of this farm came from a facility." He suddenly said.

"A facility?" Rin turned to Kiryu again, listening intently.

"The owner of this farm, my friends who passed away, and myself were orphans. We were either abandoned or lost our families. We lived together in an orphanage until due to financial problem the orphanage was forced to be shut down and we were taken by a facility. This facility was owned by Heidel. Even though we have lost the orphanage, as long as we have each other, we were happy. The facility also provided us with more accommodations than when we were at the orphanage in exchange we helped the workers in their works." Kiryu began his story. To him who had lost his family, the friends he made in the orphanage was everything to him. While they were poor, as long as his friends with him, he was happy. When the orphanage was to be demolished, he thought he would be separated from his friends. So he was relieved when they were instead taken into a facility where they were still together. As long as they could be together, he didn't mind doing works no matter how hard it would be.

"What works?" Rin asked.

"They said they were researchers so they asked for our help by doing some physical tests and Duels. The ones who reached certain aptitude were said would receive a chance to live as Duelists with sponsors provided for them. Many of the children there worked hard in polishing their skills to achieve that, to have a better life." Kiryu and his friends from the orphanage also met other children who experienced the same situation as them before being taken into the facility. Kiryu didn't really care of taking the said chance because he didn't want to separate form his friends. If they would be eventually separated, Kiryu at least wanted to make sure none of them would be left behind in the facility, so despite many chances he has to receive the promotion, he always backed down at the last second to allow his friends who became his opponents in the Duel to get the promotion. Everything seemed fine until that day…

"However, one day, there was an explosion and the facility was destroyed. Most of my friends who came from the same orphanage died, and only a few survived, including myself. There was one of my friends who survived with critical injuries but he didn't last long. Before his last breath, he revealed me a shocking truth…" Kiryu's face hardened and he tightly clenched his fists. That day was devastating to him. The facility exploded, causing the ceilings to fall down and the flames burning their surroundings. Despite his best efforts to help his friends escape the building, many didn't make it and he witnessed their deaths with his own eyes. Their memory of their faces as they were dying was still fresh in his mind.

"A shocking truth…?"

"He said that he and a few of our friends who came with him found out the truth when they happened to follow one of the children who got adopted to say one last goodbye. They found out that facility is not just an ordinary research facility. The ones with aptitude who were said to be adopted and live their lives as Duelists turned out to have been taken to a special lab where the researchers performed human experiments. He overheard the researchers said they only considers us nothing more than guinea pigs and doesn't care if we die during the experiments he has planned for us." Kiryu revealed with barely concealed anger. He couldn't imagine the suffering of the ones who became victim of the human experiments. It crushed him that might be partially responsible for sending them as guinea pigs since he made them stronger than he was. If it weren't for him, maybe…

"T-that's terrible…" Rin covered her mouth, horrified hearing the story. How could they do that to children?

"Unfortunately, the researchers noticed them. My friends managed to escape and warn several other children. To make sure the truth won't be leaked, under Heidel's order, the facility was blown up to destroy evidence. The incident was concluded as an accident. I also doubt anyone would believe the words of a child like me at that time so I couldn't say anything. I tried to dig into the incident more myself. Then I found out that the financial problem the orphanage where I used to live was also planned by Heidel so he can get us, the children, as his test subjects." Kiryu's hatred for Heidel started that day when he learned the truth behind the incident. The more he found out about Heidel's involvement, the more his hatred for him grew. He would never forgive him.

"Even so, there's nothing more I can do. Afterwards while the rest of my friends have moved on with their lives, I had difficulty doing so and my life is a mess…until I met him." Kiryu's face softened as he continued his story. After he found the truth but couldn't do anything considering his lack of evidence and Heidel's rising position, he tried to bury the whole thing up. Unfortunately, he couldn't let it go no matter how hard he tried, and his attempt to do so led to be involved with a wrong crowd.

"You mean Celica-san?" Rin said.

Kiryu nodded, his soft smile returned. "When I first met her, I was involved in an illegal underground Dueling. He disguised himself as one of participants and became my opponent. I lost against her. Shortly after, the Imperial Duelists together with the police force came and arrested the people arranging the illegal ring along with the participants. However, Celica took me under her custody. After hearing my story, she allowed me to join her as her guardian." When he first met Celica he thought she was just an unlucky kid who had no choice but to Duel to survive in streets. He was shocked when she revealed herself to be the Imperial Adviser and even more when she decided to recruit him into her personal squad.

"It made me relieved that there is someone who trusts me completely." Kiryu smiled at the fond moment. Celica questioned him about his background, and when Kiryu told her the entire thing including about Heidel, not only Celica allowed her to join her circle but she also allowed Kiryu to use their resources and manpower to investigate Heidel as long as he did it in secrecy. Celica told her that hse also has suspicion about Heidel, but has difficulty to prove it since the man was careful. Still, Kiryu didn't expect for Celica to believe everything he said. It was as if Celica was able to ascertain the truth simply by looking at him.

"So you work with Celica-san to investigate Heidel and to repay Celica-san." Rin concluded.

"At first, those are my reasons. But now, I'm with her and the other guardians now because they are my new friends and family." Kiryu corrected. He initially joined Celica because he thought he could get revenge on Heidel and he felt the need to repay Celica for saving him from his miserable life. But slowly, as times passed, as he spent more times with his fellow guardians and Celica every day, he felt for the first time after losing his friends that he has finally found a new home and family. He wouldn't trade them for anything.

"Friends and family…I can understand that." Rin smiled as well. Until a year ago, she only had Yugo. The other children in the orphanage were important for her too, but Yugo was the closest to her. Now, she has lots of new friends who she would treasure for the rest of her life. They were not just ordinary friends. They were her one big family she had always dreamed to have.

Kiryu stood up, looking down at Rin and then gave her a pat on her head. "You reminded me of one of my friends who passed away in the facility. Strong-willed, never easy to give up, and likes to scold whenever we misbehave. If she is still alive, I'm sure she'll grow up just like you." His smile briefly turned sad, but he mad sure he was quick enough not to make Rin realized it.

"But let me tell you this one more time, Rin. Don't let my story influence your own belief and judgment." Kiryu reminded her while walking towards the farmhouse. Without even turning back, he spoke, "And Yugo, it's not nice to eavesdrop."

From the other side, Yugo flinched and slowly revealed himself, smiling weakly while scratching the back of his head. He got busted.

"S-sorry…" Yugo apologized as Rin approached him while Kiryu simply waved at him before entering the farmhouse.

"Yugo, how long you're there?!" Rin asked, blushing a bit. Could it be he has been there from the very beginning?

Yugo averted his gaze from Rin. "Eh…well…from when that jerk…tried to kiss you…" He answered the truth. He just happened to take a walk around when he saw Rin outside with a boy. Out of worry and curiosity, he eavesdropped on them. His blood boiled when the guy tried to kiss Rin and he was more than relieved when the jerk cowered in fear after a threat from Kiryu. He was glad that Rin has a mentor who protected her.

"Thank you." Rin suddenly thanked him, which was unexpected. He has thought she would scold him for eavesdropping.

"Huh? For what?" Yugo asked.

"You were trying to help me when he made a move on me, weren't you?" Rin guessed correctly. She had always known how high her childhood friend's sense of justice was. She has no doubt he would step in if Kiryu didn't.

"O-of course! There's no way I'm gonna stand quiet and let some guy especially a jerk like him stole your…first…kiss…" Yugo trailed off as the memory of his first kiss came into his mind…again. Yugo crouched with his hands on his head, cursing his strong memory about that one moment.

"Ugh…first kiss…" Yugo felt like crying for unable to forget that. It was so frustrating!

"Wait, that thing from Neon is still bothering you that much?!" Rin exclaimed in shock.

She thought Yugo would have already gotten over with it considering his personality, but he hasn't?! She thought only girls would be that bothered by that matter. And this means…Yugo's head…must be filled with that woman… Rin's chest hurt at the thought of Neon constantly filling Yugo's head. She didn't like it one a bit. She hated it. She didn't know why, she hated it that Yugo kept thinking about her. Is there no way to make him forget? Anything that would keep him from thinking about that woman. She didn't want Yugo to remember her every time the topic of first kiss or anything related is brought up. She didn't want him to always to think about that woman…

Rin kneeled beside Yugo and placed a hand on his shoulder, making him look at her. Without thinking, Rin leaned her face closer to his and pressed lips on his cheek. Yugo froze when his cheek felt her soft lips against him and didn't dare to make any more. The two of them stayed that way for several seconds that felt like hours before Rin finally pulled away with reddened cheeks and Yugo with face as red as a traffic light while touching the cheek where Rin just pecked her.

"I-I can't do the same like her…but…won't you just try to forget about her already…?" Rin told him before abruptly standing up. She looked at Yugo again, which made her cheeks reddened and she turned her back on him for she didn't want him to see her face fully red.

"G-good night!"

Rin said in stutter before running as fast as she could back into the farmhouse, leaving Yugo who was still in shocked state alone outside.

 **THE NEXT DAY – SCHOOL BUS 2 – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuya, Yuto, Yuri, and practically everyone inside the bus were looking at Yugo as if he has gone to another world or has grown another head inside. Since last night, Yugo hasn't stopped grinning so widely and blushing with such a dreamy expression. No matter how many insults or physical attacks they tried to threw at him, he simply dismissed them with his smile and his giggle made it all the more weirder. Just what exactly happened last night to make him this way?

"Have you lost your mind, Fusion?" Yuri asked while referring to him with the nickname that everyone knew he hates. However,

"Not at all~. Everything feels wonderful…hehehehe~" Yugo replied, not even bothered by the nickname attached to it that usually provoked him. Everyone in the bus, even the teachers, sweat dropped at his behavior.

"That smile is creepy. Quit it. I mean it." Yuri told Yugo. It wasn't fun if Yugo was like this. He needed the old Yugo back to be teased so he won't get bored.

"Yeah, whatever~" Yugo responded again so nonchalantly, still in daze.

Yuya and Yuto looked at each other in confusion. Whatever happened to Yugo last night seemed to be something so good that he was over the clouds, but the have to agree with their Fusion counterpart this time.

 _"This Yugo was just too weird!"_

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 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Kitchen Havoc –** Yukiya skipped class due to a fever after the last field trip. Wanting to help Yukiya to get better, Yuya and the others decides to cook healthy food for him during Home Economic class. Unfortunately, things don't go so well with some of them are still new to cooking in general…

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 **Finished faster than expected. I decided to add the backgrounds story for Johan and Kiryu. For the ones who read 5D's manga, I'm sure you know that Kiryu's past was not so different, but I still hope it's acceptable. And I'm sorry if you're expecting Rin to kiss Yugo in this chapter, but a kiss on the lips would be too soon for them since they were still in progress state, so you have to be patient with a kiss on the cheek in this chapter. I tried to make some fluffy scenes when Yuya and the others were surrounded by the Kuribohs, but unfortunately I couldn't get the write words so I just settled it with this. Two more chapters to go for the filler chapters.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	21. Kitchen Havoc

**Big thanks to** _ **Ulrich362, MarBere123, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Unknowedz, Yuka Kuroshiro, aqua9597, dvdryms, Playerhood18, matrixnis, GamingGuy84**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

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 **SHERRY'S ROOM – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD'S HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Everything was burning.

She didn't want to believe what she was seeing. She jumped out of the car the moment it stopped, taking in the death and destruction with wide, horrified eyes. She couldn't believe this was happening. Just mere hours ago she talked so casually with her parents, but now…!

Her house was torn down to the ground, black smoke still wafting up as the wood and beams smoldered, charred black and white from the continuous blaze. Bodies littered the ground, both dead and alive, blood pooling in generous amounts on the ground, seeping into the dry earth.

Without thinking, she rushed into the house to look for her beloved parents.

The previously cream and white colored room was ablaze with the color of orange and red, wood, metal crackling and spitting flames, making breathing difficult. Everything was tore down to the ground, black smoke still wafting up as everything smoldered, charred black and white from the continuous blaze, slowly turning into ashes. Bodies littered the ground, either dead or dying. She pushed through brick and mortar despite her small bodies, eyes darting everywhere, searching, almost desperately, for familiar faces, hoping against everything that they were all safe. Alive.

 _"Father! Mother!"_ She kneeled down, clutching her mother's hand and cradling her head on her lap. _"Help! Somebody! Anybody!"_ She couldn't keep the fear out of her voice. She felt so many emotions of terror, desperation, and anger at the moment.

 _"… Sherry…?"_ Her mother desperately opened her eyes and slowly focused on her daughter, sounding so weak, so frail, and it took all her willpower to sound strong, to never let her voice tremble in front of the mother she loved.

 _"Mother…why…?"_ She forced back the tears that filled her eyes to fall. Unfortunately, seeing her mother's bleeding feature made her broke and the tears escaped from her eyes to her cheeks. _"…Why is this…?"_

 _"Don't…cry… You're already a big girl…"_ She felt her hands release her, touching her cheek, her eyes widening as her mother wiped away the tears that gathered, staining her skin with blood.

 _"You…must live…and never forget…to always smile…"_ Her mother said slowly, but she then coughed up blood and her body went limp, making Sherry to shake her mother's body even more.

 _"Mother! No, please don't-"_

" _Sherry…"_

Once the name left her mouth, the woman's eyes closed. Her body became colder as seconds passed. Slowly, the thin hand slackened in the hold. Sherry froze, numbly watching as the hand landed on the floor as a lone tear managed to escape and run down her cheek.

She couldn't hear the voice of someone calling out to her as she was too busy screaming in despair.

Sherry abruptly awakened from her sleep, breathing frantically with a trickle of tear in her right eye that she wiped. She was sweating despite the cold temperature in her room. She wiped them with a towel on the table beside her bed and took a full glass of water also placed there before throwing the glass to the wall, crashing it to pieces. She clenched the sheet of her bed while trying to calm herself from her nightmare.

Her eyes landed on a photograph on the table. It was a photograph of her when she was a child and her parents. She took the photograph and pressed it into her embrace. She stayed that way until a knock interrupted.

"Who is there?" Sherry asked. It was still 2 in the morning. Who was still awake this late?

"It's me." Yuno's voice responded from the other side of the door.

Sherry opened the door, looking down at the Oracle who was staring at her with worry. And then his mouth curved into a smile before he tiptoed and patted the blonde woman's head, making her blushed and removed her head from him.

"W-why are you doing that so suddenly at this hour?!" Sherry asked, taking a step back from surprise.

"When you were little you felt better whenever I pat you on the head." Yuno replied, smiling sweetly at her.

"I-I'm not a child anymore! Please don't do this so suddenly!" Sherry covered her face from embarrassment.

"I just came to see and thought maybe I can help you feel better after I saw a vision." Yuno told her, placing both his hands behind him while his smile softened. Sherry blinked, removing her hand from her face to face her leader.

"I hope you're not continuing the nightmare. Good night." Yuno bid her sleep before closing the door and retreated back to his room.

Sherry touched her head where Yuno has patted her. Yuno must have a vision of her experiencing a nightmare so he came to check on her. It has been a while. The last time this happened was 5 years ago. And like before, even though she won't admitted it now so clearly in front of everyone, his presence did sooth her. Sherry sat back on her bed, covering her face with both hands as her cheeks tinged pink.

"Stupid…"

 **YUKIYA'S ROOM – KANBARA RESIDENCE – APARTMENT – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"38.9 degrees Celsius," announced Yukiya's mother as she read the thermometer. She sighed. "You must be playing too much during the field trip, no wonder you're sick, Yukiya."

"I'm just a bit tired…" Yukiya muttered weakly. "I need to look some program from-"

Yukiya's older sister flicked his forehead without mercy. "Sick person should stay in bed." She said.

When Yukiya opened his mouth to retort, his sister quickly added, "A sick person would only be a burden, it means, you are USELESS with your current condition." She emphasized the word 'useless' straightforwardly.

The young silvernet felt stabbed by the words and immediately sulked as he mentally cried out waterfall tears. Their parents look at their daughter with shock and disbelieve looks.

"Harsh!" They both thought in unison.

The mother gave a small smack to the silver haired girl on the back of her head. The said girl rubbed the back of her head as she gave her mother a look that saying 'What was that for?'

The mother, in return, gave her the look that saying 'You're an idiot!' The mother stood beside her son and gave him assuring smile.

"What we're trying to say is, your health is more important than your studies or part time work. We'll handle it so just rest." His mother placed a cold handkerchief onto his forehead. "You better go to sleep now."

"You better listen. If you die, I don't want to be the one to carry your body." His sister remarked. She stood up and walked outside. "I'll be going now. It's not good for you if we're crowding around here too much. I'll buy some fruits to make you feel better."

"We have a work, but we'll try to come home as fast as we can. Don't overexert yourself while we're gone, okay?" His father told him, giving him a ruffle on his hair.

"We'll be back early tonight!"

 **2** **ND** **PERIOD – HOME ECONOMIC ROOM – MIDDLE-SCHOOL BUILDING – DEN ACADEMY – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The second study period of Yuzu's class was home economic. The students were divided into groups with four people each. After hearing Yukiya got a fever so he was absent from school for today, Yuzu suggested to her counterparts to use this class as opportunity to make food for Yukiya in hope it will make him feel better. Hearing Yuya's class would also have home economic today but they were going to make different food, Yuzu told him to make one for Yukiya too. The eight of them agreed to visit Yukiya after school.

Today, the class will make chicken soup, which would be perfect to be given to the sick Yukiya. For 8 minutes, the students searched for ingredients, opening cabinets and refrigerator while also looking at the cookbook and soon, the table groaned under the weight of the things they have collected. From here on, they split the jobs. Ruri and Serena will be preparing the vegetables and fruits while Yuzu and Rin will handle the rest.

"Let's remove the skins off vegetables. Prepare the knife." Ruri said, clasping her palms together as she looked at the vegetables.

"This one, right? Alright! Hyaaaaaah!" Serena took the kitchen knife and placed a vegetable in front of her. And then, she swung the knife with such a force that her counterparts were sure she was going to cut down not only the vegetable but also the table itself. She even did so with a loud battle cry, causing other groups to look at her with astonishment.

"S-Serena! Don't swing the kitchen knife around like that!" Ruri frantically told her, which apparently fell on deaf ears as Serena still continue to cut the vegetable the way she did.

"It's dangerous! I said it's dangerous! Stop that!" Rin tried to dissuade Serena from cutting, waving her arms in panic.

"You don't have to use that much strength!" Yuzu also joined her counterparts to calm their Fusion counterpart, but it ended up with a little success.

Serena's hand was stopped by another hand holding her wrist. She turned to her right side to see the home economics teacher, Miyuki, stopping her and slowly moved her hand that was still holding the knife to the vegetable. Carefully, she moved her hand in cutting motion, properly cutting the vegetable. And then as they continued together, Miyuki let go of her hand, allowing Serena to continue cutting the vegetable in the right way.

"If you swing the knife like that you'll end up getting hurt too. You have to do it slowly and steadily. Continue cutting it like that." Miyuki told Serena before checking the other group.

"Cooking is so difficult." Serena remarked as she slowly cut the vegetables like she was told to. Going steady and slowly was not her style.

"Cooking is a delicate thing to do. If you want your foods to be delicious you have to do it carefully. You don't want the food you made inedible, right?" Ruri told her Fusion counterpart while cutting the other vegetables.

"Yeah. I don't want to give Yukiya a food that would only make him worse." Serena said. The three girls sighed in relief. Good that she understood fast. But still, they must keep an eye on her.

"Ruri, you're pretty good at cooking. The foods you cooked for me and Yuya last time were delicious." Yuzu praised while observing Ruri's hand working on the other ingredients.

"My brother taught me. Since our parents often go out working and come home late, he learned to cook and become an expert if I may say so." Ruri revealed.

"Yeah! Now that you mentioned it, you made them together with Kurosaki, right? I hope I can taste it again!" Yuzu said genuinely. She could still remember the taste of the foods.

"Of course! How about you two, Yuzu, Ruri? You seemed to be able to cook too." Ruri asked, looking at Rin and Yuzu who were handling their ingredients neatly.

"I learned it from the head orphanage. Yugo also learned a bit, but in the end he can only cook fast food." Rin replied. There were not many workers at the orphanage, so the head orphanage decided to teach some of the children to cook for themselves just in case.

"I learned from Yuya's mom, Aunt Yoko! She is very good at cooking! Dad wasn't that good either, so Aunt Yoko offered to teach me. Her teaching was easy to understand, so I didn't have much problem." Yuzu answered. She didn't have a mother, so Yoko decided to teach her, also adding that it would be good for her once she got married. Men likes housewife who can cook. That part made her blushed.

"Maybe I should learn from Yuya's mom too once we go back." Serena contemplated.

 **4** **TH** **PERIOD – HOME ECONOMIC ROOM – MIDDLE-SCHOOL BUILDING – DEN ACADEMY – DEN CITY –CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Times passed and it was already the fourth study period. In this period, it was Yuya's class turn to use the home economic room. They were going to make okayu. Like the girls, Yuya and his counterparts ended up in the same group thanks to their insistence to be in one group since they wanted to make the food together for the sick Yukiya. The teacher, understanding their good intention, let them to be in the same group for this one time. However, there was one problem to this: unlike the girls, half of the boys have no experience whatsoever in cooking.

Yuya scratched his head. "I don't understand what to do next." He said, apparently the cookbook wasn't much of help for him.

"Okay…so first we need to boil the rice," announced Yuto. Yugo grabbed the nearest pot and examined it. He could only cook fast foods and never cook with natural ingredients, so he was at loss here. And when cooking, Rin never allowed him to turn on the stove. He always waited for her or someone else to turned on the stove and then he did the cooking.

"How do you boil rice?" asked Yugo looking confused. Yuya shrugged his shoulders he never cooked before so he didn't know himself.

"Rotate that button." Yuri answered, pointing at the said button on the stove just as he finished washing the rice and handed it to Yugo to be boiled.

"Okay, all we need to do is to rotate this button…" Yugo rotated the button…to the fullest power. In instant, the stove went on fire, making the rice burnt. Smoke filled the kitchen. They covered their mouths and noses to not inhale the smoke, but failed. They coughed out from the smoke.

"Fire! Fire!" Yugo went panic.

"Turn it off! Quickly!" Yuto yelled, pointing at the stove.

"It's hot!" Yugo yelled back as he shook the pot. He tripped himself out of panic, making the pot fell onto floor along with the other ingredients.

Yuya took this chance and turned off the stove. They all sighed in relief. Finally. Yuya extended his hand for Yugo to take, helping him up.

"Adjust the flame, idiots." Yuri showed his three counterparts how to make sure flame won't burn them. It was a good thing that Yuto at least learned fast just by watching the first time and reading the cookbook, but Yuya and Yugo, unfortunately, still need quite some times to get used to it.

To make sure the same won't be repeated, they settled with Yuya and Yugo peeling and skinned the vegetables while Yuri and Yuto do the boiling. _After several minutes, the rice was boiled and the boys looked pleased with themselves._

"Next, we add some salt or some flavoring," muttered Yuya while reading the cookbook.

Yuto walked over and picked up some ingredients. "Let me do it, I saw my mom done it before." He took the salt and added some to the pot. He then opened a bottle of sauce and poured some in.

"How come you don't know how to boil the rice while you can do this?" Yuya asked in wonder.

"The last time I tried to boil foods, I almost set the kitchen on fire." Yuto replied. "Usually, it was my mom who turned on the stove though. Like this." He rotated the stove again to demonstrate it without thinking much. And what worse, he did it like Yugo did. Once again, the stove was on fire.

"What have you done?!" Yuya rushed towards Yuto, only to have him tripped over his feet and hit the drawer where the knives were put. By a chance, he also accidently hit some of the vegetables, causing them to fall to the floor. The knives also fell the moment Yuya hit it and it would have stabbed the Entermate user if only he didn't roll to side. The girls immediately helped removing the knives away before it could do any harm.

Panicking by another fire, Yugo picked a bucket and filled it with water. He rushed to the stove but tripped because of the remaining vegetables on the floor that the girls didn't get to pick yet, making the water all spilled on Yuya. The Entermate user lay on the floor, all wet. He sat up in frustration and pointed at stove.

"Just hurry up turn it off!" He shouted.

"I know already!" Yugo replied.

"Wait! Yugo-kun! Don't use that–" One of their classmates tried to stop Yugo from making his move, but it was already too late by then.

Yugo refilled the bucket and splashed a bucket of water to the stove and turned off the stove. Once again, the three boys let out a sigh of relief, while Yuri sighed in exasperation together with the other students. They have no idea what they have just done. Yuya shook his body to dry himself a bit. He sniffed his own body and found the smell of the water weird and…it has a taste…?

"Yugo, what water did you use to turn off the stove on your first try?" Yuya asked the Synchro Counterpart.

"I use the water that filled with detergent for cleaning the floor over there." Yugo answered simply while pointing where he found the bucket. It was the nearest water he could find so he didn't care much as long as it can help turning off the stove.

Yuya twitched. No wonder it smelled and tasted bad.

"What in the world is happening?!" Their teacher, who left to go to the restroom, returned with gaping mouth from the shock. He just left for a few minutes and then it became like this?!

The teacher went to look for some towel while Yugo took off his jacket and throw it at the tomato haired counterpart. "Take off that clothes and wear this. You're going to catch a cold if you keep using that wet clothes." Yugo said to Yuya who accepted the jacket.

The rest looked around the room and paled. Their table was a mess. They would need to clean it up later. The other groups stared at their group with sympathy before being urged by the teacher to continue their own cooking.

"We need…to do this…very slowly…and safely…" Yuto said. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Yes, all of you should." The teacher pouted quietly.

Slowly and safely they said, yet, the next 5 minutes, screams, crashes, and small explosions were the only sounds that came out from the home economic room. It took the teacher's whole effort to help them without cooking the food directly. On second thought, maybe he should have do demonstration so these four twins won't destroy the remaining ingredients left they have. They better finished the cooking and clean this up before the other teachers make a fuss about this. The other students were already finished. He needed to make up various excuses to make sure no one who passed by will come to look. After his hard work and patience, finally the four boys managed to reach the half-finishing.

"Now, we add some meat," Yuri grinned. He picked the knives and pulled out a piece of chicken. He then threw it in the air and sliced it. He quickly grabbed a plate and the meat fell into the plate orderly.

Yuya whistled and clapped his hands, which the others also did. Yuri laughed softly and threw them all into the pot.

"Even so, Yuri, I didn't expect you to be so good at cooking." Yuya remarked.

"Yeah. You're pretty good with your hands." Yuto was mildly impressed by Yuri's display of cooking skill.

"During practice in the Academia military, there were times when we have to prepare food for ourselves just in case. I had to learn to cook myself to make sure what is available is edible to eat and suit my palate." Yuri explained. The Academia actually has cafeteria where the food was distributed freely from morning to evening, but Yuri didn't like eating there so often and preferred to eat alone in his own room or somewhere else quiet where he can have a peace of mind.

"Done," The violet haired boy announced. "Now for the vegetables…"

Yugo grabbed the vegetables and threw them into the pot. Yuri then picked up a ladle and stirred the food.

"Now we have to let it cook," said Yuri. All four of them then looked at the pot.

Three of the four teens looked nervously at the stove. To let it cook, they need to turn on the stove, again… The previous disaster they caused was enough to make them hesitant and afraid if this time they'll set kitchen on fire. They were so nervous. The boys have insisted they must do this as they can't let their teacher to do all the work, but the teacher and other students who became nervous by their progress were ready to swoop in if the worst scenario happens.

"…You do it, Yuya." Yugo told his Pendulum Counterpart.

"Wha-? No, you do it!" Yuya protested.

"I'm clumsy when it comes to this, so you do it!"

"You know what happened when I do it!"

"Then Yuto, you do it!"

"What?! No! Didn't you already saw what happened earlier?!"

"But at least you're good at cooking!"

"Just do it for Yukiya! Are you running away?"

"I'm not!"

"You did!"

"Did not!"

"You did!"

"Did not!"

"You did!"

"Did not!"

"Just start cooking!" Yuri snapped, pushing aside his three counterparts and turned on the stove again. Waiting for a few minutes, it was finished; the foods ready to be served. Yuri has taken liberty to not only made one for Yukiya, but also for all of them.

"We did it!" Yuya exclaimed as he raised the food happily.

"Fufufu, it all thanks to me." Yuri said smugly. But none of them care about it right now.

"Let's go serve it to Yukiya!" yelled Yugo cheerfully. Their teacher tapped his shoulder and pointed behind them. Yugo turned around and sweat dropped as he quickly looked away.

"You didn't blow up the kitchen…but…" muttered the teacher as he looked around the kitchen.

Dishes and failed ingredients scattered around the kitchen. Three of the four twins smiled nervously. Small mistakes on cooking turned out to be a big mess. The other teachers and students won't be happy if they saw this. They need to clean it up before anyone other than them sees it or else, they'll have to receive their wrath or perhaps detention. They made the mess; they must be the one who clean it up.

 **AFTER SCHOOL – YUKIYA'S ROOM – KANBARA RESIDENCE – APARTMENT – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yukiya's sister gathered fa cooler with more gel ice packs and plenty of water in order to further look after him. Yukiya was half-asleep on the bed was drenched in his own sweat, breathing with some difficulty due to his coughing fit from time to time. He wanted to sleep but this made it hard. His sister carefully poured some water mixed with his medicine. Yukiya clenched his eyes shut from the bitter taste though his sister gently rubbed the back of his neck to help him swallow and gave him some sweet to ease the bitter taste. The fever didn't appear to lessen but at least the boy looked more peaceful once the ice pack was switched.

A sound of their doorbell caught their attention. Yukiya's sister rushed to the door to welcome the guest. She guessed it was Yukiya's friend since he has said he has told them that he was sick so his work must be postponed. They must be come here to visit him. When she opened the door, she stood frozen. The people standing in front of the door were none other than four copies of her younger brother and four copy of her younger brother's best friend. She rubbed her eyes to check if she was seeing things, but when they were still there, she opened her mouth to try to say something. Keywords being 'try' because she didn't know what to say.

"Good afternoon. I know it must be shocking to see us, but we are Yukiya's friends at school. We heard we got sick, so we came to visit him." The boy with tomato hair greeted first while handing a basket of fruits to her, which she accepted. This snapped her out from her daze, allowing her mind to start working again. She then remembered. Yukiya has spoken about eight new transfer students. A half were quadruplets identical to him, while the other half were also quadruplets but identical to Sara. These people must the ones Yukiya talked about.

"O-oh! Yes! Yukiya has told me about you! I'm Yukiya's sister, Kanaru!" She finally introduced herself to them. "Pardon me, please come in!"

Kanaru escorted her younger brother's friends to his room. If her parents were here, she was sure they would be shocked too and have the same reaction as her. In fact, she was positive her mother would almost faint at the sight of seeing four teens with the same face as her son. No one could blame any of them if they fainted from their sight.

"I've already told Yukiya you're here. Just go to his room. But please don't make too much noise. I'll be back after buying some snacks and ingredients for dinner." Kanaru told her younger brother's friends who promised her they'd behave until she came back.

With that, Kanaru left her younger brother with his new friends. She will only go for a few minutes. What could possibly go wrong?

"Hey, Yukiya! How are you doing?" Yuya greeted as he and the rest entered the room. Yukiya tried to sit up, prompting Yuya and Yuzu to help him leaning his back on the straightened pillow behind him.

"Hi, guys. It's nice to see you." Yukiya replied with a weak smile.

"Here. I wrote down today's lessons. You can return the note any time you want." Ruri lent her notebook where she wrote down all lessons studied until today to Yukiya, which the latter accepted gratefully.

"And this is to make you feel more refresh." Yuzu gave him a small bouquet of daffodil flowers, which Yukiya also gratefully accepted.

"We also brought the foods we made during home economics class! We can guarantee the taste!" Yugo brought out his group's okayu and the girls' chicken soup. The both of them were perfect foods when you got a fever. Plus, both the soup and the okayu can be mixed.

"Thanks. It looks delicious." Yukiya said while staring at the foods offered to him, drooling a bit from the smell. He carefully mixed the chicken soup with the porridge and started eating. The eight counterparts were staring at Yukiya intently, waiting for his reaction. After the first taste, Yukiya smiled.

"This is great! Thanks guys!" Yukiya told them. It was really delicious. The eight counterparts smiled with satisfaction, most were relieved.

"Hehehe! Of course! We made it together after all!" Yugo boasted, huffing proudly.

"Yuri and Yuto were the ones who made it possible though." Yuya interjected Yugo's claim, causing his Synchro counterpart to pout at him for spilling the beans.

"We also made enough for everyone." Yuto brought out more of the foods so they can eat it together. The girls also did the same with the ones they made.

"Delicious!" Serena exclaimed.

"Maybe it's not so bad cooking together again next time." Rin suggested. It also served as a practical lesson for the ones who can't cook.

"Never thought you guys are the types who are good at cooking." Yukiya stated while facing the said Fusion and Xyz counterparts.

"It was nothing." Yuri replied with a smug grin while they continued to eat.

"Wait…there's this unique taste… It's not weird or anything, but I'm not so sure the ingredients will produce this kind of taste…" Yukiya said after tasting more of the dish. The more he eats, the more the unique taste came into his tongue. It wasn't bad. In fact, it made it all the tastier.

"Hey, hey, don't say such weird stuff!" Yugo exclaimed. Yukiya's choice of words didn't make it sound good.

Yuri's eyes glinted at Yukiya's remark. "Besides, I think cooking is fun. You can try all sorts of experiments." He suddenly said with a menacing grin.

Everyone stopped eating the moment Yuri said that, their eyes all were on him. Their hands paused while still holding the spoon. Yuri kept smiling at them who were still in frozen state before voices finally broke out from them.

"Huuuuuh?!"

The eight of them all yelled, looking back and forth at Yuri and their dishes.

"E-experiments?!" Yuya exclaimed.

"Even if something is added secretly, nobody will notice." Yuri explained what he meant; enjoying the reactions he got from them. They never bored him.

"What the heck?! Are you saying…you put something in here…?" Yugo pointed accusingly at Yuri with trembling arms. The rest were also staring at Yuri like he was a villain planning to see his evil plan unfold.

"Hahahaha..." Yuri laughed coldly, giving off evil vibe with his signature laugh and smirk. The atmosphere suddenly turned cold like they were experiencing event in a horror movie, and they couldn't take it any longer.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"You bastard! What exactly did you make us eat?!" Yugo asked both angrily and in fear.

"W-What did you put inside?!" Yuya also couldn't help but ask.

"Suddenly, I'm starting to feel sicker…" Yukiya's face became paler, covering his mouth like he was ready to puke all the foods he has eaten today.

"But it's delicious, isn't it?" Ruri said despite her own insecurity, not wanting to make the sick person uncomfortable. It didn't work though with everyone panicking so much.

"That's not the point!" Rin interjected.

"Don't scare them like that, Yuri!" Yuto and Serena smacked the back of Yuri's head, scolding the Fusion counterpart. They were afraid for a second but then Yuto remembered that he has been with him the whole time while cooking and Serena herself has tasted Yuri's cooking more than often every time she visited him in the isolated island and so far nothing happened to either her or Dennis.

"Ignore what he said. He didn't put anything inside. I made sure of it." Yuto told his friends to assure them.

"Yeah. He's just trying to scare us. I've eaten his cooking every time I visited him, and so far I'm fine." Serena added.

"I-if you said so…" Yuzu sighed, feeling relieved for a bit.

"I guess it's okay then…" Yuya said though he was still unsure.

Yuri pouted at Yuto for ruining the fun. And he was just ready to do more so he can see even more hilarious reactions from them. Oh well, he will save it for another day. As they continued to eat, Yuya and the others who still have doubt have agreed on one thing starting today onwards:

" _WE MUST NEVER LET YURI COOK FOR US WITHOUT SUPERVISION!"_

 **DINING ROOM – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD'S HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

In a rare occasion, Yuno decided to make tonight's dinner himself for him and his aides. After hearing Yuya and the others were visiting Yukiya while bringing foods they made during home economics to make him feel better, Yuno suddenly has the urge to cook for his friends. It has been a while since they had eaten together. The four of them now were sitting together with plates of the dishes Yuno has made for them served on the table. The dinner consisted of spiced cauliflower roast, spinach and ricotta rotolo, roast sweet potato and onion tart with goat cheese, creamy artichoke soup with parmesan skin, and chai coconut and mango creams.

"Come on! We finally able to eat together again and taste your foods but all of them are vegetarian menu?! I'm a carnivore!" Jounouchi protested. He was never fond of vegetables.

"You're too picky on your foods, Jounouchi. Plus, you're eating too much meat and other unhealthy foods, so balance it with this. I'm not accepting any of your complain." Yuno retorted, ignoring Jounouchi's whining.

"Let's eat it to our hearts' content. These vegetables are the ones Yuri has worked hard to grow so don't waste it." Ryo told them as he started eating the dishes made from his student's vegetables. It's delicious.

"They're the vegetables that Yuri grows?" Jounouchi asked, looking skeptically at the dishes. Yuri and delicious foods didn't seem equal to him.

"Yeah. It's refreshing and sweet." Sherry remarked, enjoying the dishes. Shark didn't say anything, but he was clearly enjoying it as well…except the onions and peppers.

"Yuri's vegetables are incredible, so I encourage him to grow more. He likes gardening anyway." Yuno said while savoring the dishes he made his own. He was glad that he had learned and became good at cooking.

"Besides, eating these vegetables is similar as makes you feel better and give you lots of SPs in a game. We can get out of any situation as long as we have SPs. We'll be fine as long as we have SPs. We can do anything as long as we have SPs." Yuno's expression was so determined and serious

"…Yuno-san, are you planning to work us to the bone? No wait, to the death?" Jounouchi questioned with incredulous stares looking at his leader.

Yuno didn't say anything more than that and returned to eat his dish all the while averting his gaze from Jounouchi or any of his aides.

"Why aren't you looking at us?"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Remedial Study –** Yuya, Yukiya, Yugo, and Serena failed in their history test so they must take a remedial test. To make sure they won't fail the remedial, Yuno holds a special study time for them under the tutelage of Yuno himself, Sherry, and their friends who passed the test.

* * *

 **Free time until tomorrow, so here you go a new chapter! I initially didn't plant to include the last part about Yuno and his squad, but I decided to include it as a bonus. Only one more chapter to go for the filler chapters!**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter~!**


	22. Remedial Study

**Big thanks to** _ **Big duels, Pimsan, GamingGuy84, Ryujomaru15, Unknowedz, Playerhood18, Ulrich362, Yuka Kuroshiro, aqua9597, Elbarto4000**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **CLASSROOM – MIDDLE-SCHOOL BUILDING – DEN ACADEMY – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, Yuri, let's go home!" Yuzu and her counterparts and Yukiya arrived at the boys' classroom, only to see Yuya and Yugo buried their faces on their desks with lifeless expressions. Yuto was staring at them with blank expression while Yuri smiled in amusement.

"W-what's wrong with you two, man?" Yukiya asked.

"Yuya and Yugo failed history test so they must retake it." Yuto answered instead.

"Wow, same here then! Serena and I also failed the test and must retake it!" Yukiya said so nonchalantly while pointing at himself and then at Serena.

"I'm not surprised with Yugo, but Yuya, you failed history test? That's rare. It's not like you're good at it, but you usually at least got the minimal passing grade." Yuzu blinked at Yuya in surprise. Yuya's most difficult subjects were math and chemistry, the subjects he was the most good at were languages and P.E, while the rest were average. History was one of subjects that Yuya always got an average score, barely passable subject. But maybe she couldn't blame him so much this time since the history in this dimension was different from their dimension. It was a lot more difficult to memorize them.

"But at least he is better than Yugo here who got an absolute red zero in his test." Yuri sneered at Yugo while showing the result of his paper test that he has snatched from Yugo's bag. Yugo immediately snatched back his test from Yuri, growling at him.

"Shut up! How the heck I will able to remember all names of people who lived thousands of years ago?" Yugo slammed the desk, revived from his state.

"You and me both, brothers! I'm also suck at memorizing this kind of thing. Glad to know that I'm not the only one!" Yukiya rounded Yuya and Yugo in his arms. It was comforting that he won't be alone taking the remedial test.

"The problem is he was asleep in class for like the whole duration of subjects. Three subjects straight." Yuto sighed at Yugo. He covered his head with an opened book and then slept like a rock. No matter how many times Yuto tried to wake him up, Yugo just continued to be engulfed in his dream world.

"And Serena, I see that you're still the same as ever." Yuri smirked at the girl Fusion countepart, causing the said girl to glare at him before looking away angrily.

"You're not doing so well in history and contemporary literature." Ruri stared at Serena's homework scores in the said subjects.

"I'm a Duelist, what's the point studying that? This school thing is only temporary anyway!" Serena huffed, crossing her arms. They attended this school to get close to Yukiya and blend into this dimension's society. No one said she must excel at the school subjects.

"Now that you mentioned it, Academia is a school that only teach subjects that involved Dueling, right? But yet you're doing well so far." Yuya turned to Yuri who was cupping his chin confidently.

"That's just prove that I'm a genius." Yuri said in his usual annoying way.

"Or you're just good at memorizing and analyzing." Yuto retorted flatly before turning to everyone.

"Why don't we study together to prepare your remedial test? I already told Yuno-san and he is more than willing to teach us. In fact, he insisted that we study this Sunday." Yuto suggested, showing the message he received from Yuno after he explained everything to him.

"That's a good idea. You too, Yukiya! Come to the mansion to study with us!" Yuya invited his silver-haired look-alike.

Yukiya scratched his head. "My mom is gonna kill me if I don't study for remedial, so I'll take your offer. Besides, I'm curious what kind of mansion you're staying at."

 **MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD'S HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yukiya has always wondered what kind of place Yuya and the others were staying. Since they were staying with the Oracle, he has expected the place they were staying would be big considering the Brotherhood was a big organization, one of the biggest three in the entire empire. Still, he was gaping when he was stood in front of the mansion where they were staying. Not to mention how grand the mansion was inside. He has expected it to be wealthy-looking and big, but not to _this_ extent!

"This mansion is frickin' huge!" Yukiya commented, astonished by the size of the mansion both outside and inside. He couldn't help but looked around, his eyes gleaming like a child.

"I know, right? We were also surprised when we first arrived here." Yuya admitted, chuckling at Yukiya's expected reaction.

"Glad that you like this place. Welcome to the Brotherhood's Den City HQ." Yuno welcomed the silvernet with Sherry standing beside him.

"Yuno-san!" Yuya exclaimed.

Yukiya flinched a bit when he saw Yuno. Yuya already told him that Yuno also has the same face them, but it was still shocking to see it directly. Now that made it five people who has the same face as him. He could understand why Yuya and the others looked so much like Yuno since they were his descendants, but what about him? He has no blood connection whatsoever with the Oracle. Does coincidence like could truly happen? It was both impressive and scary.

"This is the first time we meet face-to-face in real life, isn't it, Zarc?" Yuno addressed the silvernet with his LINK VRAINS pseudonym, giving him a friendly smile.

Yukiya was struggling with words for a few seconds before he finally got it. "Y-Yeah. Thank you for what you did last time. But I'll make this clear one more time, I'm still not a part of Brotherhood, I'm simply helping my friends." He reminded the Oracle again. He still has no intention joining the Brotherhood, but he was willing to help Yuya and the others, his new friends, at any time when needed.

"Of course. I have accepted that." Yuno nodded in understanding. "Alright, let's start the lesson. Sherry and I will help."

Yuno and Sherry escorted them to the study room Yuno has prepared for them. The room has the same size as a normal classroom, completed with chalkboard, tables, and chairs for them to sit, though the amount were lessened. They don't need a complete set of tables and chairs when there were only four people who will do the remedial three days from now on. Yuya, Yukiya, Yugo, and Serena were seated in their chairs while the rest were standing so they will be prepared to teach them. Yuno even adjusted the mood by wearing a glasses.

"What period of history that you cannot understand?" Rin opened Yugo's textbook and was surprised to see the picture of the first Cantidel Emperor was drawn with regent hairstyle and moustache using pencil. She flipped more of the pages and found more similar drawings in other pictures.

"Yugo, why this country's first emperor is all punked up?!" Rin questioned her childhood friend while showing the said picture.

"It's necessary so I can stay awake during the class." Yugo said proudly. He was quite confident in his drawing skill, though anybody would have commented his drawings were no different from children's art. His first D-Wheel design was one of the examples.

"What~? That's the only way you changed it? You should take a page from me more, Yugo." Yukiya showed his own textbook that showed the picture of a famous historical commander of the empire modified into a masked hero drawn with pencil by Yukiya. If there was one subject that Yukiya was the most good at, that would be art.

"Wow! Cool! You gotta teach me, man!" Yugo was highly impressed by Yukiya's drawings and demanded to see more as he flipped the pages.

The two were interrupted when Yuno snatched their textbooks and replaced them with Rin and Yuto's textbooks that didn't have any drawings. Yuno loomed over them with threatening aura, causing the two to shrunk in their seats. To make it worse, Yuno was holding his own paper fan. The paper material of his paper fan was harder than Yuzu's. It would be more hurt being hit by that.

"How dare you mock historical figures of our country. Looks like I have to be extra thorough with you. Let's shape them up, Sherry." Yuno snarled at his two look-alikes.

"Understood. Do not worry, we have a very efficient method to raise your grade." Sherry said with a smile and Junkuriboh suddenly appeared sitting on her shoulder, eyeing the two boys.

"Wait! Why the two of you only ganging up on us?! Yuya and Serena are the same!" Yugo protested while pointing behind him. He made an eye contact with Junkuriboh and from the glint in its eyes, he has a bad feeling about this study.

"Yeah! Yuya, Serena, what are YOUR grades like?" Yukiya turned to Yuya and Serena who were tutored by Yuzu and the rest instead of Yuno and Sherry.

"Yugo, we are in the same class, how can you don't know?" Yuya raised his brow in disbelieve.

"I never pay attention on something unimportant…" Yugo replied lazily.

"How can you said it's not important?" Yuya protested.

"Just answer the question." Yukiya said.

"…I am around 14 or so out of 23 in our class." Yuya answered hesitantly and began to rubbing his head. All total scores of his entire subject combined, he reached around 14-16 in rank throughout his school years. This was the record he retained from elementary until now.

"The same." Serena added. While she was bad at history and literature, she was doing well at everything else which helped her combined score.

"Are you really sure?" Yuno clearly showed his doubt.

"Yes he is." Yuzu nodded along with Yuto and Yuri.

"YOU STUDIOUS JERK! BULLY HIM! BULLY HIM!" Yugo stomped Yuya's back, making the latter lying on the floor. Before Yuya was able to stand up and protest, Yukiya also stomped him harder.

"HOW THE HELL YOU COULD LEAVE US LIKE THIS? TRAITOR! I THOUGHT WE'RE BEST FRIENDS!" Yukiya shouted as he continued to stomp Yuya together with Yugo, ignoring Yuya's cries and plea to stop.

"H-hey, it's your own fault not paying attention during the classes that much! OUCH! STOP IT!" Yuya cried louder. At this, Yuto quickly restrained Yukiya while Yuzu smacked Yugo with her paper fan before he could go even further.

"That's enough, you two! You cannot blame Yuya like that. It was your own fault. Let's just focus back on your study!" Rin pinched Yugo's cheek before opening the history textbook.

"Hell if I'm gonna lost to Yuya out of all people, let's do this, Yukiya!" Yugo and Yukiya got fired up. Everyone can see the burning flame from Yugo and Yukiya, meaning that their desire to win was strong…or so that what they thought for a moment…

"Okay now Yugo, what is the answer of number one?" Yuno questioned.

"Umm it's…the Capital?" Yugo answered.

"Wrong." Yuno flicked his fingers, signing Junkuriboh to do its job. The Kuriboh jumped from Sherry's shoulder and gave Yugo a headbutt from beneath his chin, knocking him from his chair.

"Good job, Junkuriboh. You're a good boy." Sherry complimented and patted the Kuriboh as it returned to her shoulder, making the Duel Monster squealed by her touch.

Yugo rubbed his chin as he returned to his feet. "Will you just stop it?! Before I even could pass my exam, I will rise to heaven first!" He winced when the pain stung him, glaring at his Kuriboh.

"Because it won't be fun–I mean helpful for you." Yuno smiled innocently at both Yugo and Yukiya.

"You…! Just now you said you're having fun putting us in this situation, aren't you?!" Yukiya pointed accusingly at Yuno. He was starting to regret agreeing to come here to study together.

"If you want it to stop then memorize it already. Assume your position for the next, Junkuriboh." Sherry told the Kuriboh who was pushing its head forward, ready for another headbutt.

"Kuri!"

"Why are you so sure that I'll get the next answer wrong?!" Yukiya protested, backing down as Junkuriboh set his sight on him.

"Now let's go to the next question…" While Yuno and Sherry were handling Yugo and Yukiya, Yuto and the rest were tutoring Yuya and Serena.

"Okay, first question: What do you call the incident where loyalists revolting against the Black purge assassinate the chief minister Emeraude as she was entering the palace on business?" Yuto told the first question to Serena

"A murder." Serena answered simply. Everyone sweat dropped by her simple answer. Yuri could not help but think that his childhood friend was half a way to the level of an idiot.

"Well…yes, that's indeed a murder but…that's not the name of the incident so you're wrong. It was called 'The Black Path Incident.'" Yuto corrected her with a disbelieve sigh.

"Next question: What do you call the retainers under correct control of the emperor with a minimum of 10.000 allotments of rice?" This time, Yuzu read the question to Yuya.

"Imperial attendant!" Yuya answered confidently.

Yuzu slapped her face and lowered her head. "I cannot believe this… it's servitore…" She slowly told him while covering her face with the textbook.

"Servitore? Who's that?" Yuya asked obliviously.

"It's not a person's name…" Yuzu dug her face to the table. _"I never know that you can be this worse at this dimension's history!"_

"What is the name of the hairstyle that became Cantidel's symbol during BC?" Ruri read the question while patting Yuzu's back sympathetically.

"Regent hairstyle!" Yuya answered confidently again.

"That's a modern hairstyle that exists in this time! We are talking about before current civilization!" Yuzu smacked Yuya's head with her paper fan.

"How about baldy?" Serena changed the answer.

"That means no hair! It's even worse! And this is not a pop quiz where you can randomly answer right!" Rin scolded.

"It looks like you have trouble remembering people's name. It's just like information goes in one ear and right out the other." Yuri stated while reading Serena's test result. The questions involving the historical figure's names were almost not answered.

"It's because all the people in history books have really similar names! It's either Ed something or Ie something, how am I supposed to remember all of them?!" Serena complained.

"Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, Yuri, Yuno, Yukiya, the six of them all have similar names!" Yuzu pointed out the prime examples of people with different names but have similar first spelling right near them.

20 minutes later, the four remedial students still made little progress with their studies. Their teachers were also nearly reaching their limit. They have tried various ways, but it was still hard to drill the history into the four's heads. In Yugo and Yukiya's case, their bodies were almost covered in bruises from Junkuriboh's headbutt.

"Seriously, how come the four of you are this bad?" Yuzu sighed tiredly. She didn't even feel to smack them with her paper fan anymore. She was just so tired.

"I think they just don't have any interest in history." Yuri stated, also getting tired.

"It's not like we're gonna die if we can't remember them. Can't you just let this slide?" Yugo retorted, slamming the textbooks back to his desk.

"That's right! That's right! This kind of thing doesn't determine our future!" Yuya joined in, booing at their teachers. He is practically already a working boy anyway from his profession as Pro Entertainment Duelist.

"Let us focus on our life as Duelists!" Serena also joined in. She has no interest in these things. All she wanted was to continue polishing her Dueling skill and become a top-rated Duelist.

"We're still young! Let us enjoy our spring time of youth!" Yukiya also joined in. He had heard that students who focused themselves too much on studying ended up wasting their once and only youthful life, missing the many fun things that can only be experienced by teenagers. He definitely don't want to become one of them.

Yuno slammed one foot at the front desk, while smacking his paper fan to the chalkboard, silencing the four remedial students. The Oracle then approached the four, hovering them with such a menacing grin that would made Yuri so proud.

"All of you right now are in our dimension, in our homeland, and in _my_ custody. As long as you're staying here, you'll be playing with my rules." Yuno said with a tone so cold that felt like winter came early this month.

"Then as outsiders, we're out of here." Yukiya said, followed by Serena. The were ready to dash out the classroom, only for the back of their collars to be caught by Yuno, stopping them from running away.

"Not so fast. Celica has agreed to let me teach you, and Yukiya, you came here by your own decision to study. To put it simply, that makes the two of you also in my custody until the remedial test is over. As your tutor, my pride won't allow you to fail this test!" Yuno exclaimed with a powerful force. If these four fail their remedial test even after studying under him, it would be like a stain to his personal pride and name. He won't accept that.

"So it's a matter of your pride?!" Yuya looked at Yuno in disbelieve.

"It's never about our sake?! That's selfish!" Serena complained.

"The Oracle is more selfish than I thought!" Yukiya was equally surprised. The dignified and calm Oracle he faced in LINK VRAINS was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is the easy-going Oracle that we met the first time?!" Yugo demanded the Oracle who said Reid was too serious during their first introduction to come back to them.

"You're underestimating him. Yuno maybe kind and easy-going when it comes about everything else, but if it comes about education and his own-made rules, he is extremely strict." Sherry revealed while also reminding them of Yuno's reactions when Yuya deliberately disobeyed him not only once but thrice, which led to the boy being punished severely both online and offline (how he was punished will be left to the reader's imagination).

Yuno slammed his paper fan, shutting down their complains. "Silence! I'm going to drill all this country's history into your head. You can be sure of that. Take this from an old man who has lived for 1.500 years and witnessed the history unfold with his very own eyes." He said while taking out his collection of photos he had taken that depicted shots of various important events in Cantidel history. He wasn't the leader of the Brotherhood for nothing.

"Here, you can have some of Yuri's tomatoes as study snacks. Tomatoes will give you enough SPs to survive this study for the whole day." Sherry placed a basket of tomatoes that were freshly picked on each of their tables.

"You intend to make us study to the death?!" Yugo nearly cried out. His brain was going to fry if they continue nonstop!

"As long as you pass the test in the end, it's worth it." Yuno told them so simply. His eyes were telling them to just accept the hellish lesson they were going to have for the next few hours.

"As if it is!" The four remedial students protested again together, but their protest fell on deaf ears.

"Enough talking. Study time. Use your head like your very life depends on it!"

 **BACKYARD – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Four hours have passed and the study time for the remedial test was over. However, none of the four remedial students could relax yet because tomorrow they will have the same study schedule until the remedial test day. The first day was already hard enough, they wondered if they can handle two more days studying like this. Yuno has taken the liberty to inform both Celica and Yukiya's mother about the study for remedial test without informing Serena and Yukiya. Much to their dismay, the two women agreed it would be the best for them to stay until the remedial test. And so, Yukiya and Serena were stuck at the mansion. To accompany Serena, the girls also decided to stay. Yuya and Yugo just took a bath and decided to relax at the backyard before going to sleep while the rest already returned to their own room.

"Ugh…my head feels it's about to explode…" Yuya said while holding his dizzy head. He seemed he was ready to collapse at any time. Even a long bath couldn't refresh his head.

"You're faring better! Look at me who must receive the end of this little runt's headbutt every time I got it wrong!" Yugo pointed at the bruises on his face that was caused by none other than his Junkuriboh who was now asleep the bag behind him, apparently tired from giving punishment to Yugo and Yukiya.

Yuya and Yugo stopped when they noticed a small object on the floor in front of of them. It was a white-colored locket made from silver. The lid was half-opened. Out of curiosity, Yugo opened the locket. Inside was a small photo of a long blond-haired girl with two adults who seemed to be her parents. The mother has the same blond hair as the girl while the father has brown hair. Their hands were holding their daughter's side by side. When they looked closer, the girl seemed familiar to them. She reminded them of…

"Oh, that's Sherry and her parents."

Yuya and Yugo jumped in surprise when Jounouchi's face came from behind them. They took a step back from the older guy, staring at him with wide eyes while the older guy casually greeted them like nothing in particular happened.

"Jounouchi-san! Don't scare us like that!" Yuya told the older guy, still surprised how he managed to sneak behind them.

"Wait, this is Sherry?!" Yugo looked at the photo again with even more surprise. "Well…it does look like her…and she is cuter unlike the scary witch she is now…" The girl in this photo was smiling so widely with blushing cheeks like any ordinary girl. But the current Sherry he knew in the present was like Rin but more of nag.

Jounouchi burst out laughing at the title attached to Sherry. "Hahaha! Scary witch, huh? She _is_ scary if you anger her! As you said, she much cuter when she was little!" He remarked between his laughs.

"You knew her since she was little? Then the two of you are childhood friends?" Yuya asked. He didn't expect that. Then aside from Ryo, Shark also childhood friends with them?

"Well, yeah, sort of." Jounouchi answered. He then stared again at the photo. His gaze softened. "Her parents were supporters of the Brotherhood. They helped us a lot with the finance. Yuno knew her parents quite well. That's why when her parents passed away, Yuno decided to take Sherry in." He revealed.

"Eh? Her parents passed away?" Yugo repeated in question.

"Yeah. She was around 12 at that time. Apophis has a dedicated cult even after he was sealed. The cult of course opposed Yuno who is one of two people responsible in sealing him. But the cult has little manpower so they took action by attacking our supporters." Jounouchi explained. It was one of the Brotherhood's dark times. Yuno tried his best to dispatch as many people as he could to protect their supporters in respond to the first attack. Despite his best efforts, there were still many casualties, and Yuno forever lamented his inability to do more to protect them. Jounouchi also felt the same to this day.

"And Sherry-san's parents were one of those victims?" Yuya was quick to put the pieces together.

"Yeah. She was lucky she was out of the house when the attack happened, but it traumatized her very much. When Yuno decided to adopt her, the next few months that passed was hectic. She at first refused Yuno's gestures of affection, taking her hateful and scared looks without a word of complain." Jounouchi recalled the early days after Yuno took Sherry into his custody not long after her parents' funeral.

At that time, Sherry blamed the Brotherhood for what happened to her family with Yuno being the main target of her hostility. It was to be expected after all, she saw bloodshed and her mother breath her last in front of her, and those images were hard to forget, let alone disregard completely. But this didn't stop Yuno from treating the girl with love and care. He would wake up to Sherry's cry and plea for help, to wake her up rom nightmares of that tragedy that plagued every night. He soothed the girl's tears with tenderness and love, always whispering to her that he would always protect her no matter what. He dealt her tantrum and rejection with what he could say was an inhuman patience.

"Yuno's patience didn't go to waste. Sherry now has finally fully opened up to him and us. Still, there are certain times the event is still haunting her, so Yuno would check on her once in a while." Jounouchi remembered occasions of Yuno leaving his room in the middle of night to visit Sherry's room simply to check on her. When he asked why, Yuno saw a vision of Sherry crying from nightmares, so it worried him. He knew that Sherry was already old enough to take care of herself, but that still didn't stop Yuno to be by her side to at least sooth her.

"Maybe because she reminded him of his daughter." Jounouchi said without thinking much, catching Yuya and Yugo's attention.

"Daughter? I thought Yuno-san only has one son." Yuya said. He recalled Yuno's story when he explained about his past and he never mentioned anything about having a daughter. Yugo also remembered the same.

Jounouchi blinked at them. "Huh? He didn't mention that to you?" He wondered why for a moment before his lips parted in understanding. His expression saddened for a second before he shook his head.

"You gotta ask Yuno himself about it then. I don't think I have any right to tell you the whole story more than this. Anyway, good luck with your studies." Jounouchi left the two, waving his hand without turning back at them.

"It's going to be late. We should return to our room too and get a good nice sleep." Yuya suggested after checking his watch.

"You go on ahead. I'm going to return this to Sherry. It must be important to her." Yugo told Yuya, rushing back inside first to go to his mentor's room.

 **SHERRY'S ROOM – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Sherry just came out from the bathroom, dying her hair with towel when a loud knock came from her door. She walked to the door, expecting Yuno to come checking on her again though tonight was earlier than before. It was understandable for her to be surprised when instead of the Oracle, she looked down to find her pupil, Yugo, to be the one who has knocked her door. At least now he no longer just barged into the room without permission. But she has locked they door since then just in case.

"Yugo? What's wrong?" Sherry asked. She thought he was already asleep.

"Here. You dropped this." Yugo handed her silver locket that he picked. Sherry checked her bag after seeing the locket and realized it wasn't there. She must have dropped it when she bumped to a maid when on her way to her room.

"Thanks…" Sherry took the locket back. She looked at Yugo again and noticed the fidgeting and confused expression on his face. She sighed as she realized why. "From your face, Yuno or the others told you about me, isn't it?"

"Sorry…" Yugo apologized, looking down in shame. He scolded himself for unable to act normally.

"There's nothing for you to apologize for. Still, I thought there's something you're going to say about this." Sherry has expected for words of encouragement or sympathy to come from his mouth like most people always did when they first of heard of her past, but Yugo instead shook his head.

"No. I don't have any parents because I'm living in orphanage, so I can't understand how you feel. I don't have the right to say anything…" Yugo muttered but loud enough for Sherry to hear. He never knew a parents' warmth since he didn't have one from the very beginning, and even though Rin acted like a mother, he knew well it must be different from the real one. He never had nor lost parents, so he couldn't understand how Sherry feels.

"For once you're being smart." Sherry smiled at Yugo. He was grateful the boy understood. She was tired hearing words of sympathy and pity from people around her who knew about her past. Other than Yugo, Yuno and her closest comrades were the ones who does.

She looked at the photo. It was taken in her ninth birthday. It was one of the happiest moments she had with her parents. This was the last photo they took together as a family before the tragedy.

"Even now, I'm still thinking…if they are happy…having me as their daughter… Before they died, I don't think…I have done anything that made them proud…" Sherry said to herself, forgetting for a second that Yugo was still there. When she realized this, she flicked Yugo's forehead, earning her his wince.

"Sorry. Just forget it. Anyway, thank you for returning this to me. Good night." Sherry started to close the door, but Yugo's hand stopped her from closing it. From the nearly closed door, Yugo brought out his textbook.

"S-study. But only for a few minutes!" Yugo told her while his hand still holding the door. It took two minutes for Sherry to process his request before she finally opened the door again and took the textbook from him and gestured him to come in.

"I'll make it half an hour."

 **THREE DAYS LATER – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Three days have passed and the day of the remedial test finally came. Both the mentors and students have done their very best in the studies for this day. Yuya, Yukiya, Yugo, and Serena stayed in the classroom after school was over when the other students have gone home. Yuzu and the rest were waiting for them outside until the test was over. In the mansion, Yuno was also waiting for the result of the remedial, checking his Duel Disk once in a while to see if there was a message about the result. He hoped everything went well. Despite their complains and all, the four of them were studying as best as they could.

Surprisingly, Yugo, after the first day's study, suddenly became more motivated in his studies. He was less complaining, and asked more when there was something that wasn't yet clear to him. It was a pleasant change. After what felt like days, Yuya and the others finally came home. He could also heard the girls and Yukiya coming along. Their voices sounded so cheerful that Yuno ditched his paperwork to see his descendants and their friends. He couldn't wait to know any longer. How was the result of the remedial test? He needed to know now! Sherry and Jounouchi who were watching over Yuno couldn't help but followed him.

Yuya, Yugo, Serena, and Yukiya first looked at each other before grinning at the Oracle and his aides while showing their remedial test scores. Yuya got 70, Yugo got 83, Serena got 68, and Yukiya got 63. In other words…ALL OF THEM HAVE PASSED!

"You guys did it! Congrats, guys!" Jounouchi congratulated the four while locking Yuya's head into his arms and Yuya laughed from happiness.

"It's not a perfect score but you still passed nonetheless! Our studies didn't go to waste!" Yuno pulled Yugo and Yukiya into his arms, hugging them tightly. He was so proud of himself and them.

"Miraculously Yugo of the four of you got the highest score! And 83 even! It's beyond average score!" Yuzu exclaimed as she looked at Yugo's score as if it was a grand prize.

"You can do it if you try after all, Yugo!" Rin pulled Yugo into her embrace, almost tearing from so much happiness. Oh, she has never been so proud of him in study this much. Call her exaggerating or whatever, she was delighted!

Sherry approached Yugo who just got freed from Rin's suffocating hug. She smiled and ruffled his hair gently.

"You did great. You should continue study the way you have been for the past three days and you'll be able to keep this score or even improve it." She told Yugo. Her smile was brighter than usual and coupled with her very rare compliment, made Yugo's cheeks turned into pink.

"If I got good grades and become a strong Duelist under your tutelage that means you're a good teacher." Yugo muttered while turning his back on her, gripping his paper test tightly in his hands.

Sherry blinked. Was Yugo trying to compliment her or showing his gratitude for her role in teaching him? She didn't get to guess as Yugo turned his face slowly to her and this time he was smiling wide as he usually does.

"You're a great mentor who can help a low grade and hotheaded student Duelist like me. That is something that anyone would be proud of, right?" Yugo told her before joining his friends, demanding celebration for pasing the remedial test, which Yuya and Yukiyo supported. Yuno and the girls granted their wish by cooking their favorite foods tonight.

Sherry watched them leaving, still pondering what Yugo has said. He told her she was a great mentor. So he was complimenting as well as thanking her after all? No. Not just that. 'That is something anyone would be proud of'. Anyone would be proud of…

…was Yugo trying to say that her parents would be proud of her?

Sherry stared at Yugo's back until she couldn't see him, thinking about him even more. Was that why he suddenly started to study so dilligent under hear teaching for the past three days? All so she can be proud of herself? Thinking this, Sherry chuckled softly. Silly boy. Trying to act all cool. But she didn't hate it. She did feel better.

"Thank you, Yugo…"

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 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **To Face Each Other –** Yuri and Serena get into a fight during outing and start avoiding each other. This prompts Yuya and the others to try to find a way so the two of them will make up.

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 **And this ends the filler chapters. Starting from the next chapter, the plot will start moving on again. And the next chapter update won't be like the fillers chapter, it'll take a while. The filler chapters were faster to update for two reasons: 1) The chapter doesn't contain any Duel so it's faster to write. 2) I have lots of free times during writing the filler chapters, and tomorrow is the last day of my free time. Sorry, but please be patient.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	23. To Face Each Other

**Big thanks to** _ **Unknowedz, dvdryms, GamingGuy84, matrixnis, Playerhood18, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Ulrich362, Yuka Kuroshiro, Guest, Elbarto4000, aqua9597, Daniel Kazami, Big duels**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

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 **CEMETERY – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Ryo was standing in front of a tombstone. A bouquet of flowers was in his hand. He placed the bouquet and prayed. When he finished praying, Ryo placed both his hands into his pocket pants, smiling softly at the grave. He then brought out a locket and opened it. There was a photo. A photo that was taken in his graduation day after the graduation ceremony. He was wearing his Academia uniform. Beside him there was a boy.

The boy has blue hair of a lighter tint than his Ryo's that were sectioned in three layers, his grey eyes positioned between the three bangs closest to his face and behind a pair of round-lensed glasses. He was wearing red Academia uniform. As opposed to Ryo who looked all calm and mature, the boy looked lively, smiling wide at the camera. Ryo let out a soft laugh as he looked at the boy's face that reminded him of the day when they took this photo.

Ryo placed back the locket into his shirt and stared at the grave again.

"It's been a while, Sho. I have a lot to tell you…"

 **BATHROOM – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

" _You don't deserve to be happy. Your punishment will soon come."_

Yuri splashed the water from the sink to his face before looking up at the mirror. His face was terrible, with water running down all over. It wasn't like he wanted this. The nightmares kept haunting him. He has tried various ways so that he won't get any nightmare, but nothing work. No matter how many times, he was still seeing that nightmare. To make it worse, this time, the nightmare also added his hateful past before he met Serena and Dennis and after he was separated from them. It was the worst one he has so far and he was starting to consider developing insomnia so he won't experience this nightmare again.

It reminded him of those people who would gathered around so happily to any new student who came, especially the attractive ones and being all friendly with them. But that cannot be said to Yuri. To him, people around him were horrid, insignificant. They could only talk bad about him behind his back, so demanding and horrible in every way. He admitted that he himself was not a nice human being at that time. He didn't care much about others, all he cared was himself and his monsters and that's enough for him. He didn't need anything else. Anyone who stands in his way and dares to hurt them will be disposed. It wasn't an ideal childhood for him. His separation from Dennis and Serena only made it worse.

He's always noticed and remembered things that other people didn't, a trait that helped him immeasurably in his years living, training, and doing missions under the Professor's order. He was ready to walk the path of a soldier. Nowadays, never in his life had he imagined doing something like these. Going to school together, eating lunch together, study together, and other activities. It was all none other than because of Serena and Yuya's insistence. Never he encountered people who were willing and a bit forceful to befriend with him.

Or was that really it?

" _They're doing that only to make sure people won't get hurt by you."_

Yuri gritted his teeth before splashing another water to his face. He gripped the sides of the sink tightly as he looked at his face again. It was even worse than a while ago. He needed to get rid of this face

"Damn it…"

 **GAME CENTER – SHOPPING DISTRICT – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Hey, guys, why don't we end today's game with this one? This can relieve our stress!" Yukiya suggested while pointing at a game.

"THIS is the game that we could let out our stress?" Serena raised a brow.

"You punch on the cushion in the center, it then measure your power level by score from 0 to 400. You can then claim your gift according to your points. I heard it is very in line with boxing club." Yukiya explained while staring at the punching game. This game was quite popular with the members of boxing club in his school since it was like punching a sandbag.

"YUP! That's true!" Yugo confirmed despite not knowing what Yukiya meant. "Try now, I'm sure it would relieve all of your stress!" Yugo handed Yuto a pair of boxing gloves.

"If you insist…" Yuto reluctantly wore the gloves.

Yuto then punched into the cushion…

BANG…!

DING! DING! SCORE: 300

"Wow! Awesome! You're quite good, Yuto!" Yugo praised.

"I've lot of exercises during my time as a Resistance. Your turn." Yuto handed the gloves to Yugo next.

"Oh yeah! Here goes!" Yugo bumped his boxing gloves before he delivered the punch with his full power.

DING! DING! SCORE: 354

"Wow! Awesome! You're quite good, Yugo!" Yukiya praised.

"Whaddya mean by 'quite'? It was supposed to be great you idiot!" Yugo protested but Yukiya didn't hear him as his attention focus on the girls. Yugo decided not to waste his voice again at him and turned to Serena. "Here, Serena! Your turn! You're quite strong for a girl!"

"Okay…" Serena accepted the gloves. She has a built up stress that she has been itching to release anyway. She gazed at Yuri who was too busy eating his snack…distancing himself from them. He has been doing this for days already. Why was he avoiding them including her? Has she done something wrong?

"Just focus on the stress that you wish to let out." Yukiya suggested.

Serena started to mumble. "…stress…stress…here we go… TAKE THIS!" She punched the cushion. The force was formidable when her bare fist landed on the cushion, creating a thunderous rumble…

BBBAAAAAAAANG

DING! DING! SCORE: 400

"How the heck…did you?" Yugo's jaw dropped to the ground. Everyone who was watching was in shock, looking at the monitor doubtfully, so were Yukiya and the others, except Yuri who didn't look surprise at all as if he has expected this.

Everyone was really shocked. A skinny girl like Serena couldn't possibly score 400. Her score was even higher than all the members of the boxing club who often came here. Yuya and the others knew that Serena was strong more than any average girl, but they never thought she was this strong. Yuri did once mention that Serena's punch packed barrages of punches but they thought that was just Yuri exaggerating things to scare them, but Serena has proven them wrong just now.

"That does feel better. Let me do it again!" Serena punched the cushion again.

BBBAAAAAAAAANG

DING! DING! SCORE: 400

"Alright! One more time!" Serena begun to punch the cushion and increased the force in her every punch.

"Miss…please, don't…! We just leased this thing…please…please don't break it…! I think it needs to rest after you and your friends played." Few of the store workers grabbed Serena's hand, restraining her from pummeling again.

They were indeed MONSTERS. The crowd was looking at them amusedly; including the other members of the boxing team that Yukiya mentioned who have just arrived to play the game. The general impressions on Serena had just been extended from a simply tomboyish transfer student who likes dueling to a girl with monstrous strength. The boxing club members began considering to recruit Serena into their club. She was strong, but also a cute girl (they don't have any girl member), so having her as addition to their club would be great.

"I…I lost to a girl…" Yugo sulked. Out of the four of them as counterparts, Yugo was pretty confident that he was number one in term of muscles and strength. No offense to the others. He had tasted Serena's punches and kicks in the Friendship Cup, and thought her power was still nothing compared to him. And just a second ago Serena has made him realized that he has yet to taste her fullest punches and kicks.

"Y-you don't need to be that depressed, Yugo! You're still strong!" Yuya tried to comfort the sulking Synchro Counterpart.

"You can do better by exercising more." Yuto also joined Yuya to comfort Yugo. In actuality, he was also shocked by the difference between his and Serena's strength. He made a mental note to start training his body more from now on.

"You're so cool, Serena!" Rin praised with big admiration.

"Yeah! You're so strong! Maybe you can teach us a bit!" Yuzu requested, equally impressed by Serena's display of power.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Yuya and the others (minus Yuri) immediately interjected the request. They don't need more of the girls to possess that gorilla-like strength! If Yuzu and Rin became that strong, they might as well end up in a hospital after receiving the end of their wrath! Their current strength was already bad enough as is; they don't need to add more!

"Are you guys done? I'm going home now." Yuri said, seemingly uninterested with the whole thing. He waved a hand that signing his leave.

"Wait! Yuri!" Serena quickly chased after him, leaving the rest behind. "Yuri!"

Serena kept calling out again for her childhood friend, but Yuri won't listen. He was clearly ignoring her and kept walking, not even bother to turn his head back to her.

"I said wait, you thick-eye browed moron!" Serena tackled Yuri, pinning him to the ground.

Yuri groaned and then glared up at Serena. "What do you want?! I'm tired, so get off and let me go home!" He said with barely concealed annoyance in his voice.

"What's wrong with you recently?! I know that you've been avoiding us! Tell me what's wrong!" Serena demanded, yanking Yuri by his collars and pulled him up to her face.

"None of your business!" Yuri spat back.

"It is my business! You forgot our agreement already?! Listen to what I say!" Serena reminded him of the agreement they made a year ago after she won against him. Yuri had given her and Yuya their words that he will listen to what they were saying until they can prove they can enjoy lives even without carding people.

"That agreement is already expired, so buzz off!" Yuri replied immediately, kicking Serena off him. Yuri stood up again and was ready to make a dash but Serena was as quick to held him by his arm to stop him.

"You're so stupid! You're always like that! Never tell me anything! If something is bothering you, can't you just talk to me?! I can't tell much just by looking at your habits!" She never liked this part of him. Ever since they were little, when there was something happening, Yuri never talked to them. Whenever they asked, he would simply say that he was okay. Serena and Dennis must look for themselves what was bothering him and confronted him afterwards. She didn't like it one bit. It was like he didn't trust them.

"Even if I tell you, you can't do anything anyway. Don't pretend to understand." Yuri freed his arm from Serena's grip.

"Pretend?! I'm trying to understand so I can help!" Serena retorted. She thought she has already made it clear in their Duel last year, but he didn't understand after all?

"No one will understand, especially you." Yuri said with a tone so cold that Serena went silent. He left immediately afterwards, and this time Serena didn't make any move to stop him. She stood in her spot as she watched Yuri's back getting farer and farer from her until she finally snapped.

"Fine! Take care of yourself from now on, stupid Yuri!" She yelled at top of her lungs, not caring if people around her were looking at her.

From behind, Yuya and the others were watching the whole thing with worry etched on their faces. They actually intended to interfere, but seeing how heated the argument between the two Fusion counterparts, they didn't have the heart to jump in. Maybe they should have. Now, they doubt the Fusion counterparts will talk to each other for a while. The two can be stubborn after all. Yuya sighed.

"This is bad…"

 **GARDEN – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

With the fight broke out between the two Fusion counterparts, Yuya and the others decided to end their outing earlier today. The girls and the boys returned to their own mansions and Yukiya returned to his apartment. When the boy arrived home, they found Yuno and Ryo were standing near the garden, observing something with confused faces. When they approached them, before they could ask what's wrong, they spotted Yuri in the garden.

"What's wrong with Yuri? He seemed to be in a sour mood since he came back." Yuno asked while watching Yuri from afar. The Fusion user was busying himself taking care of the plants in the garden to distract himself from his anger with little success as the smoke of fury was oozing out from his body.

"He has a fight with Serena. We don't know exactly what happened. They won't open their mouths to talk about it." Yuya answered, looking worriedly at Yuri.

"That guy has always been in a bad mood recently. What's his problem anyway?" Yugo wondered, cupping his chin. He and the others noticed how Yuri fo the past two weeks looked like he was brooding about something that he refused to talk about.

"No matter how many times we asked, he always changed the subject or even flat out telling us not to ask." Yuto recalled the times he and the other two tried to ask Yuri after noticing his rather strange behaviour, but their Fusion counterparts always brushed them off.

"Can't be helped. This old man will try to talk to him." Yuno was ready to step into the garden to approach his brooding descendant, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Yuno looked up to see his right-hand man, Ryo, was halting him.

"I'll do it. I'm his mentor, so I'll talk to him. This is my duty." Ryo told the Oracle as he stepped into the garden.

"Are you sure? The grinning bastard is fickle." Yugo asked.

"Believe me, I know." Ryo turned to Yugo and the others, smiling with tinge of sadness. "We are quite alike…" Ryo gestured them to leave the two of them alone. The two of them needed privacy, and having them spying on them won't make things better. With that, Yuno ushered his descendants to their trainings. As much as the three counterparts wanted to stay, they knew that they couldn't help Yuri at the moment.

"Hello, Yuri. What are you doing, curling up yourself like a cabbage while gardening?" Ryo approached his student whose eyes glanced at him for a second before returning to the plants he was taking care of.

"Nothing special. And I don't look like a cabbage." Yuri replied, pouting a bit. However, he couldn't handle Ryo's stares that made him difficult to focus on his plants until he has enough of it. He stopped, deciding to take a break for a few minutes, and to his annoyance, his mentor kept following him to sit at the nearby bench. Neither of them said anything until Yuri received a mail.

"An e-mail? From your friends at school?" Ryo asked, finally making a voice.

"From my slaves I made at school. They're updating some info that may lead to Apophis." Yuri corrected the friends part to 'slaves', which didn't seem to sit well with Ryo who heard it.

"They'll help you?" Ryo asked his student again.

"They'll do anything for me." Yuri said so confidently while reading the mail.

"That won't do. Don't play around with their hearts." Ryo told him. It was clear that Yuri didn't care a squat for whoever sent him the mails. He was simply using them for his own needs.

"I'm not. They all want to help me, so I'm letting them." Yuri replied so easily, his expression was indifferent.

Ryo's lips curved into a smile as he looked at Yuri. "I see…you're using your charm like that, huh…" He said with a tone somewhat condescending.

"It's not that of a big deal." Yuri said, still not looking up to his mentor until Ryo snatched his Duel Disk from his hands, forcing him to finally face his mentor whose smile reminded him of his own that it made him somewhat uncomfortable.

"You're an expert liar. You're unhappy with how people looked at you with jealousy and envy. But you're also unhappy when people come near you because of your looks and brains for some motives and yet you're using it as a tool to get others to do things for you." Ryo's tone was cold when he spoke. It almost felt like he was a different person. Yuri was unnerved, but he didn't show it. That would make him looked weak.

"You're going to lecture me? That's fine. I don't care what you think. I'll do as I like." Yuri was about to stand from the bench, but Ryo held Yuri by his shoulder and pushed him back to sit with him on the bench. Ryo's look was clearly saying they need to talk. Yuri looked away.

"There's nothing we have to talk about, go crawl back into your hole." Yuri responded.

"Yuri," Ryo stared steadily up into narrowed blue orbs. The young man only tilted his head, features settling into a familiar stubborn line.

Violet eyes turned stony as the two stared at each other, neither giving an inch.

"Beating you here would defying the order given to me but so what? I've already getting used to be alienated, so as far as I concern, you, prying into someone else's business, are worth to be punished." Yuri activated his Duel Disk, glaring at Ryo.

Ryo could tell from his eyes, that Yuri was serious, but he also refused to give up because his intuition told him that he won't get another chance. If this was the only chance for him to snap out the younger Fusion user, then bring it on.

"You are my pupil. Which mean even if you don't tell me to do anything, I'll do it anyway. So at the very least, give me something to work with. Talk to me, instead of shutting yourself in here. Stop looking away from what in front of you." Ryo calmly told his student. His tone was less colder than seconds ago.

"You, who don't understand the first thing about me do not have any right to pry into my past. Most people would say that they understand, but they actually don't really mean it. In the end, those were only empty words, unless you go through the same experience as me." Yuri clenched his fists so tight they almost bleed. This was the first time he really wanted to just lash out his anger so much. He didn't care if Ryo was his mentor or the legendary Duelist of Academia, he was mad.

"That's where you're wrong. I can at least partly understand you…because I used to wearing the same face as you do." Ryo revealed without a change in his expression, and Yuri faltered, looking at his mentor with question.

"People would always call me genius, and my winning streak made them looking at me with envy and jealousy…and finally resentment. I thought if I do my best to prove myself, people would have a change of view of me. That's what I thought at first but in the end, people still look at me with resentment, they still pushed me away and isolated me." Ryou's lips curved into sneer of disgust as he recalled his early days in Academia.

Once, he was overwhelmed by how they view him that led him to let himself be defeated. The result? He found himself trapped in a perpetual losing streak as the one Duel took its troll on him. He was then approached by a promoter who came to the academy who offered him a chance to redeem himself. He accepted, and then he was taken to an Underground Duel, a competition in front of a shady audience wherein both contestants were sealed inside a cage and forced to wear electrodes that shock them each time life points are depleted. Ryo found himself on the losing end again but realized that his former philosophy of respecting the opponent above the desire to win has limits towards the end of the game. Frustrated and desperate, he resorted to cruelty and aggression, which won the Duel and practically destroyed the Dueling ring in the process.

"Then it came into my mind that if no one acknowledged me, then I'll use my power to punish those fools so they will know their place. I know that it will only make worsen people's view towards me. But that time I grew not to care at all. That time I've had enough. Why does everyone view me that way so much? After that thought, I'd decided that if they won't see me as similar person to them, I won't treat them like humans… I don't behave accordingly, they looking at me with look of distaste so just they all have expected, I become the person that they talked about." Ryo's view of almost practically everything around him changed since that. He thought they were boring, boring to the core. Only filled with filthy people who as same as scum who didn't worth a challenge for him. He hated them. He felt he just wanted to destroy everything and become the strongest Duelist in existence.

"But then it started to change when I was reunited with my younger brother." Ryo's expression softened as he remembered the day his younger brother finally attended Academia following him.

"You mean Sho Marufuji?" Yuri remembered that name. He had heard it during one of the lessons. Sho Marufuji was the younger brother of Kaiser Ryo. Even though not as strong as his older brother, Sho Marufuji was still regarded as one of the strongest Duelists in Academia history. According to the history teacher, he went missing together with his older brother. Could it be that he also got sucked into this dimension together with Ryo? But if he was, then where was he?

A silence. None of them said a word. Yuri looked at Ryo who looked at the sky with a passive face like he's telling that normally happen in his daily life. But Yuri's gut feeling told him that the young man was hurt inside. He tried to look deeper into that expression, into those eyes to see what lies behind them. It was then it hit the Predator Plants user. Ryo was telling the truth, and his younger brother was no more in this world.

"Our parents were divorced. I lived with our father while Sho lived with our mother. We still stayed in contact once in a while until I changed my view. When I reunited with my brother, he was surprised by how much I have changed and I pushed him away. But even so, he refused to leave me alone and persistently try to reach me out so earnestly. I finally realized there was more than just victory." Ryo somberly remembered how he mercilessly beat his own younger brother, leaving him severely injured. However, that didn't stop him from continuing to pursue him. He would returned again and again until he finally succeeded in reaching him. His brother reminded him of the feeling that he had thrown away.

Yuri avoided Ryo's gaze more from this. Listening to Ryo's story, he couldn't help but feel that Sho was like Serena who was persistent in reaching out to him. "You said there was more than just winning. I already think of that but in the end it's just a naïve thought-"

"Wrong. You're absolutely wrong, Yuri. There's more than just what you think." Ryo cut him off. "There surely wonderful things that you have gained the moment you were born into the world."

Ryo slowly looked at Yuri who this time was the one who stared at the sky.

"You always seem to look your past and darkness of people. The times you have spent together with others, don't you see it? It's such a wasteful if you look back. The life you live right now is your life. Don't go or doing something that will only make your life complicated and bitter more than it is. Fill your life with happy and fun things. Look and walk forward, don't keep staying on the spot." Ryo stood from the bench and pointed at the choker around the violet haired boy's neck.

"You have hurt countless people, and you can't change that. You can't change what already happened. You can only keep fighting for the now. You can't run away from the things you've done. You need to face what's happened, and you need to fight with the people who are by your side. You need to do whatever you can." When he realized this, guilt filled his heart and mind. He began to hate himself and thought he didn't deserve to stay in Academia after hurting so many people. He would have left if it were not for his younger brother's insistence. He helped him went through his guilt and slowly build up good reputation, which also led him to be finally accepted by the other students.

Yuri didn't say anything and instead, looked away.

"You will never alone. To put it figuratively…changes your strategy, not your cards. You still have people that'll support you, including me. I will support you as your mentor." Ryo walked to the door. He has said what he thought was necessary. Now everything depends on Yuri himself.

"But first, you need to make your first step. The first step you should take would be starting to forgive yourself." Ryo told him one last time before leaving his student alone in the garden.

Yuri sat still on the bench, looking down to his lap. Winged Kuriboh materialized itself and leaned to its master to comfor him, but he didn't respond to it.

"Easier said than done…"

 **GYM – IMPERIAL MANSION – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Serena was repeatedly punching the sandbag that was moving back and forth from her punches until the chain that was holding it could no longer handle her power and detached from the ceiling once Serena delivered one last punch, causing the sand to come out from the bag. The girls and other Duelists who were watching in the room stared at her with the look of both fear and astonishment. The girls figured that after seeing how angry Serena was, she should let out her anger until she calmed down by doing some physical exercises. But now they started to wonder if they only made it worse.

"You know, girls should be more refined in expressing her angers." Mai told Serena as she offered her a bottle of water.

"This is just how I am. You can't just change that." Serena retorted, but accepted the water nonetheless.

"I heard you're having a boy problem. You can talk to me whatever you want. I'm your mentor so I'll listen and give you an advice." Mai turned to Yuzu, Ruri, and Rin and waved her hands at them. The girls understood her gesture. She was telling them to leave her and Serena alone. To let her handle their Fusion counterpart. While they didn't know much about Mai, she seemed to be mature enough to talk with Serena. The girls agreed to trust Mai and left, ushering the rest who were there to leave as well.

"So, mind telling me about this Yuri boy I heard so much?" Mai asked again, taking a seat beside Serena on the mattress.

"He is sarcastic, arrogant, and selfish, always like to belittle and mock almost everyone around him. A very annoying guy." Serena answered immediately as she remembered the many occasions Yuri made her furious or beyond. There were countless of them that she didn't know where to start and where to end.

"He sounds to be a type of guy that you hate." Mai guessed, looking at Serena in amusement.

"Yeah. That's right." Serena answered again immediately without hesitation.

"Then what type of guy that you like?" Mai asked. This conversation will get interesting if she continued with this question.

"…Yuri." Serena answered again, pulling her thighs to her chest with her arms around them.

"Wait, what?" Mai blinked at Serena's answer. Didn't she just say that Yuri was the type of guy she hates?

"Yuri…has lots of qualities that I hate...but…I like him more than that…" Serena muttered with softened gaze. Even though there were lots of parts of him that she hated, she couldn't deny that she liked him more often than she hated him. He was one of her very first friends who treated her for who she was.

"And that's why I'm so angry! He is always like that since we were little! I was trying to help him, but he always keep things that troubling to himself! Can't he put a lot more trust in me?! It won't hurt to lean on me once in a while!" Serena burst out, once again angry.

Mai sweat dropped at her student before giggling to herself. Now she understood the problem. She had to admit that this was quite unexpected, but it was still interesting. Maybe it was even more interesting than she had thought, especially with an unusual pair like them. She had heard that Serena spent most of her life in an academy that only taught military Dueling and she was never allowed to go outside, so she has zero skill in interacting with people and act as a girl. She was getting better after last year, but she was still new to this kind of thing.

"…I used to be a casino dealer on a cruise ship that travelled the world…" Mai suddenly said, catching Serena's attention. This was the first time her mentor talked about her background.

"While working there, everyday were rich opponents with experience and cards. All the time were countless men coming trying to make a quick buck." Mai told her story calmly, but inside she was disgusted by the men who became her opponents. Not just them, but everyone there she remembered.

"Every single one of them fell for my aroma card trick. Eventually, I just came to hate people. All these greedy people looking only for money." She came from a family with poor background. Her father passed away when she was young and her mother was her only family. Even though they were poor, she was happy to simply have her mother by her side. Her mother taught her to never look at what higher-class people have, but what less fortunate people than them have. Her mother taught her to be appreciative and cherish what they have instead of complaining what they don't have. When her mother passed away, she was left alone, and one thing led to another until she became card dealer. Watching those men who got attracted to her and the money disgusted her.

"But then I met Celica and my fellow guardians. She heard about me and disguised herself as one of guests. She challenged me and easily figured my aroma trick. She saw potential in me and invited me to become her guardian. By that time, I had already enough with that cruise ship so I accepted her invitation." Mai revealed. At that time, she accepted Celica's invitation simply to escape from that place and hoping to gain a better life. But Celica and her friends gave her more than that.

"When Celica first brought me in, I thought it was strange with how they treated me. Almost naturally they have accepted me into their group. I thought they were strange bunch. How come they always hang out together, especially Celica who is part of Imperial Family?" Mai was really not expecting a warm welcome since she was from a family with poor background, so she was shocked when Celica treated her kindly and equally. Not only that, she was surprised when Johan, who also came from a family of farmer, was one of her trusted aides.

"Strange? How come? You're friends, right? Isn't it normal for friends to hang out together?" Serena said, raising her brow in respond.

Mai chuckled. "Yeah. That's what Celica said too when I asked the same thing to her. It was then I realized that they have become the place where I belong. That I am not alone anymore. Do you not feel the same about Yuri and your friends?" Mai asked the indigo haired girl.

Serena started to ponder. She was alone until she met Yuri and Dennis. They accepted her without caring her 'special treatment' from the Professor and acknowledged her for who she really was. The three of them spending time together with their private little garden that was the first time she felt she has the place to belong to. After losing her memories about Yuri and Dennis, Yuya and the others who became her new friends were that place, especially after her memories were restored and Yuri joined them. The past two weeks were the most fun she had.

"Yeah. I do." Serena admitted.

"Then as his friend, why don't you try to put yourself in Yuri's position?" Mai suggested.

"Putting myself in his position?" Serena looked at Mai with confusion.

"There must be a reason why he doesn't want to tell his problem, right? Even going as far as telling you won't understand him. Try to put yourself in his place and think what would bother him so much. I know it would be troublesome. Men are often hard to deal with due to stupid reason, but in this case you don't have that much of a choice. If you still can't figure it out, then we'll use the second option." Mai explained, patting Serena's shoulder.

"Second option?" Serena raised a brow.

"I'll tell you if the first option failed. Well, for now good luck with the first option!" Mai slapped Serena's back in encouragement before leaving. Now she would watch how things will unfold.

Serena's brows furrowed together, trying her best to follow Mai's advice.

 **HALLWAY – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"I hope Ryo-san can convince Yuri." Yuya muttered, worrying for the Fusion mentor-student pair.

"He seems reliable and Yuri also respects him. I think he'll be doing fine." Yuto said, trying to assure his Pendulum counterpart.

"From the very beginning it's the grinning bastard's fault for keeping things from us." Yugo said.

"I wonder about that…" Yuya suddenly stopped, making the other two stopped as well and looked at him. "Johan-san said that chosen by Winged Kuriboh means that maybe the chosen person needs to be saved."

"To be saved? You mean Yuri needs to be saved? From what?" Yuto asked.

Yuya shook his head. "I don't know myself. Johan-san said that I should ask Yuno-san about it." He replied. However, whatever the answer was, judging from Johan-san's face that time, it won't be good.

"Speak of the devil, that's Yuno-san." Yugo pointed at the said person who was talking with someone at the balcony.

"And that's Neah-san!" Yuya recognized the blue haired old man who held the title of Viscount and the leader of the Brotherhood's elite independent espionage squad.

"It has been a while, Yuya-kun, Yuto-kun, Yugo-kun." Neah greeted the three boys.

"Yes. It's been a while." Yuya bowed greeted politely, followed by his other two counterparts. "What brings you here, Neah-san? I thought you're on a mission."

"I've finished my mission. I came to report and showed Lilac's new invention that helped me in the mission." Neah showed some devices that looked like handcuffs in his hands. Unlike ordinary handcuffs or handcuffs used by the Security and Academia, the handcuffs have rings looped around that glowed yellow.

"What kind of handcuffs are these?" Yugo asked while looking at the handcuffs in wonder.

"This is escape prevention handcuff. It's a device that can deliver an immediate high perceptive tension electrical current through the whole body again and again. If you leave a radius that's more than 10 meters, you'll be entirely penetrated. Lilac made this to prevent enemies that we captured from escaping." Neah explained.

"So the ones who are wearing these paired handcuffs cannot be separated or else they'll be electrocuted?" Yuto remarked to make sure he heard it right. That was rather extreme.

"Correct. You need password to remove them." Neah confirmed.

"Cannot be separated or else being electrocuted…" Yugo cupped his chin while inspecting the handcuffs. He stared at it for a few minutes before a light bulb lit up in his head. His lips curved into what Yuya and Yuto recognized almost like Yuri's own smile that Yugo himself dislikes. He was scheming something. Yugo instantly put a cheerful smile that he usually has and looked up to Neah.

"Neah-san, may I borrow these handcuffs until tomorrow evening?"

 **THE NEXT DAY – DEN ACADEMY – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuya and the others were staring uneasily at Yuri and Serena who still won't make up. The two Fusion counterparts kept their distances from each other while looking away. For the whole day at school, the two have avoided each other, acting and talking as if they were not there. So even after talking with their respective mentors the two were still the same. It took everyone's insistence to drag the two so they can go home together like usual. Still, none of the two let out a single word. Yuri and Serena, on the other hand, were still angry at each other, but they also confused at the same time. Yuri still has difficulty accepting Ryo's words yesterday while Serena couldn't think of anything that would make Yuri behaved this way even after tying to put herself in his shoes.

"Argh! This has gone enough already! Won't the two of you just make up?!" Yugo finally yelled.

"Shut up." Yuri and Serena said at the same time. When they realized this, they looked away from each other even more.

"Come on, now! You can't do this forever! Just say, I don't know, 'I'm sorry' to each other and then the problem solved!" Yugo protested at the two, but they just ignored. He sighed, and so did the others. The Synchro counterpart turned to Yukiya and the rest of the counterparts. They nodded at him and he then nodded back.

"Looks like we have to do this the hard way." Yugo said.

CLICK

Yuri and Serena blinked when they heard the sound and felt something around their wrists. They looked down to see a handcuff-like device being equipped to each of their right wrists without chain attached to each other. They turned to Yugo.

"What is this?" Serena questioned the Speedroid user.

"This is escape prevention handcuff that I borrowed from Neah-san. It's a device that can deliver an immediate high perceptive tension electrical current through the whole body again and again. If you leave a radius that's more than 10 meters, you'll be entirely penetrated." Yugo explained with a thumb up.

"You must be joking." Yuri said and started to walk away. However, he didn't get to walk far as the handcuff activated, shocking him and Serena together.

"What the heck?!" Serena exclaimed as she tried to remove the handcuff from her right wrist to no avail.

"It's no use! You'll need a password to take it off!" Yugo said, his tongue sticking out.

"You're really testing my patience here, Fusion. Take this off before I make you." Yuri threatened. For once, Yugo didn't take offense from Yuri saying his name wrong, and instead he stuck his tongue out at him.

"Not a chance. We won't let you take it off until the two of you made up. Oh, and by the way, I forgot what the cancellation password was so it's no use trying to force the password out from my mouth!" Yugo replied again, somewhat having a sense of victory in his chest.

"Damn you Yugo…!" Serena cursed and was more than willing to deliver a punch to the Speedroid user.

"If you want, you can ask Neah-san who knows the password. But he is at the border office right now." Ruri told them. She felt sorry for forcing them to be cuffed like this, but she couldn't think of other way for them to make up.

"Then we just need to go to the border office then!" Yuri and Serena said together determinedly.

"Until then try to reconcile. It shouldn't be hard." Yuto said.

"Good luck you two." Yuya encouraged the two Fusion counterparts.

"Come back and make up before dinner." Rin told the two.

"Come home quick. I heard there will be a storm later." Yuzu added.

Yukiya and the rest of the counterparts then left the two alone. They actually didn't want to use this way, but the two Fusion counterparts were just too stubborn to even look at each other. They didn't have a choice. With this, the two of them will have to be at each other's company. They doubt the two of them could stay silent and ignoring each other when they were so close to one another and just the two of them.

 **BORDER BRIDGE – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The way to the Border Office by foot takes 30 minutes. To reach the office they will have to cross the Border Bridge, the bridge, as it named indicated, was what bridging the border between Den City and its neighbor city. 30 minutes felt like hours for both Yuri and Serena. The two of them have refrained themselves from talking anything due to their respective reason, but the silence started to feel suffocating and unbearable. They might be able to deal with it if there were lots of people passing by, but unfortunately there were few to no people around the area so it was no different than being alone with each other.

Serena, being the less patient of the two, finally reached her peak.

"Alright, I can't take this anymore! Won't you just say what is bothering you?! Did I or the others did something wrong to you?!" Serena questioned, stopping their tracks in the middle of the bridge.

Yuri sighed. He lost his patience with that and finally faced her. "No. This is my own problem. It has nothing to do with you. This is something that I must settle myself and nobody else can." He told her. He couldn't tell anybody about his nightmare. He didn't want to.

"Winged Kuriboh feels the opposite to me." Serena said as she looked at Winged Kuriboh who has materialized itself beside Yuri, looking at its master worriedly. "Celica once told me that Winged Kuriboh is a Duel Monster that is able to feel people's heart. I don't need to be an expert to know that Winged Kuriboh feels you need help."

Yuri turned to Winged Kuriboh, narrowing his eyes at the monster, but it didn't bother Winged Kuriboh. The Duel Monster tugged the arm of his jacket while trying to pull him to get closer to Serena. Yuri pulled his hand away, but Winged Kuriboh didn't stop trying, and this time it pushed Yuri forward to Serena from behind, causing him to almost stumble.

"Will it hurt you to lean on me just once in a while? Or you don't trust me that much?" Serena looked at Yuri with eyes that were close to being in pain. Yuri immediately turned away from those eyes. He was surprised by the fact that he didn't like and didn't want to see her making that kind of face again.

"That's not it…" Yuri replied and didn't say anything else. He was loss at words.

"I am here. Dennis, Yuya, and everyone too. We will listen. We will help. All you need to do is tell us. Don't close yourself from us like this." Serena held Yuri by his shoulder and moved so she could face him. When he tried to look away again, she placed a hand beside his face, making him look at her.

For just a breath, the world was silent. It was just them, gripping each other's hands, and meeting each other's gazes. Yuri's lips parted and closed, struggling between speaking or silent. When he opened his lips and voice came out, ready to speak–

"What a wonderful scene. Two young ones trying to understand each other while being intimate to each other. How romantic."

Yuri and Serena turned to the source of the voice. They were quick to be on their guard when their eyes landed on a young man with white hair tied into a ponytail, long bangs, and olive green eyes. He was wearing a white shirt girded with large red material, a black bow tie made a string around his neck, and a belt. He also wore a black rib-length jacket with gold patterns and sleeves that end between his wrists and elbows. Yuri and Serena's eyes landed on the Duel Disk equipped on his right wrist.

"Apophis' Duelist!" Serena exclaimed, readying her Duel Disk, so did Yuri.

"Yes. I am at the service of Lord Apophis. My name is Shiki. I am a Duelist working under Lord Shing's squad as his second-in-command. It is a pleasure to meet you, Yuri and Serena." The young man, Shiki, introduced himself politely.

"Since you know our names, introduction is no longer necessary. I hope you are prepared?" Yuri challenged the white haired Duelist.

"I believe I should be the one to ask you that question. But no matter. I am prepared. I was ordered not to kill you, but neither Milord nor my superior forbid me to break you a little bit." Shiki responded casually.

"The one who will break will be you." Yuri spat back.

"We'll do this Duel the normal way, okay? No Main Monster Zone and Extra Monster Zone." Shiki proposed the rule of the Duel they were going to follow.

"Fine by us. We prefer it that way anyway." Serena agreed. It has been a while since they dueled with their usual mechanic.

"Let us begin then."

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'll start. From my hand, I summon Predator Plants – Ophrys Scorpio from my hand." Yuri summoned Ophrys Scorpio in Attack Position.

"When Ophrys Scorpio is summoned, I can send one Predator Plants monster from my hand to the Graveyard, and Special Summon a Level 3 or below Predator Plant from my deck." Yuri sent Predator Plants – Stapelia Worm from his hand to the Graveyard and then special summoned Predator Plants – Darling Cobra from his Deck in Attack Position.

"When Darling Cobra is Special Summoned, I can add a Fusion Magic Card from my deck to my hand." Yuri added Fusion into his hand from his Deck.

"I activate the Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse the Ophrys Scorpio and the Darling Cobra on my Field! Two beautiful flowers that tempt insects with an enchanting fragrance! Become one now, and give birth to a new nightmare from the hell locked beneath your petals! Fusion Summon! Come forth! The venomous dragon bearing ravenous fangs! Level 8! Starve Venemy Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Yuri summoned his Fusion-Pendulum monster in Attack Position.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuri concluded.

"My turn! I summon Moonlight Purple Butterfly!" Serena summoned Purple Butterfly in Attack Position.

"Then, from my hand, I activate the Magic Card: Fusion! Due to its effect, I can fuse the Moonlight Blue Cat and the Moonlight White Rabbit in my hand together! Azure cat that wanders in the darkness! Rabbit that dashes under the moonlight! Spiral into the moon's gravity, and be reborn with new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Moonlight Cat Dancer (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Serena summoned her ace monster in Attack Position.

"I end my Turn." She finished.

"My Turn. I activate The Barrier of Orichalcos! From now on, all of my Monsters will receive a 500 ATK boost." Shiki activated his Field Spell, creating a green hexagram-like magic circle beneath them.

"And then I summon Orichalcos Gigas (ATK: 400 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 4) from my hand!" He summoned Gigas in Defense Position. Due to Barrier of Orichalcos' effect, its ATK was increased to 900.

"I pay 500 LP to Special Summon Orichalcos Kyutora (ATK: 500 / DEF: 500 / LV: 3) from my hand!" He summoned Kyutora in Defense Position with its ATK increased to 1000. He placed it in the Spell & Trap Card Zone, which means that it can't be attacked until his first-row Monsters are destroyed first. Due to the summoning condition, his LP was decreased by 500.

 **SHIKI LP: 4000 = 3500**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Shiki concluded.

"My Turn! I attack Orichalcos Gigas with Starve Venemy Dragon!" Yuri declared his first attack. Starve Venemy's tail went straight towards the smaller Orichalcos Monster, ready to pierce it.

Shiki immediately opened his facedown card. "Trap Card: Orichalcos Guard! I negate your monster's attack." He pointed at Starve Venom whose tail suddenly stopped when it was inches away from Gigas' eyes and retracted it back.

"Trap Card: Ravenous Seeds! When the attack of a DARK Monster I control is negated, I can inflict 500 damage to my opponent in return." Yuri countered by using his own Trap, shooting black seeds towards Shiki, pushing him back.

 **SHIKI LP: 3500 = 3000**

"My Turn! I activate Moonlight Cat Dancer's effect! By releasing a Moonlight monster, it can attack every opposing monster twice! I release Moonlight Purple Butterfly and attack Orichalcos Gigas with Cat Dancer!" Serena released Purple Butterfly, allowing her ace monster to attack Gigas two times.

"Unfortunately, due to the effect of Orichalcos Kyutora, I receive no Battle Damage!" Shiki revealed.

"What?!" Serena exclaimed in shock.

Cat Dancer kicked Gigas. The first attack didn't destroy it, but Cat Dancer's second kick did it, destroying the Orichalcos Monster. However, due to its effect, Shiki didn't receive any damage from the double attack. Serena clicked her tongue. Her monster's effect got wasted.

"I activate Orichalcos Gigas' effect! I special summon it from my Graveyard in Attack Position with 500 more ATK than previously by skipping my next Draw Phase!" He revived Gigas with its ATK increased to 1400.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Serena finished reluctantly.

"You're pretty cute and strong too. How about you switch to our side and be my girl?" Shiki offered Serena, flirting at her to be precise.

"Drop dead." Serena replied in respond.

"Ouch. That was a hard rejection. But I like the rebellious type." Shiki giggled.

Yuri twitched in respond to Shiki's flirting. For a reason he didn't understand, the urge to defeat the Orichalcos user has turned into the desire to end his life.

"My Turn! I activate Field Spell: Orichalcos Deuteros. This card can be activated when I have Barrier of Orcihalcos. It gains all the effects of The Barrier of Orichalcos, plus a few effects of its own. I activate the first effect of Orichalcos Deuteros to gain 500 Life Points for each monster I control!" Since he has 2 monsters, his LP was increased by 1000.

 **SHIKI LP: 3000 = 4000**

"Battle! I attack Moonlight Cat Dancer with Orichalcos Gigas!" Shiki declared attack at Serena's monster despite his own monster's ATK being lower than Serena's. As expected, Gigas' attack was stopped by Cat Dancer who destroyed him instead using its knives.

"Due to Orichalcos Kyutora's effect, the damage was nullified. And then I activate Orichalcos Gigas's effect to special summon it from my Graveyard in Attack Position with 500 more ATK than previously by skipping my next Draw Phase." He revived Gigas, increasing its ATK to 1900.

"I end my Turn." Shiki concluded his Turn.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Predator War Cries! DARK Monster I control can attack player directly! Battle! I attack with Starve Venemy Dragon!" Yuri pointed at Shiki himself. Starve Venemy sent one of its fanged protrusions, opening wide to crush the white haired Duelist.

"I activate Orichalcos Deuteros' second effect! I tribute Orichalcos Gigas and destroy Starve Venemy Dragon!" Shiki released Gigas and magic circle appeared binding Starve Venemy. Before the magic circle could destroy the dragon, Yuri took a card from his hand.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Fusion Cancel! I return Starve Venemy to the Extra Deck and special summon its Fusion Materials from Graveyard!" Yuri returned Starve Venemy, summoning back Darling Cobra and Ophyris Scorpio in Attack Position.

"I end my Turn." Yuri concluded.

Before Serena could start her Turn, a droplet of water fell on her nose. She looked up as more droplets of waters coming down from the sky. The clouds darkened and the sounds of thunders coming from them. It was raining, and soon their bodies were drenched. Yuri and Serena then remembered that Yuzu warned them about there was going to be a storm. Although, they didn't care about that at the moment. They must finish this Duel before worrying about that.

" _Now that Gigas is no longer on his Field, I can attack Kyutora... This is the chance!"_ Serena pondered while eyeing Shiki's Field.

"Battle! I attack Kyutora with Cat Dancer! Full Moon Crest!" Serena declared her attack again with her ace monster. Cat Dancer formed a sphere of energy resembling full moon and shot it towards Kyutora.

"I banish Orichalcos Guard in my Graveyard and activate its effect! Orichalcos Monster I control cannot be destroyed by Battle for the rest of this Turn and I can add 1 Orichalcos card into my hand!"

"Tsk. So you still have that kind of card in your hand. I set a card and end my Turn." Serena finished her Turn with a tinge of frustration.

"My Turn! Draw!" Shiki finally drew since Gigas was removed from the Field through tribute. He smiled when looked at the card he drew.

"My counterattack starts now." Shiki announced, alerting the two Fusion users.

"I activate Orichalcos Mirror to tribute Timeater from my hand and perform Ritual Summon!" Shiki declared, creating magic circle beneath him again and his monsters as a mirror appeared at the center.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Mirror Knight Calling (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 6)!" Shiki summoned Mirror Knight in Attack Position with its ATK increased to 500.

As Shiki summoned his monster, the rain and the wind were getting stronger, making them harder to see and keeping their grounds. Their bodies felt cold from the rain and they couldn't help but tremble from the cold, but they were still determined to continue.

"Still have the spirit to fight, Serena?" Yuri asked sarcastically to his partner.

"Heh. I feel more fired up than ever." Serena retorted with a cheeky grin.

"You two are strong both in skill and mentally. You're wonderful Duelists. Such a shame you're opposing Lord Apophis." Shiki said with disappointment before continuing his move.

"Since Mirror Knight Calling was Ritual Summoned, I can special summon four Mirror Knight Tokens (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) in Attack Position and place a Shield Counter of each one of them!" Shiki summoned four said tokens in Attack Position with its ATK increased to 500. He then increased his LP again through Deutoros' effect.

 **SHIKI LP: 4000 = 7000**

"Battle! I attack Moonlight Cat Dancer with Mirror Knight Token! Due to the effect of "Mirror Knight Token", it gains ATK equal to the Monster it's battling!" He changed Mirror Knight Token's ATK to 2400, the same as Cat Dancer.

"I destroy the Shield Counter on Mirror Knight Token to prevent its destruction!" Shiki destroyed the Shield Counter attached to the token, allowing it to survive from the clash between itself and Cat Dancer. The Fusion Monster, on the other hand, was not protected, causing it to be destroyed.

"I still have three more Mirror Knight Tokens. You know what this means, right?" Shiki smirked at the two Fusion users.

Shiki then pointed at Yuri's Predator Plants monsters, choosing them as his next target. Using two of his three remaining Tokens combined with their effects; Yuri's Ophyris Scorpio and Darling Cobra were destroyed, leaving his and Serena's Field empty. The shockwaves from two consecutive attacks caused the handle of the bridge beside Yuri and Serena to break. The woods fell into the river stream. The current was stronger than before due to the rain and winds. The storm was coming.

"Now. I still have one more Token to attack directly. Which one I should choose…" Shiki's eyes shifted from Yuri to Serena back and forth until he stopped at the Moonlight user. He always preferred a lady than man, especially when this lady was his type.

"I attack Serena directly with Mirror Knight Token!" Shiki declared attack. The Token swung its sword at Serena, striking her.

 **SERENA LP: 4000 = 3500**

The attack pushed her back. Her foot caught on the ground and slipped and she tumbled backwards—

"Serena!" Yuri shouted as he rushed to reach her when she fell.

"Oh no!" Shiki paled when he realized where she fell and it was already too late as everything went fast.

Serena let out a scream as she fell suddenly through open air. Yuri caught her by her wrist, but the slippery ground caused him to fall together with her. Her arms wheeled and then—

They hit water, smacking against the surface of a river. The ice immediately took their entire breath away as the collision with the surface of the water drove what they had left out of their lungs. They went under, the current dragging them as the water tumbled fiercely overhead. Bubbles escaped their lips and then panic and adrenaline took over, letting their arms move despite the cold and the shock. But even within the water, despite the currents, Yuri kept his strong grip on Serena's wrist, refusing to let her go.

Yuri's head punched back above the water and he gasped for breath—he couldn't touch the bottom of the river with his feet and he was being dragged along so quickly that he couldn't fight it. The current rammed him and Serena into a rock and they went spinning off of it and then down another roll of rapid water—he tried to breathe but the rain was sliding down his throat and it was all he could do just to keep his head above the water. He tried to pull Serena to her, but it was too difficult. The least he could do was keeping his grip so they won't be separated at the very least. He couldn't see, he couldn't breathe, and he could feel his struggles weakening as the cold seeped through his bones and everything started to lock up—

And then something snatched against his outstretched wrist, yanking him to a stop as the rest of his body tried to go with the current. Yuri tried to yell but there was nothing in him, no breath, no will, he could feel himself starting to black out. For a moment, the grip on his hand slipped against the water and the rain—and then he was being pulled back, a hand latching into his collar and yanking him free of the river's maw, dragging him up together with Serena whom he still held onto the muddy ground.

Yuri gasped for air, his face pressed into the cold mud—he didn't even feel cold anymore, and he just felt numb, unable to move. He wanted—he wanted to fall asleep.

He forced himself to open his eyes, to see who was the one who pulled them from the river, but his vision was blurry. The only thing he could see from his blurry vision was a color of blue – a blue cloak and the worried face of Winged Kuriboh right in front of him. He heard sounds of several people before he couldn't take it anymore.

And then everything went black.

Back at the bridge, Shiki was looking at where Yuri and Serena have been taken away by the current. He slapped his own face with his own hand. He had screwed up. If the two of them were dead, it would be the end of him. He has been ordered to Duel them but must not kill them. But he just made a huge mistake. He could only think a miracle was the only thing that can save them. What else can in this huge storm?

"Do not worry, Shiki."

Shiki flinched when he heard a familiar voice calling his name. He turned to face his superior, Shing, standing behind him with an amused smile on his face.

"Lord Shing!" Shiki exclaimed nervously.

"Someone have pulled them out from the river. Our droid has made sure of that. They are still alive." Shing assured his subordinate who sighed in relief.

"Lord Shing, if I may ask, why do Lord Apophis ordered for them not to be killed? With our power, we should have been able to annihilate them all." Shiki asked, curious.

"We need them to lure out whoever stole the Four Heavenly Dragons before us. There was another reason, but His Excellency is quiet about it." Shing answered while looking at the river. He smiled cynically before turning his back.

"Let us go back. With this accident you can't continue. Be prepared for a punishment for your carelessness though." Shing warned his subordinate. Shiki sighed, resigning to his later punishment. He knew it.

"Understood."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Sara Akie –** Yukiya takes Yuya and the others to visit the comatose Sara in the hospital and begins to tell them more about her from how they first met and afterwards.

* * *

 **Finally finished this chapter. The longest chapter in a while. Sorry that the Duel was stopped and didn't end, but this is part of my plan. Can you guess who was the one who saved Yuri and Serena? Feel free to speculate! A clue will be given in the next chapter though!** **Next chapter will focus on Yukiya and Sara, mainly more info about the latter! Stay tune if you want to know! XD**

 **Sorry for any error. I'll fix it later along with the Custom Cards.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	24. Sara Akie

**Big thanks to** _ **J, Yuka Kuroshiro, Ryujomaru15, dvdryms, Playerhood18, Ulrich362, aqua9597, Elbarto4000, GamingGuy84, Unknowedz, Big duels, Eiida-chan**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **HOSPITAL – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuri awoke slowly, to a dry throat and even drier eyes. He squinted and groaned, blinking. He let out a tiny gasp—for just a moment, ghost pains assaulted his brain, and he lay there paralyzed. And then it all disappeared.

"Finally you're back to the world of living."

Yuri heard a dry voice croak, and his eyes flew open. He shot straight up in bed, the strength returning to him in a flash. Yuri flexed his fingers, and they responded easily. His body felt all right, he thought as he slowly sat up. No dizziness. He must have gotten a lot of sleep.

"Serena…!" Yuri looked down at Serena in surprise mixed with relief. The indigo haired girl smiled wryly at him beside him.

"Morning." Serena said. "Before you ask, we are at the hospital, and according to the Doctor we have been asleep for two days."

"Two days?" Yuri stared at her incredulously. They have been out for that long? Yuri furrowed his brows, trying to remember what happened before he blacked out. He had a fight with Serena so Yugo and the others resorted to handcuffed them with special handcuffs. They went to the border office to get the password to take it off but then encountered Apophis's Duelist named Shiki at the bridge. They fell into the river during the Duel and then…

"That's right…someone pulled us out from the river…who was it?" Yuri questioned. He could only catch a glimpse of Winged Kuriboh and whoever saved them was wearing a blue cloak. Afterwards he went out cold.

"How do you do, Yuri, Serena?"

Yuno came into the room with Winged Kuriboh on his shoulder. Upon seeing its master awoke, Winged Kuriboh quickly flew towards Yuri and latched itself on its face, nuzzling its face against Yuri's cheek with affection. Yuri gave Winged Kuriboh a light pat before removing him from his face so he can face his ancestor who was looking at them with relieved smile.

"Yuno…! You're the one who saved us?" Yuri asked, to which Yuno shook his head.

"Nope. I received a call from the hospital telling me the ambulance received an anonymous call that told them where you were and my contact. When I heard what happened to you it almost gave us a hard attack." Yuno explained. He literally meant it when he said he and the others were almost having a heart attack.

When Yuya and the others arrived home, they told Yuno of their plan to make Yuri and Serena reconcile. Yuno thought it would be interesting so he didn't think about it that much especially since the two of them went to where Neah was working. What could possibly happen? That's what thought until he received the phone call from the hospital. Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo were panicking when they heard what happened to Yuri and Serena. They immediately went to the hospital together and met the girls there who also received the phone call. After listening everything from Winged Kuriboh, the six of them immediately felt guilty, feeling this won't happen if they didn't force Yuri and Serena to go to the Border Office. Yuno was also felt as guiltier for not thinking of the possibility when he was supposed to be their guardian.

"So you don't know who save us?" Yuri asked again.

"Unfortunately, no. However, Winged Kuriboh told me that the one who saved you was wearing a blue cloak that almost completely obscuring their feature and around your age." Yuno revealed. When he asked the hospital staff about who called the ambulance for Yuri and Serena, they said they didn't know because by the time they arrived at the place, there were only Yuri and Serena and nobody else. Winged Kuriboh saw the person but not their face and it didn't care much because it was too worry for its master and his friend.

"Speaking of which, why are we in the same room? I don't think the hospital would allow this." Yuri finally wondered, looking at himself and Serena.

Yuno chuckled. "It can't be helped since you won't let go of Serena's hand no matter what they do." He said while pointing at Yuri's hand that was still holding Serena's. When Yuri finally realized this, he immediately let go.

"Sorry about that." He apologized to his childhood friend. So he hasn't let go of her hand since he caught her when they fell? Why would he hold her hand so tight even after being pulled from the water?!

Serena smiled at Yuri while holding the hand Yuri held. "You don't need to. It's because you didn't let go of my hand I am alive right now. I should be thanking you. Thank you." She sincerely thanked her childhood friend. When she awoke early, she was surprised that Yuri has been holding her hand while they were asleep. But she didn't mind at all for some reason. In fact, she found it comforting.

Yuno coughed, catching their attention. "You can tell me the details later. For now you'll need to fill your bellies after two days sleep. I'll also inform Yuya and the others too. They have been worried sick about you two." He said as he gave them boxed lunches personally made by Celica to help their recovery.

"That's right. I need to give them payback for the handcuffs." Yuri smiled evilly, thinking of various threefold pranks he will do to them once he was discharged from here. He was going to enjoy this very much.

Yuno merely sighed at Yuri's statement before patting the two on their heads. "Take a bit more rest then we'll talk. Later." He told them before leaving; taking the Winged Kuriboh with him so the two of them can have their privacy.

Serena slumped back to the bed. "I think I'm going to sleep for a few more minutes." She said while yawning. Even after sleeping for two days, a part of her was still tired. Just a little bit more sleep wouldn't hurt.

"Hey, Yuri…"

"What?"

"Thank you for not letting go." Serena placed a hand on top of Yuri's as she began to close her eyes. She was really happy when Yuri kept holding her hand. To be honest, she had thought that Yuri was slowly going back to his old way when he was being his cold and selfish self. She was scared she will lose her childhood friend again for the second time.

"Your hand is really warm…" The last time Yuri held her hand was when they were children before their memories of each other were erased. Even back then, Yuri's hand was always warm. Whenever he held her hand, she felt safe.

Yuri's heart throbbed hearing that. His cheeks felt a bit hot too. He held his forehead to check on his temperature. Was he having a fever from falling into the river? He felt it started to go higher and his heart was beating faster as he felt more of Serena's hand on top of his. He didn't know why, but his other hand slowly tried to place on top of hers that was covering his other hand…

"YURI! SERENA!"

The door slammed open, revealing Yukiya, Yuya and the rest of the counterparts entered the room with heaved breathing and relieved all over their faces. Yuri was startled and immediately placed his hand back to his side before he could place it on top of Serena's. Surprisingly, Serena was still fast asleep, not bothered in the slightest by Yuya and the others' sudden appearance in the room despite their loud voices. Yuri glared at them with his body trembling in frustration. Can't they read the mood? And they were supposed to be quiet in the hospital!

However, none of them noticed Yuri's annoyed expression and instead immediately surrounded him and Serena. When they realized Serena was sleeping, they quieted down so the nurse won't kick them out, but were still cheerful enough. They questioned Yuri if they were okay and expressed how relieved they were once they heard they have regained consciousness after two days sleeping. The girls made 1,000 paper cranes to wish for their fast recovery, the boys brought them fruits from Yuri's own garden, while Yukiya brought flowers. Yuri was taken aback by the attention they were giving to him. He didn't expect all of them to come together to visit them.

"You guys are worried about me that much?" Yuri asked, blinking at their concern.

"Of course we are!" Yuya said, looking at Yuri as if he was asking a stupid question. The others were also looking at him like he has asked a silly question when the answer was obvious, which confused Yuri.

"Anyway, you seem dizzy. Maybe you should sleep a little bit more. Don't worry. We will make sure Yugo won't make a fuss that will disturb your sleep." Yukiya assured Yuri, gently pushing him back to the bed. Yuri was about to protest, but his eyes then closed by themselves.

"Hey, Yukiya, what do you mean I'm gonna make a fuss?!" Yugo protested at the Supreme King user, yelling.

"You just proved my point." Yukiya replied as Rin scolded Yugo for his loud voice, pinching his cheek.

"We'll stay in the hospital until you two wake up again. Rest easy." Yuya told Yuri before the Fusion counterpart finally closed his eyes completely.

Yuri knew that being quiet would be difficult. The seven of them gathering together like this resulted in a rowdy and noisy bunch. Before, he found out it annoying, but now…he didn't feel that way so much.

He dreamed of an open sky, full of stars, the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life, and of trees, silent and still and full of so much lifethat it seemed to buzz through him. He was in the middle of a sea of grass that rustled in the wind, the breeze caressing and calming him. The world slowly no longer felt so dark. The images of the world, the beautiful, endless, open world, a world he had never seen and a world he desperately wanted to. He saw the faces of the people around him and the sounds of his friends who were talking so cheerfully and peacefully.

The feeling of being surrounded by them while he fell asleep—no longer truly alone.

 **LOBBY – HOSPITAL – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Yuno!"

Yuno smiled as he saw Celica hurtled the lobby to hug him. He almost fell, but he managed to snake his arms around her waist, hugging her back. They stayed that way for a few seconds before looking at each other without letting go.

"I heard Serena and Yuri have waked up. How are they?" Celica asked worriedly.

"They were fine. They just need a little bit more rest and then they are free to go home." Yuno assured the Imperial Adviser.

"Thank goodness." Celica sighed in relieved, letting go of Yuno. The Oracle then placed his hands on her shoulders, making her looking up at him again.

Yuno smiled gently at her. "Our descendants and Yukiya are taking care of them, so I don't think it's a good idea to see Yuri and Serena now. Let's let them do what they like and then we'll check the two together." He said, beckoning her to sit beside him on the bench while waiting.

Celica giggled. "I can imagine that. They are lively children." She said. She could picture how right now Yuya and the others were surrounding Yuri and Serena in their hospital room. Fortunately, due to their connection and money, it wasn't difficult to get a one big private room for the two Fusion users. That way they won't bother other patients. They reminded her when she and Yuno were young.

Yuno's eyes then landed on the TV near him. The TV showed news about a riot between nobles and commoners over a noble trying to force himself on a commoner. Yuno frowned. That happened yesterday. The riot started when several drunken nobles tried to force a waitress to serve them. The waitress' friends and several people on the bar defended her, leading a quite huge fight. Fortunately, he had a vision about it so he could send Reid, Ryo, Jounouchi, and Carl quick enough. With their authorities as both members of the Brotherhood (Ryo and Jounouchi), noble (Reid), and royalty (Carl), the problem was quickly solved. Carl and Reid made sure the nobles won't do anything with their rank or connection to get revenge. But still, the conflict between the two has been escalating.

"How is the condition at the castle and the nobles?" Yuno suddenly changed the subject. His eyes turned serious.

"Not so stable. After Heidel's speech, there are many who are trying even more to gain the Imperial family's favour and spread their influences. But there are also some who are leaning more to the idea of working together thanks to the Phantom Dragons' Duels." Celica frowned. Social status has always been a problem since ancient times. Even though she should have already gotten used to it and able to handle things accordingly for both sides, lately it has become more difficult.

"But I'm sure if we continue to keep this up together with Yuya and the others, our feelings will reach them." Yuno placed a hand on Celica's head and leaned her closer to him, his chin on top of her head.

"Yes…" Celica was still worried, but she felt better. It has been a long time since the two of them were like this. "By the way, how about you? How are you doing?"

"Overall I'm doing fine. Still busy as always, but I'm fine." Yuno replied.

And then they went silent. Celica started fidgeting in her seat. She held her hands together as she glanced at Yuno. Due to their respective work, they couldn't see each other as freely as before. This was one of few chances they could meet. Sure, they still communicate through their Duel Disks and all, but that and meeting directly were entirely different. Being in his arms and feeling his touch directly like this felt great than communicating through Duel Disk. When was the last time they met? She couldn't remember. It felt like forever.

"Yuno…has your feeling…changed…about me?" Celica asked, tightening her grip on her skirt.

"What?" Yuno looked down at her, seeing a deep sense of longing in Celica's eyes.

"The both of us had married and had children…but my husband and your wife had gone now… Is it wrong…if we restart everything…? Thousands years have passed, but not even once my feeling for you changed. Even until now, I still…"

16 years before Apophis' first awakening, her father arranged her to be married to the second crown prince. At that time, Yuno was still a commoner, so any feeling she has for him was dismissed by her family. They wouldn't let her relationship with him went beyond friends. In the end, she got married and so did Yuno soon afterwards. She cherished her husband and their children. Her husband accepted her even though he knew she couldn't let go of her feelings for Yuno, he loved her until his last breath. She was happy having such a loyal and kind man as her husband. This made her guilty. She felt he was wasted on her as despite trying her best the one she loved the most was still Yuno. Now that both their families were gone, and her family from the Emperor's side has no objection for her to pursue relationship with Yuno, they could start over. Unless…

"…or perhaps…your feeling for me has changed?" She asked again, her hands trembling in fear. She has had always been afraid asking him directly. She was afraid to hear it if his answer was yes, he no longer feels the same way as he did thousands years ago. But she must make this clear. She couldn't continue keeping it bottle up like this.

"No…!" Yuno abruptly stood up, startling Celica. When she looked at him, his face looked he was in pain. Yuno parted his lips, trying to speak, but yet there was hesitation. "I…I'm… Right now, I…"

Before Yuno could speak further, Celica's butler came, rushing towards her while holding a phone. He noticed Yuno and bowed politely before facing Celica.

"Celica-sama. The Emperor wishes to speak with you." He said while giving the phone to her before excusing himself.

Celica answered the phone, asking the emperor to wait for a moment until she was outside. She stood up and turned her back, not looking at Yuno.

"I'm sorry for suddenly asking this. You don't have to answer me now." Celica said as she unconsciously gripped the phone tighter, not dare to turn and face Yuno. Not when she was close to tears. She didn't want to make Yuno feel bad.

"But please do remember that I…I still love you…" Celica didn't wait for Yuno's respond. She ran as quickly as she could, leaving Yuno standing there in shock. She was glad he didn't come after her. Because her heart was in disorder for a moment. She didn't know what she would do or what she would say if he chase after her.

Yuno watched Celica's back as she ran. His hand outstretched to her but didn't try to reach her. He continued to look to where she has gone even after he couldn't see her back anymore. His hand fell down beside him and he looked down.

"Celica…"

 **SARA'S ROOM – HOSPITAL – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"This is Sara. The one I often told you about."

Yukiya said to his friends as he introduced the comatose Sara. Yuya and the others were staring at Sara with both shock and awe. After they made sure Yuri and Serena were asleep again, Yukiya decided to finally bring them to Sara. It would have been better if they could meet her when she was awake and healthy.

"How exactly did this happen? You said she was attacked in LINK VRAINS, but taking damage in LINK VRAINS shouldn't be giving this much of an impact…!" Yuya asked frowning as he stared at the many tubes attached to Sara.

"Because not only Celica was attacked in LINK VRAINS, but she was also attacked in the real world by someone." Yukiya replied, staring at Sara and took her hand into his.

"Attacked in the real world?! So after she dueled in LINK VRAINS she also duelled in the real life?!" Yuzu exclaimed, horrified.

Yukiya shook his head. "No. I thought that was the case when I arrived at her house and found her beaten up with her cards scattered. But when the police checked, there was no any indication or sign a Duel has occurred. Sara's Duel Disk history also proved that. She didn't lose in a Duel, she was brutally attacked." He explained. At that time he was shocked beyond believe that someone would attacked her like this. When the police questioned him, he told them of the person he saw coming out of Sara's house right before he found her. The police immediately spread the descriptions of the person he saw and a passer-by confirmed that person's presence. However, the police couldn't find him, until…

"Yesterday, Yuno-san told me that he found the culprit who attacked Sara." Yukiya revealed, shocking them. He raised his hand before any of them could say a word, allowing him to continue until he was done.

"The one who attacked her was a delivery man who was working for Sarah's family's flower shop. At first I was surprised because he has been in good terms with Sara's family for years but yet he attacked her. But then Yuno-san told me that there was something wrong with him."

"Something wrong? What is it?" Yuto asked.

"He was mentally unstable when the police found him. It was as if he went mad when Yuno-san took me to see him." Yukiya couldn't get the delivery man's face out from his mind after the Oracle took him to see him. His crazed expression and the way he was scratching or punching the wall like a savage, he almost couldn't recognize him.

"He was sedated and was examined. His activities before he attacked Sara were also being investigated. I asked his granddaughter who was with him the night he attacked Sara and she told me that he was logged into LINK VRAINS that time. But then suddenly he abruptly rushed out the house without telling her why. From this, we decided to check his computer and activity log in LINK VRAINS." Yukiya felt sorry and guilty for the delivery man's granddaughter. If only he came earlier, then she wouldn't be needed to be questioned by the police. Her crying face when she saw her grandfather's current condition was also something he couldn't forget.

"It was there we managed to put the pieces together. Yuno-san and I came into conclusion that Apophis has developed a virus that can make a person going berserk in the real world if affected in LINK VRAINS." Yukiya revealed, recalling the discussion he had with Yuno yesterday. He has checked the delivery man's computer himself with the help of Lilac, and they found the trace of the virus.

"A-Apohis can create a virus that can affect someone offline?!" Yugo exclaimed in disbelieve.

"Yeah. We have been trying to create the vaccine but so far we're not that successful. Furthermore, the viruses and bugs that the Servants spread before when you, Phantom Dragons, made your debut, it was the same type as the virus that we found yesterday." Yukiya revealed more. Immediately after Lilac found the similarities, they quickly conducted an investigation of those who had logged into LINK VRAINS that day. Their fear was correct. The people who logged into LINK VRAINS and got into contact with bugs and viruses all behave violently once they logged out.

"It was a good thing you interrupted the Servants before the virus could spread any further, so the victims were not many." Yukiya smiled dryly at them when they were making even more horrified faces. He knew it wasn't much, but he hoped this fact would calm them down.

"But why Dante attacked Sara? What did she do?" Yuzu asked, looking sadly at the said girl.

"Maybe…it has something to do with her Link Sense…" Yukiya answered, tucking a strand of hair from Sara's face to her behind her ear.

"Link Sense? What's that?" Rin asked.

Yukiya took a seat on the chair beside Sara's bed and beckoned his friends to sit down at the nearby couch or carpeted floor as well. He was going to tell them his and Sara's story, and it may take a while.

"I guess I need to explain from the very beginning…"

 **5 YEARS AGO – FLOWER SHOP – AKIE RESIDENCE – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yukiya was yawning loudly, earning him a smack from his father who was currently conversing with his old friends, the owners of Akie Flower Shop that he was standing in front of right now. He opted to back playing his game, bored by the adult talking while he was ignored. Seeing his son's rudeness, he snatched his son's game, forbidding him to play until they get back home. Frustrated, the young silver head kicked his father's foot and went inside the flower shop.

He looked inside the shop with indifferent face. There's nothing fun in here, only flower, flower, and flowers all over his sight. Concluding that the shop is boring too, he decided to take a stroll around the area while opening his iPad. However, he didn't notice a vase of daisy flowers near the door and bumped to it. In attempt to prevent the vase from falling, he his feet slipped, causing a domino effect to the other flower vases as he failed to catch the vase and instead crashing place as he fell.

Yukiya coughed from the dust and flinched when he saw the condition of the shop that became a complete mess. Oh, he is so done for…

CRASH

Yukiya turned beside him and saw a girl with short magenta hair looking at the shop in horror. From her eyes, he could tell that she's close to tears. She then turned to him and saw red.

"What have you done to our flowers?!" She asked angrily.

"My bad. I didn't do it on purpose…" Yukiya said casually, giving him the impression he didn't care at all.

"Don't 'My bad' me! This is something serious! The flowers…! This…! This is-!" Yukiya seemed to saw steam coming out from the girl's head.

"Geez… It's just a flower, what so special about it? You can always replace them. I'll make sure my Dad will pay you all back."

The girl's figure frozen. The sudden silence of the girl was so eerie that he shuddered. When the girl unleashed electricity around her, he didn't need to ask what she's going to do. Not wasting any time, he got up and made his escape, the girl followed him in tow. In the living room, the Kanbara couple were about to discuss their next family meeting when a loud crash interrupted them, and the double doors were slammed open, a small streak of silver passing through it, little feet pounding on the carpeted floor.

"You jerk! Come back here you insufferable heartless jerk!" The father of the Kanbara couple could distinctly hear their friends' daughter, Sara's voice hollering in the background, fast feet stomping quickly to where they were. Yukiya's father stood up and quickly caught the other boy by the arm, immediately halting the child's steps.

"Woah there," He held his son's arms securely with his own, who was trying to squirm out of the gentle but firm grip. "What have you done this time, Yukiya?"

"You're too slow, stupid flower girl!" Yukiya called back, yelping as his father smartly rapped him on top of the head.

"I see… At first I thought it was only me being paranoid lately, but it WAS you the one who caused that loud sound." The silver head said reprovingly to his son. The silver haired boy sulked, feeling disgruntle at the fact that he was caught so quickly. And there was nothing Yukiya could do but wait as his pursuer burst into view, sweating and slightly breathless from chasing him all around the shop. Yukiya's father couldn't help but quirk an amused eyebrow at the couple's bedraggled little girl.

"Why are you running away from Sara?" The girl's mother cocked her head sideways at the young boy. "Did you do something wrong?"

Yukiyame looked down, unable to meet the adult's curious stare. "U-Um… I…"

"What happened, Sara?" She asked her daughter.

"Well, this boy," Sara approached and pulled on Yukiya's ear in emphasis, ignoring the sudden yell of pain, "Destroying all the flowers in our shop and the shop is a mess!"

"It was an accident!" Yukiya shot back, wincing at the pressure his ear was getting. "And it's your fault for putting a vase in that spot!"

A vein popped in Sara's forehead. "Flowers have lives too! Just because they cannot speak it doesn't mean they are not alive! No matter how small it is you have to appreciate life!" She wrestled Yukiya from his father's grip, pinching and pulling at the boy's cheeks. "Take back what you said before you stupid! Idiot! Jerk!"

"Make me!" Yukiya retorted. He and Sara glared at each other, imaginary sparks igniting between them as they stubbornly tried to make the other back down. Goudera, completely amused now, tried to break them up, unable to stop laughing at the duo as he promised he would take the responsibility.

 **PRESENT TIME – SARA'S ROOM – HOSPITAL – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"You're so horrible Yukiya. Flowers are living beings too." Yuzu said with a clear anger on her face.

"You're a jerk, Yukiya." Rin said, also looking angry at Yukiya.

"How can you do that, Yukiya?" Ruri stared at Yukiya with a disappointed face.

"Hey! That was long ago! I'm not like that anymore!" Yukiya told the girls, complaining their reactions.

He cleared his throat, trying to stay on the topic. "A-anyway, we were at the wrong start, but we eventually got along well. Sara's family not only has a flower shop but also a café. I started helping her there two years ago. That was when I found out about her Link Sensei." He continued, ignoring the disapproving looks he got from the girls while the boys dutifully listened to his story.

After their first meeting, he and Sara often got into childish argument. But he became closer to her after she forced him to take responsibility in cleaning up his mess and taught him more about flowers. Before he knew it, he was attracted to her in a way he couldn't describe.

 **2 YEARS AGO – CAFÉ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

As Sara wound her way among the tables, a breeze rippled through her hair. Carrying three plates in her left hand and another in her right, she wore plain yellow waitress-style kimono that read _Akie Café._ She brought the plates to four men wearing polo shirts; the one closest to her caught her eye and smiled. Though he tried to act as though he was just a friendly guy, she knew he was watching her as she walked away. When he tried to reach her, Yukiya abruptly put his orders onto their desk and glared at the men that enough to make him changed his mind.

This caught attention from other guests. Seeing this, Sara quickly rushed to the silver haired boy to calm him down.

"Yukiya, please don't do something rash here especially to our guests!" Sara whispered while Hide apologized on Yukiya's behalf to the men.

"You know very well that he intended to do, right? I'm just prevented him from do something to you." Yukiya defended himself.

"I appreciate that but please don't do it like that, okay?" Sara pleaded.

"…Fine."

"Now, don't give me that kind of face. You won't be able to get a girlfriend if you keep behave and put that kind of face." Sara put a finger on his forehead. Yukiya pouted.

Sara smiled and the two of them back to work. After retrieving a pitcher of sweet tea, she refilled their glasses before returning to the waitress station. She stole a glance at the view. It was late June, the temperature hovering just around the perfect, and blue skies stretched to the district. This is a perfect day for working.

Akie Café, a café that owned by Sara's family that located in the 15th District of Namimori town where it was one of strategic districts for business in Den City. The café is right beside the Akie Flower Shop, where the guests usually would buy flowers before or after they eat at the café. The café was basically from Showa period style. Since today was 10th Anniversary of their café, Akie family holding a Flower sale and special menus for today. The guests came and in no time, the café was already crowded with guests, especially Sara's so-called fans from the neighborhood. Knowing that it will be a very busy day, Sara had asked Yukiya to help her and of course she has promised to pay him.

She started another pot of sweet team, wiping down the station. A moment later, she felt someone tap her on her shoulder. She turned to see a waitress working with her with pile of dirty plates on her two hands.

"Sara-chan—can you take another table? I'm full right now."

Sara scanned her tables, running the rhythm in her head.

"Sure." She nodded.

The waitress walked down the stairs to the kitchen. From nearby tables Sara could hear snippets of conversations and gossips. At the table in the corner, she saw two people closed their menus. She hustled over and too the order, but didn't linger at the table trying to make small talk. She knew that their attempt to make a small talk was to gain her attention so they could hang out with her later on. But she managed to reject this politely by indirectly saying that she already has someone else that she likes. She was efficient and polite and none of the customers seemed to mind even after her rejection.

She refilled waters and sweet teas and headed to the kitchen. Shiragami, one of the cooks, winked at her as he always did. He's a son of her father's friend who developed crush on her at first sight when they met a few months ago. He had asked her to go out many times, but she'd told him like she told the guests that she already had someone that she likes. She had the feeling that he would try again today and hoped her instincts were wrong.

"I don't think it's going to slow down today, being the day of this place's 10th Anniversary," Shiragami commented. He was blond and lanky, perhaps two years older than her. "Every time we think we're getting caught up, we get slammed again."

"It's a beautiful day."

"But why are people here? On day like today, they should be at beach or out fishing. Which is exactly what I'm doing when I finish up here."

"That sounds like a good idea."

"Do you want to join me? Together?" He offered, as she had expected that her instincts were right.

"Thank you, no. I already have plans with my friends after this." Sara declined softly.

"Just canceled it for today," he persisted. "It's better that you have free time for yourself rather than with them all the time."

"Being with my friends is the most relaxing and enjoyable times that I have…along with the person that I like…" The last part was said in whisper but Shiragami could hear it as Sara handed him her ticket and Shiragami pinned it up on the wheel and then located her orders. She carried the order back to her section and dropped it off at a table.

"Why don't you just kick him out?" Yukiya asked as he watched Shiragami.

"I can't do that so bluntly. His father is a friend of my father." Sara sighed tiredly.

"By the way, what are you really going to do after this?" Yukiya asked, looking down at her.

"I'm thinking of going to LINK VRAINS. My Link Sense is telling me I may find something interesting if I go." Sara replied.

"Link Sense?" Yukiya raised a brow in confusion.

"Oh, that's right. I haven't told you about this. It is a special ability that allows a person to sense and see things inside LINK VRAINS, even when not logged in. Using this ability, I'm able to sense presences in the network. This ability also allows me to see a vision of the LINK VRAINS even when I'm not logged in." Sara explained before turning to Yukiya.

"I know it's hard to believe, but–"

"No. I believe you. As much as it's hard to believe, I can tell that you're not lying. Also, it explained many things of your antics in LINK VRAINS." Yukiya told her. "Since when you have this ability?"

"As far as I remember, when I first decided to sign into LINK VRAINS."

"That sounds to be quite a troublesome ability." Yukiya remarked, but Sara shook her head.

"No. I think this is a good gift." Sara said with a serene smile.

 **PRESENT TIME – SARA'S ROOM – HOSPITAL – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"I think maybe Sara's Link Sense led her to meet Dante, and he perceived her ability as a threat, so he attacked her." Yukiya deduced.

"Then that means there must be something they are hiding in LINK VRAINS, right? Maybe they spread the viruses for that reason as well?" Rin wondered.

"That's certainly a possibility." Yuto remarked.

"I have already told this to Yuno-san and Celica-san too. They're going to do more investigation in LINK VRAINS." Yukiya said.

 **YURI'S ROOM – HOSPITAL – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuri woke up, yawning as he sat up. He stretched his arms and neck before taking a drink. Serena was still sleeping soundly beside him and he decided to leave her alone. The door slide open, revealing Ryo, his mentor, came in, with a basket of fruit and Winged Kuriboh on his shoulder. Again, Winged Kuriboh flew to Yuri but this time it sat on his lap.

"Hello. Feeling better?" Ryo greeted, placing the basket on the table beside the bed. The Kaiser then sat on the chair.

"Yeah. I already have plenty of sleep." Yuri answered. He felt very refreshed now.

"That's not it. I'm talking about Serena. The two of you have made up?" Ryo said, looking at the still sleeping Serena.

"…No."

"But you're going to, right?"

"Who knows…perhaps not?"

Ryo chuckled before flicking Yuri's forehead. "Just what is she to you? And I won't take 'she is nothing to me' as your answer. If she's nothing, then you wouldn't hold her hand so tight when the two of you drowned in the river and won't let go of her when the two of you were sleeping." He said before Yuri could say anything. He smiled as he studied Yuri's expression that looked away from him and looked at his hands on his lap.

"That's…" Yuri couldn't answer. He was confused himself. He didn't understand why he did what he did. That time his body was moving before he even realized it when Serena fell. And now, he couldn't help but feel comforted by the girl's presence beside him. Looking at her sleeping so peacefully made him felt warm. He couldn't understand this feeling, he definitely won't tell Ryo about this. It was too embarrassing for him to tell.

Ryo stood from his chair and fondly ruffled Yuri's hair. For once, Yuri took comfort from this gesture. It wasn't as annoying as he felt before, though he still didn't like Ryo treating him like a little kid. He couldn't say anything though since Ryo had defeated him in their first Duel and he still couldn't defeat him.

"Never ever let go the person who is important to you. Especially in this war we are partaking in. You don't know that something may happen while you're looking away and take that person from you." Ryo told him before turning his back on him, intending to leave the room, but Yuri's question halted him.

"You mean like you did?" Yuri's voice made it like it was a question, but it was actually a fact that Yuri was sure of. He knew what Ryo meant and who he meant because his mentor had experienced it himself.

"My face is saying it all, huh?" Ryo said with a sad smiled. He faced his student again. "I've already told you this but I'll say it again. You will never be alone. You have people who will support you, including me. I will support you as your mentor. It's fine to lean on me once in a while."

He went out, but then stopped right before he close the door. He gazed at his student, and Yuri locked his gaze with him.

"Don't punish yourself too much." Ryo said and he then closed the door.

Yuri leaned on his pillow, still in sitting position. Winged Kuriboh offered him a bunny-shaped apple that Yuzu and Ruri have cut, which he accepted gratefully since he was hungry. Everything felt happened so fast that he didn't know from where to think. He was still confused about his own thoughts and feelings himself. Ryo's words have been on his mind the most since the last time they talked. He knew what Ryo was trying to convey to him. He knew, but he was the one having doubt to accept it.

The door then slide opens again at that moment, revealing Yuya, sticking his head into the room with sheepish smile.

"Hi. You're awake." Yuya greeted.

"I'm feeling great if you're going to ask how I am." Yuri said before Yuya could ask his condition.

"Yeah. Perfect timing. Now that you're awake, I'm going to share the information Yukiya has shared with us a while ago." Yuya took a seat on the chair beside Yuri. He then repeated what Yukiya has told him and the rest. From Sara, the virus, and Link Sense. Yuri listened to Yuya's story without asking, opting to wait for his Pendulum Counterpart to finish his story first before making any comment.

"So what are we going to do next?" Yuri asked.

"For now we're waiting for Yuno-san's call. He'll talk to all of us once Serena is awake." Yuya said.

"Okay then… Speaking about Yukiya, you're not going to tell him?" Yuri asked.

"About what?" Yuya asked back, making Yuri sighed.

"About him being the reincarnation of the Zarc that we knew a year ago…or 15 years ago in this dimension's timeline before being connected to ARC-V." Yuri reminded.

"Oh, that. I don't think I'll tell him. I told you, right? I want to know Yukiya, not Zarc. I want to know him for who he is now, not because of his past life as Zarc. It's like you said, he is not the Zarc that we knew a year ago." Yuya admitted sincerely.

"How about the others?"

"I've told them and they agreed to keep quiet. We don't want to make Yukiya think we becoming friends with him just because of his past life as Zarc."

"If that's your decision then I won't do anything. Unlike you, I don't really care either way. And this gorilla-girl won't object either." Yuri said while poking Serena's cheek, causing the girl to stir in her sleep.

"Thank you, Yuri." Yuya thanked his Fusion counterpart, smiling gratefully.

Unaware for the two of them Yukiya was listening to the whole thing behind the door outside. He followed Yuya to tell him that Yuno was calling them, and then he heard this. He stayed outside, not daring to go inside as his mind was trying to process what he just heard. His thoughts then recalled the weird dreams he had before that showed Yuya, Yuzu, and the others…or it actually wasn't a dream?

"My…past life…?"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Amosis City –** While on a trip with Yuno, Yuya and the others meet Yukiya and his Duel Club who are on a joint retreat with the high school Duel Club by a chance. Under Yuno's insistence and Yukiya's invitation, Yuya and the others join the Duel Club's activities for the day.

* * *

 **Sorry for the lack of Yuri and Serena in this chapter. I'm saving them for later because I want to focus more on Sara and Yukiya, although maybe it wasn't much. Sorry. I've written chapters without Duel lately, but starting the next chapter there will be Duels. The next chapter preview may make it seems the next chapter will be like another filler, but I promise you it won't. The plot is going to move forward again as I have promised after the three filler chapters!**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	25. Amosis City

**Big thanks to** _ **aqua9597, Elbarto4000, Ryujomaru15, dvdryms, Playerhood18, Unknowedz, Ulrich362, Big duels, Yuka Kuroshiro, GamingGuy84, John**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **YUKIYA'S ROOM – KANBARA RESIDENCE – APARTMENT – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

It's already nighttime, most people already turned off the lights. However, even with the lights out and the others were already asleep, Yukiya couldn't sleep. His mind was too preoccupied by what he overheard this afternoon.

 _"Speaking about Yukiya, you're not going to tell him?"_

 _"About what?"_

 _"About him being the reincarnation of the Zarc that we knew a year ago…or 15 years ago in this dimension's timeline before being connected to ARC-V."_

 _"Oh, that. I don't think I'll tell him. I told you, right? I want to know Yukiya, not Zarc. I want to know him for who he is now, not because of his past life as Zarc. It's like you said, he is not the Zarc that we knew a year ago."_

"Past life as Zarc…" Yukiya murmured while covering his eyes with an arm. He was remembering them again. He was remembering the dreams he saw since a week before Yuya and the others' arrival in this dimension. He continued to have that dream until he met Yuya directly. After that, the dream abruptly stopped. For a moment he thought it was a premonition of him or the sort meeting his new friends, but after hearing Yuya and Yuri's conversation, he started to think more and more.

When he first met Yuya in The Brotherhood's mother computer as Zarc, a sense of longing surged into him and he could sense the same thing from Yuya's eyes. After he logged out from there, the feeling just got even stronger. And then when they met again, Yuya asked him to be his friend with the same face. Once they met in the real world along with the others, he strangely felt like he had known them for long times. Not forgetting that Yuya said things about him like he had known him before they even met. But when Yuya said he reminded him of his friend, Yukiya felt something inside him freezing and pushed him to react negatively to Yuya's remark like he was trying to make it clear he wasn't the friend Yuya was talking about, but immediately after Yuya said he wanted to know him for who he was, that feeling dissipated.

Yukiya had wondered it before, but now he was thinking about it again. Why the name 'Zarc' has always been in his mind? Why Yuya wanted to become his friend this much? Why Yuya talked and behaved as if he knew him even though they just met that time? Why he felt familiar about his new friends in their first meeting? Why he was even dreaming about them before they met like it had truly happened? Why the dream felt so real? With all these questions in his head and the information he overheard, he started placing the pieces together.

"So it wasn't a dream…? It was like some past life memories? That's absurd…is it…?" Yukiya mumbled, covering his entire body with his blanket.

The thought of reincarnation was just absurd. That was what he thought for a second. However, various facts then came. Duel Monster spirits, Yuno's ability to see the future, Apophis, the existence of the original dimension, those weren't exactly normal things or something that can be accepted by a common sense, but yet they were facts. The concept of reincarnation didn't sound so farfetched, especially since times flew differently in this dimension and ARC-V before they were reconnected. He was born in ARC-V and then died and then got reincarnated in the artificial dimension…

" _Then…I am a reincarnation of Yuya's friend that he mentioned that time?"_

 **TWO DAYS LATER – CITY SQUARE – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Wow! So this is Amosis?!"

Yuya exclaimed as he and the other counterparts with Yuno, Ryo, Jounouchi, and Kino (wearing clothes that would obscured their identities) watching over them arrived at the said city, admiring the view the moment they stepped foot into the city. They were at the south part of the street that led to the town entrance and exit that has a statue in the middle of the square. North leads toward the castle. The street is lined by residences and a tavern. Among the cobbled streets, there is a mosaic of Alexandria Castle with a star shining above it. When they reached the City Square, there were shops, stalls, and an inn around the square. The ticket office in the middle checks patrons' tickets when they come to see the performance in the main theater building.

"Amosis is one of the cities famous for tourist spot. This city is famous for its street performance and culinary." Yuno explained, smiling in satisfaction at his and Celica's descendants' reaction. To celebrate Yuri and Serena being discharged from the hospital, Yuno decided to take them to a two days trip. He still felt partially responsible for what happened to the two Fusion counterparts, so this was the least he could do to make it up for them. This time, he will watch over them and he had asked several of his men to be on guard from afar without them knowing. He won't let what happened two days ago be repeated again to any of the children. Yukiya was also invited, but he declined because he has a club retreat.

"Hey! Hey! Let's go watch that performance!" Yuya said while pointing at one of the street performers. He didn't wait for their respond and dragged Yuzu with him to the performer despite her protest to wait. Jounouchi followed them, being one of people responsible for watching over them.

"Hey! That meat over there smells delish! Let's buy some!" Yugo pointed at a meat stall with drools coming out from his mouth and then dragged Rin with him there and Kino following behind them.

"They're just like little kids." Serena commented at Yuya and Yugo.

"Indeed. But that's what makes them so cute." Ruri said with a giggle. She then glanced at Serena and noticed something unusual from her Fusion counterpart that she had been wondering since before they departed.

"Serena, you're not wearing your ribbon today?" Ruri finally asked, pointing at Serena's hair that was simply tied with a hair tie.

"I lost that ribbon when being swept by the current. It's nothing really special and it's old anyway, so I don't really mind without it." Serena said. She never remembered how she got that ribbon and always wore it because she felt like wearing it every day. However, it didn't hold a sentimental value or the sort to her.

"But it's a waste…you're cuter when wearing that ribbon. I know! Why don't we buy a new one? There should be one that sells ribbon here!" Ruri suggested, clasping her hands together while looking for shops that look would sell ribbon.

Serena shook her head. "No. It's really fine. Rather than that, I want to eat that." She pointed at a crepe stall nearby. She took Ruri by the hand who then took Yuto's hand and the three walked to the crepe stall. Yuri who has been doing nothing but standing glanced at Serena's back, to be precise her tied hair.

"Do you want to buy a new ribbon for Serena, Yuri?"

Ryo whispered from behind his student, startling the latter who looked behind at him with incredulous eyes.

"What? I never said that–"

"Did you forget our agreement in our last lesson?" Ryo interjected before Yuri could finish, crossing his arms and raised a brow while reminding him of their latest training session. Yuri groaned at the reminder of his latest lost.

"…Never lie to you…" Yuri answered with a pout, making Ryo smiled in satisfaction.

"That shop over there sells ribbon. You can buy it there. If you are too embarrassed to go and buy alone just ask Yuya and Yuzu to come with you." Ryo pointed at a shop behind the ticket stall. It has a pristine white-colored wall and various colorful decorations with accessories on display behind transparent glass. You could see girls or couples inside the shop.

"No way–"

"All right. Let's go. Yuya! Yuzu! Yuri needs your help!" Ryo purposely ignored Yuri's protest, calling out for the two Pendulum counterparts while pushing Yuri towards the shop.

 **ACCESSORY SHOP – CITY SQUARE – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Three minutes later, Yuya, Yuzu, and Yuri were inside the shop, standing the at the ribbon section and started choosing ribbon that they think would fit Serena. Yuri twitched at his mentor who instead coming into the shop with him was simply watching from outside together with the Oracle. From the fact they were making, they seemed to be enjoying to place him in this kind of situation. And as much as Yuri wanted to pay them back, he sadly knew that his skill was still nowhere near the both of them.

"How about this one? Serena often wears red clothes." Yuzu suggested a red-colored ribbon.

"But don't you think it's boring to give her ribbon with color that is the same as her clothes? I think it's better giving her a ribbon with different color for a change." Yuya said while pointing another ribbon with blue color.

"I feel so stupid being here. I'll just leave this to the two lovebirds." Yuri said with annoyance. His remark, as he expected, caused the two Pendulum counterparts to blush and let out words of embarrassed denial. Yuri sighed even more. Why didn't they just come out from their friend zone?

"Anyway, I'm out of here." Yuri waved his hand to the two, attempting to leave. Key word 'attempting' as Yuno, before the three of them realized, has disappeared from Ryo's side and appeared blocking Yuri's way.

"You're the one who wants to buy Serena a new ribbon, so you should be the one who stays." Yuno was holding Yuri's shoulders so tightly that the latter couldn't move despite his struggle.

Meanwhile, Yuya and Yuzu were still recovering themselves from Yuri's remark, looking away from each other while trying to hide their reddened face.

" _Do the two of us look like that?"_ Yuya wondered, meekly gazing at Yuzu. He had asked Yuto for advice a few days ago, convening to him regarding his feeling for Yuzu. However, Yuto's advice was simply taking Yuzu on a date of give her a present and then confess his feeling immediately to her. Like he can do that so easily! And to make it weirder, Yuto had a very confident smile that Yuzu would accept his feeling when he gave the advice. How could he be so sure Yuzu would return his feeling?!

" _Then, can this be considered a date?"_ Yuzu thought nervously, covering cheeks with her hands. Her heart was beating fast. Ruri told her yesterday night that she can use this opportunity to get closer and then confess to Yuya. True, she has decided to advance to the next level instead of staying in friend zone, but confession now? And why Ruri made a face that was saying Yuya would be elated and accept her?!

Unable to hold it any longer, Yuya and Yuzu turned to each other again, opening their mouths to speak. However, instead of seeing each other's faces, ribbons were covering pushed to their faces by Yuri who didn't look so pleased.

"Knock it off you two and let's get this over with so I can get out from this place." Yuri told them, glaring at Yuno who was watching with not so innocent smile.

"R-right! I-I think we should go with this one after all!" Yuya said while holding the blue ribbon.

"No. I think we should go with the red one!" Yuzu disagreed while holding the red ribbon.

"Okay, I have watched enough. Yuri, you've been friends with Serena since little, right? You should know what kind of ribbon that would suit her." Yuno finally interfered, getting between the three.

"I never buy something for a girl." Yuri replied. It wasn't exactly true though. When they were little, he made a bookmark made from pressed moonflower petals that he made for Serena but he didn't get to give it to her. Now that he thought about it, the bookmark was still in his childhood notebook that he was still carrying. It was inside his bag.

"It doesn't matter. You know what she likes, right? Just choose the ribbon based on that." Yuno told the confused violet haired boy while pointing the ribbons. He was looking at Yuri with anticipation that made him a little bit uncomfortable.

Yuri sighed in defeat and finally looked at the ribbons. He eyed the ribbon one by one until his eyes stopped at one certain ribbon. It was white colored ribbon with shades of yellow. His hand reached for the ribbon and looked closer, looking at it from every single angle. This was perfect. This would do.

"This one." Yuri said while showing the ribbon.

"This one is pretty. But why this?" Yuzu asked.

"It's a color of moonflower. She always likes them." Yuri answered, recalling their childhood times when they were spending times in the garden, how Serena always took care of the flower bank filled with her favorite moonflower. Without him realizing, his face softened while reminiscing, something the other three noticed.

"If only he's like this from the very beginning, we would have liked him more." Yuzu said quietly to Yuya and Yuno while glancing at Yuri who was paying the ribbon at the cashier.

"Yeah. If he is like this all the time, everyone would have easier approach to him." Yuya agreed, whispering as well.

"When he is like this he is kinda cute. He should stay cute like this all the time." Yuno said with snicker, causing Yuya and Yuzu to giggle as well.

"I can hear that you know." Yuri said sharply, twitching in annoyance. Damn. How could he let his guard down in front of these three? At least it's better than being in front of Yugo.

 **MAIN STREET – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

10 minutes later, they gathered together again and headed to the main street to go to the hotel where they will be staying. They already have their eyes and stomachs full from buying foods and various things from the stalls and shops even though they haven't even reached half a day yet.

"Hey, that's…!"

Yugo pointed at a group of students wearing Den Academy uniform gathering in front of the hotel lobby. Amongst the students, they noticed two certain people whom they immediately recognized at first sight. They were standing out in their eyes.

"Yukiya!" Yuya called out to the silvernet.

"Aoi-san!" Ruri called out to the brunet.

Yuya and Ruri were the first to approach the group, followed by the others. The two people whose name were called turned to around to the people who called them and saw Yuya and Ruri coming towards them.

"You're…Ruri…!" Aoi recognized the younger girl. Even though they had only met once, she remembered the girl. For some reason, the girl left a quite impression that she remembered.

"The two of you knew each other?" Yukiya looked between Aoi and Ruri.

"We happened to meet when I distribute the fliers to look for Brother." Ruri said.

"So you're also a student of Den Academy?" Aoi asked. Now that she thought about it, the jacket around Ruri's waist when they first met did look like Den Academy jack uniform.

"You too, Aoi-san. And you're also a member of Duel Club." Ruri said, turning to the group that consisted of eight people who all wearing Duel Disks and converse about Duels.

"Yes. The middle school and high school Duel Club is having a joint retreat. Right now we're going to the Duel Field at the Forest Town." Hosoda, the president of high school Duel Club who was a glasses boy with short hair and thick lips explained as he greeted them.

"So this is where you're having your retreat. It's a coincidence that we're having a trip in this city." Yuya turned again to Yukiya, happy to meet him. When Yukiya said he couldn't come he was disappointed, but now that they were not only at the same city but also staying at the same hotel, they can hang out together when Yukiya has free time from his club.

"Yeah…" Yukiya replied softly. Yuya noticed that he wasn't as energetic as he usually did. There was something bothering him.

"Why don't all of you join them?" Yuno suggested, making everyone turned to him.

"Huh? But this is their club retreat. We wouldn't want to bother them." Yuto said since they were not club members.

"It's fine. The more the merrier. We don't have that many members so having you join us would be good additions." Hosoda allowed them. The other members also didn't have any qualms with eight more people joining them.

"Joining activities like this will deepen your friendship and broaden your horizon. You'll also know more about this city. Come on, I'll handle the luggage and rooms in the hotel." Yuno pulled his descendants and the girls to him, whispering to them so the club members couldn't hear them.

"I have a vision. It's vague, so the only thing that I know is something big will happen around the forest town. I want you to check. If something happen, tell me." Yuno whispered. For once he hoped his vision was having a false alarm. He didn't want to ruin their supposed fun and relaxing trip. Just in case, he had asked Jounouchi and Ryo to watch over them from afar. Yuya and the others nodded in understanding and then turned to the Duel Club.

"Okay, then. If you don't mind with us going." Yuto answered, accepting their invitation.

"Welcome to the Duel Club for the day." Hosoda welcomed them with open arms, which followed by the other club members.

While the club members started a conversation with their temporary members, Yukiya eyed Yuno and his aides. Yukiya was talking to Kino. This morning before he went to where his club was gathering, he did a little hacking on The Brotherhood again. This time he was even more careful, so he didn't think he has left any trace. From that, he learned that Yuno has appointed Kino to go to ARC-V. Since Heidel has appointed himself and his team to go for negotiation, Yuno decided to send some of his men too as neutral faction. Yuya had told him before about the Lancers and the war he was in a year ago. If it was in ARC-V, he'll surely find database about it, and possibly clues about his so-called past life.

"Linkuriboh, I want you to follow him and do something for me." Yukiya summoned Linkuriboh in its apparition form. He couldn't go to ARC-V himself since it would earn him suspicion. Plus, he didn't want Yuya and the others to find out about this yet. He wanted to make sure of it himself before talking to them. The least he could was sending one of his most trusted monsters.

"Kuri!" Linkuriboh changed its size smaller and slipped itself into Kino's hoodie.

Yukiya gave Linkuriboh one last look before leaving with the Duel Club.

 **DUEL FIELD – FOREST TOWN – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The Duel Field at the forestry area within the city was located between the road that connected to the city square and the road connected to the fortress that was protecting the city, the Amosis Fortress. It was a small dome-like building where necessary facilities from real-life Duel and online Duel were available. It wasn't a place that could be used freely whenever you like, anyone who wants to use it must make a prior reservation. Furthermore, the cost to use the place for a day wasn't cheap either. Den Academy Duel Club could only use the facility once every three months with their club fund.

"I know that everyone must have already known this, but still, we will explain various rules of Duels that we all know before starting our activity." Hosoda officially opened their activity by explaining various rules such as Master Duel and Speed Duel using LCD screen.

While listening, Yuya looked at Yukiya beside and noticed that Yukiya looked quite pale. When they met earlier he was also not as energetic as he usually does. Ever since they left the hospital the day Yuri and Serena regained consciousness, Yukiya was acting not quite himself. Was he exhausted from the recent research to find the cure for the virus that caused people going berserk? Yukiya mentioned he was working together with Lilac's squad in developing a vaccine. Yukiya himself once mentioned if he was too engrossed in his computer-related work, he could spend an entire day inside his room without eating properly, something his older sister and parents often scold him for.

"Yukiya, what's wrong? You don't look well." Yuya finally asked, growing worrier by the second.

"I'm fine. I'm just a little bit sleepy. I didn't get much sleep last night." Yukiya forced a smile. True, he didn't get so much sleep last night, but his main reason was he didn't know how to act around Yuya with all these questions coming into his mind yet he didn't dare to ask the latter.

"Do you want to go back to the hotel and rest? We can ask the club president and I'll take you there." Yuya offered. He placed a hand on Yukiya's forehead to check his temperature just in case. Fortunately, there was no fever.

"This is nothing. I can still go. Everyone has been looking forward to this trip." Yukiya patted Yuya on his back to assure him. It took everything he has to act as if he was okay. He felt bad for lying and making Yuya worried, but he really didn't want to talk about the problem now.

"If you feel tired just tell us, okay?" Yuya said before turning to Hosoda's explanation again.

"Yeah. Thank you." Yukiya smiled at him before turning to the explanation. Until he knew all the facts, he will refrained himself from asking and try to act normally. He will forget about his problem for this one day and have fun together with his friends.

The explanation was not long and only spent around 20 minutes and then they moved to their main activities. The activities were separated into two. First being real-life Duel and second being VR Duel. The club members were required to choose which one they want to do first. Yuya and the others were quick to blend in. While waiting for their turn, Ruri and Aoi were sitting together, continuing their conversation from their last meeting.

"I'm sorry. Even with my brother's connection, we still can't find your brother or even any clue about him." Aoi apologized. Soon after receiving the flier, she called her brother and asked for his help to use his connection to find Ruri's missing older brother. However, days passed, even with her brother's wide connection, they couldn't find any trace of Shun Kurosaki. It was almost like the young man was non-existent.

"It's okay. I appreciate your help. Your feeling is more than enough." Ruri assured the older girl. She was a bit disappointed that even with the Aberforth Enterprise's connection her brother was not found. Either her brother was hidden somewhere very isolated that no one would know or her brother was hiding this track very well.

"How about you, Aoi-san? Are you okay now with your brother?" Ruri asked, deciding to change the subject. There was no use to keep worrying now.

"No. I haven't spoken to him yet. He was busier these days and I have things in my mind." Aoi replied. Her expression was that on confusion.

"You have a new problem?" Ruri asked.

"I won't exactly call it a problem. Rather…I'm just confused about myself…" Aoi trailed off. Ever since her Duel against Canaria, Aoi has been wondering what she truly wanted to do. After their parents passed away, her older brother also felt like a parent to her while she was like an only child. She started Dueling, becoming Blue Angel because she was inspired by the storybook her older brother read to her when she was little. Reading that book inspired to become a hero of her own story and help people. At first it was fun and she was proud of herself as Charisma Duelist. But then her brother became one of Heidel's most trusted men and became overly protective of her. To make it worse, she now was used as some sort of political tool.

"It's scary…having a dream and not chasing it, spending your entire life fooling yourself into thinking that you're helping people and what you have now is enough…" Aoi's face saddened. She felt she has failed herself.

"In that case you need to do the thing that makes you the happiest. If you don't you're only ignoring yourself." Ruri said calmly, making Aoi looked at her.

"This still has something to do with your brother right, Aoi-san? From your story before, I think you've been spending your life trying to live up to what others expected of you while also considering your brother's position in his work. Rio-san and I have already told you that it is precisely because you are family the two of you must speak honestly to each other. But more than that, this is also about what you truly believe." Ruri placed a hand on Aoi's shoulder, smiling encouragingly for the older girl.

"I know it's hard, but if you keep delaying things and let moments pass, you might not get another chance to talk about this. If you put it off, it'll just make things harder on everybody. It might be that nobody likes what you're going to say, but no matter what happens, I'm sure you brother will be on your side." Ruri could tell that despite not related by blood, Aoi has a close relationship with her brother. The way Aoi loving her brother means her brother must have cared for her with love and attention she needs.

"How can you be so sure of that?" Aoi asked.

"Because from the way you talked about your brother, I can tell he cares for you very much." Ruri said confidently.

Aoi blinked at Ruri before her lips curved into smile. "Ruri…you're so mature even though you're younger than me. As the older one I feel ashamed of myself." She said to Ruri in awe.

"This is nothing, Aoi-san. I can say these things only because it was based on my own experience with my brother." Ruri replied modestly.

"You two are becoming close very fast." Yuto said as he offered a water for Ruri, taking a seat beside her.

"It doesn't look the two of you just knew each other." Yuzu added, also offering a water to Aoi who accepted it with gratitude.

"Aoi-san, this is my…youngest twin sister Yuzu. And this is my boyfriend, Yuto." Ruri introduced Yuzu and Yuto, her hand gesturing to the said two.

"It's nice to meet you." Aoi greeted politely.

"It's nice to meet you too, Aoi-san." Yuzu and Yuto said together, bowing politely.

"Thank you for your help in looking for my best friend, Shun." Yuto thanked the older girl.

"I did nothing. I only asked my brother for help. It was my brother's connection who did the searching. And they didn't even find anything." Aoi replied, feeling useless. She truly wanted to help Ruri. She didn't know why, but she took a quick liking for the younger girl. Maybe because she could empathize with her due to their love for their brothers. Speaking with Ruri just now made her like her even more.

"It's the thoughts that count for me. I'm sure Kuro– I mean my brother will appreciate it too if he is here." Yuzu said, hoping Aoi didn't notice her slip. It was difficult to get used to refer Kurosaki as her older brother even though it was only for a front. Fortunately, Aoi didn't seem to notice her slip.

"Enough about that. How about you, Yuzu?" Ruri turned to the pink haired girl beside Aoi, changing the subject.

"About what?"

"Have you confessed to Yuya like I told you to?" Ruri asked, still remembering their conversation last night. The question caused Yuzu to drop her drink and she immediately covered Ruri's mouth with her hand.

"D-don't say it so loud!" Yuzu was blushing mess as she frantically looked around to make sure no one other than Aoi heard them.

"From your reaction, you haven't confessed. Even though our walk in the city square was a perfect chance. What's holding you back?" Yuto asked as well, sighing in disappointment. And from this, it means Yuya didn't confess either like he has told him to last night.

"W-what's with you two?! You talked as if everything will be 100% okay!" Yuzu yelled in half-whisper. She couldn't believe these two Xyz counterparts!

" _It would be 100% okay because the two of you like each other!"_ Yuto and Ruri replied in their minds together at Yuzu's retort. Just how much of ditz their Pendulum counterparts are?

"So Yuzu likes Yuya-kun?" Aoi whispered to Ruri.

"Yuya actually also likes her. But as you can see the two of them are so dense because they are childhood friends." Yuto whispered back, forming a circle of three that excluded Yuzu from their conversation.

"It's understandable. That's why they must confess or else they will never make any progress." Aoi nodded in understanding.

"I can't hear what you're saying, but I know that you're talking about me and Yuya!" Yuzu protested loudly without her realizing.

"What about me?" Yuya asked. He approached the four of them after hearing the commotion and his own name being mentioned.

"Y-Yuya! N-no! It's nothing!" Yuzu instantly stood up, her arms flailing and her face red.

Yuto, Ruri, and Aoi sighed. Yuto stood and walked to Yuya. He stopped right beside him and spoke with barely audible voice that only Yuya could hear.

"Stop being a chicken and confess already." Yuto told his Pendulum counterpart, making the tomato-haired boy's cheeks became tinge of pink.

"S-shut up! I-I have my own way and my own time!" Yuya retorted with equally barely audible voice that only Yuto could hear.

Before Yuto could reply, a loud sound caught their attention. They turned to the window that showed the scenery of trees outside and then spotted a thick black smoke that seemed not too far from the Duel Field, which followed by another loud sounds that sounded like explosion.

"Hey? What's with that smoke?" A club member questioned worriedly.

"It might be a fire, let's check it out!" Yugo suggested. This was the good opportunity to make an excuse to go out. He turned to his counterparts and the girls. They nodded. This was most likely the big happening that Yuno told them about.

"Hey! It might be dangerous! Don't!" Hosoda warned them.

"We have to make sure of it first! If it's really a fire, then we need to get out of here!"

 **ENTRANCE GATE – AMOSIS FORTRESS – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuya and his counterparts which followed by all club members who were also curious. Once they reached the place where the smoke came from, they were horrified to find the entrance of the fortress in flame with many guards in charge of protecting fort lying on the ground covered in wounds. Some were close to dying and some were already beyond saving.

"Hey! Are you okay?" Yuya noticed a wounded guard who was still alive, writhing in pain. Without thinking and despite his friends' protest, he approached the guard out of concern, checking his wounds. Yuya gasped at the severity of the injuries. He must be taken to the hospital as soon as possible.

"Yuya-kun! Don't be so reckless!" Aoi told him, grabbing him by the shoulder and tried to convince the boy to retreat back but Yuya refused to leave the guards who were still alive. Aoi couldn't blame him for thinking so. She felt sick seeing how severe the guard's injuries and she could understand that he wanted to help, but if they were seen by whoever attack them it will be the end.

"Hey, isn't this dangerous? We have to return to the town and call for help!" A club member said. He was starting to get scared and so did the others.

"What's this? A bunch of brats?"

A group that consisted of four men emerged from the smoke. They were wearing matching dark grey-violet coat with sleeves rolled up to the elbows; with silver lining designs, an emerald turtle-neck shirt underneath, tan bare baggy pants, dark black boots and hand to wrist cover fingerless black gloves with straps. The five of them were also wearing matching Duel Disks with orange-colored energy blades.

"Those clothes! They are mercenaries!" A club member recognized them.

"They did this?!"

"Let's take care of them. We can't afford to have any eye witnesses." One of the mercenaries wearing blue bandana said, prompting the others to turn their attention to the students.

The students all stepped back, trembling in fear as the four men were closing in. They wanted to run, but they were too afraid that they couldn't. And these men were able to defeat all the guards and did this much damage means they were skilled Duelists. They didn't have the confidence to face against them in a Duel that they knew they wouldn't win. However, amongst them, there were people who thought otherwise. Yuya, Yukiya, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri blocked the other students from the five men's view, facing bravely against them, activating their Duel Disks.

"Guess again, old men." Yuri sneered at the mercenaries.

"All of you go on ahead, we'll buy some time!" Yuto told the other students behind them.

"But it's too dangerous! You're against mercenaries!" Aoi strongly objected. At the same time, she was also shocked and amazed that the five boys were able to stand tall and bravely against men much older and clearly experienced assassins without any sign of fear.

"That's why you must call for help now! Do you think we can outrun them so easily?!" Yugo retorted, pointing towards the way where they came from. Yugo gestured to the girl counterparts to take care of the rest. The girls got what he meant and confirmed it.

"If all of us run and got killed, how can we ask for help? Go and get help now!" Yukiya added. This seemed to have finally convinced the other club members. If they thought logically, it made sense. Even if they run, the men could catch up to them in no time. But if some of them stay and stall some time until they were able to get help, at least not everyone would get killed.

"Let's leave this to them. They can at least hold on until we get help!" Ruri told Aoi and the rest of the club members. They were hesitant at first but begrudgingly relented and started running one by one.

"Hold on until helps arrive, okay? We'll definitely get some help for you!" Aoi told the boys one last time before she left with Ruri and the others, leaving them against the four mercenaries.

"Oh? So you're challenging us? Some cocky brats you are." A man with black bandana said mockingly at the four boys.

"We won't hold back just because you are brats." A man with red bandana said condescendingly.

"By all means please give everything you got. It won't be fun if we defeat you so easily." Yuri mocked back.

"The Duel will follow Master Rule 3, meaning each Duelist has 5 Monster Zone and 5 Spell & Trap Zone. All Duelists cannot attack during their first Turn!" Yuya set the condition before they finally begin the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm taking the first Turn! From my hand, I summon Silent Magician LV4 (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4)!" Yuya summoned Silent Magician in Attack Position.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Yuya concluded his first Turn.

"Hmph. Summoning a pipsqueak like that. You're lucky we cannot attack on out first or else I would have already destroyed it." Red Mercenary sneered at Yuya's Silent Magician.

"My Turn! Draw!" The moment Red Mercenary began his Draw Phase, Yuya made a declaration of his move.

"I activate Silent Magician's effect! Each time my opponent draws a card; I can place a Spell Counter on Silent Magician LV4 and it gains 500 ATK!" Yuya placed the first Spell Counter on the Magician and increased its ATK to 1500.

"From my hand, I summon Shine Abyss (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 4)!" Red Mercenary summoned Shine Abyss in Attack Position.

"And then I activate Equip Spell: Mask of Brutality! Monster equipped with this card will have its ATK increased by 1000 and DEF decreased by the same amount! During my Standby Phase, I must pay 1000 LP or else the card is destroyed." Red Mercenary equipped the mask to Shine Abyss, increasing its ATK to 2600 while decreasing its DEF to 800.

"There are 9 of us. You'll lose your LP if you continue to equip that card." Yuri told the red bandana mercenary, although he knew the mercenary must have prepared a backup for this.

"Which is why I have this card with me! I activate Continuous Magic: Masked Doll! I can negate the cost effect of Mask of Brutality!" Red Mercenary negated the LP cost effect of Mask of Brutality, allowing him to keep the Equip Spell without paying any LP.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Red Mercenary ended his turn.

"My Turn! I summon Speed Warrior (ATK: 900 / DEF: 400 / LV: 2)!" Yugo summoned Speed Warrior in Attack Position.

"And then I activate Magic Card: Double Summon! I can Normal Summon monster one more time!" Yugo summoned Tuner Monster Junk Synchron (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 500 / LV: 3) in Attack Position following Speed Warrior.

"I tune Speed Warrior with Junk Synchron! Synchro Summon! Level 5! Junk Warrior (ATK: 2300 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 3)!" Yugo Synchro summoned Junk Warrior in Attack Position.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yugo concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand I summon Masked Witch Doctor – Cursed Gyura (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 800 / LV: 4)!" Blue Mercenary summoned Cursed Gyura in Attack Position.

"And then I activate Equip Spell: Mask of the Accursed Soul! I can equip this card to my opponent's monster! The monster equipped with this card cannot attack and if the controller controls that monster without any other monsters on the Field, I can attack directly! The controller of the equipped monster also takes 500 damage during each Standby Phase!" Blue Mercenary equipped the card to Yugo's Junk Warrior, sealing its attack and Yugo received 500 damage.

 **YUGO LP: 4000 = 3500**

"I end my Turn." Blue Mercenary concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Gagaga Magician (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4)!" Yuto summoned Gagaga Magician in Attack Position.

 **YUGO LP: 3500 = 3000**

"Since I control a DARK Monster, I can special summon Black Claw Crow (ATK: 900 / DEF: 600 / LV: 2)!" Yuto summoned Black Claw Crow in Attack Position from his hand via its effect.

"And then I activate Magic Card: Shadow Movement! I can copy the effect of a Magic Card in Graveyard! I copy Double Summon to Normal Summon a monster one more time!" Yuto copied Yugo's Double Summon to Normal Summon Magical Undertaker (ATK: 400 / DEF: 400 / LV: 2) from his hand in Attack Position.

"I activate Gagaga Magician's effect! I can change this card's Level to between 1 and 8!" Yuto changed Gagaga Magician's Level to 2.

"I overlay Gagaga Magician, Black Claw Crow, and Magical Undertaker! Xyz Summon! Rank 2! No. 96: Dark Mist (ATK: 100 / DEF: 1000 / RNK: 2)!" Yuto summoned Dark Mist in Attack Position.

"Oh? A Number Monster? Never thought a brat like you has an ultra-rare monster like that. I'm going to take that card once we finished you off." Blue Mercenary looked at Dark Mist with amazement while looking down on Yuto.

"Only if you win that is. I set a card and end my Turn." Yuto finished his Turn.

"My Turn! Draw!" Yellow Mercenary started his Turn. Right after he drew, Yuya made his move.

"At this moment I activate Silent Magician LV4's second effect! During the Standby Phase of my next turn after the 5th Spell Counter is placed on this card: I can send this face-up card with 5 Spell Counters on it to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 Silent Magician LV8 from my hand or Deck!" Yuya revealed, sending Silent Magician LV4 and its 5 Spell Counters to the Graveyard.

"What?!"

"Appear! Silent Magician LV8 (ATK: 3500 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 8)!" Yuya summoned the adult and powered up version of Silent Magician in Attack Position from his Deck.

"A Monster with ATK of 3500?!"

"And during my Turn…!"

"Don't panic! Don't forget that we still have cards that can beat it."

"Yeah! I summon Holy Doll (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4)!" Yellow Mercenary regained his composure and summoned Holy Doll in Attack Position from his hand.

 **YUGO LP: 3000 = 2500**

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Yellow Mercenary finished.

"Finally it's my time. My Turn! I activate the Continuous Magic: Antique Gear Fortress!" Yuri activated his Continuous Magic Card. With the start of his Turn, Yugo received another 500 damage as he was still in his Standby Phase.

 **YUGO LP: 2500 = 2000**

"Next up I activate the Magic Card: Antique Gear Catapult! When I have no monster on my Field, Antique Gear Catapult can destroy one of my face-up cards. Then, I shall destroy Antique Gear Fortress!" Yuri destroyed his Continuous Magic right after he activated it, surprising the others.

"He destroyed his Continuous Magic right away!?" Blue Mercenary stared at Yuri incredulously.

"So he is just an amateur who talks big." Red Mercenary sneered.

"No. I'm not making any mistake. By destroying a card with Antique Gear Catapult, I can Special Summon Antique Gear Gadget from my deck!" Yuri summoned Gadget in Attack Position from his Deck.

"And when Antique Gear Fortress is destroyed, I can Special Summon Antique Gear Wyvern from my hand!" Yuri summoned Wyvern from his hand in Attack Position.

"When Antique Gear Wyvern is Normal Summoned or Special Summoned, I can add an Antique Gear card besides itself from the deck to my hand!" Yuri added Reactor Dragon from his Deck to his hand, his eyes glinted with excitement.

"All right, here I go… Once per turn, I can treat Antique Gear Gadget as a Gadget monster. I treat Antique Gear Gadget as Red Gadget, and release it along with Antique Gear Wyvern in order to Advance Summon! Come on out! Level 9! Antique Gear Reactor Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 9)!" Yuri summoned Reactor Dragon in Attack Position.

"See? I didn't make any mistake." Yuri said to the mercenaries as he looked at his newly summoned monster.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuri concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Chosen One! I select one monster card and two non-monsters cards from my hand, place them face-down, and randomly select one. If it is the monster, I can summon it, ignoring the summoning conditions, but if one of the non-monster cards is selected then all cards selected are sent to the Graveyard!" Black Mercenary chose the three said cards and randomly placed them face down. He chose the card on the left and revealed it. Meanwhile, Yugo received another 500 damage.

 **YUGO LP: 2000 = 1500**

"Here it is! I summon Masked Demon Beast – Death Guardius (ATK: 3300 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 8)!" Black Mercenary summoned Death Guardius in Attack Position without tributes thanks to Chosen One's effect.

"Hahaha! Be prepared once my next Turn start! We will obliterate you all! I end my Turn." Black Mercenary declared before ending his Turn.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Draconnet (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 3)!" Yukiya summoned Draconnet in Attack Position.

 **YUGO LP: 1500 = 1000**

"Since Draconnet was Normal Summoned, I can special summon a Level 2 or lower Normal Monster from my hand or Deck in Defense Position!" Yukiya summoned Bitron (ATK: 200 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 2) in Defense Position from his Deck.

"Come forth, the circuit that will lead to the future!" Yukiya extended his hand at the Link Circuit that appeared above him.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is 2 monsters! I set Draconnet and Bitron on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" All of Yukiya's monsters then became one with two of the six arrows. Draconnet went to the Right Arrow while Bitron went to the Left Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Honeybot (ATK: 1900 / LINK: 2 / LM: Left, Right)!" Yukiya summoned Honeybot in Attack Position.

"As I control a Cyberse Monster, I can special summon Back-Up Secretary (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 800 / LV: 3) from my hand!" Yukiya summoned Back-Up Secretary in Attack Position.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Virus Scan! I can target a Spell or Trap activated by my opponent that affecting opposing monsters!" Yukiya chose Mask of the Accursed Souls that equipped to Yugo's Junk Warrior, destroying the ugly mask and freed Yugo and his monster from its curse.

"Thanks Yukiya. I owe you one." Yugo thanked the silvernet.

"No problem at all. I set a card and end my Turn!" Yukiya replied to Yugo and then finished his Turn.

"Now is the start of the real battle!" Black Mercenary exclaimed with bloodthirsty grin.

"This won't be even a match. It will be a one-sided massacre." Red Mercenary stated, eyeing their five opponents with his hands itching to kill them.

"Is that all you have to say?" Yuya questioned calmly, confusing the four mercenaries as he began his Turn.

"Battle! I attack Death Guardius with Silent Magician!" Yuya declared his first attack.

 **BLACK MERCENARY LP: 4000 = 3800**

"You fall into my trap! At this moment I activate Death Gardius' effect! When this card is sent from Field to the Graveyard, I can equip Mask of Testament to 1 monster on the Field!" Black Mercenary took out and activated the Spell Card that was treated as an Equip Spell and then pointed at Silent Magician.

"Mast of Testament allows me to take control of a Monster my opponent controls!" Black Mercenary declared as a horned skeleton-like mask appeared and lunged towards Silent Magician

"Unfortunately for you, Silent Magician is unaffected by any kind of Spell Cards and when targeted by Spell Cards it can destroy it instead!" Yuya revealed as Silent Magician pointed its staff at the incoming mask, basking it with its light magic that negated Mask of Testament's activation and destroyed it.

"What?! Black Mercenary exclaimed in shock and then glared furiously at Yuya.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuya concluded.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack Back-Up Secretary with Shine Abyss!" Red Mercenary declared his attack, pointing at the female monster that Yukiya was controlling.

"I activate Trap Card: Mask of Weakeness! I can activate this card during Battle Phase to decrease the attack of the opposing Monster by 700!" Red Mercenary tried to decrease Back-Up Secretary's ATK to 500. However,

"Honeybot's effect! Monster pointed by its Link Arrow cannot be targeted by card effects or destroyed by Battle!" Yukiya revealed, protecting Back-Up Secretary with Honeybot's bees blocking Shine Abyss' strike.

"But you'll still take damage!" Red Mercenary reminded.

 **YUKIYA LP: 4000 = 2600**

"I end my Turn. Stay calm. We got this." Red Mercenary concluded while calming his comrades.

"My Turn! Time to payback for equipping that ugly mask on my monster! Battle! I attack Cursed Gyura with Junk Warrior!" Yugo declared his attack, pointing at Blue Mercenary's monster.

"Trap Card: Negate! I negate your monster's attack!" Blue Mercenary opened his facedown card, effectively stopping Junk Warrior's attack. However, Yugo already anticipated that.

"Trap Card: Junk Bullets! When a Junk Monster I control failed to inflict damage, I can inflict its ATK as damage to my opponent!" Yugo opened his facedown card, allowing Junk Warrior to inflict damage equal to its ATK. Junk Warrior dashed forward, striking the shocked Blue Mercenary.

 **BLUE MERCENARY LP: 4000 = 1700**

"Heh! Take that! Didn't expect it, right? I end my Turn." Yugo stuck his tongue out, feeling satisfied with his counter attack.

"Why you…! Now you've done it! My Turn! From my hand, I summon Holly Doll!" Blue Mercenary summoned Holly Doll in Attack Position from his hand.

"And then I activate Ritual Spell: Ritual of the Masked Demon Beast! I tribute Cursed Gyura and Holly Doll! Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 8! Masked Demon Beast - Masked Hellraiser (ATK: 3200 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 8)!" Blue Mercenary summoned Masked Hellraiser in Attack Position.

"Battle! I attack Junk Warrior with Masked Hellraiser! Finish that damn brat once and for all, Hellraiser!" Blue Mercenary pointed at Yugo's Synchro Monster as Hellraiser shot its thick black energy blast.

"I won't let that happen! Trap Card: Half or Stop! During my opponent's Battle Phase, he must choose between halving all of his monsters' ATKs or end the Battle Phase!" Yuya activated his first facedown card. With this, regardless of Blue Mercenary's choice, Yugo won't be harmed.

"Whichever effect he chose, Yugo's Junk Warrior won't be destroyed and Yugo will survive this Turn." Yuto remarked.

"Nice safe, Yuya." Yuri praised the Pendulum counterpart.

"I already expected that! Trap Card: Dark Illusion! When a Magic or Trap or monster effect is activated that targeting a DARK Monster, that effect is negated and the card is destroyed!" Yellow Mercenary opened his facedown card, intending to destroy Yuya's Trap with his own.

"Too bad, but I'm one step ahead of you!" Yuya grinned triumphantly as he opened his second facedown card. "Trap Card: Counter Counter! I negate the activation of a Counter Trap Card and destroy it!"

"You little runt…!" Yellow Mercenary glared angrily at Yuya. So the brat has some brain in him.

"Now, choose! Which effect is it?!" Yuya demanded to Blue Mercenary who was gritting his teeth in frustration. It wasn't an option. If he halves his monster's ATK of course his monster will be destroyed and he will suffer more damage.

"…I end the Battle Phase…!" Blue Mercenary reluctantly ended his own attack.

"I end my Turn…! Damn! Damn! Damn!" He concluded while cursing and stomping his feet to the ground furiously.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack Hellraiser with Dark Mist!" Yuto declared his attack, pointing at the Ritual Monster as Dark Mist moved forward.

"I activate Dark Mist's effect! When this card is battling an opponent's monster, I can detach an Overlay Unit to halve the ATK of a Monster my opponent controls and this card gains ATK equal to lost amount!" Yuto targeted Hellraiser, halving its ATK to 1600 and increasing Dark Mist's ATK to 1700. Dark Mist used its claws to skewer the Ritual Monster, destroying it.

 **BLUE MERCENARY LP: 1700 = 1600**

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Enlightened Mist! When a DARK Monster I control inflicts damage to my opponent, at the end of Damage Step, my DARK Monster can attack one more time!" Yuto activated his Magic Card from his hand, allowing Dark Mist to attack again. He pointed at the defenseless Blue Mercenary. His Field was wide open without any facedown cards and his LP was only 1600.

"This is the end for you." Yuto stated, directing Dark Mist to make its second attack on the blue bandana mercenary. Dark Mist once again moved forward, this time its sight set on the controller of Hellraiser it has destroyed seconds ago. Dark Mist used the back of its hand to throw the mercenary away, depleting his entire remaining LP.

 **BLUE MERCENARY LP: 1600 = 0**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuto finished. One down three to go.

"Urgh…! Don't underestimate us you brats!" Yellow Mercenary yelled furiously as he started his Turn.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Mask of Resurrection! I can special summon a DARK Monster from Graveyard and equipped this card to that monster!" Yellow Mercenary opened his last face down card and then revived Death Guardius in Attack Position.

"Battle! I attack Honeybot with Death Guardius!" Yellow Mercenary declared attack on Yukiya's Link Monster. Death Guardius crushed Honeybot with its hand to the ground, destroying it.

 **YUKIYA LP: 2600 = 1200**

"Don't even think you're safe yet! I activate Magic Card: Mask of Despair! By tributing another monster I control, my monster can attack one more time!" Yellow Mercenary released Holly Doll and declared his second attack, pointing at Yukiya's Back-Up Secretary with Death Guardius. Now that Honeybot was destroyed Back-Up Secretary can be destroyed and Yukiya's LP was already at 1200. There was no escaping this.

"You won't get your way! I activate Trap Card: Gate of the Mist! I can halve the ATK of an attacking monster until the end of Battle Phase!" Yuto opened his facedown card, halving Death Guardius' ATK to 1650. As the result, the damage Yukiya took once Back-Up Secretary was destroyed was lessened, allowing him to survive with enough LP.

 **YUKIYA LP: 1200 = 750**

"Thanks Yuto." Yukiya thanked the Xyz counterpart.

"Don't mention it." Yuto replied.

"Tsk! You're really annoying brats! Stopping one after another when I'm so close! I end my Turn!" Yellow Mercenary concluded. They were supposed to be professional mercenaries, professional assassins, so how come they got cornered by a bunch of runts?!

"Fufufu. You don't look well, old men. Do not worry. I shall grace with you a lesson and then you can take a proper rest like our friend over there." Yuri taunted, pointing at the unconscious Blue Mercenary, making the three remaining ones growled. Yuri giggled in amusement at their reaction.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Antique Crest. I can increase the ATK of an Antique Gear Monster I control by 800." Yuri increased Reactor Dragon's ATK to 800.

"And now, Battle! I attack Shine Abyss with Reactor Dragon! When Reactor Dragon attacks, until the end of Damage Step the opponent cannot activate Monster Effects, Magic, or Trap Cards." Yuri declared, motioning his mechanical dragon to attack. Reactor Dragon opened its mouth and shot reddish pink blast towards Shine Abyss, burning the mercenary's monster.

 **RED MERCENARY LP: 4000 = 2800**

"Oh. My turn is not over yet! If Reactor Dragon is Advance Summoned by releasing a Gadget, I can attack a second time!" Yuri revealed. He could sense fear and nervousness from Red Mercenary who now has nothing on his Field. How pitiful.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to attack you for now. I'll let the others to do it. Instead…" Yuri's eyes shifted to the Black Mercenary, grinning elatedly that gave the targeted mercenary a cold shiver. His LP was exactly at 3800, the same as his mechanical dragon. He was so done for.

"Reactor Dragon, attack him directly!" Yuri declared at one of the defenseless mercenaries. Reactor Dragon used its tail to strike the black bandana mercenary on the side of its abdomen, throwing him away together with the rest of his LP.

 **BLACK MERCENARY LP: 3800 = 0**

"And with this I end my Turn. Now there are only the two of you left." Yuri smirked at the remaining two mercenaries, the ones with red bandana and yellow bandana. He turned to Yukiya and Yuya. The rest is up to them.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Space Crusade! I banish a monster in my Graveyard to special summon a Link Monster from my Graveyard!" Yukiya revived Honeybot in Attack Position.

"What's the point reviving that Monster? It only has 1900 ATK. You can't destroy Death Guardius and even if you attack me directly, my LP still remains." Red Mercenary pointed out, dismissing the Link Monster.

"I wonder about that." Yukiya smirked quite smugly. "Monster summoned through Space Crusade's effect will gain the ATK of the monster banished to summon it." Yukiya added Back-Up Secretary's ATK to Honeybot, increasing its ATK to 3100.

"An ATK of 3100?!" Red Mercenary paled. Now Honeybot's attack was higher than his own LP.

"Battle! I attack directly with Honeyboy!" Yukiya pointed at the Red Mercenary, delivering the finishing blow to the mercenary. Honeybot sent Red Mercenary sprawling back with its strike, rendering him out cold as his LP was reduced to 0.

 **RED MERCENARY LP: 2800 = 0**

"Finish this, Yuya." Yukiya told the Pendulum counterpart who nodded back.

"My Turn! I attack Death Guardius with Silent Magician!" Yuya immediately declared attack at the last remaining monster on the opponent's Field. Silent Magician pointed its staff at Death Guardius, blinding the DARK Monster and destroyed it without a trace with its shining magic of light.

 **YELLOW MERCENARY LP: 4000 = 3800**

"Next I activate Trap Card: Prophecy of a Future King! When a Magician-Type Monster I control destroyed a monster by Battle, it can attack again and double the damage!" Yuya opened his last facedown card, allowing Silent Magician to attack again. Silent Magician once again moved its staff and unleashed its magic, taking down the last of the mercenary for good.

 **YELLOW MERCENARY LP: 3800 = 0**

"Finally it's over." Yuya sighed in relief.

"They put up quite a fight but still no match for us. Even when we were using these dummy Decks." Yuri said while looking at his Deck.

To make sure their identities, as Zarc and the Phantom Dragons won't be exposed, Yuno gave Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo dummy Decks that they could use as a decoy in case they must duel in front of people who must not know about their identities. Yuri already has Honor Student Deck, a Deck given by the Professor to selective few of students who earned the honor student status that he always kept as he had taken quite a liking to the Deck as Academia Duelist, while Yukiya used a Deck he built together with Sara to keep their LINK VRAINS identities a secret. They weren't a bad Deck. In fact, they were powerful Decks. But for them, using their original Decks they have built themselves were still the best.

"The five of you did a splendid job." Jounouchi emerged from the forest path with Ryo behind him. The two of them were wearing Duelist police uniform so their identities as main members of the Brotherhood won't be found out.

"How about everyone? Are they safe?" Yuya asked. Even though they have blocked the mercenaries, he was still worried about their friends who have escaped.

"They are fine. They are already at the hotel and the guards will arrive in a minute. We also have informed your friends that you're safe but are being questioned first as eyewitnesses." Jounouchi explained, assuring them all.

"Let's go back. Yuno and your friends have been waiting for your return." Ryo told them.

True to his word, a minute later, the police came and took the four mercenaries into custody. Jounouchi and Ryo went with the story that they arrived just in time before Yuya and the others were defeated by the four mercenaries. They offered to escort the five boys out of the fortress and took them to questioning, while in reality Jounouchi and Ryo merely escorted them back to the hotel and had written fake testimonies from them that would be handled by Yuno later.

 **THE BOY'S ROOM – HOTEL – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Once they arrived at the hotel, they were greeted by their friends who turned out have been too worried to be relaxed and have been waiting for them in the lobby. They were quickly surrounded by their friends who were concerned for them, pulling them into tight hugs and scolding for their stunt. Yuya and the others must once again assure them that the help they have called arrived on time to save them and they were unharmed. Yuya and his counterparts couldn't relax yet, however, as Yuno took them to the room. It was clear that Yuno was displeased by something. The girls, curious, followed them and waited in front of the boys' room.

"I have specifically told you to inform me first before taking action and not to be reckless." Yuno eyed each of them with stern eyes that made them didn't dare to speak.

"Especially you, Yuya." Yuno turned to the Pendulum counterpart. "I understand that you are concerned for the injured guards, but by carelessly went into the scene you have not only revealed your presence known to the mercenaries, but also your friends."

"I'm sorry…" Yuya bowed his head in shame and regret.

"I hope you won't repeat this again in the future. That's all that I have to say." Yuno ended his scolding with that and leave the room, not saying any more words.

"Sorry…but…can you guys leave me alone for a second?" Yuya asked Yukiya and his counterparts who didn't say anything and agreed to do as he asked. They knew Yuya really need this.

Once alone, Yuya covered a part of his face with his hand. Yuya couldn't retort what Yuno said. If he hadn't approach the injured soldier like that, he and his friends who were hiding wouldn't have been found out by the mercenaries. They were fortunately safe this time, but if he did something like that again there was no guarantee they would be okay. He should have taken his friends' safety into more consideration.

"Don't be too hard on yourself, Yuya."

Yuya nearly jumped from his bed when Yuzu came in with a worried smile. She sat beside Yuya on the bed. For a moment, none of them said anything. They spent around two minutes in silence until Yuya finally broke it.

"Am I…being that reckless…?" Yuya wondered out loud, not particularly asking Yuzu. "If Yukiya and the others weren't there or any of you…maybe everyone would have been killed…because of me…"

Yuzu placed her hands behind Yuya's head and pulled him closer to her. Her chin rested on his head while Yuya was surprised by the gesture but didn't make any move, simply looking down.

"Yuya. You're soft-hearted. Sometimes too soft-hearted. Even though you know something is hard, you just can't let it go. Without you knowing you'll be burdened with needless worry. That makes me and the others not wanting to rely too much on you because we think you might get hurt. But your sincerity made it difficult not to." Yuzu told him as she pulled him closer.

"You don't think very highly of yourself, but I think that's just how you express the desire to be better. You always put everything you have into what you do. Your kindness this time may almost put everyone into danger, but at the same time you have also prevented the mercenaries from getting into the fortress. If you have stayed silent and wait, maybe there will be more casualties from the people inside the fortress." Yuzu continued, finally pulling him into a hug. She patted his back to ease his worry, which seemed to do well as Yuya's body no longer stiff.

"You think so?" Yuya asked. Strange. Just hearing her words lifted up his mood. He felt better. Her mere presence was comforting and he didn't mind staying like this for a long time.

Yuzu pulled away from him so she can smile at him.

"Yeah. That's the part about you that I really love." Yuzu said sincerely with affection brimming from her bright smile.

The two of them were smiling at each other happily until Yuya realized something. It was then everything came into a freeze as Yuzu's words sunk into Yuya's head. Did he just hear what he heard? Yuzu at first was confused by Yuya's shocked expression until she processed her own words and finally realized what she has said. Red colors started to spread from their cheeks while they were looking at each other in confusion mixed with embarrassment.

"Yuya! Yuzu! Let's have a dinner!" Yukiya barged into the room, followed by the other boys and girls. They stopped whatever they were doing when they saw Yuya and Yuzu who were in their still frozen state with crimson red faces.

Before anyone could say anything, Yuzu dashed out from the room as fast as she could, prompting her counterparts to follow her in tow. The rest of the boys, on the other hand, stayed in the room, gazing at Yuya with questioning looks that were asking 'what happened?' Yuya was too embarrassed to say it out loud so he said it in a whisper so little that they must leaned closer to hear what he was saying. Yuya's story, as expected, turned them into a blast

"She confessed to you?! For real?!" Yukiya asked excitedly.

"N-no! We're not sure yet it's a confession…!" Yuya tried to calm them down. It could be just Yuzu's way of saying he loved that part of him as a human being or friend in general.

"Are you an idiot?! That's a love confession alright!" Yugo interjected.

"What did you say then?" Yuto asked, looking at Yuya expectantly.

"Err…you came before I could even say anything." Yuya said, earning him a shared faces of disappointment.

"I'm going to call her here again and you're going to give her a reply!" Yukiya energetically stuck his head to outside the door, ready to make his way to the pink haired girl with Yugo.

"Hey, Yuzu!" Yugo shouted in hope Yuzu would listen. Their rooms were not so far away after all.

"Stop that! Saying it now would be far too embarrassing!" Yuya begged while holding the two by their waists.

"Then text her! Call her!" Yukiya suggested, pointing at his Duel Disk.

"I-if I'm going to confess my feeling I want to do it directly…!" Yuya insisted. It would have been rude to Yuzu to reply through text or call.

"Then go to her room and give her the reply!" Yuto urged the shy Pendulum counterpart.

"Hug her or better yet kiss her!" Yugo encouraged further.

"And then engage in an impure adult relationship. We are in a hotel after all." Yuri suggested teasingly.

"No, no, and especially the last one is a NO! We are still 15!" Yuya protested insistently particularly at the implication in Yuri's teasing. The four counterparts let out sounds that resembled a whine and pout.

"Good-for-nothing-slacker." Yukiya sent the first arrow to Yuya.

"Chicken." Yugo sent the second arrow to Yuya.

"Procrastinating normie." Yuri sent the third arrow to Yuya.

"Shut up! I especially don't want to hear it from you two!" Yuya retorted again while referring to Yugo and Yuri as the said two.

"Okay, that's enough. Give Yuya a room you three." Yuto told the other three who apparently downright ignoring him.

Before Yukiya and his two counterparts could push him further, Yuya was saved by the arrival of Rin. They turned serious when they saw the worried look on her face. She grabbed Yugo by the arm and pulled him while gesturing the others to come with her as well.

"T-there's a big problem at the lobby!"

 **LOBBY – HOTEL – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

When Yuya and the others arrived at the lobby, the other girls were there surrounding Aoi together with the other club members who were still hanging out there. Facing them were a group of seven officers who seemed ready to raise their Duel Disks for a fight. From their emblem, they were officers under orders of a noble from the noble faction who was most likely in charge of this city or at least has an authority. Yuya and the others didn't waste any more seconds to join their friends.

"What happened here?! What are you planning to do?" Yuya questioned the officers, not intimidated by their presence and offensive stance.

One of the officers, who seemed to be the one leading the group, stepped forward. He took out a paper he was carrying in his pocket jacket and showed it to them. It was an arrest warrant.

"Aoi Zaizen, you are under arrest for trespassing into the city's fortress and hired mercenaries to steal military secrets!" He announced, making it clear to everybody.

All club members, especially Aoi herself, were shocked by the announcement of the arrest. They all looked incredulously at the arrest warrant shown by the captain. This was absurd.

"What?!"

* * *

 **Underground Prison** – After Aoi is falsely arrested by a noble faction who wishes to turn the tide of the cold war, Yuya and his friends are determined to rescue her. As the prison is heavily guarded by guards and electrical barrier, they split into two groups.

* * *

 **First of all, I hope Yuya x Yuzu in this chapter is good enough for now. It's been a while since I wrote about them. Out of everyone, they haven't made a progress in the previous chapters so that's why I included it in this chapter.**

 **Similarly as Yusaku's reason why he has a dummy Deck, I also gave the Yu5 dummy Decks. I have already said before that I won't include the previous YGO Protagonists into this story, so at the very least I include their Decks to be used as decoys for the boys when they can't use their own Deck. I excluded several cards though, making it less powerful than the originals for a reason. For Yuri, however, I decided not to give him Judai's Deck because I think Academia's Honor Student Deck fits him more as Academia Duelist and I personally wanted to write him using that Deck like he did in Episode 123-124 since I didn't get to write him using that Deck in** _ **Bonds of Pendulum**_ **. Since these are only dummy Decks, they won't use it often, so don't expect them to use the Decks more in future chapters. They won't be themselves if they keep using Decks that are not their own.**

 **Also, I choose to use the previous Master Rule to make it easier for me write, with addition of Link Monsters can be used in this.**

 **Sorry for any error, it will be fixed later together with Custom Cards and changes in several card effects.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	26. Underground Prison

**Big thanks to** _ **Ulrich362, Elbarto4000, Big duels, GamingGuy84, dvdryms, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Playerhood18, SSJGamerYT, Unknowedz, Yuka Kuroshiro, Citylover96**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **LOBBY – HOTEL – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Aoi Zaizen, correct? You are under arrest. Don't try to resist if you know what's good for you." The captain spoke to the shocked Aoi who couldn't even utter a word as he showed her arrest warrant.

"As written in this warrant, a number of charges have been filed. The most egregious is an accusation of trespassing to the city's fortress this afternoon and hiring mercenaries to infiltrate the fort." The captain explained to make the charges against her clear. This earned him sounds of disagreement from the students.

"Y-you can't be serious! Aoi-san was near the fort at the time the mercenaries attacked, but she only checked what happened after seeing the smoke!" Ruri immediately came to Ruri's defense, standing in front of her. The other club members also followed the suit.

"That's right! And if you're talking about trespassing, then we are also as guilty! We were together with her the whole time when the incident occurred!" A club member also protested, blocking the officers from Aoi.

"Besides Zaizen hiring mercenaries is an idea that is just too far-fetched. For what reason she would hired a mercenary to steal military secrets when she also helped in asking for help in the mercenaries' arrest?" Hosoda pointed out.

"If you aren't going to believe our testimony, then why she is the only one under suspicion?!"

"Everyone here can vouch for her!"

The club members were silenced when the officers activated their Duel Disks and circling around them. The other guests in the lobby who were watching became nervous and some even left.

"We are merely following our given order. All you need to know is that this girl is a person of interest and we have the right to take her in for questioning. She's coming with us whether you like it or not." The captain told the club members while holding a handcuff and looked at Aoi straight in the eyes.

"…I understand…" Aoi relented. If she didn't come with them willingly, her friends will be the ones in trouble. She appreciated them for defending her, but she didn't want them get hurt because of her.

"Aoi-san!" Ruri protested, holding her arm tight.

"I'll be okay, Ruri. Don't worry. Thank you everyone." Aoi told Ruri and the others, smiling softly in attempt to assure them.

As soon as Aoi freed her arm from Ruri's grasp and stood in front of the captain, he handcuffed her wrists. The other officers then stood on each of her side to make sure she won't make any attempt to escape and led her to the car outside that will taker her to her prison.

Aoi looked back for one more time and saw the dejected faces of her friends who were in dismay at her false arrest.

 **THE BOYS' ROOM – HOTEL – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Shortly after Aoi's arrest, Yuya and the others retreated to the boys' room and held a meeting. They also dragged Jounouchi and Ryo with them to discuss the arrest. It was clear to every one of them that the charges against her were false, or made up to be precise by taking the advantage of the fact she was at the fort that time.

"In all likelihood, the reason Zaizen was arrested has nothing to do with the incident at the fort this afternoon." Jounouchi stated, turning everyone's attention to him. "They just wanted her because she is the younger sister of Akira Zaizen, one of Heidel's most trusted men and one of important figures in Heidel's faction."

Ryo nodded in agreement. "The one behind her arrest was most likely the noble who is overseeing this city, Viscount Oslow. Celica once mentioned about him. He is one of nobles who are the most active in trying to gain the imperial family's favor." He revealed, recalling what Celica told him before. She described Oslow as haughty, selfish and arrogant with little concern for the commoners' lives. Fortunately, the other Imperial Family members were able to see that.

"Basically, they either wanted to make her a hostage so they could have an advantage in future negotiations or tarnishing the opposing faction's reputation. When a family is involved in a crime, the one related will fall together." Yuri correctly concluded.

"T-they wouldn't hurt Aoi-san, wouldn't they?" Ruri said worriedly.

"I can't be so sure about that. Tensions are high on both sides." Jounouchi said.

"Can't you do something, Jounouchi-san? Ryo-san? Can't the Brotherhood do something?" Yuzu asked, more like pleading.

"Unfortunately our hands are tied at the moment. Even with our positions as members of Yuno's squad, we still need Yuno's help for that matter, and he just went out of the city due to urgent business. He won't be back until tomorrow." Ryo delivered the bad news.

"Then how about Celica-san? Maybe she can help!" Rin suggested with eyes glinting with hope.

"Even though no one knows about you yet, the four of you are related to her. She can use that connection to solve this. But I heard she's in the middle of cleansing ceremony with Rio. They usually won't be permitted to go out during that period. But I'll try to contact her."

"No…what should we do? We can't just let Aoi-san for long!" Ruri was feeling restless. Even Yuto's attempt to comfort her didn't work.

"Then, can't we do something ourselves?" Yuya asked.

"The only option I can think of would be to break her out ourselves." Serena spoke her mind, which was immediately met by rejection from Jounouchi.

"Not going to happen. It's only a few minutes ago Yuno scolded you and now you're thinking of disobeying him again? The mercenaries are one thing, this time you're dealing with a noble in charge of the whole city." Jounouchi reminded. He began to wonder if these boys were suicidal. They were already being warned not too long ago and yet now they were considering a break in?

"But…we can't just leave Aoi-san…" Ruri frowned.

"I'll try to contact Yuno. He'll tell us what to do. Try to take a rest for tonight." Jounouchi said as he quickly went out of the room to make the call to Yuno and afterwards to Celica or at least one of her guardians.

Ryo was left alone with the eight teens. He eyed each of them and he recognized those determined faces. He understood why Yuno was so hard on the boys today when he scolded them. They were truly ancestor and descendants related by blood. They have difficulty listening to scolding and warning when it comes to people they care about. Yuno used to be like them and some parts of it were still in him but he had grown to be more careful. However, now those have been inherited by his descendants. It was no use trying to stop them. They will go even if it means receiving punishment from Yuno afterwards.

"…The underground waterway." Ryo said, earning everyone's attention.

"This is city has an underground waterway that lead to the underground prison. It's stagnating under the city army's control, but there shouldn't be so many guards there. The problem would be the electric barrier that blocking several paths within the prison. You need to turn off the barrier first if you want to go further into the prison." Ryo explained. He had heard there was a huge network of waterways beneath several cities in Cantidel that has been existed since the middle ages. That waterway once also functioned as underground prison and even torture chambers. The torture chambers have been demolished though, so there were only cells left.

"How can we turn off the barrier?" Yuri asked.

"You must turn it off by logging in their security network where it is maintained. Defeat the A.I guarding the system and then you can turn off the barrier." Ryo answered before turning his back on then, reaching for the door.

"I'm just mumbling myself…I don't think someone would listen to my mumbling." Ryo said without turning around and left the room. Yuya and the others looked hard at the door after Ryo left, understanding what Ryo tried to say. Yuri smirked.

"What a sucky act." Yuri remarked. Inside, however, he was grateful for his mentor's understanding.

"Ryo-san…" Ruri murmured with gratitude for the Cyber Dragon user.

"If we can at least get Aoi-san out of the city, since the charges against her is clearly false, they would have a very limited options to make their moves." Rin said, continuing their discussion.

"Yeah. They can't do much to Aoi-san once she is out of their territory. If we use the waterway we may be able to rescue her without being discovered." Yuzu concurred to the plan.

"Even if by a chance we met the guards, we just need to knock them out!" Yugo said optimistically.

Yuya looked at each of the other counterparts and Yukiya who all have determined eyes. It has been decided. Yuya nodded.

"Let's give it a shot. We are still exhausted so we will rest tonight and begin our plan tomorrow morning."

 **THE NEXT DAY – UNDERGROUND WATERWAY – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

After a good night rest, Yuya and most of the others decided to gather separately during the club's outing. Jounouchi and Ryo were trying to find more peaceful way to get Aoi out, though the latter was actually distracting Jounouchi from them so he wouldn't find out about their stunt. Again, Yuya and the others were grateful to him for his help despite being Yuno's right-hand man. Since the underground prison and the security system were on separate places, they must split into two groups at the moment. One went to where the entrance to the underground waterway was while the other stayed at the hotel to infiltrate the security system.

After a brief discussion, it was decided that Rin and Serena would be the ones who stayed at the hotel and infiltrate the security system to open the electric barrier while the rest went to the underground prison to rescue Aoi. Rin and Serena were also making sure to cover up Yuya and the others' rescue operation should someone inquired about them. To lessen the consequence of them being find out, Yuya and the others also obscured themselves by wearing matching red cloaks and bird-shaped masks covering their faces.

The underground waterway was unexpectedly quite spacious and beautiful. It reminded them of the famous city of water in their dimension. Amosis was a beautiful city itself, but they never thought it would extend to even the underground. But maybe perhaps it was only because they haven't reached the prison part yet. There were no guards on sight. Most likely they still need to go further.

"Everyone, look!" Yuzu pointed at the path in front of them. The path was separated into three ways.

"Great. Which one is the path that will lead us to the prison?" Yugo sighed in exasperation.

"And we also still need to wait until Serena and Rin deactivate this barrier." Yuri remarked at the nearly invisible barrier blocking their path.

"While waiting for them let's decide the group for each pathway. It's clear we don't have any choice but to split up." Yukiya suggested.

"Then…" Yuzu accidently made an eye contact with Yuya and it immediately reminded her of their conversation last night…to be precise her accidental confession. Yuzu blushed and immediately looked away from Yuya.

"I-I'm going with Ruri! The two of us will go to the left path!" Yuzu quickly said while she was holding Ruri's arm. She couldn't look at Yuya now.

"Then at least one of the guys should go with you. No offense, but leaving two girls alone doesn't feel right to me." Yukiya suggested while looking at the rest of the boys, contemplating which one who will accompany Ruri and Yuzu.

"No! We'll be fine just the two of us! And…and…I have something to talk with Ruri…! Girls talk!" Yuzu immediately rejected the suggestion, making up excuses. It wasn't actually an excuse, though, since she also wanted to tell Ruri about what happened last night.

The boys blinked at Yuzu in confusion until the 'girls talk' part stuck on them. Yukiya, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri made a united sound of understanding before looking at Yuya with knowing expression. Yuya also realized what it meant. They were talking about what happened between him and Yuzu last night. Aoi's arrest that happened shortly after made them forgot the whole confession thing until now. Why do they have to remember now of all times?

"Alright, the ladies can take care of themselves. That leaves us, the guys, to decide the group." Yukiya said, turning to his friends.

"About having a talk, there's something I want to talk with you about, Yuri. Team up with me." Yuya asked his Fusion counterpart.

"I don't mind." Yuri accepted.

"Then I'll go with you too. I'm kinda interested in your Deck too, Yuri." Yukiya joined in, placing an arm around Yuri who protested with Yukiya being too close, which Yukiya ignored.

"So that means I'm with Yugo." Yuto said with a bit disappointment. He wanted to go with Ruri, but he understood Yuzu's problem and even though he already knew her feeling for Yuya and one of people who encouraged her, this time the presence of a boy won't do well with her. He will respect Yuzu's feeling and let it be this time.

"Now that we already decided, we just need to wait Rin and Serena break this barrier." Yugo remarked while looking at the still active barrier blocking them.

 **SECURITY SYSTEM – AMOSIS SERVER – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Serena and Rin have received the cue of their friends' arrival in the underground waterway. After making sure no one would enter their room, Serena and Rin logged into the network. Fortunately, Yukiya has provided them the way to the entrance of the security's server and they have also learned hacking during their training with their mentors, so it wasn't too difficult. They have also finished their avatars for online Duels, and they were delighted that the design of the avatars was to their liking. What made things difficult was upon their arrival, Data Storm filled all the way to their destination, so they have no choice but to use their D-Boards.

Rin's avatar was Wind Frost. She has a shade of blue-turquoise short hair and amber eyes. She was wearing a long-sleeved darkish green and white shirt with a belt around her chest styled like a necktie, with a thin blue shirt and brown shorts on the inside and wearing dark turquoise patterned stockings in white boots. She was also wearing a darkish green colored round hat with small belt on each side.

Serena's avatar was Artemis. She has a long tied blue hair and green eyes. She was wearing a long navy scarf, black arm sleeves and stockings, a short sleeveless jacket, combat boots, and shorts. Underneath jacket was a black tank top. She has a dagger equipped to a garter belt on her right leg.

"So they also use Data Storm to strengthen their securities." Artemis noted.

"It's harder to reach the core with this much data storm. And hacking from outside would be even harder than this." Wind Frost responded.

"According to Ryo-san, the security program was split into two and they are at the different places. That means most likely there are two AI Duelists each guarding the security program." Artemis recalled the information Ryo leaked to them last night.

"So that means the two of us will have to split up, right?" Wind Frost understood what Artemis was trying to say. It would be faster to reach each of the programs that way.

"Yeah. And look. Speak of the devils." Artemis pointed forward. Two AIs, riding D-Boards, came from the opposite direction, heading towards them.

Artemis and Wind Frost nodded at each other. They quickly went to the opposite direction from each other, prompting the AI Duelists to do the same.

"See you back offline!" Artemis said to Wind Frost as both went separate ways with AI Duelist chasing after them in tow, one each.

[Intruder confirmed. Speed Duel protocols initiated. Initiating Duel.] AI-A stated.

"Hmph. So now current technology also started to employ an AI Duelist. But they are nothing compare to real Duelist!" Artemis stated as she activated her Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[SPEED DUEL!]**

[I take the first Turn. I special summon Tentacluster Darkwhip (ATK: 100 / DEF: 500 / LV: 2) from my hand by paying 500 LP.] AI-A summoned Darkwhip in Attack Position from its hand at the cost of 500 of its LP.

 **AI-A LP: 4000 = 3500**

[I activate Magic Card: Machine Duplication. This card allows me to special summon two copies of Machine Monster with 500 or less ATK from my Deck.] AI-A summoned two more copies of Darkwhip in Attack Position.

[Link Summon. Link 3. Tentacluster Nautilus (ATK: 0 / LINK: 3 / LM: Bottom-Left, Bottom, Bottom-Right).] AI-A summoned Nautilus in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

[As Nautilus was Link Summoned, I activate its effect to special summon a Tentacluster Monster from my hand to a zone it points to.] AI-A summoned Tentacluster Drillworm (ATK: 600 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 3) to the bottom Link Marker of Nautilus in Attack Position.

[I summon another Drillworm from my hand.] AI-A summoned a second copy of Drillworm at the bottom-left Link Marker of Nautilus in Attack Position.

[I activate Nautilus' effect. It can destroy all monsters pointed by its Link Markers.] AI-A destroyed both Drillworms pointed by Nautilus.

[I activate Drillworms' effect. I can send a random card from my opponent's hand to the Graveyard for each, and if a monster was sent to the Graveyard, another random card is sent to the Graveyard.] AI-A first chose the card on the left in Artemis' hand, which was Moonlight Blue Cat, and since it was a Monster Card, Artemis was forced to send it together with another Monster Card, Moonlight Kaleido Chick. AI-A then chose the card on the center, which was Moonlight Mermaid. Since it was also a Monster Card, Artemis must send her last card together with it to the Graveyard, leaving her without any card in her hand.

"Damn…!" Artemis clicked her tongue. She hasn't even started her Turn and all her cards in her hand was sent to the Graveyard.

"I end my Turn." AI-A concluded.

"My Turn!" Just as Artemis entered her Standby Phase, AI-A made its move.

[During my opponent's Standby Phase, as I control no monsters in the Main Monster Zones, and have no cards in my hand, I activate the effect of Drillworm in my Graveyard. I banish the other Drillworm to send a random card from my opponent's hand to the Graveyard, then Special Summoning it in Defense Position.] AI-A banished one Dirllworm, forcing Artemis to send the card she just drew to the Graveyard before reviving the remaining Drillworm in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

Artemis was annoyed by the move, but fortunately she has a backup card. "I activate Moonlight Mermaid's effect in my Graveyard! I banish it to add a Moonlight Magic or Trap Card from my Deck!" She banished her mermaid-like Moonlight Monster from the Graveyard and added a Magic Card into her hand from her Deck.

"I activate Magic Card: Moonlight Eclipse! I send a Moonlight Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck and then special summon up to 2 of the Fusion Materials listed on the card from my Deck!" Artemis sent Moonlight Cat Dancer to the Graveyard, and then special summoned Moonlight Wolf (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 6 / PS: 1) and Moonlight Purple Butterfly (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack Tentacluster Nautilus with Moonlight Purple Butterfly!" Artemis declared attack. Purple Butterfly flapped its wings, spreading purplish shiny dusks that caused purple spots to appear on Nautilus' body before it slowly disintegrated it.

 **AI-A LP: 3500 = 2500**

"Next I attack Tentacluster Drillworm with Moonlight Wolf!" Artemis made her second attack. Moonlight Wolf threw its circular blade towards Drillworm, slicing the Tentacluster monster into half and it exploded.

 **AI-A LP: 2500 = 1100**

"I end my Turn." Artemis finished.

[My Turn. I activate Magic Card: Disposable Tentacluster. I banish 3 Tentacluster Monsters in my Graveyard to draw 3 cards.] AI-A banished its Nautilus and the remaining Drillworms in its Graveyard, allowing it to draw 3 cards.

[I set a card, and then from my hand, I summon Tentacluster Blastsucker (ATK: 400 / DEF: 400 / LV: 2).] It set a card before summoning Blastsucker from its hand in Attack Position in Main Monster Zone.

[I activate Continuous Magic: Flexible Tentacluster and end my Turn.] It activated a Continuous Magic, but didn't reveal what its effect was and simply finished its Turn.

"My Turn! I set a card." Artemis set a card she just drew. Even though AI-A could no longer activated the effect that will send her cards in her hand to the Graveyard, it won't hurt to play safe.

"Battle! I attack Tentacluster Blastsucker with Moonlight Wolf!" Artemis declared attack again, pointing at the only Monster on the Field. If this attack connects, it will be her victory.

[Flexible Tentacluster's effect. Each turn, the first time I would take battle damage from an attack involving Tentacluster monster, I don't take the damage.] AI-A revealed its Continuous Magic's effect, but it wasn't finished yet as it opened its facedown card as well.

[Continuous Trap: Secure Tentacluster. Tentacluster monsters I control cannot be destroyed by Battle and any damage inflicted by Tentacluster Monster either by Battle or effect is doubled.] AI-A successfully created a barrier that protected Blastsucker from Moonlight Wolf's blade, deflecting it back to Wolf.

"Tsk. Almost!" Artemis said in annoyance.

"I end my Turn." Artemis reluctantly ended her Turn. She didn't expect for that kind of counter attack.

[My Turn. Flexible Tentacluster's second effect. I can target 1 of my banished Tentacluster monsters and Special Summon it in Attack Position.] AI-A summoned back the banished Nautilus in the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

[I activate Nautilus' effect. I can destroy all monsters pointed by its Link Markers.] AI-A used Nautilus' effect to destroy Blastsucker, but then it immediately activated the latter's effect.

[I activate Blastsucker's effect. When a Link Monster's effect is activated that targets this card on the Field, I can destroy this card and then inflict 400 damage to my opponent.] AI-A destroyed Blastsucker via its effect, inflicting damage to Artemis. Due to the continuous Secure Tentacluster's effect, the damage was doubled.

 **ARTEMIS LP: 4000 = 3200**

[I activate Blastsucker's second effect. I can banish it from Graveyard to inflict 400 damage to my opponent.] Following its destruction, AI-A banished Blastsucker, inflicting another 800 damage to Artemis.

 **ARTEMIS LP: 3200 = 2400**

[I activate Magic Card: Tentacluster Seal. When I control a Tentacluster Monster, my opponent's Monster with highest ATK cannot attack until my next Standby Phase." AI-A activated the card it just drew, sealing Moonlight Wolf's attack.

[I activate Flexible Tentacluster's effect. I return Blastsucker to the Field.] AI-A once again summoned Blastsucker and a replay occurred. It once again used Nautilus' effect to destroy Blastsucker that was pointed by its Link Marker, allowing AI-A to inflict doubled 400 damage to Artemis, and another one by banishing Blastsucker. The red blast striking Artemis nearly caused her to fall from her D-Board, but she managed to retain her balance.

 **ARTEMIS LP: 2400 = 800**

[I end my Turn.] AI-A concluded.

" _This AI got me. I intended to finish it off with Wolf. But now it cannot attack until his next Standby Phase. I must end this Duel now or else he'll repeat the same thing again with the combination of his Nautilus and Blastsucker… Everything is decided with this Draw…"_ Artemis looked at her Deck. She made a soft gasped when she heard a pulse coming from the Deck. She could hear it. Her monster's call. Artemis smiled. Her monster was responding to her feeling.

"My Turn!" Artemis looked at the card she drew. It was Moonlight Black Sheep. She could do this!

"I summon Moonlight Black Sheep!" Artemis summoned Black Sheep in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone, rendering the said zone full. The preparation has been made.

"Appear, the circuit that lights up the darkness!" Artemis declared, calling forth the Link Circuit for her Link Summon.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 1 Moonlight Monster! I set Moonlight Wolf, Moonlight Purple Butterfly, and Moonlight Black Sheep to the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Artemis set Wolf at the Top Arrow, Purple Butterfly at the Bottom Arrow, and Black Sheep at the Right Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Moonlight Wolverine Dancer (ATK: 2100 / LINK: 3 / LM: Top, Bottom, Right)!" Artemis summoned a female humanoid monster in dark brown skin with short spiky black hair. It was wearing spiked pauldrons over a floor-length white and red cape, a sleeveless black top with long, decorated gloves and a large belt that holds a dagger on its side. It was wearing a white patterned pantyhose, gold and red knee braces and light purple ankle boots. Both hands were wearing black gloves with three silver claws each.

"I activate Magic Card: Dancing under the Moonlight! When a Moonlight Monster is special summoned using Moonlight Monsters as material or tribute, I can special summon 1Moonlight Monster that was used from Graveyard!" Artemis activated her facedown card, summoning Moonlight Wolf back to the Main Monster Zone beneath Wolverine Dancer's Bottom Arrow in Attack Position.

"Battle! I attack Tentacluster Nautilus with Wolverine Dancer!" Artemis declared. Wolverine Dancer dashed forward, raising both its silver claws at the opposing Link Monster. In a flash, Wolverine Dancer was already behind Nautilus and the latter's body was full of scars from the attack. Due to the AI's Continuous Magic and Trap, Nautilus didn't receive damage nor it was destroyed. However, Artemis has already anticipated that.

"Wolverine Dancer's effect! If this card fails to inflict battle damage, it can inflict damage equal to the ATK of one of the ATK of the Monsters its Link Marker points to!" Artemis revealed. Wolverine Dancer formed a full moon-shaped energy in its palms and threw it at Nautilus. Since Moonlight Wolf was pointed by the Link Marker, the damage inflicted was 2000, and even though Nautilus couldn't be destroyed, AI-A still received damage.

The blast blew away AI-A from its D-Board, depleting all of its LP. The AI then disappeared within the Data Storm while Artemis emerged victorious.

 **AI-A LP: 1100 = 0**

Coming out from the Data Storm, Artemis arrived at her destination. The surrounding was plain blue with various screens showing the underground waterway and the prison. At the center of the space was a golden pillar with a round data orb.

"All right. This is the security system." Artemis said as she inspected the orb. Cables came out and connected themselves to the pillar, beginning the process of disabling the security program blocking the pathways. When the orb turned green in color, Artemis could see half of the electrical barriers have been disabled.

"Done. All that left is Wind Frost's side."

Meanwhile, Wind Frost faced AI-B behind her. She actually tried to lose the AI in the middle of this Data Storm, but as it turned out, the AI was hard to escape from. She has no choice but to use force to get to her destination after all. But this would also be a good opportunity to test the new card given by Celica. And since her opponent was an AI, she didn't need to worry if something were to happen.

[Intruder confirmed. Speed Duel protocols initiated. Initiating Duel.] AI-B stated, beginning the Duel.

 **[SPEED DUEL!]**

[My Turn. I activate Continuous Spell: Abyss Invitation.]

[I activate Continuous Magic: Abyssal Curse. One of my opponent's monsters cannot attack for three Turns.]

[I end my Turn.]

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Wind Witch Flow! I send two Wind Witch Monsters in my hand to Special Summon Wind Witch – Flake Bell (ATK: 500 / DEF: 500 / LV: 4)!" Wind Frost summoned Flake Bell in Attack Position.

"And then from my hand, I Summon Wind Witch – Glass Bell (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 4)!" Wind Frost summoned Glass Bell in Attack Position. Following its Effect, she added a Wind Witch Monster from her Deck to her hand.

"I activate Flake Bell's Effect! Once per Turn I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to the total ATKs of Wind Witch Monsters in my Graveyard!" She has sent Ice Bell with 1000 ATK and Snow Bell with 100 ATK, making the total damage that the AI-B will receive is 1100 damage. Flake Bell twirled its staff to create a tornado of wind that inflicts damage to the AI Duelist.

 **AI-B LP: 4000 = 2900**

[Abyss Invitation's effect activates. If a player takes 500 or less effect damage, except by the effect of Abyss Invitation, 200 damage will be inflicted to the opposing player.]

 **WIND FROST LP: 4000 = 3800**

"Ugh. So I'll receive damage each time I inflict damage to you, huh? No pain no gain then!" Wind Frost determined to continue despite knowing the consequence.

"I activate Wind Witch – Dew Bell's (ATK: 300 / DEF: 500 / LV: 3) effect from my hand! I can send this card to Graveyard to add 2 Magic Cards into my hand from my Deck!" Wind Frost sent Dew Bell and then added two cards into her hand.

"I activate Magic Card: Air Revival! I can Special Summon a WIND-Element Monster from my Graveyard!" Rin summoned one of her Wind Witch – Ice Bells (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3) from Graveyard in Attack Position.

"When this card is summoned, I can inflict 500 damage to my opponent!" Rin declared, motioning Ice Bell to point its wand at AI-B, shooting strong cold winds that decreased its LP by 500, which followed by Abyss' invitation's effect that decrease her LP by 200.

 **AI-B LP: 2900 = 2400**

 **WIND FROST LP: 3800 = 3600**

"I activate Magic Card: Witch's Drop Potion! I can double the Level of a Wind Witch Monster I control!" Wind Frost doubled Ice Bell's Level to 6.

"I Tune Ice Bell with Glass Bell! Synchro Summon! Level 10! Wind Witch – Clear Bell (ATK: 3400 / DEF: 2700 / LV: 10)!" Wind Frost summoned Clear Bell in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone. However, due to Abyssal Curse's effect, she couldn't attack so there's nothing else she could do. At least she has delivered a considerable damage.

"I end my Turn." Wind Frost concluded her first Turn.

[My Turn. I special summon Tentacluster Darkwhip from my hand by paying 500 LP.] It summoned Darkwhip in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone at the cost of 500 of its LP via its effect.

 **AI-B LP: 2400 = 1900**

[I activate Magic Card: Machine Duplication. I special summon two copies of a Machine monster with 500 or less ATK on the field from my Deck.] It special summoned two more copies of Darkwhip in Attack Position in Main Monster Zone.

[Link Summon. Link 3. Tentacluster Nautilus.] It summoned Nautilus in the Extra Monster Zone. As Nautilus was Link Summoned, AI-B activated its effect to special summon a Tentacluster Monster from its hand to a zone it points to. It special summoned Tentacluster Blastsucker to the bottom Link Point of Nautilus.

[I summon Tentacluster Blastsucker from my hand.] It summoned another copy of Blastsucker to the bottom-left Link Marker of Nautilus. Ai-B then activated the effect of Nautilus, letting it destroy all monsters Nautilus pointed to.

[As a Link Monster's effect that targets it on the field is activated, I activate the effect of Blastsuckers, destroying it to inflict 400 damage to my opponent.] It destroyed the first Blastsucker and inflicted Wind Frost 400 damage.

 **WIND FROST LP: 3600 = 3200**

[The effect of Abyss Invitation also activates.] It added as another blast strikes Wind Frost.

 **WIND FROST LP: 3200 = 3000**

Following this, the effect of the other Blastsucker was also activated, followed by the effect of Abyss Invitation, delivering 600 damage in total to Wind Frost that nearly blew her away from her D-Board as the blast strikes her.

 **WIND FROST LP: 3000 = 2400**

[I activate Blastsuckers' effect in Graveyard. By banishing them, I can inflict 400 damage, one each, to my opponent.] AI-B once again inflicted damage to Wind Frost coupled with Abyss Invitation's effect, giving her 1200 damage in total.

 **WIND FROST LP: 2400 = 1200**

[I activate Continuous Magic: Flexible Tentaclauser. While this card is active, I do not take the first instance of battle damage I would take per turn. It also allows me to special summon one of my banished Tentacluster monsters.] It activated the latter effect to special summon Blastsucker.

[I end my Turn.] AI-B concluded.

" _I have to do something this Turn or else it'll finish me off with its combo! I can't attack with Clear Bell, so I have to summon a new monster!"_ Wind Frost closed her eyes as her fingers rest on her Deck. She sensed her monster's presence. She heard her monster's voice. It was responding to her prayer. It was the time to settle this!"

"My Turn! It's time for you to come out! From my hand, I summon Wind Witch – Frost Bell!" Wind Frost summoned Frost Bell in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Dew Bell's effect in the Graveyard! I banish a Wind Witch Monster in my Graveyard to special summon it from Graveyard!" She banished Glass Bell to revive Dew Bell in Attack Position in Main Monster Zone beside Frost Bell from Graveyard.

"Open before me, the circuit of the frozen night!" Wind Frost opened the Link Circuit for her Link Summon. The gate appeared in front of her.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 1 Wind Witch Monster! I set Wind Witch – Frost Bell, Wind Witch – Dew Bell, and Wind Witch – Clear Bell to the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Wind Frost set Frost Bell at the Top Arrow, Dew Bell at the Left Arrow, and Clear Bell at the Bottom-Left Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Wind Witch – Sleet Bell (ATK: 2200 / LINK: 3 / LM: Top, Bottom, Right)!" Wind Frost summoned a female humanoid monster with long green hair with red tips and a clasp on a single section on the left side and gold eyes. It was wearing a long white cage dress with blue and turqoise gear-like designs. It has a small white and blue hat with gear attachments on top and white high-heels with gear-like heels. It has five blue and gold crystals attached to its back.

"I activate Sleet Bell's effect! When it was special summoned, I can special summon a Wind Witch Monster from my hand or Graveyard to where its Link Marker points to!" Wind Frost summoned Ice Bell from the Graveyard, pointed by Sleet Bell's Bottom Link Marker.

"I activate Sleet Bell's second effect! Once per Turn I can copy the effect of a Monster pointed by its Link Marker!" Wind Frost copied Ice Bell's effect. Sleet Bell pointed its staff towards the AI Duelist. Sleets and cold winds were gathering in Sleet Bell's staff, forming a huge circle of icy wind.

"If the effect that Sleet Bell copied involves inflicting effect damage to opponent, the damage is increased equal to its attack!" Wind Frost revealed, increasing the originally 500 damage to 2700 damage.

Sleet Bell formed huge icy tornado, blowing away the AI Duelist together with its monsters. The wind slowly freezes their bodies as the AI's LP was depleted completely.

 **AI-B LP: 1900 = 0**

"When it comes to burn strategy, then I won't lose so easily." Wind Frost stated before proceeding to her destination, leaving the AI Duelist to disappear.

When she emerged from the Data Storm and arrived at her destination, however, Wind Frost gasped in shock as she found the space in chaos like storm has passed by. At the center of the space she saw someone was standing in front of the pillar that was supposedly what maintaining the security program. The data orb above the pillar turned green, deactivating the electrical barrier.

The intruder noticed her presence and turned around to face her.

"Who are you?!" Wind Frost questioned as she landed on the ground, cautiously facing the other intruder beside her and Serena.

The other intruder was wearing light blue robe that has a small golden star-shaped pendant with detailed etchings pinned to the neckline of the hood. The intruder's face was completely covered by the hood, so Wind Frost couldn't see the intruder's face. However, the description felt familiar. She blinked as she tried to remember, and then it hit her. The description fit with Winged Kuriboh's description about the one who saved Yuri and Serena when they fell into the river.

"Are you…the one who saved Yuri and Serena before?" Wind Frost asked, but still cautious.

The intruder, however, didn't say anything. Instead, the intruder's body became particles of data as he disappeared, logging out from the system. Wind Frost was left confused as she checked the whole space. She noticed the electrical barrier disappeared, allowing Yuya and the others to continue to their paths. At least the barrier has gone down. Still, she must inform this to Artemis and the others. There must be a reason why the intruder deactivated the barrier.

"Who is that person…?"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Haunted Path –** Yuya, Yuri, and Yukiya arrives at a cemetery-like hallway. There, they encounter three guards who all use Undead-Type Decks. They manage to separate them, engaging each in a one-on-one Duel.

* * *

 **How is it? Do you like Serena and Rin's debut in Speed Duel? And also their avatar designs and Link Monsters? Wind Frost named after Jack Frost, but I replaced it with 'Wind' to match Rin's Deck and 'Jack' is certainly a boy's name. For Serena, her avatar is named after Artemis, Greek Goddess of the Moon. But if you have any a better suggestion for Rin's avatar name, then I may consider changing it. The next chapter will have to wait for a few days since I'm going to write three Duels in that one chapter. Please be patient.**

 **The Custom Cards and changes in effect will be added later and sorry if there's any error.**

 **And to _Jason_ : Sorry, but I won't answer question that will spoil characters or anything in the story no matter how many times you ask.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter :D**


	27. Haunted Path

**Big thanks to** _ **Yuka Kuroshiro, aqua9597, Ulrich362, Big duels, Elbarto4000, Unknowedz, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Playerhood18, dvdryms, matrixnis, Citylover96, Jason, GamingGuy84, Jack**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **CLINIC – OUTSKIRT – AMOSIS TEMPLE – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The morning was soft, and quiet. Yuno could hear his own heartbeat, and nothing else. He was alone in the clinic and he hated it. It was so dark in here...the curtains were drawn over the balcony. It blotted out the rising sun outside, though, and even though this room was large and soft, it was so dark that he felt like he was in a cell, and the lamp had gone out, not yet replaced. He lay sprawled on the bed, staring into the dark where the canopy would be. Every bit of him felt so exhausted.

After the attack at the fort, he went to the nearest temple to perform the clairvoyance ceremony. It was the ceremony that strengthening his spiritual power that allowed him to see vision at will instead of coming naturally like usual. However, to see a vision at his own will costs most of his energy and all the power up he gained from the ceremony was enough to grant him flashes of various events in one vision. It always left Yuno exhausted, barely able to move for a few hours, not to mention a small fever following.

"I only have one shot…but I'll save this for later…" Yuno mumbled to himself.

"Kuri~"

Yuno turned to the right to see the spirits of Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon and Kuribohrn manifested beside him. The two monsters looked at their master and sworn friend with worry etched on their eyes. Yuno tried to smile to assure them that he will regain his strength in a few more minutes. Kuribohrn then handed him his bag that he left on the floor. Yuno accepted it gratefully. The bag hasn't been zipped, so something slipped out from the bag when Yuno took it. It was a photograph. His most cherished photograph. He couldn't exactly remember his age when the photo was taken, but he at least knew he was in his 20s at that time. He was with his wife, his son, Celica, Celica's husband, Celica's sons, and five other people.

When he saw this photo, he couldn't help but lamenting that those days with them won't be possible anymore. Celica was still here, but he couldn't return her feeling. Just as much as she still loves him, he also still loves her. But it won't be good for them, especially Celica, if they restart their relationship in their current condition. If they start a relationship and someone found out, the masses will either thought the Imperial Adviser is siding with the Brotherhood or the Brotherhood has joined forces with the nobles and lose its credibility as neutral organization. They couldn't jeopardize their current position, not when the tension between the nobles and commoners were so high.

" _Celica…I wish you know how much I love you… I wish you know how much I want to embrace you right now… I want to be by your side too…"_

"You look horrible, Yuno."

Yuno slowly sat up on his bed and turned to the door. Jounouchi was standing there with his arms crossed and smiled at him as usual, but Yuno could see worry as well behind that smile.

"If I can get a clue of something that we needs then it's worth it." Yuno responded, shrugging.

"More importantly, about Aoi Zaizen, I already spoke with Carl and Kurt about this. They'll handle it. But we need to go back to the town as soon as we can." Yuno forced himself to stand from the bed despite his two monsters' insistent for him to rest a little bit more. He wore his jacket and gloves, preparing to return.

"Why? You just said that the twin princes will handle the matter." Jounouchi asked, raising a brow in confusion.

"Because I have no doubt mine and Celica's descendants will try to save Aoi Zaizen on their own. The eight of them are similar with the two of us too much. No wait, Yukiya is also included, as expected from the reincarnation of my descendant." Yuno explained as he gestured Jounouchi to head out as well.

"Wow. They're really doing that even after your scolding last night? But they don't even know where the underground prison is." Jounouchi responded. He was slightly impressed by the nerves his leader's descendants have.

"Trust me. My gut feeling told me that they somehow found a way there." Yuno replied. His gut feeling never failed him since the beginning of his time.

"That gut feeling of yours can be scary sometimes, you know." Jounouchi remarked, sweat dropping. He remembered the instances Yuno's gut feelings were strike out. Once upon a time he thought that it was actually Yuno's vision kicking in, but he was proven wrong later.

"Where is Ryo?" Yuno asked.

"He is watching over Serena and Rin. If your gut feeling is right, most likely Serena and Rin stayed to cover for them while the rest leave to save Zaizen." Jounouchi reported.

"Thought so." Yuno sighed exasperatedly.

"They went through the underground waterway."

Yuno and Jounouchi immediately went defensive when they heard unfamiliar voice. They turned to where the voice came from and to their surprise, near the window, stood two people wearing hooded light blue robes, their faces were hidden by the hood. One was quite tall but still shorter than Jounouchi. The other one has the same height as Yuno. The Oracle remembered their description from Winged Kuriboh's story. They have the same description as the one who saved Yuri and Serena a few days ago. So whoever saved Yuri and Serena were not working alone?

"You descendants and their friends went to the underground prison through the underground waterway. Serena and one of our own have disabled the electrical barrier by turning off the security system while the rest of them went to the prison." The taller one, whom Yuno and Jounouchi recognized from the voice was a girl, informed them. Her tone was neutral and passive, not revealing any particular emotion. Yuno and Jounouchi also didn't sense any hostility from the two, but they were still wary.

"Who are you two?" Yuno questioned.

However, instead of answering, the girl continued. "If you don't go to where they are now, they will be in danger. You must hurry." She said before she and her companion's body suddenly disappeared, leaving only two small round drones in their place.

"So they're not really here. They're just holograms." Jounouchi remarked while checking the drones.

The small drones then showed another holographic projections. They were showing two maps. One was the map of the underground waterway and the other one was the map of the underground prison. They were like marauder's map.

"They even prepared this much for us." Yuno stated as he inspected the maps.

"What should we do now?" Jounouchi asked.

"My gut feeling tells me they're not lying. We also don't have any other lead anyway. We're going." Yuno said, beckoning Jounouchi to go faster.

 **PATH 1 – UNDERGROUND PRISON – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"You know, if you use this card, it'll be easier to form a combo using both Cyber Venom and Starve Venemy." Yukiya suggested to Yuri while pointing a card that the latter was holding.

"You think so? I'm still new with this Link Summoning, so for now I'll follow your advice." Yuri complied.

Yuya, Yuri, and Yukiya's group spent most of their way defeating small fries who were guards without breaking a sweat and discussing ways to incorporate more of their Cyberse monsters given by Yukiya into Yuya and Yuri's original Decks. Yukiya also gave some advice for Yuya's Deck as well. In return, Yuya and Yuri did the same to him.

"By the way, what is it that you want to talk with me about, Yuya?" Yuri asked, recalling Yuya picked him to come with him because he has something to talk about.

"Oh, that…" Yuya was a bit taken aback by the sudden change of topic. He was so engrossed talking about their Decks that he forgot his reason picking Yuri as one of his partners.

"No…well…it's just…did I do something wrong to you?" Yuya asked uneasily.

"Huh?" Yuri blinked in confusion.

"You've been acting weird lately. Even Serena already straight at your face. I know you don't want any of us to butt in, but…I can't help but wondering if you're like this because me or the others did something wrong without us realizing…" Yuya explained. After much thinking he decided that he must speak with Yuri. He won't press much, but he at least wanted to know if his behavior was caused by him or the others or both.

When Yuri went silent, Yuya was nervous, worrying if he has screwed up and prepared himself for Yuri to lash out like he did to Serena. But the words came out from Yuri's mouth surprised him.

"…do you trust me, Yuya?" Yuri asked abruptly, stopping his track, which caused the other two to stop as well.

"Huh? Why are you suddenly asking that?" This time it was Yuya who blinked in confusion. That was a completely out-of-character-question.

"Of course I trust you." Yuya answered without hesitation, red eyes peering earnestly at his Fusion counterpart. He became even more confused when Yuri's expression shuttered even more. Yuri's mouth opened to say something, only to close it again when no words came out.

Yuya frowned worriedly. He walked back to Yuri and placed both his hands on Yuri's shoulders, holding it tightly and made the Fusion counterpart to look at him in the eye again.

"I will always trust you, Yuri. Nothing and no one will ever change that." Yuya told him in the most earnest way as he could. There were no lies in each of his word. He truly means it.

Yuri's eyes widened, staring at the Pendulum counterpart with puzzled shock, before releasing an almost imperceptible sigh, now visibly frowning at the concerned expression on the other's face.

"…you are beyond stupid you know…" Yuri murmured after what it felt like a long contemplation, releasing Yuya's hands from his shoulders.

"What do you mean?" Yuya blinked again from more confusion by Yuri's remark before being greeted by Yuri's smirk that was more genuine than it had been for the past several days.

"Nothing important. Just you being stupid." Yuri said again.

"Hey!" Yuya protested, feeling offended.

While the two were talking, Yukiya was observing them, listening to their every word, and he felt his chest tightened. They were often talking in secret. He'd pretend like he didn't know…like it had nothing to do with him… But he thought about it, they often speak things that he doesn't understand.

" _It's not like I'm being disliked or ostracized, but there's something where I'm the only one in the dark. And with that one thing alone somehow…I feel… When I see them like that…I feel like I'm gonna be left behind…"_ Yukiya's face was starting to somber. Yesterday he decided to keep his questions about past life and such until he confirmed it from Linkuriboh, but now his curiosity was kicking him again.

"Hey, is there something that you're not telling me?" Yukiya asked, making his two look-alikes to turn to him.

"Yuya, you said there's something important that you can't tell me yet. How long do I have to wait until you can tell me?" Yukiya asked, shifting his gaze solely to Yuya. "I always see all of you whispering to each other about something I'm not part of."

"That…that's…" Yuya was loss at words while Yuri kept silent. Yuya didn't know how to respond by another unexpected question.

"Kuri…" Kuribohder landed on Yuya's shoulder, nuzzling its fur against Yuya's head to comfort him.

"At any rate, I feel all weird and I don't like it. I feel I don't belong with you guys…" Yukiya frowned further, looking down and avoiding Yuya's gaze.

"No…! That's not it! It's because…I-we…" Yuya's words stuck at his tongue. He couldn't tell Yukiya about Zarc yet. He wasn't ready for that. He didn't want Yukiya to think he only befriended him because of Zarc, not Yukiya himself. What if Yukiya misunderstood and decided to break off their friendship? He didn't want that! That was the last thing he wanted!

Seeing Yuya's troubled face and panic visible on his every gesture, Yukiya sighed softly and closed his eyes briefly before walking pass Yuya, nudging his head gently.

"Never mind… Saving Aoi-san comes first…" Yukiya said, ending the conversation.

"Unfortunately, Aoi Zaizen is not in this section."

Yuya, Yuri, and Yukiya gasped when fences abruptly came out from the ceiling, prompting them to jump to the side to avoid being stabbed by the sharp points. This caused the three of them to be separated by the fences. Following the appearance of the fences, their surroundings became darker and the whole area slowly became a cemetery.

"This is Solid Vision Field!" Yuya exclaimed.

"Correct. Welcome to our world."

Three men revealed themselves from the darkness of the hallway. The men were wearing matching prison guard uniforms that consisted of black hooded cloak with golden chains, a long-sleeve dark purple sweatshirt, black pants, and two rather large dark belts underneath the cloak. On the right side of each cloak, their names were sewed. Hizaki has a short reddish-blonde hair and blue eyes. Zakuro has light blue buzz cut spike style hair, and red eyes. One of his other features, are the battle scars found across his face. Tohma blue-grey hair that just hangs out in a curl style, and around the front to middle while not covering his violet color eyes along with his glasses.

Each of three men was also separated by the fences, facing each of the boys.

"To think there are rats manage to come this far. What are those fools doing?" Hizaki stated, referring to the other guards.

"You said Aoi Zaizen is not here. Are you speaking the truth?" Yukiya asked.

"Yes. She should be placed in the most secure prison. She is an important prisoner for Lord Oslow after all." Tohma answered.

"Are you members of Heidel's faction who came to rescue her? Then we can't let you go. We'll have to arrest you here." Hizaki said, walking closer to his opponent.

"Hiding your faces with masks and cloaks like that. How cowardly. We'll rip those masks and cloaks off and learn of your identities." Zakuro spat out in distaste.

"We don't have a choice. Guys, let's do this!" Yuya told Yuri and Yukiya, prompting them to ready their Duel Disks.

"I prefer Duel the normal way, so let's do the normal Duel, okay? Hizaki asked Yuya who became his opponent.

"Suits the best for me." Yuya accepted, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm taking the first Turn! With Scale 1 Entermate Trans Singer and Scale 8 Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon, I set the Pendulum Scale! With this I can simultaneously summon Level 2 to 7 monsters! Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Create an ark or light across the aether! Pendulum Summon! Appear! My Monsters!" Yuya summoned Entermate Sleight Hand Magician (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7) and Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 2400 / LV: 5 / PS: 1) in Attack Position.

"Wait…this is…the Phantom Dragons' Summoning Method! So Phantom Dragons are working together with Heidel now?!" Hizaki questioned in shock.

"Wrong. But we won't stay silent when an innocent person is imprisoned for something she didn't do!" Yuya replied before taking out a card from his hand.

"I activate Magic Card: Falling Current! I can target 1 face-up monster I control and declare a Level between 1 and 3; increase or decrease that target's Level by that amount!" Yuya chose Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon and declared 2, increasing the dragon's Level to 7, the same as Entermate Sleight Hand Magician.

"I overlay Level 7 Entermate Sleight Hand Magician and Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon! Dragon with dichromatic eyes creates beautiful glaciers that froze those who oppose you! Xyz Summon! Rank 7! Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2500 / RNK: 7 / ORU: 2)!" Yuya summoned Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon in Attack Position.

"I end my Turn." Yuya concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Murder Circus (ATK: 1350 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4)!" Hizaki summoned Murder Circus in Attack Position.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Hizaki finished.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack Murder Circus with Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon!" Yuya declared attack at the clown-like monster. Odd-Eye Absolute opened its mouth, shooting freezing icy blast that froze Murder Circus' entire body and then prickled into bits of ice until it was no more.

 **HIZAKI LP: 4000 = 2550**

"I activate Trap Card: Follow Death! When a Monster I control is destroyed and I receive damage, I can special summon a Level 5 or higher Monster from my hand!" Following Murder Circus' destruction, Hizaki summoned Zanki (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1700 / LV: 5) in Attack Position from his hand.

"I end my Turn." Yuya concluded.

"My Turn! I banish Follow Death in my Graveyard to special summon a Level 5 or higher Monster from my hand without tribute!" Hizaki summoned Crawling Dragon (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 5) in Attack Position beside Zanki.

"I end my Turn." Hizaki finished, confusing Yuya.

" _He summoned them in Attack Position without any set cards even though Odd-Eyes Absolute's ATK is higher? What is he thinking? Is this part of his plan?"_ Yuya thought warily. He highly doubted this Count Oslow would place an amateur to guard a prison. Besides, Hizaki didn't seem perturbed by his monsters' destruction and his decreasing LP.

" _Still, I'll try to attack more!"_ Yuya decided.

"My Turn! Draw!" Yuya blinked when he saw the card he drew. It was Entermate Kuribohder. It was still with him until a while ago. When Kuribohder disappeared, he thought it has retreated into the card in his pocket pants.

" _Kuribohder?! Since when you're inside my Deck?!"_ Yuya questioned telepathically from their minds. They have learned that they could communicate telepathically with their Kuribohs.

" _Kuri kuri!"_

" _You want to Duel with me too? Never mind, we'll talk later!"_

"With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Come forth!" Yuya summoned Entermate King Bear (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 6 / PS: 7) in Attack Position from his hand.

"Battle! I attack Zanki with Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon!" Yuya declared his first attack with his dragon. Odd-Eyes Absolute once again freeze its opponent and turned it into bits of ice until it disappeared, pushing back Hizaki.

 **HIZAKI LP: 2550 = 1550**

"Next, I attack Crawling Dragon with King Bear!" Yuya declared his second attack with his bear-like Entermate Monster. King Bear strikes the dragon with its claw, crushing it and further pushed back Hizaki due to the impact of the attack.

 **HIZAKI LP: 1550 = 750**

"I end my Turn." Yuya concluded while still staring at Hizaki warily. Only one more attack and it would be his win. But the air around Hizaki became even more menacing, and the cemetery-like Field made it worse.

"Heh. You fall into my trap, kid." Hizaki said with a smirk at Yuya, revealing a card in his hand.

"What?!"

"I activate Continuous Magic: Call of the Living Dead! I can special summon three monsters destroyed in the previous Turns from Graveyard as Undead Monsters!" Hizaki revived Murder Circus, Zanki, and Crawling Dragon from Graveyard in Attack Position as Undead Monsters. Their bodies decayed like walking dead or zombies, emphasizing their revival as Undead.

"Due to Field Spell: Dark Cemetery's effect, all Undead-Type monsters on the Field gains 800 ATK!" Hizaki revealed, his entire monsters' ATKs increased by 800. Murder Circus increased to 2150, Zanki increased to 2300, and Crawling Dragon increased to 2200.

"Also, I activate Continuous Magic: Undead Terror! All Undead-Type monsters on the Field gain 500 ATK!" Hizaki increased his monsters' ATKs again. Murder Circus' ATK increased to 2650, Zanki to 2800, and Crawling Dragon to 2700.

"Battle! I attack Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon with Zanki!" Hizaki finally made his attack. Zanki unscathed its sword and dashed forward. With a single swing of its blade, it split Odd-Eyes Absolute into two, exploding the dragon.

 **YUYA LP: 4000 = 3700**

"Next I attack Entermate King Bear with Crawling Dragon!" Crawling Dragon crushed King Bear with its big claws, destroying it. Yuya was nearly thrown back by the aftershock of the attack.

 **YUYA LP: 3700 = 3500**

"And then, I attack directly with Murder Circus!" Hizaki pointed at Yuya as Murder Circus came at the latter while twirling its scythe. Yuya paled at the incoming clown. He really disliked with the depiction of killer clown these days. Clowns were supposed to entertain people for goodness sake! That's why he disguised as one before his Duel against Ishijima a year ago!

" _It's your turn, buddy!"_ Yuya picked Kuribohder, which delighted the latter.

"Entermate Kuribohder's effect! When I'm being attacked directly, I can special summon it from my hand! The damage is reduced to 0 and I recover my LP equal by that amount!" Yuya summoned Kuribohder in Attack Position. The Kuribohder blocked Murder Circus' scythe and converted the damage into Yuya's LP.

 **YUYA LP: 3500 = 6150**

"I set a Monster facedown and set a card and end my Turn. You may have increased your LP, but it won't be long until I turn the tide to my favor." Hizaki said condescendingly.

"My Turn! With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Be revived from the Extra Deck!" Yuya summoned back Entermate King Bear in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Dragon's Calling! I can special summon a Dragon-Type Monster from either player's Graveyard! Be revived!" Yuya revived Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon in Attack Position.

"Battle! I attack Murder Circus with Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon!" Yuya declared attack, pointing at the clown that has just tried to kill him. Odd-Eyes Absolute enclosed the clown in its freezing blast like the dragon did to its previous targets. At that moment, Hizaki opened one of his facedown cards.

"Trap Card: Ghost's Song! When an Undead Monster I control is destroyed by Battle, I double the damage and convert it into my LP!" Hizaki negated the damage he took and instead converted it into his LP, increasing it.

 **HIZAKI LP: 750 = 1000**

"I end my Turn." Yuya concluded. He has advantage in LP, but yet he still felt uneasy.

"My Turn! I Flip Summon Castle of Darkening (ATK: 920 / DEF: 1930 / LV: 4)!" Hizaki summoned the facedown Castle of Darkening in Attack Position. The castle's appearance brought out more dark mist around Hizaki's Field.

"I release Crawling Dragon to Advance Summon Ghost King – Pumpking (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 6)!" Hizaki summoned Pumpking in Attack Position. Due to the Field Spell's effect its ATK was increased to 3100.

"Castle of Darkening's effect! All Undead-Type monsters gains 200 ATK and DEF, and during each of my next 4 Standby Phase, all those Undead-Type monsters gains more 200 ATK and DEF!" Hizaki increased Zanki and Pumpking's ATK and DEF. Zanki's were increased to 2500 and 1900 while Pumpking's were increased to 3300 and 2200.

"Not only that, if Castle of Darkening is on the Field, Pumpking's effect activates! It gains 100 ATK and DEF. This effect continues for each of my Standby Phase as long as Castle of Darkening is on the Field." Pumpking's ATK and DEF increased further to 3400 and 2400.

" _It's far above my monsters' ATKs!"_ Yuya exclaimed inwardly, almost panicking.

"Battle! I attack Entermate Kuribohder with Zanki!" The zombie samurai-like monster jumped and unsheathed its sword in a flash, slicing Kuribohder into pieces before it exploded with cry of pain. Yuya got pushed back by the explosion while also apologizing to his little partner for his inability to stop its destruction.

 **YUYA LP: 6150 = 3650**

"Next, I attack Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon with Pumpking!" The giant monstrous pumpkin-like monster sent its rotten vines, binding the Xyz monster and then pulled it into its mouth, crushing the dragon inside.

 **YUYA LP: 3650 = 3050**

"And then, I attack directly with Castle of Darkening!" As Hizaki ordered, Castle of Darkening opened its gate and unleashed thick black blast towards Yuya, shocking the Pendulum user.

"I still have King Bear! It's impossible for you to attack me directly!" Yuya pointed out, which Hizaki responded by taking a card from his hand.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Mist of Darkness! During this Battle Phase, I DARK Monster I control can attack directly and I double the ATK of the attacking DARK Monster!" Hizaki increased Castle of Darkening's ATK to 1840 and allowed the dark blast to hit straight at Yuya's body, causing him to stumble back.

 **YUYA LP: 3050 = 1210**

"I end my Turn. How's that? Get ready; my next Turn will be the end of you. You might as well rot here and become part of my monsters. Serves you right for breaking into this place." Hizaki mocked, letting out a horror laugh.

"Thank you very much, but I prefer bright sunlight than pitch black darkness. We will reach our objective and then get out of here for sure." Yuya replied calmly as he regained his footing. He has said that, but to be honest he didn't know what to do himself. He hated to admit it, but he was cornered. The next draw will determine his fate in this Duel. Luck was part of the Duel as well, wasn't it?

"My Turn! Draw!" Yuya slowly revealed the card he just drew. Seeing the card, his eyes glinted with hope. He could use this and his other cards in his hand. This was his one and only chance.

"The fun starts now! I activate Magic Card: Pendulum Paradise! I send all Pendulum Cards in my Graveyard into my Extra Deck!" Yuya activated the card he just drew, returning all Pendulum Cards in his Graveyard back to the Extra Deck face-up.

"With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Appear!" Yuya summoned Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon from his Extra Deck and Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon from his hand in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Dragon Box! I can switch a Dragon-Type Monster I control with a Dragon-Type Monster in my Graveyard!" Yuya switched Odd-Eyes Persona with Odd-Eyes Absolute in the Graveyard.

"I activate Trans Singer's Pendulum Effect. Once per Turn I can add a Magic or Trap Card from my Deck to my hand." Yuya picked the card that stuck out from his Deck and revealed it.

"I activate Magic Card: Monster Equality! I can change the Level of two monsters Monster with the same Type to the same as the other's Level! If the other Monster is an Xyz Monster, its Rank is treated as Level!" Yuya changed Odd-Eyes Absolute's Rank into Level, making it Level 7, the same as Odd-Eyes Saber.

"I overlay Level 7 Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon and Level 7 Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon! Dragon with dual-colored eyes! Resurrect from deep darkness and burn everything in the world with flames of anger! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 7! The blazing dragon called by calamity! Supreme King Violent Dragon – Odd-Eyes Raging Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2500 / RNK: 7 / ORU: 2)!" Yuya summoned Odd-Eyes Raging in Attack Position. The flame coming out from the dragon's body, gave light to the dark Field.

Yuya extended his hand in front of him and then clenched it into a fist as he activated his dragon's Effect. "Odd-Eyes Raging Dragon's Effect! I detach all of its Overlay Units and destroy all cards on the Field, and then this card gains 200 ATK for each card destroyed until the end of this Turn."

Odd-Eyes Raging crushed its Overlay Units with its hands. Its body then covered in purple-colored burning flames. Its wings extended, piercing through the grounds. The Xyz dragon swung its body and its wings destroyed all cards on the Field beside itself. Pumpking, Zanki, Castle of Darkening, and Undead Terror that made it 4 cards destroyed. Thus, Odd-Eyes Raging's ATK was increased by 800, making its ATK 3800.

The orbs on Odd-Eyes Raging Dragon's body were glowing. Its wings were burning hot like a lava that eventually formed flames that covered the dragon's entire body before it gathered and formed a circle of blue flame in front of its face. The flames were so hot that it raised the temperature around it and melted several debris, making the area seemed like a living hell.

"I attack directly with Odd-Eyes Raging Dragon! Destruction Burst of Fury!" Yuya declared attack at the now defenseless Hizaki. The red crimson dragon unleashed a huge blast of hot burning flame, enveloping Hizaki within it that it almost burns him if Yuya didn't lower the flame's output. Hizaki landed on his back, losing his consciousness along with his remaining LP.

 **HIZAKI LP: 1000 = 0**

Kuribohder reappeared from the Deck, giving Yuya a hug for his victory, and Yuya buried the Kuribohder into his arms happily, grateful for its help in the Duel.

"Thank you, buddy. Let's fight together from now on, okay?" Yuya told his Kuriboh partner who responded with squeal.

"Now…all that left is…" Yuya looked at his two friends who got separated from him by the fences. The fences won't remove unless all the guards were defeated.

 **FIELD II – UNDERGROUND PRISON – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"I don't need to look behind your cloak to know that you're just a snotty little brat. You've signed your death certificate the moment you stepped into this area." Zakuro told Yuri.

"Ah, yes. Do well continue spouting nonsense, old man. It would be a good for a lullaby. I'm starting to get sleepy with all the waiting." Yuri retorted with his own mockery, feigning a yawn.

"Talk big while you can, brat! I'm not going to hold back for you! I'll defeat you and have some fun once I place you into your cell!" Zakuro stated as he activated his Duel Disk.

"Do you use Link Monster?" Yuri asked.

"No. What's your business anyway?" Zakuro asked back.

"In that case let's go with the normal Duel, shall we? No Extra Monster Zone or Main Monster Zone. Are we clear?" Yuri suggested.

"Fine by me!" Zakuro agreed to the rule, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! I activate Magic Card: Burning Skull Underling! When I control no monster, I can special summon a Level 4 or lower Burning Skull Monster from my hand!" Zakuro summoned Burning Skull Head (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 800 / LV: 3) in Attack Position. Due to Dark Cemetery's effect, Burning Skull Head's ATK its ATK was increased to 1800.

"When Burning Skull Head is special summoned, I can inflict 1000 damage to my opponent!" Zakuro pointed at Yuri, directing the burning skull-like monster to opened its mouth and shot a ball of flame that Yuri blocked with his cloak. Burn marks were left on the cloak.

 **YURI LP: 4000 = 3000**

"I set 3 cards and end my Turn." Zakuro concluded.

"My Turn! With Scale 1 Predator Plants Genlisea Toad (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 300 / LV: 4 / PS: 1) and Scale 7 Predator Plants Brocchinia Salamander (ATK: 300 / DEF: 400 / LV: 2 / PS: 7), I Set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuri placed his new Predator Plants Pendulum Monster in the Pendulum Zone, forming the Pendulum Scale.

"I activate Magic Card: Pendulum Fusion! I can perform Fusion Summon using the cards in my Pendulum Zones! I Fuse Genlisea Toad and Brocchinia Salamander! Beautiful flowers with insect-alluring fragrance, become a new power and destroy those who oppose you with your dripping venom until your hunger is satisfied! Fusion Summon! Level 7! Starve Venemy Dragon (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 1)!" Yuri summoned his Fusion-Pendulum Monster.

"That's some cool-looking monster for a brat." Zakuro whistled at the sight of Starve Venemy.

"Battle! I attack Burning Skull Head with Starve Venemy Dragon!" Yuri declared attack. Starve Venemy unleashed its signature blast, slowly decaying Burning Skull Head.

"Trap Card: Zero Guard! I reduce Burning Skull Head's ATK to 0 to negate its destruction by Battle!" Zakuro opened his first facedown card, negating his monster's destruction at the cost of its ATK and Starve Venemy's attack still continued, the blast exploded and pushed back Zakuro with Burning Skull Head.

 **ZAKURO LP: 4000 = 1500**

"I activate Magic Card: Skull Descend! I banish a Magic Card from my Graveyard to special summon a Level 5 or lower Burning Skull Monster!" Zakuro opened his second facedown card and summoned Skull Base (ATK: 800 / DEF: 600 / LV: 3) in Attack Position after banishing Burning Skull Underling from his Graveyard. Following Dark Cemetery's effect, its ATK was increased to 1600.

"I release Burning Skull Head and Skull Base to Advance Summon! Appear! Level 8! Skull Flame (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8)!" Zakuro released his skull-like monsters and summoned Skull Flame in Attack Position. At that moment, Skull Base's effect activated since it was used as a tribute for Advance Summon, allowing Zakuro to draw 1 card. Dark Cemetery's effect also increased its ATK to 3400.

"Battle! I attack Starve Venemy Dragon with Skull Flame!" Zakuro retaliated with his newly summoned Monster. Skull Flame burned down Starve Venemy with its hot crimson flame into ashes and Yuri got pushed back from the backlash.

 **YURI LP: 3000 = 2100**

"At this moment, Starve Venemy's effect activates! When this card is destroyed, I can place it in my Pendulum Zone!" Yuri placed Starve Venemy in the Left Pendulum Zone.

"And then, I activate Continuous Trap: March of Burning Skull! When a Burning Skull Monster I control destroyed an opponent's monster, my opponent cannot summon back that monster to Field as long as this card is active and I can draw 2 cards!" Zakuro opened his last facedown card, sealing Yuri's means to summon back Starve Venemy and then he drew 2 cards from his Deck.

"I end my Turn." Zakuro concluded.

"My Turn! Draw!" Yuri blinked when heard a familiar cute voice from the card he just drew. He looked at the card and was surprised when it was Winged Kuriboh that he just drew.

" _Winged Kuriboh?! Since when you sneaked into my card?!"_ Yuri questioned telepathically, which Winged Kuriboh answered only with a cute wink that made Yuri sighed softly. _"We'll talk about this later!"_

"From my hand, I summon Predator Plants Cephalotusnail (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4)!" Yuri summoned Cephalotusnail in Attack Position. He looked at his remaining cards and considered to set them, but decided not to with the belief that Cephalotsunail's effect would be enough for now. Plus, Winged Kuriboh was telling him about it wasn't the time yet.

"I end my turn." Yuri concluded.

"Out of option, eh? My Turn! I activate Skull Flame's effect! Once per Turn I can special summon Burning Skull Head from my hand!" Zakuro special summoned another copy of Burning Skull Head. Following its special summoning, its effect activates, inflicting 1000 damage to Yuri once more.

 **YURI LP: 2100 = 1100**

"In exchange, Skull Flame can't attack this Turn. But I have one more trick in my sleeve." Zakuro revealed a card from his hand and activated immediately. "I activate Magic Card: Sea of Burning Flames! I can banish all Burning Skull Monsters on the Field!"

Zakuro surprisingly banished all of his monsters, leaving his Field empty. Yuri wasn't stupid, he knew that Zakuro must have planned something from this otherwise he wouldn't look so confident.

"This is the start! I banish Skull Flame from Graveyard to special summon Speed King Skull Flame (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2300 / LV: 10) from my hand!" Zakuro banished Skull Flame from his Graveyard, summoning Speed King Skull Flame in Attack Position and Dark Cemetery's effect increased its ATK to 3800.

"Speed King Skull Flame's effect! Once per Turn I can inflict 400 damage for each Burning Skull Head in my Graveyard!" Zakuro revealed. Since there were 2 Burning Skull Head in his Graveyard, he inflicted 800 damages in total to Yuri that forced the boy to kneel momentarily by double ball of flames from two Skull Heads.

 **YURI LP: 1100 = 300**

"This is the end for you, brat! Battle! I attack Cephalotusnail with Speed King Skull Flame!" Zakuro ready to deliver the finishing blow. Speed King Skull Flame ran forward, body covered in flame that started to gather mainly around its four feet, ready to stomp the Predator Plants Monster.

"Cephalotusnail's effect! It cannot be destroyed by Battle and the battle damage is halved!" Yuri declared.

"Halving the damage still won't be enough with your current LP!" Zakuro pointed out.

"Starve Venemy's Pendulum Effect! Once per Turn I can reduce Battle Damage to 0!" Yuri revealed, covering Cephalotusnail in a black round aura that blocking Speed King Skull Flame's attack, deflecting it and created gust of winds the moment the attack made contact with it. And due to Starve Venemy's effect, he didn't receive any damage.

"Heh. Your monsters have useful effects that saved you for now. But it'll be over in my next attack. I end my Turn." Zakuro concluded while tapping his foot impatiently for Yuri to start his Turn that he was sure would be his last. Whatever the kid do, his Skull Flame was unbeatable.

"My Turn!" The moment Yuri drew the card he drew and looked at it, Winged Kuribo reacted, requesting Yuri to finally use it and that card. Yuri stared at Winged Kuriboh and the card before he saw a vision of a monster and there was a faint flow from his Deck.

" _Since you look so eager and confident, I'll trust you on this one."_ Yuri stated before revealing Winged Kuriboh to his opponent.

"From my hand, I summon Winged Kuriboh (ATK: 300 / DEF: 200 / LV: 1)!" Yuri summoned Winged Kuriboh in Attack Position.

"Summoning a puny Monster like that at this time? The goddess of luck must have abandoned you." Zakuro sneered.

Yuri calmly smiled back. "Who knows? I activate Magic Card: Evolving Wings! I send Winged Kuriboh to the Graveyard from my side of Field and two cards in my hand to Special Summon Winged Kuriboh LV10 (ATK: 300 / DEF: 200 / LV: 10) from my Deck!" Yuri summoned the evolved Winged Kuriboh cladded in armor in Attack Position. The light emitted from Winged Kuriboh lit up the dark Field.

"I end my Turn." Yuri concluded.

Zakuro snorted. "This is your last resort? How pitiful. I'll end you and your puny monster quickly! Battle! I attack Winged Kuriboh LV10 with Speed King Skull Flame! This is the end for you!" He declared his last attack. Even if Yuri negated the attack with Starve Venemy's effect, he still has his monster's effect to deal effect damage later, so the brat will be screwed either way. Speed King Skull Flame roared before jumping down at the evolved Winged Kuriboh, ready to stomp and burn the Kuriboh.

Yuri grinned wider as he raised his arm up at Winged Kuriboh. A huge mistake. "I activate Winged Kuriboh LV10's effect! During my opponent's Battle Phase, I can tribute this card to destroy all Attack Position monsters my opponent controls and inflict damage to my opponent equal to the combined original ATK of the destroyed monsters!" He revealed, shocking Zakuro.

"What?!"

"The one who is finished is you!" Yuri declared.

Winged Kuriboh LV10 spread its wings wide as it unleashed a blinding flash of white light, disintegrating Speed King Skull Flame together with Zakuro's remaining LP. The Burning Skull user fell on his back, losing consciousness from the impact while Yuri stood victorious.

 **ZAKURO LP: 1500 = 0**

"I have to admit, I thought you're only some sort of a mascot. Who knew you have this kind of power. I apologize for that." Yuri told Winged Kuriboh who has materialized itself, giving it a fond pat. Winged Kuriboh brightened and couldn't help but nuzzled to the crook of Yuri's neck, making him chuckled.

"Looks like Yuya were just done with his opponent." Yuri turned to the right side of the fence that separated him from Yuya. His Pendulum Counterpart just defeated his opponent. Not surprising at all.

"Then the only one left was…" Yuri turned to the left side of the fence that separated him from Yukiya.

 **FIELD 3 – UNDERGROUND PRISON – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Before we start, we have to make this clear, do you prefer the normal Duel or Master Duel?" Yukiya asked his opponent.

"Master Duel. If you ask this…I take you're a Link user like myself?" Tohma asked.

"Yeah." Yukiya confirmed.

"Then let's begin the Duel now. I'll make you regret coming here." Tohma said as he activated his Duel Disk, beginning the Duel between the two.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'll start first! I activate Field Magic: Dragon's Nest! As long as this Field is active, all Dragon-Type Monsters cannot be destroyed by Battle!" The moment Yukiya activated the Field, their surrounded changed completely. Dark stormy clouds loomed over the land, the sky nowhere to be seen as if it doesn't exist. Everything was so still. The plants withered, the soil dry, the air was so heavy that it added to gravity.

"From my hand I activate Magic Card: Supreme King Duality! I can special summon two Level 4 or lower Supreme King Monsters with the same name from my hand." Yukiya summoned two Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwurms (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"And then from my hand, I summon Supreme King Servant Dragon Ambrosia!" Yukiya summoned Ambrosia in Attack Position.

"Ambrosia can be treated as two monsters, so technically I have four monsters on my Field! Come forth, the circuit that will lead to the future!" Yukiya extended his hand at Link Summoning Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is 4 monsters! I set Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwurms and Supreme King Servant Dragon Ambrosia treated as two Monsters on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" All Yukiya's monsters then became one with three of the six arrows. Darkwurms went to the Left Arrow and Right Arrow, and Ambrosia went to the Left and Bottom-Right Arrows.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon (ATK: 2800 / LINK: 4 / LM: Left, Right, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right)!" Yukiya summoned his ace Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yukiya concluded.

"My Turn! As there's a Field Spell present on the Field, I can special summon Dark Mummy Sonde (ATK: 700 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) from my hand!" Tohma summoned Sonde in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone. Dark Cemetery's effect increased its ATK to 1500.

"Also, I can destroy the card in your Field Zone!" Following Sonde's summoning, the Dark Mummy monster destroyed Yukiya's Dragon's Nest, reverting the Field back to its cemetery form.

"And then I summon another Dark Mummy Sonde from my hand!" Tohma summoned another copy of Sonde in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone just beside the other Sonde.

"I activate Continuous Magic: Temple of the Kings! I can activate a Trap Card the turn it was Set once per turn." Tohma activated Continuous Magic from his hand.

"I set a Trap Card and activated it! Trap Card: Current Corruption Virus! By releasing a DARK Monster with 0 DEF, I can negate the effects of all my opponent's monsters with 2000 or higher ATK and reduce their ATKs to 0 for the next three Turns!" Tohma released one of his Sondes, negating Yukiya's Cyber Cosmos Dragon and reduced its ATK to 0.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Monster Restitch! I can release 1 Dark Mummy Monster to special summon 3 Dark Mummy Tokens (ATK: ? / DEF: 0 / LV: ?)!" Tohma released his other Dark Sonde and then summoned the three Dark Mummy Tokens in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone. He then opened the Link Summoning Circuit, using the three Dark Tokens as the Link Materials.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Dark Mummy Surgical Cooper (ATK: 2400 / LINK: 3 / LM: Top, Bottom-Left, Right)!" Tohma summoned Surgical Cooper in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone. Dark Cemetery's effect increased its ATK to 3200.

"Battle! I attack Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon with Surgical Cooper!" Tohma declared attack towards the powerless Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon. Surgical Cooper opened its giant surgical scissor, ready to cut the dragon into half.

Yukiya opened his facedown card immediately. "Trap Card: Dragon Slip! I negate my Dragon-Type Monster's destruction by Battle and halve the damage!" Cyber Cosmos managed to block Surgical Cooper's scissor with its hand, forcing the Dark Mummy monster back to Tohma's side.

 **YUKIYA LP: 4000 = 2400**

"I end my Turn." Tohma finished.

"Dang it…this kind of Field would suit Yuno more than any of us…" Yukiya commented while looking at the Field and its advantage for Undead-Type Monsters, which Yuno also used. No point thinking about that though.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Supreme King Servant Dragon Mezea (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 3)!" Yukiya summoned a yellow-colored dragon with green glowing lines like other Supreme King Servant Dragon monsters have. It has tiny wings compared to other dragons and its arms resembled blades.

" _Due to Current Corruption Virus' effect, I can't attack with Cyber Cosmos. I still need to wait two more Turns before Cyber Cosmos' ATK finally returned to normal… No, I have to come up with something else. Can't be helped then."_ Yukiya reassessed his situation. As of this moment he didn't have any card that could help him defeat Surgical Cooper or negating the Trap Card's effect. He has no choice but to survive the next Turn.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yukiya reluctantly ended his Turn.

"My Turn! Draw!" Tohma looked at the card he drew and grinned. It was a Trap Card, perfect for his Surgical Cooper.

"As I drew a Trap Card, I activate the effect of Surgical Cooper! I can reveal the Trap Card I drew and inflict 500 damage to my opponent!" Tohma revealed his Trap Card, Root Ransom Virus, inflicting another 500 damage to Yukiya.

 **YUKIYA LP: 2400 = 1900**

"I summon Dark Mummy Syringe (ATK: 0 / DEF: 500 / LV: 1) from my hand!" Tohma summoned Syringe in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone. Dark Cemetery's effect made its ATK 800. However, Tohma couldn't care less about that. He has other plan. He once again opened the Link Summoning Circuit, this time using Surgical Cooper and Syringe as Materials.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Dark Mummy Surgical Retractor (ATK: 3000 / LINK: 4 / LM: Top, Bottom, Bottom-Left, Right)!" Tohma summoned a male mummy-like monster that resembled Surgical Cooper, but instead of scissor, it was holding a surgical retractor with spikes and the bandages around its body has darker color. Dark Cemetery increased its ATK to 3800.

"Battle! I attack Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon with Surgical Retractor!" Tohma declared attack using his newly summoned Monster. Surgical Retractor flew with its weapon ready to rip off every of Cyber Cosmos' limbs. Unfortunately for Tohma, Yukiya has already anticipated that.

"Dragon Slip's effect! By banishing it from Graveyard, I can negate Cyber Cosmos' destruction, reduce the damage to 0, and increase its ATK by 700!" Yukiya banished his Trap Card, allowing Cyber Cosmos to once again block and endured Surgical Retractor's attack, pushing it back to Tohma without suffering any damage. Cyber Cosmos' ATK was also increased to 700.

"I activate Surgical Retractor's effect! Once per Turn after Battle Phase, it can inflict 200 damage for each Dark Mummy Monster in my Graveyard!" Tohma has 4 Dark Mummy monsters in his Graveyard; making the damage that Yukiya took 800 in total.

 **YUKIYA LP: 1900 = 1100**

"I end my Turn. Won't you just Surrender? It'll be less painful for you. Your dragon's ATK and effect won't return to normal until you end your Turn, but by that time my Surgical Retractor would finish this Duel." Tohma suggested to Yukiya, feeling quite sorry for the boy.

Yukiya chuckled. "Sorry to say, but I'm really bad at giving up, especially against an opponent like you." He replied calmly, determined to continue the Duel.

"My Turn! Draw!" Yukiya looked at the card he drew. He stilled for a moment before he finally came up with something. Looks like lady luck was on his side.

"From my hand, I summon Supreme King Gate Iris (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 900 / LV: 4)!" Yukiya summoned Gate Iris in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Mezea.

"Come forth, the circuit that will lead to the future!" Yukiya extended his hand at the Link Circuit above him.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is 2 monsters! I set Supreme King Servant Dragon Mezea and Supreme King Gate Iris on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Yukiya's Mezea and Gate Iris became one with 2 of the 8 arrows.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Supreme King Servant Dragon Darktroya (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 3 / LM: Top, Upper-Right, Bottom-Left)!" Yukiya summoned his new Link Monster in the Main Monster Zone pointed by Cyber Cosmos' Bottom-Left Arrow in Attack Position. Darktroya took a form of a dark purple dragon with green glowing lines throughout its body. Its wings have similar shape as Yuya's Odd-Eyes Raging Dragon but red in color. It didn't have any legs like Yugo's Clear Wing. On its back there were three horn-like spikes.

"Battle! I attack Surgical Retractor with Darktroya!" Yukiya declared attack using his newly summoned Link Monster. Darktroya closed its wings in front of it before rolling itself towards the Dark Mummy Monster with its entire body, particularly its horn-like spikes, covered in red flames.

"I activate Darktroya's effect! By banishing the monsters used as its Material, I can negate destruction and the damage is reduced to 0, and the opposing monster's ATK is decreased equal to banished monsters' combined ATKs!" Yukiya revealed as Darktroya strikes Surgical Retractor, decreasing its ATK to 1000.

"I attack Surgical Retractor with Cyber Cosmos Dragon! Monster pointed by Darktroya's arrow gains its ATK!" Yukiya declared as Cyber Cosmos gained Darktroya's ATK, making its current ATK 2700. Cyber Cosmos unleashed bomb-like flames of data with particles resembling stars shrouding the attack. The flame hit Surgical Retractor, causing a massive explosion that shook the entire area and nearly blew Tohma away.

 **TOHMA LP: 4000 = 2300**

"Unfortunately, I still have plenty of LP." Tohma responded.

"Monster pointed by Darktroya's arrow can attack twice!" Yukiya revealed, shocking Tohma. Cyber Cosmos once again unleashed its signature attack, shooting it at Tohma whose Field was wide open without any card left. Tohma got hit straight by the blast; blowing him several steps back and fainted from the attack.

 **TOHMA LP: 2300 = 0**

"Phew. Finally it's over." Yukiya stated. The fences that separated him and his friends then automatically removed and the Field Spell disappeared, allowing the three boys to gather together again.

"Now that we're done, let's get out of here. This is the end of the line of this path. That means one of the other two paths is where Aoi-san being imprisoned." Yuya said. Aside this was the wrong path he had to admit that the area gave him quite a goosebumps by simply being there.

"I concur. Let's go."

Yuya, Yuri, and Yukiya retreated to the path where they came from, not looking back again at the three unconscious prison guards or the eerie dark hallway. They must hurry back to the rendezvous point and inform the other two groups of the path they have taken was the wrong one.

 **MAIN STREET – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The car stopped right in front of the hotel lobby. Yuno and Jounouchi made a haste to get out from the car. Ryo has greeted them together with Serena and Rin, Yuno having called them a few minutes before they arrived. Their plan busted, Serena and Rin have no choice but to tell him everything, including the person in blue robe that Rin encountered at the security server and helped them in disabling the electrical barrier, which confirmed Yuno's deduction that the one who saved Yuri and Serena was not alone. He will wonder who and why those people in blue robes helped them later, right now they must get to Yuya and the others. Yuno has ordered Ryo and the girls to stay at the hotel; the Fusion user will be keeping an eye on them.

"Hey, Yuno, are you sure we can trust them? Those people in blue robes?" Jounouchi asked. Even though the two didn't show any sign of hostility whatsoever, he still felt uneasy and suspicious of the two. Furthermore, they sent drones instead of telling this information themselves, it could be a trap or the sort.

"I don't know. But one of them saved Yuri and Serena before, and going to the underground prison through the underground waterway is the only possible option to save Aoi Zaizen without being noticed." Yuno replied. He still has his reservation, but again, his gut feeling was telling him otherwise. What bothered him was the danger that will come if they didn't go to where Yuya and the others were soon that the girl mentioned to them. Prison is not exactly a safe place, but what the girl implied sounded to be beyond that, which worried him.

"Then let me accompany you."

Another car stopped in front of the lobby, and Carl was coming out from the car, greeting them cheerfully with a wave of hand.

"Carl?!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

"Weren't you with Kurt?" Yuno asked.

"Kurt will handle the charges pressed against Aoi Zaizen. I'm here to free her as well. But rather than going to Count Oslow's manor, it's faster to go to the underground prison and escort Aoi Zaizen out first." Carl explained. It would be harder for Oslow to make excuses for his action if Carl himself was with Aoi. Even if the city armies were following Oslow, unless they want to make an enemy of the Imperial Family, then they are free to try to arrest Carl who was a prince. Yuno and the others highly doubt it would be possible though, considering Carl was one of the strongest Duelists that they knew.

"I've also heard something unpleasant about the underground prison. I have to check it myself." Carl's face turned serious and grim. Whatever rumor Carl heard, it must be really terrible. They decided to ask this later.

"We'll be joining you too."

Two more people came out from the car after Carl. Johan and Rio came out. Carl has told them everything, and hearing their respective students have plunged themselves into another danger that this time involving a noble, they couldn't sit idly.

"It is at the time like this us, mentors must be by our students' side." Rio said.

Yuno looked at each of his companions. He smiled. He felt grateful and blessed to have them by his side, supporting him. He couldn't ask for more. He won't trade them with anything else. Not now, not ever.

"Let's go."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Cries of Duel Monsters –** Yuzu and Ruri reached Aoi's cell and free her. When they're about to return, however, Yuzu and Ruri heard and follow noises that lead them to a hidden room and discovered a horrifying secret…

* * *

 **FANFIC ORIGINAL CARD MEMO:**

 **Entermate Trans Singer:** (ANGEL / LIGHT / PENDULUM / EFFECT / ATK: 1700 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4 / PS: 1). Pendulum Effect: Once per Turn, you can add Magic or Trap to your hand from your Deck.

 **Follow Death:** When a Monster you control is destroyed and you received damage, you can special summon a Level 5 or higher Monster from your hand. You can banish this card from your Graveyard to special summon a Level 5 or higher Monster from your hand without tribute. (Trap Card)

 **Dark Cemetery:** All Undead-Type monsters on the Field gains 800 ATK. (Field Spell Card)

 **Undead Terror:** All Undead-Type monsters on the Field gain 500 ATK. (Continuous Magic Card)

 **Dragon's Calling:** You can special summon a Dragon-Type Monster from either player's Graveyard. (Magic Card)

 **Ghost's Song:** When an Undead Monster you control is destroyed by Battle, you double the damage and convert it into your LP. (Trap Card)

 **Mist of Darkness:** During this Battle Phase, 1 DARK Monster you control can attack directly and double the ATK of the attacking DARK Monster. (Quick-Play Spell)

 **Pendulum Paradise:** Send all Pendulum Cards in your Graveyard into your Extra Deck.

 **Dragon Box:** You can switch a Dragon-Type Monster you control with a Dragon-Type Monster in your Graveyard. (Magic Card)

 **Monster Equality:** You can change the Level of two monsters Monster with the same Type to the same as the other's Level. If the other Monster is an Xyz Monster, its Rank is treated as Level until the end of this Turn. (Magic Card)

 **Burning Skull Underling:** When you control no monster, you can special summon a Level 4 or lower Burning Skull Monster from your hand. (Magic Card)

 **Skull Descend:** You can banish a Magic Card from your Graveyard to special summon a Level 5 or lower Burning Skull Monster from your hand or Deck. (Magic Card)

 **March of Burning Skull:** When a Burning Skull Monster you control destroyed an opponent's monster, your opponent cannot summon back that monster to Field as long as this card is active and you can draw 2 cards. (Continuous Trap Card)

 **Dragon Slip:** Negate your Dragon-Type Monster's destruction by Battle and halve the damage. When this card is in Graveyard and your Dragon-Type Monster is targeted for attack, you can banish this card to negate destruction, reduce damage to 0, and your monster gain 700 ATK. (Trap Card)

 **Supreme King Servant Dragon Mezea:** (DRAGON / DARK / EFFECT / ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 3).

 **Dark Mummy Surgical Retractor:** (UNDEAD / DARK / LINK / ATK: 3000 / LINK: 4 / LM: Top, Bottom, Bottom-Left, Right). Once per Turn after Battle Phase, it can inflict 200 damage for each Dark Mummy Monster in your Graveyard.

 **Supreme King Gate Iris:** (MACHINE / DARK / EFFECT / ATK: 1600 / DEF: 900 / LV: 4).

 **Supreme King Servant Dragon Darktroya:** (DRAGON / DARK / LINK / ATK: 2000 / LINK: 3 / LM: Top, Upper-Right, Bottom-Left). By banishing the monsters used as its Material, you can this card's negate destruction and the damage is reduced to 0, and the opposing monster's ATK is decreased equal to banished monsters' combined ATKs. Monster pointed by Darktroya's arrow gain its ATK and can attack twice.

 **I also change Call of the Living Dead and Current Corruption Virus's Effects.**

* * *

 **Finally finished this chapter! Sorry for the wait. Oww...my right hand and arm were so tired from typing this chapter. I'll take a little break for a while and then continue.**

 **Yuno's Kuriboh is finally revealed! It'll appear more in later chapters! And yeah, whoever saved Yuri and Serena is not working alone! About Yuri using Winged Kuriboh in this chapter; I choose Winged Kuriboh as Yuri's Kuriboh partner as homage to Judai who is the protagonist of GX, just like Yuto, Yugo, and Yukiya who also got the other protagonists' Kuribohs. But since Winged Kuriboh is such a good card, I thought it'll be a waste if I didn't use it like this. To make it clear, this is not done out of favoritism for Yuri or Winged Kuriboh or anything. This is something that I actually just came up in the middle of writing the Duels. Also, Hizaki, Zakuro, and Tohma have no relation whatsoever with other characters from previous series, they're just side characters using the same Decks as the characters from the other series and nothing more.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter :)**


	28. Cries of Duel Monsters

**Big thanks to** _ **Elbarto4000, Unknowedz, aqua9597, Ulrich362, matrixnis, Playerhood18, Yuka Kuroshiro, dvdryms, SSJGamerYT, Big duels, GamingGuy84**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **PATH 3 – UNDERGROUND PRISON – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"You confessed to Yuya?!" Ruri shouted out in surprise after hearing what happened last night before the whole false arrest, causing Yuzu to put a hand on her mouth to silence the Xyz counterpart.

"Sshh! Not too loud!" Yuzu said with reddened face. "I said that in a spur of the moment! I'm not even sure if he took it as a confession! You know how dense he can be!"

Ruri sweat dropped at that. She really wanted to say that Yuzu herself was also as dense but she held it back. "No. With the way he is now, I'm sure he'll take that as a confession." She told her Pendulum counterpart. It was clear as day that Yuya has realized he has feeling for Yuzu since the championship a year ago.

"If he does…what should I do? What if things become awkward between us?! What if he rejected me and we can't become friends anymore?!" Yuzu went into panic mode; beginning to mumble the various worst-case scenarios she could think.

Ruri patted her back. "Calm down, Yuzu. That won't happen. I'm sure Yuya will answer to you feelings properly. Don't be too pessimistic. Have a little bit more hope." She told her. Yuya would 100% return her feelings since the feeling was mutual, so rejection would be the last thing that will happen.

Yuzu nodded, trying to calm herself. She has known Yuya since they were children, and he was not a type of person who would just cut off their ties because of something like that. Things may get awkward if she got rejected, but they'll still be friends. And if Yuya returns her feelings…she'll be very happy.

"By the way, it has been a while but, there are not so many guards now, aren't there?" Yuzu noticed after snapping out from her thoughts. They have walked for a while; beating guards one after another, but now there weren't so many.

"Now that you mention it, yes. Does this mean we have defeated all the guards?" Ruri wondered as well. It was nice thing that they didn't need to fight more guards to get to Aoi, but the atmosphere was suffocating and gave them shivers as the farther they went, they darker it became. The hallway in front of them was almost pitch black and the end there was a door. It was a little eerie when they crept through the hall as silently as possible...only to find that there wasn't a single person standing on guard.

"Maybe she's not down there," Yuzu said. She wondered if there were haunting spirits here. People would have normally told how ridiculous she was, but with the existence of Duel Monster spirits in this dimension, no one could blame her for thinking that way.

"Only one way to find out." Ruri moved forward first. Yuzu was grateful for how proactive Ruri was being, because Yuzu felt like she could only go through the motions. Ruri pried the door open, letting Yuzu slip down.

"Clear," Ruri whispered back up, and Yuzu slithered down too, pulling the door closed behind them.

It was incredibly dark in the tunnel, but this time, it wasn't a problem. Yuzu dug into her pocket and took out a flashlight. Since they were going underground, she has anticipated it would be dark so she brought several flashlights in case like this. It did come in handy. She held the flashlight ahead of them, Ruri clinging to her hand behind her this time as she lead the way back down the hall.

The door was unlocked. This was too easy; Yuzu found herself thinking, heart fluttering. Why was it so easy? Was this a trap? Were they hoping that whoever had broken in before would be lured back for some reason, and were trying to catch them?

But she pushed the door open anyway, and they made their way through the eerie room of vials and shelves. She opened the next door as carefully as possible, peeking through to make sure there were no guards. Maybe they didn't guard this place because they knew there was no way anyone else would know about it. Yuzu would have never guessed without the map provided by Ryo.

They didn't have much time, so Yuzu and Ruri didn't bother to second-guess themselves. They didn't bother with the side that had the medical rooms—all of those had been the same kind of hospital room, and likely wouldn't be able to imprison anyone. They took the other hallway instead, the one where they had found record rooms. There had to be something here, something that they hadn't seen in the dark on their travel through. They pushed the door open, and one at a time; Ruri and Yuzu checked each room. They passed that first record room they had gone into before, and Yuzu didn't miss the tiny shudder that Ruri gave in response. It wasn't until the very last room of the hall that Yuzu's breath caught at what appeared under the glow of her flashlight.

She saw the bars first, and then her light fell between the bars, and she saw the hunched shadow within the single, small cell.

"Aoi-san!" Yuzu shouted as she saw the very person they were looking for. Aoi was sitting in the cell with dejected look until she called her. Aoi stood up and became alarmed when they saw the two of them. Knowing she didn't recognize them with their cloaks and masks still on, Ruri stepped forward.

"Don't worry, it's us!" Ruri revealed herself, pulling down the hood and took off the mask to assure Aoi, which followed by Yuzu. Aoi became even more surprise.

"Ruri?! Yuzu?! What are you doing here?!" Aoi asked in shock. How did they get in here in the first place? This place was supposed to be heavily guarded! There were lots of guards exchanging shifts to guard this place, so how did these two have gone this far?

"We'll explain later, let's get out of here first!" Ruri raised her Duel Disk, activating the hacking mode programmed into it. After several press on the touch screen, the bars were opened, allowing Aoi to come out.

Aoi have so many questions she wanted to ask, but she agreed that she'd save them for later. If they spent so much time talking, the guards may come and bust them. Having her arrested was one thing, but Ruri and Yuzu? She couldn't let them be imprisoned too, especially when they were doing this for her sake. She knew that the charges against her were just a ploy to corner her brother's position and ruin Heidel's faction's reputation. During her stay in the cell she has prepared for the worst to happen, but Ruri and Yuzu have nothing to do with it. She definitely didn't want them to stay in this dark and cold place.

"Wait!" Yuzu suddenly said and stopped. She told them to be quiet a little and she then heard it. "There are voices..."

"Voices? I don't hear anything." Aoi said. She tried to concentrate, but her ears heard nothing. However, Ruri seemed to think otherwise.

"No. There are voices...it's coming from there." Ruri pointed at the door near Aoi's cell.

"That door…the guards took several prisoners there and the prisoners never came back." Aoi said. She recalled the last night she stayed in her cell. She saw the guards passed by taking prisoners into the room, and not a single prisoner came back, only the guards. She has a bad feeling about this.

They weren't imagining things. Yuzu and Ruri were sure of it. There were voices. The voices sounded so sad and in pain that it made both girls who heard them paled. They didn't know what these voices were, but they couldn't ignore them. They couldn't explain, but they just couldn't ignore those voices. They were crying. They at least knew that much.

"Ruri, you go ahead with Aoi-san. I'll check for a little bit. I think it's important." Yuzu said and turned to the door, but Aoi then grasped her arm. She turned to the older girl with determined face. She knew Aoi would try to stop her, her expression said it all. But she wouldn't back down either no matter what Aoi said.

Aoi was taken aback by how determined Yuzu was. She knew that going there was a bad idea, but she also knew that Yuzu has no intention to listen to whatever she was going to say. She will still go into that room. Aoi sighed. She sometimes was stubborn herself once she decided on something.

"No. We're coming with you. It's too dangerous to be here alone." Aoi finally said. She couldn't leave any of them. The least she could do as the one who was older would be watching over them.

Yuzu and Ruri were grateful for Aoi's understanding, and the three of them proceeded. In the dark, there was a sense of unease draped over the quiet study. It was surprising. They never thought there would be something like this in the underground prison. The carpet was thick enough to hide their footsteps as they walked around the desk, and Yuzu glanced around nervously for signs of life. The door was closed, though, and probably locked from the inside. If someone came along, they'd have a few seconds to hear. Yuzu walked to the bookcase on left wall, tongue sticking out slightly. It was getting very dark, very fast, and Ruri and Aoi could only see the faint glimmer of her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Ruri said.

"It's always behind the bookcase, isn't it?" Yuzu said.

She knelt down, ran her fingers over the books, and then grabbed one that looked pretty much the same as all the others, maybe a little smaller than the rest. She pulled on it—but it didn't come out all the way. There was a soft sound, and then the sound of something winding and creaking. Yuzu bit down on her tongue and put her hands over her mouth, as though that would make the sound quieter. Her eyes flicked to the door. She hoped that there were no guards here.

"Or, not behind the bookcase, but the bookcase is the key," Yuzu said, standing up and dusting off her knees.

"What did you do?" Aoi said.

Yuzu pointed behind them, and the other two turned around. A hole had opened up in the corner of the floor, with a thin, steep staircase leading down into the dark. Ruri and Aoi felt their hearts clench. Was that...? Yuzu didn't hesitate. She marched towards the staircase and started to make her way down. Ruri and Aoi froze for only a half second. Did she even want to know what was down there? What were they going to find out?

They swallowed.

They needed to know.

Ruri bolted forward before Aoi had started moving, and followed Yuzu down the stairs. She had to duck to get around the ledge underneath, but once they were in, it was easy to stand up—but incredibly dark.

Yuzu hand felt back in the dark and grabbed Ruri's.

"Hang on, go slowly, and watch your step," she said.

"Right," said Ruri. She reached back to find Aoi's hand, and then in a chain, they made their way down into the dark.

At the bottom of the stairs, there was a single, unlit torch. Yuzu released Ruri's hand to fumble in her pocket for a match, and lit it up. She wiggled it free from the bracket to hold it up and light up their surroundings. It looked like a very strange underground lobby. It was a fairly large room, with a desk on one end, and plenty of books on the shelves behind it. A roll of parchment and cards lay left behind on the desk, held open by the quill resting across it. There was a door directly behind the desk, and two others on either side.

Aoi licked her suddenly dry lips, following Yuzu and Ruri inside. The room was almost entirely white, and from the dull torchlight, it looked kind of eerie and sterile. Aoi walked ahead to the desk, looking at the parchment.

"Names," she said. "The prisoners' names."

"Is there anything else on the list?"

"Some short hand I don't understand."

Yuzu perked up—something that she could do. She trotted over to look at what Aoi was reading.

"It's...appointment times and locations," She said, squinting. She learned this from one of her studies with Johan, and she was sure that Rio taught the same to Ruri. "And… I'm not sure about this part. It looks medical, maybe."

Ruri's face looked white even in the dark. "What did they do here?" She mumbled.

Ruri bit her lip. Yuzu caught their attention by gesturing with her flashlight, though.

"Come on," she said. "The voices are coming from this way."

She took the left door, opening it up and letting the other two go in front of her. There was a short hallway on this end, with doors on either side. The three of them almost ran all the way down, not even bothering to check the other doors. They were getting really worked up, Yuzu thought. Yuzu couldn't blame them. Yuzu took it a bit slower, trying the other doors. They were all locked. Her stomach twisted as they got closer and closer to the last door—Ruri was already standing in front of it, her hand frozen over the knob.

Before Yuzu or Aoi could get there, however, Ruri steeled her face, grabbed the handle, and opened it up. She stepped through, but stopped as soon as she was over the threshold. Yuzu picked up the pace until she was standing behind Ruri, looking over her shoulder. The room looked like a small laboratory, with just cot, some cabinets, a scribbled list hanging from the wall, and capsules. Tubes and apparatus hung from the ceiling, and they led down to...

Ruri let out a thin, strangled sound, and Yuzu and Aoi felt like throwing up.

A prisoner that Aoi recognized was one of the ones taken by the guards was laying prone on the bed with tubes shoved into his arm and some kind of breath mask over his face, his eyes closed. He looked pale, like he was losing blood, but they weren't sure how that was possible—and she had no idea what to think. Yuzu pushed the flashlight at Ruri and shoved between the two of them, marching across the room, leaning down towards the list pinned to the wall while Ruri and Aoi checked the prisoner.

"This isn't shorthand," Yuzu said, her voice sounding a bit dead. "This is a list of tests."

Ruri couldn't keep her curiosity and fear in check, so she scrambled forward, leaving Aoi near the prisoner. She held the flashlight up and leaned in to read the list.

"'Blood testing'," she read. "It's not checked off yet."

"That's probably what they're doing now," Selena said. "Look at the rest of it."

Yuzu licked her lips, afraid—but she had to know. She read the rest of the list. Half blood replacement. Soul extraction. Soul union. Duel Monster bloods and souls.

"What does that mean?" Ruri wondered.

"I-I don't know…" Yuzu replied.

"E-everyone…" Aoi said with trembling voice with equally trembling hands. She pointed at something not far from them on the side. When Yuzu and Ruri turned the flashlight to make it clearer, they nearly screamed as they saw several capsules containing lifeless Duel Monsters in physical bodies.

"D-Duel Monsters?!"

Yuzu didn't even need to answer for them to know. Her hands were shaking so badly that she was probably going to drop the flashlight. Ruri gently extracted the flashlight from her hands.

Ruri waited for Yuzu to hurry out of the room, then she walked through and closed the door before leading them back down. She took the door on the opposite side of the room this time, leading them into another hallway with a few more locked doors. She took them to the middle one. This room was also unlocked by some miracle. Neat file cabinets filled the entirety of the room, which was not too much bigger than the hospital beds. Ruri passed the flashlight to Aoi this time, walking inside and making a beeline for one towards the back. She jiggled it open and flipped through.

Yuzu and Aoi wandered closer as Ruri wiggled free a thin slab of black glass, propping it up on the top of the cabinet.

"Video tapes." She said.

"They must be keeping records, I guess," Aoi said.

"Someone is coming!" Yuzu said with a whisper, pushing the other two to hide and be quiet.

There were two guards and two people wearing white lab jackets. Aoi blinked when she noticed something imprinted on the jackets. The emblem imprinted on the jackets to be precise. It was the emblem of Aberforth Enterprise. That means these people were working for Heidel. But it was impossible. There was no way that Heidel would work together with the nobles like Count Oslow. Did Heidel implant spies? That might be the case, but it still doesn't explain how and why Heidel's men would be here in some secret laboratory.

The prisoner made a soft groan. His wrists clamped down to the arms of the chair and his ankles to the legs. Darkened visor was placed over his eyes, and his fingers gripped at the arms of the chair so tightly that they were going white, his jaw clenched and teeth flashing slightly in a grimace.

"Turn it up. Just one setting."

The prisoner made a soft, pained moan before his head snapped up, and he started to gasp for breath. He started to gasp and pant.

"What are the readings?" The researcher asked.

"The air's getting hot in there. His soul is enhancing into temperature manipulation."

The prisoner's hair started to flap a bit at the ends, like there was a wind gusting around him.

"Don't turn it off. The soul is starting to fit together. Is this going to hold?"

"Doesn't look like it. It's unstable."

The prisoner let out a thick, strangled moan. And then the prisoner let out a thick screeching sound, and his head dropped to his chest, making him go still. Something then came out from his body…like a soul. The body slowly disintegrated while the 'soul' was starting to reform itself. His once human form slowly changed into bearing the likeness of a beast. It was as if he became…

…Duel Monster?

The cries Yuzu and Ruri heard intensified. They heard them more clearly than before. They were so sad and so in pain. The prisoner who became a beast then turned into particles that went into a card that being held by one of the researchers. More cries came. The girls felt like they were going to throw up. Did...Did they just saw what they saw?

Aoi actually let out a thin whine.

"T-they...they're experimenting…the prisoners…!"

Neither Yuzu nor Ruri could talk. They could barely even breathe. They couldn't believe they had just seen that happen. Automatically, Ruri reached for one of Yuzu's hands, grabbing it and squeezing it tightly. Yuzu's head felt so dead and empty. She couldn't even be angry. She didn't know how to feel. She could just grip onto Ruri's cold, clammy, shaking hand as tight as she could. It was all so horrible. To think that Heidel's group was secretly doing such inhumane experiments beneath this city without anyone knowing.

"Who's there?!"

They pressed themselves automatically into the corner. Selena quickly remembered the torch and stabbed it against the stone floor to put it out. They were left in total darkness, huddling together. However, then, somewhere down the hall, they heard voices. They heard…screams. There were various broken noises too and the screams sounded so horrified and terrified until it went silent. The girls' hearts thumped in their chests. They couldn't hear anything again—would they come this way? When the footsteps went to the opposite direction and slowly disappearing, they thought they have left, so the three girls decided to make their leave now. They walked slowly and opened the door slowly…

"Now, this is unexpected."

The girls gasped when the voice came right beside them. They jumped back, but out from the room where they were hiding. Yuzu and Ruri gasped as they recognized the two intruders other than them. They were Rowan and Shing. They recognized them from the file that Celica had once showed them when she explained about Apophis and his group. These two were classified as two of the most dangerous of Apophis' Duelists. While Aoi didn't recognize their faces, she recognized the robes they were wearing. It was the robe worn by the Duelists serving Apophis.

"You're Apophis' Duelists!" Yuzu exclaimed, preparing her Duel Disk, and so did Ruri.

The girls gasped when they noticed the exit was hanging open, actually ripped from its hinges—there were...there were claw marks on the other side like some kind of animal had been let loose. The desk was overturned, papers flung all across the room. The tubes and capsules were crushed. The Duel Monsters trapped inside the capsules, like the prisoner, got absorbed into the cards held by Rowan and Shing. But what sickened them the most were the bodies of the guards and the researchers from earlier. They were dead. Oh god, they were dead. Their eyes shone glassy off to the side, stomach down on the floor. Their clothes were torn and bloody, their throats slit with what seemed to be giant claws. Rowan and Shing killed them.

"We came here because we have an Intel about Heidel is running a secret experiment, but who would have thought we will meet you here." Shing said, crossing his arms and eyed the girls with amusement.

"W-what exactly happened just now?! That person! What happened to that person?!" Ruri asked, still having a hard time to believe of what happened to the prisoner.

"As you can see, that prisoner has just been reborn as a Duel Monster." Rowan replied while holding out the card of the former prisoner.

"Reborn as...Duel Monsters...? What does that mean exactly?" Yuzu asked again.

"The soul of a human who died can, given the right trigger, be reborn as a Duel Monster." Rowan revealed, shocking the three girls.

"What?! Then, that person...truly became a Duel Monster...?!" Ruri exclaimed, covering her mouth to try not to wretch.

"You've seen it yourself with your own eyes. Do you still find it hard to believe?" Shing pointed out. "If you can't believe us or what you saw yourself, then why don't you just ask Celica and Yuno? They knew that dead humans could be reborn as Duel Monsters. Some of their monsters were formerly humans." He suggested. Not like they could though.

"Celica-san and Yuno-san's monsters too?!" Yuzu was almost dumbstruck.

"But I can assure you at the very least that they didn't do something like this. They would never have the heart to do something like this." Rowan added.

"You said a human soul could be reborn as Duel Monster given the right trigger. Is this something that happens frequently?" Yuzu asked again. She tried to be as calm as she could, but her trembling body was saying otherwise. It was hard to keep calm after seeing that.

Shing shrugged. "Unfortunately, we don't have the answer to that question. Even we don't know how or why humans reborn as Duel Monsters naturally. But with His Excellency's power, forcing human's souls to be reborn as Duel Monsters to serve us is an easy task." He explained while waving the cards he just got from the room.

"It seems that Heidel is conducting his own research to acquire strong Duel Monsters to fight against us and spread his influence. However, for human being like him, it's not something that can be made to happen easily like how His Excellency does." Rowan added while looking around the room, picking one of the papers containing the detail of the experiments. Heidel was an ordinary human being who doesn't have any godly power like their master, so he resorted to science and little bit magic to find his own way to turn humans into Duel Monsters that he wanted. It was still pale in comparison with their master's or people who became one naturally though.

"Lord Heidel...would go this far...?" Aoi said in disbelieve. She knew that Heidel was a strong leader who ruled with iron fist, but to do something like this? This has gone too far! Prisoner or not, it was wrong to mess around with human lives. And she and her brother have been working under someone who would do something to inhumane, supporting his propaganda.

"That's terrible..." Ruri said. Her face became paler.

"Heidel and you...both of you are just the same!" Yuzu exclaimed furiously.

"Can't deny that since we got our bodies by sacrificing the real owners. But let's stop right there, shall we?" Shing said, raising his Duel Disk.

"The both of you are on our list to be disposed of. I have nothing against you, but His Excellency's order is absolute." Rowan said, raising his Duel Disk as well to Duel.

"Aoi-san, please stay back! We'll handle this!" Ruri said, stepping protectively in front of Aoi, preparing to Duel together with Yuzu.

"B-but they're Apophis' servants! They're too dangerous! We have to run!" Aoi objected. They could get themselves killed if they dueled against them who were not even humans.

"They are faster than us. Even if we run they'll get to us quick. It's either fight now or doing nothing at all." Yuzu retorted. Escaping from these two were next to impossible. They'll catch up to them even if they run away. Dueling is the only option they have at the moment.

"That's right. You're not stupid. Good. Let us begin." Shing stated, gesturing the two girls to come at them.

"Then we'll go with Tag Duel rule." Rowan proposed since there were four of them.

"Very well." Ruri replied as she and Yuzu activated their Duel Disks, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm taking the first Turn! I summon Luce the Melodious Diva (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 4)!" Yuzu summoned a Luce in Attack Position.

"I activate Equip Spell: Diva's Baton! A Melodious Monster equipped with this card will gain 600 ATK!" Yuzu increased Luce's ATK to 2100.

"I set 2 cards and end my Tun." Yuzu finished.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Knight of the End (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4)!" Rowan summoned Knight of the End in Attack Position.

"When this card is summoned, I can send a DARK-Attribute monster from my Deck to the Graveyard." Rowan sent Ritual Djinn Demolisher (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 600 / LV: 3) from his Deck to his Graveyard.

"I activate Ritual Magic: Ritual of Salvation to perform Ritual Summon." Rowan revealed his Ritual Spell Card, but before he performed Ritual Summon, he pressed the screen of his Duel Disk that showed Djinn Demolisher in the Graveyard.

"When I'm about to Ritual Summon, I can banish Ritual Djinn Demolisher from my Graveyard as 1 of the monsters required for the Ritual Summon." Rowan banished Djinn Demolisher, allowing its spirit to appear by Knight of the End's side as a white altar bathed in light appeared on the Field. Both monsters became flames that lit the altar.

"I use Knight of the End and Djinn Demolisher! Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 7! Beautiful Goddess of Salvation – Northwemko (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 7)!" Rowan summoned Northwemko in Attack Position.

"Battle! I attack Luce the Melodious Diva with Northwemko!" Rowan declared attack, pointing at the Melodious Monster. Northwemko shot a blinding destructive white sphere towards Luce who held its baton tight as it faced the incoming attack.

In response, Yuzu opened her first facedown card. "Trap Card: Melodies of Spirit! I negate Melodious Monster's destruction by Battle!" As she did this, Luce twirled its baton, dissolving the sphere, though Luce was still pushed back from the attack.

 **YUZU & RURI LP: 4000 = 3400**

"I Set a card and end my Turn." Rowan concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Lyrical Luscinia – Cobalt Sparrow (ATK: 0 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1)!" Ruri summoned Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position. Aoi blinked when she saw the all too familiar monster.

"If I control a Lyrical Luscinia Monster, I can Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia – Sapphire Swallow (ATK: 100 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) from my hand and one Level 1 Lyrical Luscinia Monster!" Ruri summoned Sapphire Swallow along with another copy of Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position.

"I activate Cobalt Sparrow's Effect! I can add a copy of Cobalt Sparrow from my Deck to my hand!" Ruri added another copy of Cobalt Sparrow to her hand.

"And then I activate the Effect of another copy of Sapphire Swallow in my hand!" Ruri once again Special Summoned another copy of Sapphire Swallow and Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position.

"I overlay all my five Monsters! Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Xyz Summon! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia – Assembly Nightingale (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / RNK: 1 / ORU: 5)!" Ruri summoned her ace Monster in Attack Position.

"Those monsters... Ruri...you're..." Aoi stared hard at Ruri's back. Those were Canaria's monsters. Then that means Ruri is…

"I'll explain everything later, Blue Angel-san." Ruri responded with a soft smile at Aoi briefly before returning to the Duel.

"There will be no later because the two of you are going to die here." Shing scoffed Ruri's statement.

"We'll see about that! Assembly Nightingale can attack directly a number of times for each Overlay Unit it has! There are 5 Overlay Units, so it can attack you directly 5 times!" Ruri activated her Monster's Effect. As said by Ruri, Assembly Nightingale swung its wings towards the Tyler Sisters, unleashing gust of winds five times that drastically decreased their LP.

 **ROWAN & SHING LP: 4000 = 1500**

"I end my Turn." Ruri finished her Turn.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Inverz's Pheromone! I can special summon a Level 4 or lower Inverz Monster from my hand!" Shing summoned Evil Cell of the Inverz (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) in Attack Position.

"When I control no Magic or Trap, I can special summon Scout of the Inverz (ATK: 200 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) from my hand, but in exchange I can's special summon other monster this Turn!" Shing summoned Scout of Inverz in Attack Position as well.

"I release Scout of the Inverz to Advance Summon Inverz Giraffa (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 0 / LV: 7)!" Shing tributed Scout of Inverz, summoning Inverz Giraffa in Attack Position. As the former has left the Field, he can special summon again.

"I activate Inverz Giraffa's effect! I can target a card my opponent controls and send it to the Graveyard! Also, I gain 1000 LP!" Shing pointed at the Xyz Monster. Inverz Giraffa summoned countless of bugs that swarming towards Assembly Nightingale. The Xyz Monster cried out in pain as its body dispersed, being destroyed by the insects.

 **ROWAN & SHING LP: 1500 = 2500**

"I also activate Magic Card: Inverz Recognition! When I control an Inverz Monster, I can perform Normal or Advance Summon for the second time. I release Evil Cell of the Inverz to Advance Summon Inverz Horn (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 0 / LV: 9)!" Shing once again performed Advance Summon, summoning Inverz Horn in Attack Position.

"I activate Inverz Horn's effect. Once per Turn, I can pay 1000 LP to destroy a monster on the Field." Shing decreased his and Rowan's own LP by 1000 to allow Horn to destroy Yuzu's Luce.

 **ROWAN & SHING LP: 2500 = 1500**

Shing pointed at Luce. Inverz Horn flapped its wings, sending a brown-colored dust towards the Melodious Monster who visibly got weakened when made contact with it. Yuzu, however, already prepared for that as well and opened her second facedown card.

"Trap Card: Storm of Melodies! When a Melodious Monster I control is destroyed, my opponent cannot attack until the end of this Turn!" Yuzu opened her second facedown card, sealing Inverz Horn and Northwemko's attack. With this they won't be able to make a direct attack against them.

"Heh. Not bad. So you've prepared in advance. I set a card and end my Turn." Shing concluded as he praised the pink haired girl. "You two are not as fun as Yuri, but this will do well. I won't get bored."

"You need to pay more attention to our LP, Shing. Don't forget that this is a Tag Duel. We're sharing LP." Rowan reminded, indirectly chastising his partner.

"Chill out, Rowan. I know that you have a backup for the loss of LP. This is not the first time we do a Tag Duel." Shing said dissmissively, not showing any indication he will do as Rowan told him to, which made the latter sighing in exasperation.

"You're holding up all right, Ruri?" Yuzu asked her partner.

"This is just getting started. We have been through worse, weren't we?" Ruri reminded.

"You made a good point. My Turn! I activate Storm of Melodies' second effect! I banish it to summon back the Melodious Monster destroyed to trigger this card's activation!" Yuzu revived Luce from Graveyard in Attack Position.

"From my hand I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I Fuse Luce the Melodious Diva on my Field and Sonata the Melodious Diva in my hand! Echoing melodious voice! Flowing Melody! Guided by the baton, gather your power! Fusion Summon! Now, come to the stage! Meisterin Schubert the Melodious Maestra (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 6)!" Yuzu summoned Meisterin Schubert in Attack Position.

"I activate Meisterin Schubert's Effect! I can target cards in either player's Graveyards that were used for Fusion Summon and banish them to increase the ATK of Meisterin Schubert by 200 for each card banished!" Yuzu banished the Fusion Materials in her Graveyard, increasing Meisterin Schubert's ATK to 2800.

"Battle! I attack Northwemko with Meisterin Schubert!" Yuzu declared her counter attack. Meisterin Schubert moved its baton, creating a tornado wave whirled by musical scores.

Rowan opened his facedown card. "Trap Card: Divine Grace! When Ritual Monster I control is destroyed by Battle, I can negate the damage and add half of the ATK of the destroyed Ritual Monster into LP while inflict damage equal to the recovered LP!"

 **ROWAN & SHING LP: 1500 = 2800**

 **YUZU & RURI LP: 3400 = 2100**

"Now our LPs are close. But we will change that soon in the next Turn." Shing stated confidently, glancing at his partner to emphasize it.

"We won't lose! Don't underestimate us! I set a card and end my Turn." Yuzu concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Djinn's Magical Lamp! I can add a Ritual Djinn monster from my Deck to my hand." Rowan added Ritual Djinn Presider (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4) into his hand.

"I summon Ritual Djinn Enforcer (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 500 / LV: 4)!" Rowan summoned Djinn Enforcer in Attack Position.

"I activate Djinn Enforcer's effect. When this card is summoned from my hand, I can add 2 Magic or Trap Cards into my hand." Rowan added a Magic and Trap into his hand.

"By discarding a Level 5 or higher monster, I can special summon Dark Grepher (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Rowan summoned Dark Grepher in Attack Position after discarding Ritual Djinn Presider from his hand.

"And then I activate Ritual Magic: Ritual of Destruction. Once again when I'm about to Ritual Summon, I can banish Ritual Djinn Monster from my Graveyard as 1 of the monsters required for the Ritual Summon." Rowan banished Djinn Presider that he has sent to the Graveyard to use it as a Material.

"I use Dark Grepher and Ritual Djinn Presider! Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 7! Demon King of Destruction – Garlandolf (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 7)!" Rowan performed another Ritual Summon, summoning Garlandolf in Attack Position.

"I activate Garlandolf's effect. When this card is Ritual summoned, all face-up monsters on the Field with DEF less than or equal to this card's ATK are destroyed and this card received 100 ATK for each destroyed monster!" Rowan revealed. Garlandolf crossed its arms in front of its face as dark energies were gathering around its body. It lowered its arms to reveal its glinting eyes before finally opening its arms, unleashing the energies throughout the area that destroyed both Shing's Inferz Horn and Yuzu's Meisterin Schubert as both monsters' DEFs were lower than Garlandolf's ATK. As two monsters were destroyed, it gained 200 ATK. Its ATK was increased to 2700.

"Yuzu and Ruri's Field are wide open now!" Aoi remarked in dismay. They were open to attack now, and their LP was at 2100. Garlandolf's single attack was more than enough to finish the two off. Aoi clenched her hands thight together. If only she has her Duel Disk and Deck with her, she would have joined the Duel!

"Battle! I attack directly with Garlandolf!" Rowan declared. Garlandolf joined its palm together and started to form black sphere as opposed to Northwemko's white sphere. However, Garlandolf's sphere was twice bigger than Northwemko. Garlandolf shot the blast straight at Yuzu and Ruri.

Yuzu clicked her tongue before opening her facedown card. "Trap Card: Maestra's Concerto! I can banish a Melodious Maestra or Meisterin monster in my Graveyard to lower the damage equal to its original ATK!" She banished Meisterin Schubert, lowering the damage she and Ruri took by 2400. They got blown away as the sphere hit them, giving them considerable bruises and cuts from the impact. At least they still survived the Duel.

 **YUZU & RURI LP: 2100 = 1800**

"I set a card and end my Turn. I praise your tenacity, but it won't be long." Rowan told the two girls.

"Yuzu! Ruri! Are you okay?!" Aoi kneeled to Ruri and Yuzu who were lying on the floor, struggling to stand up.

"D-don't worry… We won't lose to this kind of attack…!" Ruri told Aoi as she slowly stood up, being helped by Aoi. She smiled at Aoi despite the pain throughout her body. "We will get you out of here safely, Aoi-san. Please trust us."

"Ruri…" Aoi couldn't say anything anymore. She frowned. She felt so useless.

"Before we start again, I want to ask one thing. What have you done to my brother?" Ruri asked the two.

"You mean Shun Kurosaki? Dunno if he is still alive or dead, but we are sure Tsukasa defeated him when the portal at the temple first opened." Shing answered.

"Tsukasa left him after he defeated him. Since you said he was not seen again after that, I can only think that he went into the portal and Chase after Tsukasa, which he failed to do. Who knows where your brother is now." Rowan explained in more detail.

"I see..." Ruri gazed down sadly before raising her head again with steeled resolve.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Nightingale Tweets! I can add 2 Level 4 or lower Lyrical Luscinia Monsters from my Deck to my hand!" Ruri added Sapphire Swallow and Ruby Reed to her hand.

"I summon Sapphire Swallow from my hand!" Ruri summoned Sapphie Swallow in Attack Position.

"When I control a Lyrical Luscinia Monster, I can Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia – Ruby Reed (ATK: 100 / DEF: 200 / LV: 1) from my hand!" Ruri summoned a Ruby Reed in Attack Position.

"When Ruby Reed is Special Summoned, I can Special Summon one Level 1 Lyrical Luscinia Monster from my Deck!" Ruri summoned Lyrical Luscinia – Emerald Nuthatch (ATK: 100 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1) in Attack Position from her Deck.

"I overlay Sapphire Swallow, Ruby Reed, and Emerald Nuthatch! Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and raise courage with your dance! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Xyz Summon! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia – Recite Starling (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / RNK: 1 / ORU: 3)!" Ruri summoned Recite Starling in Attack Position.

"I activate Rank-Up Magic: Lyrical Luscinia – Egg Hatch! I can use this card and a Lyrical Luscinia Xyz Monster as Xyz Materials to special summon an Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck with one Rank higher than the Xyz Monster I control!" Ruri opened the Overlay Network using Recite Starling and the Rank-Up Magic Card.

"Birds with colorful wings! Gather on the battlefield and sing the song of hope! Xyz Summon! Rank 2! Lyrical Luscinia – Opera Nightingale (ATK: 200 / DEF: 200 / RNK: 2 / ORU: 2)!" Ruri summoned Opera Nightingale in Attack Position.

"It's the same monster she used against me!" Aoi remarked. Her hope rose up. Opera Nightingale has strong effect. They could turn the tide with it.

"I activate Opera Nightingale's effect! If this card is Xyz summoned, it gains 400 ATK for each Level 3 or lower Lyrical Luscinia monsters in my Graveyard!" There were 8 Level 1 Lyrical Luscinia monsters in her Graveyard, so its ATK became 3400.

"I activate Opera Nightingale's effect! I detach an Overlay Unit to lower my opponent's monster's ATK equal to half of Opera Nightingale's current ATK!" Ruri decreased Garlandolf's ATK by 1700, making its current ATK 1000.

"Battle! I attack Garlandolf with Opera Nightingale!" Opera Nightingale flapped its wings, sending gust of winds coated in green sparks of energies, making it look like a pixie dusk.

"Trap Card: Divine Protection! I banish a LIGHT Ritual Monster from my Graveyard to negate the destruction of a Ritual Monster I control and halve the damage!" Rowan banished Northwemko, creating a shield that blocking Opera Nightingale's wind from Garlandolf.

 **ROWAN & SHING LP: 2800 = 1600**

"We almost have them…!" Ruri gritted her teeth in the edge of frustration.

"Too bad, girlie. You need to do more than that. Hurry up end your Turn so I can make my move." Shing told the Lyrical Luscinia user.

"I end my Turn." Ruri concluded. At this moment, Opera Nightingale's effect ended, returning Garlandolf's ATK to normal.

"My Turn! Draw!" Shing looked at the card he drew and his grin widened. He turned to Rowan. "Hey, Rowan, you don't mind me using your monster, right?"

"If that can lead us to win this Duel, then you may do as you please." Rowan replied.

"From my hand, I activate Magic Card: Inverz Generation. I can special summon a Level 4 or lower Inverz Monster from my hand or Deck." Shing summoned Inverz All-Purpose Form (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 0 / LV: 2) in Attack Position.

"Inverz All-Purpose Form can be treated as 2 tributes. I release it to Advance Summon Inverz Gazus (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 0 / LV: 8)!" Shing summoned Inverz Gazus in Attack Position.

"I activate Inverz Gazus' effect! When this card is Advance Summoned using 2 Inverz monsters, I can either destroy all monsters on the Field beside this card or destroy all Spell and Trap on the Field." Shing revealed.

"Another effect that destroy monsters on the Field?!" Aoi exclaimed in disbelieve. To make it worse, the effect doesn't require LP to be activated like other inverz monsters.

"Of course, I destroy all monsters on the Field except this card!" Shing declared, activating Gazus' effect. Inverz Gazus' body was covered in sinister red energies as the monster crossed its arms in front of it. Its eyes glinted briefly before it opened its arms, unleashing red energy waves that shook the entire room.

"Nightingale Tweet's effect! I banish it from Graveyard to negate destruction of a Lyrical Luscinia Monster I control until the end of this Turn!" Ruri banished her Magic Card, allowing Opera Nightingale to endure the destructive wave, leaving only Garlandolf to be destroyed.

"Too naïve." Shing stated as he picked a card from his hand. "I activate Quick-Play Spell: Inverz Machination! When an Inverz Monster I control destroyed non-Inverz monsters either through Battle of card effect, the Inverz Monster gains that Monster's half of its ATK when destroyed!" Shing added half of Garlandolf's ATK to Gazus, increasing its ATK to 4150.

"An ATK of 4150?!" Yuzu exclaimed in surprise.

"It's higher than Opera Nightingale!" Ruri remarked in dismay.

"Battle! I attack Opera Nightingale with Inverz Gazus! Even though Opera Nightingale cannot be destroyed, you'll still take damage!" Shing reminded as Gazus made its attack at the Xyz Monster. It punched Opera Nightingale on its chin before throwing it down by grabbing its head and crushed it to the floor. The floor shook from the impact of the fall, causing Yuzu and Ruri to lose their footing as they received the damage.

 **YUZU & RURI LP: 1800 = 1050**

"Due to Inverz Machination's effect, Gazus can attack one more time!" Shing revealed as Gazus continued to repeatedly punch Opera Nightingale, not giving the Xyz Monster the chance to recover, punching it further down to the floor.

 **YUZU & RURI LP: 1050 = 300**

"I end my Turn. Phew. That was stress relieving. Our next Turn will be the end for both of you. I suggest you say your prayers now, girls." Shing told Yuzu and Ruri.

"The Duel…is not…over yet…!" Yuzu insisted as she stood up again.

"We have promised that we will take Aoi-san out of this place…and we intend to keep that promise…!" Ruri responded.

Yuzu and Ruri knew though, that despite saying that, they were clearly at the corner. Neither of them has any card on their hands nor set card. Even if they use Opera Nightingale's effect to defeat Inverz Gazus, Rowan and Shing will still have enough LP to turn the tide again once Yuzu's Turn was over. This Turn would be their decisive Turn. The card that Yuzu will draw this Turn will determine the outcome of this Duel.

Yuzu prepared to start her Draw Phase when a voice halted her. Ruri, Shing, and Rowan seemed to hear the same thing. The voices came like whispers, echoing throughout the whole room. And then they saw them. Shadowed figures began to appear one after another, surrounding them. Yuzu and Ruri recognized their voices. They were the voices they heard when they freed Aoi. These voices belonged to them. Belonged to the people who became Duel Monsters in this place.

"I see. They are fragments of Duel Monster spirits that ended up as failures and being disposed." Rowan stated as he looked at the spirits.

"Failures?" Yuzu's head shot up.

"Yeah. They died and reborn as Duel Monsters, but they were deemed as failures, not strong enough for use, so they were disposed than being kept as unnecessary luggage." Rowan explained.

"Start as trashes and end as trashes. Fitting for them." Shing sneered dismissively at the spirits.

Yuzu's blood boiled. Yuzu couldn't take it—her blood was boiling and she felt so angry she could hardly see. The ones who were deemed failures here, while they were criminals, she sensed kindness within them. They did crimes not because they wanted to, not because they liked it.

 _"People like us who are able to hear their voices and communicate with Duel Monsters are the ones who should have understood this more than anybody. It's not something you can understand just by somebody telling you. You must realize it on your own. Then you take that trust and use it to deepen the bond you have with your monsters."_

Yuzu recalled Johan's words. These Duel Monsters wanted to fight. They wanted to prove themselves and then found their peace. She knew what she must do. She will take that feeling, and carry them from now on.

" _Please, lend me your strength."_ Yuzu said.

The spirits then gathered together and entered Yuzu's Extra Deck, making it shine bright. Yuzu then saw a silhouette. The silhouette of the monster, born from the combined lost souls. They were answering her.

"My Turn!" Yuzu finally began her Draw Phase. With Shing's Turn ended, Inverz Gazus' ATK reverted to normal. She looked at the card she drew. Her prayer has been answered.

"From my hand, I summon Edea the Melodious Diva (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 300 / LV: 3)!" Yuzu summoned Edea in Attack Position.

"When Edea is normal summoned, I can add a Melodious Monster from my Deck to my hand!" Yuzu added Prodigy Mozart into her hand from her Deck.

"Appear, the circuit of our harmony!" Yuzu opened the Link Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is one Melodious Monster! I set Edea the Melodious Diva and Lyrical Luscinia Opera Nightingale in the Link Marker! Circuit Combine!" Yuzu set Edea on the Right arrow while Opera Nightingale on the Left arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Prodigy Stradivarius the Floral Melodious Maestra (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / LM: Right, Left)!" Yuzu summoned a female monster crystal-blue hair and green eyes. Its skin was fair, and its delicate attire was extravagant yet modestly elegant. It was wearing a large, decorated white dress adorned with a large, pink rose on its chest, as well as a luminescent, bridal-like veil that follows peacefully down its back. Its petite crown rests atop its head, surrounded by a large, white bow that compliments its dress. It was holding a blue-colored violin.

"The spirits fused into 1 Link Monster?!" Shing expressed genuine surprise.

"Something like that was possible?" Rowas was also visibly surprised.

"I activate Prodigy Stradivarius' effect! On the Turn this card is Link Summoned, I can special summon a Melodious Monster to the zone pointed by its Link Arrow from my hand but it cannot attack this Turn!" Yuzu summoned Prodigy Mozart in the zone pointed by the Right Arrow.

"Battle! I attack Inverz Gazus with Prodigy Stradivarius!" Yuzu declared attack.

"I activate Prodigy Stradivarius' effect! When there's a Monster pointed by its Link Marker, it cannot be destroyed by Special Summoned Monsters and any destruction and Battle Damage involving this card is inflicted to the opponent instead!" Prodigy Stradivarius played its violin, creating soundwaves that cleared the dark atmosphere inside the room.

 **ROWAN & SHING LP: 1600 = 800**

"We still have LP–" Shing pointed out, but got interrupted by Yuzu's sharp look.

"When Prodigy Stradivarius destroyed a monster, it can inflict damage to the player by 900 for each monster pointed by its Link Arrow!" Yuzu revealed as Prodigy Stradivarius played a new song, unleashing colorful musical notes that surrounded Rowan and Shing and exploded, depleting their LPs.

 **ROWAN & SHING LP: 800 = 0**

"You won!" Aoi cheered, running towards Yuzu and Ruri who were close to exhausted. Rowan and Shing were still trying to get ahold of themsleves after the explosion. They couldn't move. "This is our chance! Let's get out of here!"

"Right! Let's–"

A blast shocked them, which followed by another explosion. The room started to be engulfed in burning flames, burning all the records and data kept there. As the girls were thinking what happened, they heard a low moan and turned to see one of the researchers. One of them was still alive and was holding a remote. Explosive remote. It wasn't difficult why he did so. He intended to keep this place a secret. To make sure the public won't find out, any witness must be eliminated.

"We have to get out of here! Now!" Yuzu yelled in panic.

The girls went towards the exit as quicly as they could. Shing and Rowan have disappeared first. They seemed to have retreated the moment the explosion occurred. The three girls went upstairs, Yuzu at the front and Ruri on the back. Yuzu came out first. Before Aoi and Ruri could come out, the ceiling above fell. Ruri pushed Aoi forward, allowing her to get out. However, she got hit by the falling ceiling, causing her to stumble down.

"Ruri!" Aoi tried to reac for her, but the exit was blocked by the falling ceiling. More flames then came out, forcing them to move back.

"Ruri! We have to help her!" Aoi told Yuzu, her hand trying to reach for where they came.

"I know! But if we go now we will be burn as well!" Yuzu yelled back. She wanted nothing more but to help her Xyz counterpart, but at this rate the flame will reach them.

"Stand back."

Yuzu and Aoi jumped from shock when they herd voice behind them. A person in light blue robes was standing behind them, raising Duel Disk. The two girls, not understanding why themselves, opened path for the mysterious person.

"Come forth! Raid Raptors – Napalm Dragonius!"

Yuzu and Aoi were taken aback when the person in light blue robes all of a sudden summoned his monster. But Yuzu was even more surprised by the monster he summoned. There was only one person she knew who used that monster.

"Kurosaki?!" Yuzu called out, but she was being ignored.

Napalm Dragonius created path intot he exit and went down with its master. Yuzu and Aoi were too dumbstrucked to do anything let alone reacting further. They coud only stand there, staring at the path until Napalm Dragonius came out again. The Raid Raptors' master was holding Ruri in bridal style. She was uncoscious from the fall. The Raid Raptors Monster then took Aoi and Yuzu onto its wings as they made their way out from the hallway.

"Kurosaki! You're Kurosaki, right?!" Yuzu called out again, but he didn't respond. Vein popped on her head at being ignored. "Answer me, Shun Kurosaki!"

"Shun Kurosaki?" Aoi blinked. Wasn't that the name of Ruri's missing brother? And that also makes him Yuzu's older brother since they were twins. So why did Yuzu called him 'Kurosaki'?

"Yuzu! Look!" Aoi pointed out as she noticed people ahead. One of them was Rio.

"Johan-san! Rio-san!" Yuzu called out as Johan and Rio waved their hands.

Napalm Dragonious then landed right in front of Johan and Rio, safely delivering the girls to them. The flame won't reach them here as he has turned on the sprinkles that were not provided in the hallway where Aoi was being held, but near here, there were many. The flames would died out soon enough.

"Thank goodness the three of you are okay!" Johan said in relief.

"I-I'm sorry! We'll explain everything later! But first, Yuya and the others…" Yuzu didn't get to finish as Johan rubbed her head.

"Don't worry. Yuno and the others will help them." Johan assured her.

"Ruri is okay. There are bruises and burns, but it's not life-threatening." Rio assured Aoi and Yuzu after checking her student and gave some first aid kit. Ruri was uncoscious from the hit and inhaling smoke, but she'll recover with clean air and some rest.

"Thank goodness…" Aoi fell on her knees from relief. She was on the verge of tears. If something worse happened to Ruri, she could never forgive herself.

"Wait, Kurosaki!" Yuzu shouted as she noticed the young man in blue robes jumped onto Napalm Dragonius' back again.

"Kurosaki, why won't you say anything?! Where have you been?! Why didn't you appear before us sooner?!" Yuzu asked again and again, but she still received no respond from him. Why was he being all silent?

"…Brother…"

The man flinched when Ruri called out weakly. They turned and saw she was still uncoscious. She must have said it in her sleep. Yuzu noticed 'Kurosaki' raised his hand as if trying to reach for Ruri, but he then clenched it and placed it back to his side. He nodded at Napalm Dragonius who shot Fire Bomb above, creating hole until the top, revealing blue sky above. He and his monser then flew up, ignoring shouts that demanded him not to go. He didn't look back for even a second, leaving the people below bewildered.

"I don't understand…Kurosaki…" Yuzu murmured in concern, wondering the cold shoulders given by the Raid Raptors user.

 **HALLWAY – UNDERGROUND PRISON – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Ouch, ouch! That hurt…" Shing said lazily while licking his wound.

"I didn't expect that the spirits could do that either. This would be a useful information for His Excellency." Rowan said calmly while bandaging his burn arm.

"How about Tsukasa and the others?" Shing asked.

"They're still on their way to their target." Rowan replied as he checked his Duel Disk.

"And our spy?" Shing asked again.

"We'll meet with him after this mission is over." Rowan replied again as he finished his bandage before standing up. He looked down at Shing who was still tending to his wounds. "Make it quick. We still have one more thing to do."

"Perhaps you would be amenable to telling me where that rendezvous point is," came the cold, angry voice.

Rowan and Shing tended. They felt their own hearts almost slide into their throats as they looked up, and found their way blocked by the silhouette of the third member of The Brotherood's The World squad.

"Ryoga Kamishiro…"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Hypocritical Forgiveness –** Yuto and Yugo receives Yuya's message of the false path, so they decide to return. However, to their surprise, Geist and Neon appear before them as they learn more about the secret experiments done by Heidel.

* * *

 **FANFIC ORIGINAL CARD MEMO:**

 **Inverz Recognition:** When you control an Inverz Monster, you can perform Normal or Advance Summon for the second time. (Magic Card)

 **Storm of Melodies:** When a Melodious Monster you control is destroyed, your opponent cannot attack until the end of this Turn. You can banish this card to summon back the Melodious Monster destroyed to trigger this card's activation. (Trap Card)

 **Divine Grace:** When Ritual Monster you control is destroyed by Battle, you can negate the damage and add half of the ATK of the destroyed Ritual Monster into LP while inflict damage equal to the recovered LP. (Trap Card)

 **Maestra's Concerto:** You can banish a Melodious Maestra or Meisterin monster in your Graveyard to lower the damage equal to its original ATK. (Trap Card)

 **Divine Protection:** You can banish a LIGHT Ritual Monster from your Graveyard to negate the destruction of a Ritual Monster you control and halve the damage. (Trap Card)

 **Inverz Generation:** You can special summon a Level 4 or lower Inverz Monster from your hand or Deck. (Magic Card)

 **Inverz Machination:** When an Inverz Monster you control destroyed non-Inverz monsters either through Battle of card effect, the Inverz Monster gains that Monster's half of its ATK when destroyed. The targeted Inverz Monster can attack one more time. (Trap Card)

 **Edea the Melodious Diva:** (ANGEL / LIGHT / EFFECT / ATK: 1200 / DEF: 300 / LV: 3). When Edea is normal summoned, you can add a Melodious Monster from your Deck to your hand.

 **Prodigy Stradivarius the Floral Melodious Maestra:** (ANGEL / LIGHT / LINK / ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / LM: Right, Left). On the Turn this card is Link Summoned, you can special summon a Melodious Monster to the zone pointed by its Link Arrow from your hand but it cannot attack this Turn. When there's a Monster pointed by its Link Marker, this card cannot be destroyed by Special Summoned Monsters and any destruction and Battle Damage involving this card is inflicted to the opponent instead. When Prodigy Stradivarius destroyed a monster, it can inflict damage to the player by 900 for each monster pointed by its Link Arrow.

* * *

 **Finish! Not sure about the Duel, but I personally felt satisfied with Yuzu's first Link Monster. Hope you like it. I actually thinking hard whether to make Yuzu and Ruri win or lose, but then I remembered that for the past few chapters, they have been losing, so I decided to make them win this way. The fanfic original cards will be included later. And sorry for any mistake/error, that will be checked and fixed later.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter~**


	29. Hypocritical Forgiveness

**Big thanks to** _ **Yuka Kuroshiro, Playerhood18, Ulrich362, Unknowedz, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Meemo, dvdryms, Big duels, Elbarto4000, SSJGamerYT, GamingGuy84**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **HALLWAY – UNDERGROUND PRISON – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Ryoga Kamishiro..." Rowan murmured as he faced the said person.

"Finally, we meet again, Rowan." Shark glared at Rowan, almost not minding Shing beside the latter. "I'm going to have you return that body."

Rowan held his chest. "The owner of this body is already no more. You should've known that. Even if you expel me from this body, there will be nothing left but a corpse. What do wish to accomplish by retrieving this body?" He questioned.

"I know. But I can't let you to continue using that body to do your dirty works. I'll retrieve it and give a proper burial." Shark replied sharply. His eyes went colder.

"Do I need to remind you that it was your fault from the very beginning the owner of this body was sacrificed to me? And now you said you're going to take it back?" Rowan raised a brow with sarcastic tone in his every word, which angered the Xyz user more.

"Shut up! I'll take his body back no matter what the cost!" Shark said, activating his Duel Disk. No more talking.

"Fool." Rowan responded, activating his Duel Disk as well, followed by Shing.

 **PATH 2 – UNDERGROUND PRISON – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

After for who knows how long and defeated many guards along the way, Yuto and Yugo reached a tunnel. It was tighter than they thought, or maybe that was just the claustrophobia. They shimmied through, sparing a brief glance behind to make sure there wasn't anything wrong on the back and the two of them stick close together.

"Keep close," Yuto called back to Yugo. "We're almost there."

He took a left at the fork, shuffling along, almost sideways to fit. His chest felt tight, and every movement hurt. He found the final trapdoor, and paused to listen. He didn't hear anything up above...the coast was probably clear. Not many people walked in the back hallways where these tunnels lead. He pushed on the door and crawled through into the dark, empty hallway. He crouched in the dark near the door, tucked away in an alcove along the side of the wall. Yugo crawled through after him, and then the next. Yuto and Yugo kept an eye on both sides of the hallway.

"Looks like there are no guards here. Do you think we're on the right track?" Yugo asked Yuto who was holding the map.

"Yuya said that the path he, Yuri, and Yukiya took was the wrong one. And if this map was right, this should be the end of the path we took." Yuto answered.

"Let's continue—"

"Get out of the way!"

Yuto and Yugo almost jumped by the shout. They turned and saw several guards and prisoners coming towards them. Looking at how the prisoners were running with the guards behind them, Yuto and Yugo concluded that the prisoners were staging a prison break or some sort.

"Looks like I concluded too fast." Yuto said as he raised his Duel Disk, ready to duel. Yugo also did the same.

However, as they were closing in, Yuto noticed something else behind them. Yuto had barely stood up when something huge and heavy bowled him over, pinning him to the ground. He heard screams in front of him, felt blood splatter across his hands and onto the floor in front of him—claws were pressing into his back, and he felt hot breath slavering against his neck. He then saw Yugo was also pressed to the cold concrete by something. They couldn't see properly with their bodies being pressed down like this. Just who, or to be precise, what was pinning them down?

However, whatever were pinning them down suddenly shrieked as footsteps came. Whoever came caught their attention more and they removed themselves from Yuto and Yugo. Before Yuto and Yugo could collect themselves and see what was going on, something was thrown near them. Bodies. However, to Yuto and Yugo's shock, it wasn't just an ordinary body. It wasn't even a human. It was a beast. It was a monster. It was like…a Duel Monster. They were even more surprised when the beasts dissolved into energies and went to the people who were standing near. They shuddered when they recognized who they were.

"And now we got new pawns for us to use." Neon said as she looked at the two cards she was holding. They were the earlier monsters they have killed and turned their souls into their servants.

"Heidel sure help making more pawns for us. His Excellency would be pleased." Geist responded.

"What about these dead guards and prisoners? Should we make them pawns too?" Neon asked, looking down at a dead guard on her foot.

"The more the better, but if they're weak then they are useless for us. Elimination time." Geist said.

"Yugo, it's them! We can't just sit here!" Yuto whispered. He didn't know whether to fight them and beat them or just ignore them and get out from the room. In fact, he was thinking both choices were right yet also feels wrong. When his usual loud Synchro counterpart didn't respond to him, he turned to Yugo and surprised to see him petrified completely with his mouth gaped and his eyes widened in fear. His face was pale unlike his usual energetic mood.

"Yugo? What's wrong?" He asked, shaking him.

Yugo slowly recovered and shakily placed his hand on his Xyz counterpart's shoulder with strained expression. He then shook his head and fingered towards the door, telling him that they should just ignore them and quietly get out from the place. This, of course, surprised Yuto. His loud and energetic Synchro counterpart who would usually just got fired up and fight the enemies in front of him chose to run away? Why?

"I cannot do this… I definitely can't…" Yugo uttered.

"W-why?" Yuto asked in confusion. He never saw him like this.

"Because it's her!" Yugo pointed at Neon.

"Y-you're still bothered by the kiss that you don't want to see her to this extent?" Yuto asked again in disbelieve. He knew that Yugo hates Neon, but at the same time what she did last time also made him freak out this much of her?! I thought he had recovered during the school field trip!

"Shut up and let's just go!"

Unconsciously, the Synchro counterpart shouted out of fear. He immediately covered his mouth only at the moment too late as the Apophis servants obviously and easily spotted where they are hiding behind the bodies. Yuto brought out his Duel Disk, preparing to fight while Yugo, much to his shock, petrified…again.

"Yugo-kun~ No way, no way, you're here?!" Neon brightened up. "It's been a long time since we last met at Neo Domino City! Neon missed you so much ever since~" Neon opened her arms, as if wishing to hug him tight, which the Speedroid user returned with many steps back from the young woman.

"DON'T COME NEAR ME!" Yugo ran with his life on the line from the woman who was soon chasing him behind him while Yugo dragged Yuto by the wrist so tightly that Yuto thought it would leave a bruise.

Apparently, the Fabled won't let him get away so easily like she has said a while ago. Neon jumped high and landed in front of Yugo, blocking his way while Geist was blocking the other side behind Yuto.

"That's very rude! I've been waiting for our reunion, and you run away from me! Come on, come here and give this big sis a kiss to celebrate our reunion." Neon said flirtatiously as she took a step forward towards Yugo who stepped back in return.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Yugo yelled back while half-hiding behind Yuto, hissing at the woman like a cat feeling threatened.

"Neon, that's enough. Your attitude also giving me a creep here." Geist told the Demon Roar God user with a sigh. He genuinely felt sympathetic for the Synchro boy. No one even amongst them ever liked becoming the object of Neon's affection. The woman was annoying when she went all flirty. Simply watching her like that was enough to make him wanting to wretch.

"You're so boring, Geist. This is why I don't like you that much." Neon pouted.

"I'm glad that you don't like me. I don't think anyone will ever like being loved by you." Geist replied dryly. He scratched his head before focusing to the two teens again.

"Perfect timing. As ordered by His Excellency, we'll take the two of you with us. We'll need you if we want to find the Four Heavenly Dragons." Geist said, activating his Duel Disk.

Neon then jumped high again, landing beside Geist. In midair right before landing, she has also activated her Duel Disk. She licked her lips as she stared at Yugo, making the boy flinched again, which she found adorable.

"I'm going to have so much fun once we capture you." Neon said with a wink.

"We don't have a choice, let's get this over with quickly, Yugo!" Yuto told his Synchro counterpart.

"Do we really have to…?" Yugo was clearly reluctant. If possible, he never wants to see Neon for the rest of his life ever again. He didn't even want to hear her name.

"Didn't you say that you will beat her up the next time you fight her?! Show your tact!" Yuto scolded. He couldn't believe that his Synchro counterpart was acting this way.

"R-right…!" Yugo tried to focus on the anger he felt when Neon not only…made a move on him, but also threatened the children at the orphanage and Rin. Thinking about Rin, she would have scolded him harder if she was here.

"That's right! I will never forgive you for everything you did! I'll beat you to a pulp!" Yugo declared, regaining his spirit as he activated his Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'll take the first Turn! I Summon Phantom Knights Dusty Robe (ATK: 800 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3)!" Yuto summoned Dusty Robe in Attack Position.

"Since I control Level 3 Phantom Knights Monster, I can Special Summon Phantom Knights Silent Boots (ATK: 200 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 3) from my hand!" Yuto summoned Silent Boots in Attack Position as well. With two Level 3 Monsters on his Field, he opened the Overlay Network.

"I Overlay Dusty Robe and Silent Boots! Soul of the Knights who fall on the battlefield. Now revive, become the light that rend the darkness! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 3! Phantom Knights Break Sword (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1000 / RNK: 3)!" Yuto summoned Break Sword in Attack Position before picking a card in his hand.

"I activate Continuous Magic Card: Phantom Knights Menace! When we perform Xyz Summon, we can inflict 200 damages to our opponent!" As Yuto announced, Break Sword pointed its sword at Geist and Neon, sending two purple energy spheres that the two evaded with a jump back.

 **GEIST & NEON LP: 4000 = 3800**

"I Set 2 cards and end my Turn." Yuto concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Magibullet Musketeer Caspar (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 3)!" Geist summoned Musketeer Caspar in Attack Position.

"Musketeer Caspar's effect! Once, during either player's Turn, I can activate Magibullet Magic or Trap Cards from my hand. I activate Magic Card: Magibullet Cross-Dominator! If I control a Magibullet Monster, I can target 1 face-up Monster on the Field. Until the end of this Turn its ATK and DEF becomes 0 and its effects are negated!" Geist targeted Break Sword. Caspar pointed its gun at the Phantom Knights monster, shooting it. The bullets planted inside Break Sword then exploded, making holes in the Phantom Knights Monster's body and weakening it whose ATK and DEF were reduced to nothing.

"When Magic or Trap Card is activated in this card's column, I can add 1 Magibullet from my Deck to my hand but with different name." Geist added a new Magibullet monster into his hand.

"Battle! I attack Break Sword with Magibullet Musketeer Caspar!" Geist declared attack. Caspar pointed its gun once more at its designated target, this time with more powerful shots. Before the bullets could reach the Phantom Knights monster, Yuto pressed the screen of his Duel Disk.

"Trap Card: Phantom Fog Blade! I negate your monster's attack, and that monster cannot attack, be attacked, or targeted by card effects as long as this card is active on the Field!" Yuto negated the attack as a phantom sword strikes Caspar, sealing its movement completely.

"Nice counter. I set 1 card and end my Turn." Geist concluded.

"My Turn! While I control no Monster, I can Special Summon Speedroid Beigomax (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 3)!" Yugo Special Summoned Beigomax in Attack Position.

"And then, I Normal Summon Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice (ATK: 100 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1)!" Lastly, Yugo lastly summoned Red-Eyed Dice also in Attack Position.

"I tune Beigomax with Red-Eyed Dice! The thousand-faced shadow of the maze, slash through the chaotic darkness with your sharp blade! Synchro Summon! Level 4! High-Speedroid Sharp Sword Revolt Rip Zuru (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 4)!" Yugo summoned Rip Zuru in Attack Position.

"Magic Card: Speedroid Taser! I destroy a Trap Card I control on the Field to add a Speedroid Monster from my Deck to my hand!" Yugo activated his Magic Card from his hand, destroying Phantom Fog Blade to not only add a Speedroid Monster from his Deck to his hand, but also to allow his monster to attack Caspar.

"Battle! I attack Magibullet Musketeer Caspar with Rip Zuru!" Yugo declared attack. Rip Zuru moved, and in a flash, it appeared in front of Caspar like a ninja. With its arm blade, the High-Speedroid Monster strikes the Magibullet monster, destroying it.

 **GEIST & NEON LP: 3800 = 3700**

"Since this is a Tag Duel, Break Sword is my monster too! I attack directly with Break Sword!" Yugo declared attack with Yuto's monster. Break Sword swung its sword down at Geist and Neon who quickly jumped out of the way as Break Sword's broadsword crushed the floor, creating quite a huge hole from the wave impact of its power.

 **GEIST & NEON LP: 3700 = 1700**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yugo concluded. He smirked at the two opponents. "Take that! We're gonna take you out here in this Duel once and for all!"

"Fufufu. It's good to be so energetic and confident, Yugo-kun, but don't forget that neither of us have shown our full power." Neon reminded, her eyes narrowed coldly. Yugo shuddered as he could feel murderous intent from her eyes. Despite this, Yugo still stood straight like nothing happened. Neon giggled. She was liking this boy more and more.

"My Turn! During my Main Phase I can discard 1 Demon Roar God Monster to special summon Demon Roar God Beast Nozuchi (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 800 / LV: 2) from my hand!" Neon discarded Lurrier to special summon Nozuchi in Attack Position.

"When Demon Roar God Lurrie (ATK: 200 / DEF: 400 / LV: 1) is discarded to the Graveyard, I can special summon it!" Neon summoned Lurrie that she just discarded in Attack Position on her Field.

"And then I summon Tuner Monster, Demon Roar God Beast Chawa (ATK: 200 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1) from my hand!" She summoned Chawa in Attack Position from her hand, alarming Yugo and Yuto of what's going to come.

"I tune Nozuchi and Lurrie with Chawa! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 4! Demon Roar God Beast Kudabbe (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 1100 / LV: 4)!" Neon summoned Kudabbe in Attack Position.

"Battle! I attack Break Sword with Kudabbe!" Neon declared attack. The small white demon on Kudabbe's back flew towards Break Sword, folllowed by Kudabbe. The white demon spread dusks that brought Break Sword to its knees. Kudabbe raised its feet and then jumped, stomping the Xyz Monster to its destruction.

 **YUTO & YUGO LP: 4000 = 3800**

"I activate Rank-Up Magic: Phantom Knights Charge! When a Phantom Knights Xyz Monster I control is destroyed by Battle, I can special summon a Phantom Knights Xyz Monster that two ranks higher from Extra Deck using this card and the destroyed monster as materials!" Yuto opened his second facedown card immediately after his monster was destroyed, changing the card and Break Sword into energies that went into the Overlay Network.

"Rank-Up Xyz Change! Come forth! Phantom Knights – Assembly Dragoon (ATK: 3100 / DEF: 2300 / RNK: 5 / ORU: 2)!" Yuto summoned Assembly Dragoon in Attack Position.

"Not bad. I like you. I set a card and end my Turn." Neon concluded.

"Don't want to be liked by her, Yuto! Plus, you already have Ruri!" Yugo told his Xyz counterpart as well as reminding him.

"Calm down, Yugo. You're fussing too much." Yuto sighed as his Synchro counterpart's unnecessary concern.

"That's right, Yugo-kun. You're still my number 1." Neon replied, making Yugo paled once more.

"Enough." Yuto suddenly said, halting them. His eyes shifted to the bodies. "Before we start again, I want to ask, what were those beasts that killed these people?"

Yugo blinked at Yuto's question. Now that he mentioned it, his curiosity kicked in again. He wanted to know too just what exactly these beasts were and why they were down here in the first place.

"You mean these? They are Duel Monsters who were formerly humans." Neon answered while showing the cards of the beasts.

"What?! Duel Monsters who were formerly humans?!" Yuto exclaimed in disbelieve.

"The Oracle hasn't told you yet? Since ancient times there are many cases of humans who died and then be reborn as Duel Monsters given the right trigger." Geist explained further.

"Humans…reborn as Duel Monsters? That's…" Yugo didn't know what to say at the information. It sounded absurd, but with the many bizarre things that happened in this dimension, it didn't feel so far-fetched.

"We didn't do this to them though. Heidel was the one who conducted experiments here to create powerful Duel Monsters to defeat us." Geist revealed.

"Heidel Aberforth?! This is his doing?!" Yuto exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes. He is conducting experiment to find a way to create powerful Due Monsters aside from natural means." Neon nodded in confirmation.

"Natural means? What do you mean?" Yugo asked.

"You see originally there were only three ways for humans to become Duel Monsters. First is humans died because of something and presumably their strong souls or strong feelings allowed them to be reborn as Duel Monsters naturally. Second is through His Excellency's power. His Excellency has the power to forcefully turned humans' souls into Duel Monsters serving him. Third is through Ma'at's power. Like His Excellency, Ma'at has the power to turn humans' souls into Duel Monsters at will. However, unlike His Excellency, Ma'at would ask for the souls' consent first." Geist explained while raising three fingers for each of the way humans could be reborn as Duel Monsters.

"But Heidel have found two new ways to turn humans into Duel Monsters. First is by killing the human to extract his soul and then create pressure that would turn the soul into Duel Monster. Second is by mixing the blood of Duel Monsters who manifested physically in this world into human bodies. Those beasts you saw were the latter case." Neon explained. The ones who became beasts earlier had been injected with Duel Monster's blood that caused severe mutation, like a chimera. Once they became hybrids as one could call it, they were killed in that form, turning them into a complete Duel Monster.

"You're saying he's sacrificing the lives of the people here for his own ends? Heh, he is no different from you. Are you sure the two of you are not allies?" Yugo asked sarcastically with clear disgust on his face. Prisoner or not, that doesn't give anyone the right to take their lives like this. This was too cruel.

Geist snorted at the remark. "Please. Don't compare His Excellency and us to that lowly human. Although, as much as it pains me to admit it, we do have a little bit same way of thinking." He spat back. The moment he first lay his eyes on Heidel, he hated the man. And not only him, the rest of his brethren were the same. They didn't like the man either. He was offended to be compared with that man. While he admitted they have similarities, they were superior to him.

Yuto and Yugo gritted their teeth and clenched their fists so tight they almost bleed. Their bodies were trembling in anger they had never experienced before. The war a year ago, what Academia had done, were horrible. It had robbed the happiness and lives of countless people. But this? As far as they knew, not counting the Doctor and Sanders, the Academia never gone this far. Robbing people their lives as humans as they were treated as guinea pigs and then enslaved them when they were reborn as Duel Monsters. Academia's atrocity felt pale all of a sudden in comparison with this.

"Playing with human lives as you please and force their souls to serve you… I'll never let either you or Heidel get away with this!" Yuto declared, becoming all more determined to win.

"Yeah! We'll defeat every last one of you freaks! We won't let even a single one of you get away!" Yugo added, glaring at the two opponents.

"My Turn! I attack Demon Roar God Beast Kudabbe with Assembly Dragoon!" Yuto declared attack at the Synchro Monster. Assembly Dragoon ran forward, twirling its spear in preparation to stab Kudabbe.

Neon opened her facedown card. "Trap Card: Blight of the Demon Roar God! I banish a Demon Roar God Monster in my Graveyard to negate the attack on a Demon Roar God I control and lower the ATK of the opposing Monster equal to the banished monster!" She banished Nozuchi, negating the attack and lowered Assembly Dragoon's ATK to 1900.

"Don't get too cocky now, boys. We may look like this, but we have thousand years' experience than you do. You think we can beat us so easily? The last time was because we were holding back." Neon reminded. Her voice was colder than before and her eyes were more serious.

"There are times that experience doesn't matter. And we'll make sure of that now. I set a card and end my Turn." Yuto concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand, I special summon Magibullet Musketeer Star (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1700 / LV: 4)!" Geist summoned Star in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Magibullet – Never-Endorphin. I double the ATK and DEF of Musketeer Star!" Geist increased Musketeer Star's ATK to 2600 and DEF to 3400.

"When a Magic or Trap is activated in Musketeer Star's column, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Magibullet Monster from my Deck in Defense Position." Geist summoned Magibullet Musketeer Calamity in Defense Position.

"Following Calamity's effect, I activate Continuous Trap Card: Magibullet – Devil's Deal from my hand! Magibullet Monster I control cannot be destroyed by card effect." A red transparent barrier briefly appeared surrounding all of Geist's Magibullet monsters, showing they received protection.

"As a Trap Card is activated in Musketeer Calamity's column, I activate its effect. I can special summon a Magibullet Monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position." Geist revived Caspar in Attack Position.

"I release Magibullet Musketeer Caspar to Advance Summon! Appear! Level 8! Magibullet Demon Zamiel (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 8)!" Geist summoned his ace Monster in Attack Position. Like other Magibullet monsters, it also shared the same effect, allowing Geist to activate a Magic or Trap from his hand again.

"I activate Magic Card: Bullet Power! I can increase the ATK of a Magibullet monster I control equal to the ATK of another Magibullet I control and then draw 1 card!" Geist increased Demon Zamiel's ATK equal to Star's doubled ATK, making the former's current ATK 5100. He then added a card from his Deck.

"Lastly, I activate Equip Spell: Magibullet's Robe! Magibullet Monster I control cannot be targeted by Magic or Trap effects." Geist equipped the card to his ace Monster, draping a red robe with the same blood color as its wings on Demon Zamiel's back.

"Battle! I attack Assembly Dragoon with Magibullet Demon Zamiel!" Geist declared attack. Demon Zamiel pointed its two muskets at Assembly Dragoon. Zamiel let out a gleeful laugh before finally making its shots. Magic Circles appeared in front of the two guns as the Magibullet Monster shot its bullets. The Xyz Monster's body was pushed behind by the barrage of bullets that created holes in its body. Demon Zamiel made one last shot that hit its head, sending Assembly Dragoon fall to the ground on its back before disappearing.

 **YUTO & YUGO LP: 3800 = 600**

"I end my Turn." Geist stared calmly at his opponents. Following his end of Turn, his Monsters' ATKs returned to normal. "Now, you just said you're not going to let us get away, but I've just turn the tide. What are you going two going to do now?"

Yugo growled. "Don't talk like you're gonna win for sure! We can still do more!" He retorted and started his Turn.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Tuner Monster Speedroid Den-Den Archduke (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 600 / LV: 3)!" Yugo summoned Archduke in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Hot Dice! The Level of a Monster I control is increased equal to the number of dice shown!" Yugo summoned a red-colored dice and stared to spin it. The dice spin for around 10 seconds before it stopped at number 1, increasing Rip Zuru's Level to 5. Yugo smiled widely at the result.

"I tune High-Speedroid Sharp Sword Revolt Rip Zuru with Speedroid Den-Den Archduke! Spread those wings shining with scared light. Strike down your enemies with that radiance! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 8, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 8)!" Yugo summoned Crystal Wing in Attack Position.

"Battle! I attack Magibullet Demon Zamiel with Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon! When Crystal Wing battled Level 5 or higher Monster, it gains the target's ATK!" Yugo increased his dragon's ATK to 5500 as Crystal Wing began its signature attack, flying towards the demonic monster.

"Unfortunately, boy, that won't be enough." Geist stated as he stared calmly at the incoming attack, so did Neon who didn't look perturbed.

"What?!" Yugo exclaimed in confusion.

"I activate Bullet Power's effect in Graveyard! By banishing this card, Magibullet Monster I control cannot be destroyed and the damage is halved!" Geist banished his Magic Card from his Graveyard, enabling Zamiel to block and endure Crystal Wing's attack.

 **GEIST & NEON LP: 1700 = 200**

"Urgh...! Damn it! I end my Turn." Yugo cursed. He almost has them!

"Don't fret, Yugo-kun. I'll make sure to take good care of you once this Duel is over." Neon told the younger boy. To her, victory has already been assured.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Demon Roar God Beast Cerburrel (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 400 / LV: 2)!" Neon summoned Cerburrel in Attack Position.

"Yugo-kun, now I shall show you my strongest Monster!" Neon's eyes glinted with excitement, her grin was close to manic.

"I tune Magibullet Musketeer Star and Demon Roar God Kedubbe with Demon Roar God Beast Cerburrel! Synchro Summon! Level 10! Demon Roar God Leviathan (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 10)!" Neon summoned her strongest ace monster in Attack Position.

"Also, I activate Equip Spell: Demon Roar God's Golden Armor! Demon Roar God Monster equipped with this card gain 400 ATK and can attack twice!" Neon equipped it to Leviathan, changing its armor and increased its ATK to 3400.

"What?! It can attack twice?!" Yugo exclaimed in disbelieve. If Leviathan attacks, he and Yuto would be finished. Yugo shook his head. No, they still have his Crystal Wing's effect.

"I'm going to play safe for this one, Yugo-kun." Neon stated, unnerving Yugo. "I activate Cerburrel's second effect. I banish it from Graveyard to negate my opponent's monster's effect until my next Standby Phase."

"What?!"

"Battle! I attack Cyrstal Wing Synchro Dragon with Demon Roar God Leviathan!" Neon declared attack, directing Leviathan to the Synchro Monster whose effect has been negated. Leviathan flapped its red wings and flew towards the dragon. Leviathan's hands were covered in deep crimson aura with the monster's hands formed into fists.

"When my opponent's monster declares attack, I can activate Rainbow Kuriboh's effect from my hand! I can equip it to my opponent, and that Monster cannot attack!" Yuto equipped Rainbow Kuriboh to Leviathan, effectively stopping its attack.

"I give you an A for stopping my attack, but can you finish us off in your next Turn?" Neon said as she revealed her last card in her hand and activated.

"I activate Magic Card: Fusion Spring. For the next three Turns, players cannot summon monsters from Extra Deck except Fusion Monsters." Neon revealed, surprising Yuto and Yugo, especially the latter.

"I end my Turn. Now, feel free to make your move. But you cannot summon monsters from Extra Deck except Fusion Monsters, and as far as we know, both of you are not using Fusion Monsters." Neon laughed softly. She was enjoying the troubled look on Yuto's face.

Inwardly, Yugo was calm. Their mentors have already warned them about Neon's card. She usually will use that card once she summoned her strongest Monster to prevent them from summoning any monster that could overpower it. So, in preparation, Yuno, with the help of Ryo, had given them at least one Fusion Monster just in case. But of course, neither Neon and Geist knew of this. Yuto would surely take them by surprise...

"Yuto? What's wrong?" Yugo noticed the conflicted expression on Yuto's face. Why did he look like that? He shouldn't have any problem. They could still win this Duel, so why Yuto looked so troubled?

"Even if you have Fusion Monster, you can't use it, right?" Geist referred to Yuto, making the two boys turned to him.

"You can't use it. You don't want to use it because it's the same Summoning Method used by the people who destroyed your hometown and crushed your happiness in the war a year ago in your dimension. Am I wrong?" Geist recalled what Yuto had been through. He and his comrades had dug information that they thought would be useful for them. Yuto's experience during the war was one of them. From Rowan's observation, it wasn't difficult to tell that he and his friends refuse to use Fusion Summon for what happened.

"Yuto, you didn't include the Fusion Monster that you got?!" Yugo questioned, realizing what was wrong.

"I'm sorry, Yugo...but I..." Yuto looked away from Yugo. He couldn't do it. Even though he understood, he just couldn't bring himself to include the monster into his Deck. Whenever he saw the Fusion cards aside from Yuya's, it brought back those horrid memories. He felt there was malice as much as the ones who crushed his happiness that time. It reminded him of the pain he had, opening old wounds.

Geist chuckled, covering his eyes with his hand as he started to laugh quietly.

"You kids all talked about forgiveness is the only way to end conflict, saying by forgiving everybody can live together in peace. But here you are, refusing to use Fusion Summon even though you said you've forgive them and put the past behind. But no, you actually still can't forgive those who have hurt you. No, you don't want to forgive them. Deep inside, you actually still want to exact revenge on them, making them suffer with your own hands." Geist's eyes narrowed sinisterly at Yuto as he spoke. His every word stabbed through Yuto in his heart.

"No! That's not true! I don't want to hurt anybody!" Yuto denied immediately.

"Then why do you still refuse to use Fusion Summon? If you have truly forgiven them, then you'd normally would have put the past behind you. You won't be bothered by a simple Summoning Method. But if you still avoid using it like a plague and merely seeing them brought back the memories, doesn't that mean that you haven't forgiven them? You talked about forgiveness but you're doing exactly the opposite." Geist smiled slyly as Yuto's condition started to get into disorder.

"That's...I...I'm..." Yuto's rebuttal died in his throat. It was true that the thought of using Fusion Summoning irks him, and seeing the card reminded him of the pain he experienced. He was reluctant to admit it, he didn't want to admit it, but maybe that was exactly the case? Geist actually had a point? Deep inside he actually never truly forgives them? He actually wanted to seek revenge despite what he said?

"Snap out of it, Yuto! I can't say that I understand exactly your feelings, but this is not the time to hesitate! We must stop these two!" Yugo shouted, bringing Yuto back to reality. Before he knew it, Yuto has been holding his breath.

"What exactly can you do? You can't summon any monster from Extra Deck that is not Fusion Monster and Crystal Wing's effect has been negated. You can't wipe out our LP." Neon pointed out.

"Use Crystal Wing and attack Demon Zamiel, Yuto!" Yugo instructed his Xyz counterpart to do Battle Phase.

"Demon Zamiel?" Yuto turned to Geist's monster. Demon Zamiel only has 2500 ATK, lower than Crystal Wing. If Crystal Wing destroyed it, Geist and Neon would receive 500 damage, depleting their LP completely. But from both Geist and Neon's expression, they have something behind their sleeves to prevent that.

"Trust me, Yuto! Just do it!" Yugo told Yuto almost in demanding way.

Yuto stared into Yugo's eyes and saw the unyielding faith and confidence within them. Did that mean Yugo has a plan himself?

"Kuri~!"

Yuto blinked and looked at Rainbow Kuriboh on his side. Rainbow Kuriboh was also urging him to do as Yugo told him to. It was telling him to trust his Synchro counterpart. It also gestured to the card in his hands. Yuto reassessed the cards in his hand and then to the monsters on the Field. Yuto closed his eyes tightly for a second before he opened them again, and then he pointed at Demon Zamiel. He would always trust his counterparts to have his back!

"Battle! I attack Magibullet Demon Zamiel with Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!" Yuto declared attack as Yugo told him to. Crystal Wing launched forward, ready to strike down the demon monster.

"I activate Magibullet Musketeer Star's effect in Graveyard! I banish it to halve the opposing Monster's ATK!" Geist banished Musketeer Star to halve Crystal Wing's ATK to 1500, which will be lower than Zamiel and Crystal Wing will be destroyed instead.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Wings of White Winds! WIND Monster I control has their ATK doubled until the damage calculation ends!" Yugo activated a card from his hand, restoring Crystal Wing's original ATK.

"Too naïve! I activate Trap Card: Demon Roar God's Cursed Seal! When the opponent's monster declares attack while I control a Demon Roar God monster, I can activate this card from hand to negate the attack!" Neon activated her Trap Card.

"Quick Play Spell: Kuriboh Detonation! I destroy as many Kuriboh-type monsters and Kuriboh Token as I have, and then destroy cards my opponent controls, up to the number of Kuriboh-type monsters and Kuriboh Tokens destroyed by this effect!" Yuto destroyed Neon's Leviathan, which negated her Trap Card's effect as she no longer controls Demon Roar God monster.

"W-what?!" Geist and Neon exclaimed. They didn't have any card left that can stop the attack.

"This is the end!" Yuto and Yugo said together as Crystal Wing destroyed the Magibullet Monster, blowing Geist and Neon back with the strong winds blown from the dragon's wings as their LP was completely reduced to 0.

 **GEIST & NEON LP: 200 = 0**

Just as they defeated their opponents and ready to question them, however, the ceiling above them crashed down, revealing Rowan and Shing riding their respective monsters with Shark chasing after them in tow, riding on Shark Drake.

"Shark-san?!" Yuto exclaimed in shock.

"Yuto?! Yugo?!" Shark noticed his student and his friend after hearing his name being called. He landed beside them.

"Why are you here?!" Yuto asked.

"I'm hunting them down!" Shark pointed at Rowan and Shing who were helping Geist and Neon to stand up.

"Rowan...Shing...I thought you've done your job and went home?" Neon asked as she leaned on Rowan. Crystal Wing's last attack did a number on her and Geist. Her face was even got cut! How dare they hurt a woman's face! Her beautiful face!

"We unexpectedly met him, so we have no choice. On the plus side, we came at the right moment, aren't we?" Shing said with dismissive waves, figuring what was going on judging from Geist and Neon's beat up condition.

"Shut it, Shing!" Neon protested. She was not in the mood for taunt.

"We're retreating." Rowan said as they pressed the buttons on their Duel Disk touch screens. Their bodies began to disperse into particles of data. Unlike Yuya's and the others who were blue-colored, theirs were black-colored.

"Wait!" Shark shouted, but it was already too late.

"You still have times to hunt me down, Ryoga. We'll meet again for sure if you still wish to retrieve this container. You should focus on training yourself and your student until then." Rowan told Shark, tilting at Yuto when said 'student', which caught Geist's attention.

Geist once again let out a sly smile as he stared at both Shark and Yuto.

"Student, huh? Hypocrite truly fits together with hypocrite." Geist said before he was teleported completely with the others.

Yuto frowned upon hearing Geist's parting words. He held his left arm and looked down, pondering what Geist told has told him.

 _"Do I...really refuse to forgive what happened a year ago...? Do I want...actually revenge...?"_

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Value of Life –** Yuya, Yuri, and Yukiya were waiting for the others at the rendezvous point, but are then confronted by Tsukasa, Dante, and Shiki. Before a Duel could commence between them, Yuno, Jounochi, and Carl arrived to help.

* * *

 **FANFIC ORIGINAL CARD MEMO:**

 **Speedroid Taser:** Destroy a Trap Card you control on the Field to add a Speedroid Monster from your Deck to your hand. (Magic Card)

 **Phantom Knights Charge:** When a Phantom Knights Xyz Monster you control is destroyed by Battle, you can special summon a Phantom Knights Xyz Monster that two ranks higher from Extra Deck using this card and the destroyed monster as materials. (Rank-Up Magic Card)

 **Blight of the Demon Roar God:** Banish a Demon Roar God Monster in your Graveyard to negate the attack on a Demon Roar God you control and lower the ATK of the opposing Monster equal to the banished monster. (Trap Card)

 **Hot Dice:** The Level of a Monster you control is increased equal to the number of dice shown. (Magic Card)

 **Demon Roar God's Golden Armor:** Demon Roar God Monster equipped with this card gain 400 ATK and can attack twice. (Equip Spell Card)

 **Fusion Spring:** For the next three Turns, players cannot summon monsters from Extra Deck except Fusion Monsters. (Magic Card)

 **Wings of White Winds:** WIND Monster I control has their ATK doubled until the damage calculation ends

 **Demon Roar God's Cursed Seal:** When the opponent's monster declares attack while I control a Demon Roar God monster, I can activate this card from hand to negate the attack

 **Kuriboh Detonation:** Destroy as many Kuriboh-type monsters and Kuriboh Token as you have, and then destroy cards your opponent controls, up to the number of Kuriboh-type monsters and Kuriboh Tokens destroyed by this effect. (Quick-Play Spell)

* * *

 **Finished. There is no project at the moment, so I have plenty of times to write new chapter. I'm also in a very high spirit and couldn't help but wanting to write the new chapter and upload it as soon as possible. Sorry that I didn't show Shark vs Rowan and Shing. I'm still saving Shark for later. Similarly, as Yuzu and Ruri, Yuto and Yugo haven't had winning for a while, so I decided to make them win in this chapter. For those who were expecting Tsukasa, Dante, and Shiki dueling against Yuya, Yuri, and Yukiya, I'm sorry but that won't be happening now. I decided to give Yuno and Jounouchi some action, and also Carl's debut Duel.**

 **Changes in effects and fanfic original cards will be included later. Sorry for any error/ mistakes in the Duel, I'll fix it later.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter~! :D**


	30. Value of Life

**Big thanks to** _ **aqua9597, Ulrich362, Elbarto4000, Big duels, Yuka Kuroshiro, Playerhood18, GamingGuy84, Guests, Unknowedz, NeoFGD, dvdryms, Ryujomaru15**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **RENDEZVOUS POINT – UNDERGROUND PRISON – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

It has been 30 minutes since Yuya, Yuri, and Yukiya arrived at their decided rendezvous point, but the others have not arrived. They have at least received update from Yuzu and Ruri's group that they have freed Aoi, but after that, there was no update anymore from either group. Yuya couldn't help but started worrying that something may have happened on their way despite Yuri and Yukiya's attempt to calm him down. While Yuya knew that his friends were strong, he couldn't help but worrying anyway.

"Everyone is taking a long time..." Yuya said for who knows what time already. They couldn't reach them with Duel Disk either since there's connection problem, which didn't help pacifying his worry. Maybe they meet strong guards and having difficulty against them?

"Maybe they lost and got imprisoned." Yuri said, finally having enough with Yuya being such a worrywart and failed attempt to calm him down. This earned him a smack on the hand from Yukiya.

"Can't you take a joke?" Yuri said while rubbing the spot where he got smacked, glaring at his grey-haired look-alike.

"I know. That's why I smacked you." Yukiya replied simply while returning the glare with his own, especially after seeing Yuya became even more worried.

"Still, I feel there's something happening here…" Yuya started to fidget from uneasiness.

"Your intuition is right, Yuya."

Yuya, Yuri, and Yukiya let out a low gasp as they heard the voice coming from one of the tunnels. They jumped back with their guards up, eyeing the dark tunnel warily as footsteps echoing from the tunnel started coming closer and closer. Yuya's worry was not unfounded as now he once again was coming face to face with Tsukasa, the one who caused his dragon's disappearance, and Dante, the one whom he fought during his first debut in LINK VRAINS. Yuri narrowed his eyes at the third person who was following behind Tsukasa and Dante.

"You're…Tsukasa and Dante!" Yuya exclaimed.

"It's been a while. Never expected that we'll meet again here. Not exactly pretty, but it's a decent place for reunion." Tsukasa said while looking at the underground area they were in.

"Hello, Yuri. Serena is not with you?" Shiki greeted the violet-haired boy while looking for any sight of the indigo-haired girl.

"You're the bastard who nearly got us killed." Yuri spat out bitterly with angry smirk.

Shiki raised his hands up in apology. "My bad. It's really not my intention to push you into the river. For consolation, I was severely punished because of that by my superior." He said with a sweat drop. He was glad he at least wasn't executed, but Shing's punishment wasn't a good experience either.

"We meet again, Yukiya." Dante greeted, waving a hand at the grey-haired boy.

"If possible, I don't want to see your face ever again." Yukiya responded so straight forwardly with eyes evident of resentment.

"But if we don't, then you can't avenge your friend, Ray, can't you?" Dante taunted, causing Yukiya's glare at him to intensify. He chuckled. What a predictable reaction.

"I suppose asking why are you here would be stupid considering that clown over there already said your intention before dueling Yuya last time." Yuri said while referring to Dante, which he took offense. Why people likes to refer to him as a clown just because of his make up?

"Yes. Our goal is still the same. We'll take you wish us to lure out the Four Heavenly Dragons." Tsukasa confirmed, advancing his move towards Yuya and Yuri with his two companions.

"But as for you, Yukiya, you'll be eliminated together with your sickening Supreme King Deck." Dante interrupted, pointing at the Supreme King user.

"Because my Deck is the essence of Ma'at's power that you so despised?" Yukiya said. During his remedial study at Yuno's mansion, the Oracle had filled him in about the origin of his Supreme King Deck and why it was different from the others. According to Yuno, the true power of his Deck has yet to be awakened, but if he was able to, it'll be a great help in the fight against Apophis. Perhaps, they could even find a way to end Apophis for good with that Deck.

"Bingo! So you've learned the untold history! Way to go! For someone who got red marks on history, you've done well!" Dante gave a mocking applause. Dante's last remark caused Yukiya to nearly lost his footing from shock.

"How do you know about that?!" Yukiya questioned, face almost completely red from embarrassment.

Tsukasa smacked Dante by the back of his head without looking at the latter.

"Less talking more fighting. Let's get this over with." Tsukasa said as he wore his Duel Disk. Dante and Shiki also wore their Duel Disks immediately after.

Just as Yuya and the others could wear their Duel Disks and begin the Duel...

"Not so fast there, Tsukasa!"

From behind the boys, Yuno, Jounouchi, and Carl came running. They pulled the boys behind them and stood protectively in front of them while facing the three Apophis Duelists.

"Yuno-san! Jounouchi-san! Carl-san!" Yuya exclaimed in relief at their arrival.

"Sorry we're late. It'll be okay now." Jounouchi apologized and patted his student on the head before focusing on the enemies again.

"You're not going to take any of these kids. If you still insist, you'll have to step over my dead body first." Yuno said coolly. His face was neutral and calm, but the pressure that he unleashed made the atmosphere around them cold. For Jounouchi and Carl who have been long together with Yuno, they were used to it, but for Yuya, Yuri, and Yukiya, the air was almost suffocating for them. Shiki looked uncomfortable, but Tsukasa and Dante were calm.

"1,500 years ago, you got in our way, and now after we awakened from our slumber, you're getting in our way again. It's detestable." Tsukasa told Yuno. His usual passive and emotionless tone sounded angrier.

"Trust me. The feeling is mutual." Yuno spat back as much. He briefly turned to his three look-alikes behind him. "Yuya, Yuri, Yukiya, you go on ahead. We'll take care of them."

"But…" Yuya tried to argue, but the firm look that Yuno gave silenced him.

"I won't listen to any objection. I have enough with you ignoring my warning. Either you listen to what I said now or I'll have to use force to make you." Yuno said with commanding voice. He won't take no as an answer. They will leave first and that's final.

"Everyone!"

Yuzu and the others came out from the other tunnels, much to Yuya and the others' relief. They were surprised, however, when Rio, Johan, and Shark were also, with them. How and since when did they got here?

"Shark, Rio, Johan, get them out of here. Now!" Yuno ordered the three, his voice fiercer than before.

The three said mentors understood and ushered their students to leave with them. Some, of course, protested that they wanted to stay and fight together, but the mentors insisted as it was Yuno's order, and Yuno, Jounouchi, and Carl were enough to handle the situation. Them being there would only get in their way. While still reluctant, Yuya and others finally relented and left the underground prison, making their way out to the surface.

"Aren't you being too harsh?" Jounouchi commented at Yuno.

"Shut it, Jounouchi." Yuno replied.

"Now, now, let's focus on the Duel." Carl told the two.

Tsukasa brought out a black box and raised it up. The box was glowing purple and the light enveloped the entire area. When Yuno opened his eyes after the blinding light, he was alone with Tsukasa, standing on a floating rock with many other floating grounds within a quite dark space.

"This is an alternate space, isn't it?" Yuno said calmly, studying his surroundings. Despite not seeing his two friends, he trusted that they're all right.

"It's a power granted by His Excellency. I prefer fighting separately than in team, so this will do. Besides, I've always wanted to rip out your guts with my own hands." Tsukasa said as he activated his Duel Disk. Since neither of them were using Link Monsters at the moment, they're going to Duel the old way.

"And I've always wanted to burn both your body and soul until there was nothing left of you." Yuno retorted as he also activated his Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm going first. From my hand, I summon Vendead Striges (ATK: 500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 2)!" Yuno Striges in Attack Position.

"And then I activate Field Magic: Vendead Night. Once per Turn I can discard 1 card to add 1 Vendead Monster from my Deck to my hand." Yuno discarded a card and then added a new Vendead Monster into his hand.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Revendead Origin! I release Vendead Striges on my Field and discard Vendead Revenant in my hand to perform Ritual Summon!" Yuno used Vendead Striges and Vendead Revenant as materials. From the ground in front of Yuno, there was a small crack that slowly expanded and broke. A hand emerged from the earth, followed by another hand that forcefully making a path.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Revendead Slayer (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 0 / LV: 6)!" Yuno summoned Revendead Slayer, who has fully emerged from the ground, in Attack Position, the Undead-Type Ritual Monster made a challenging gesture to Tsukasa with its hand.

"I set 1 card and end my Turn." Yuno concluded.

"You're going to use the same strategy and cards against me? You must have underestimated to think if the same ones will work on me like 1,500 years ago! My Turn!" Tsukasa stated offendedly as he began his Draw Phase. He disliked being looked down upon. But being underestimated by Yuno of all people was the most insulting of all.

"From my hand, I summon Infernoid Adamelech (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 0 / LV: 8)!" Tsukasa banished Infernoid Satan (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) and Infernoid Beelzebub (ATK: 0 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 2) from his hand to summon Adamelech in Attack Position.

"Battle! I attack Revendead Slayer with Adamelech!" Adamelech crushed the Undead Monster with its hand crushing through its body before enveloping its body in blazing crimson flames that burn the Undead Monster's whole body.

 **YUNO LP: 4000 = 3600**

"When Adamelech destroyed an opponent's monster and send it to the Graveyard, it can make a second attack!" Tsukasa declared his second attack. Adamelech turned to Yuno, ready to shoot its flame and incinerate the Oracle.

Yuno opened his Reverse Card. "Trap Card: Undead Fulfillment! When I'm being targeted for direct attack, I can lower the damage equal to the total ATK of an Undead-Type Monster I have in my Graveyard!" He lowered the damage he took equal to Revendead Slayer's ATK. Yuno nearly fell down from his footing as the flame hit him, but he managed to maintain his balance.

 **YUNO LP: 3600 = 3200**

"I set 3 cards and end my Turn." Tsukasa concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Ritual Spell: Undead Madness! I can Ritual Summon a Ritual Monster from my hand by releasing Monsters from my Field or banishing monsters from my hand or Graveyard with Level equal or more than the Level of the Ritual Monster!" Yuno banished Vendead Striges and Revendead Slayer in his Graveyard. Pentagram-shaped magic circle appeared with torches on each star. A portal began to open from the pentagram along with a roar coming from within the portal

"Awake from your slumber and drag your enemies into deepest bowels of the earth! Ritual Summon! Appear! Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8)!" Yuno summoned his ace monster in Attack Position.

"I activate Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon's effect! Once per Turn, when my opponent controls a Level 5 or higher Monster, it gains 600 ATK for each Monster in both players' Graveyard and Banished Zone! Soul Survive!" As there were 1 monster in Yuno's Graveyard and 4 monsters in Banished Zone, Yuno increased his dragon's ATK to 5800. Mad Abyss howled as the spirits of the monsters whom it gained LP from appeared on the Field and went into the dragon.

"Battle! I attack Infernoid Adamelech with Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon! Earthbound Chain Blitz!" Yuno declared his attack. Mad Abyss summoned chains that bound Tsukasa's Infernoid Monster, completely stopping Adamelech's movement who was desperately struggling against the chains, which only tightened the chains' hold on it more. Mad Abyss used its skeleton protrusions to slash the Infernoid Monster, destroying it and blew Tsukasa away from the impact of its explosion. Tsukasa quickly landed on another floating rock.

 **TSUKASA LP: 4000 = 1000**

"I end my Turn." Yuno concluded.

"My Turn! Continuous Trap: Awakening of Purgatory! I can send 2 Infernoid Monsters from my Deck to Graveyard during each of Standby Phase!" Tsukasa sent Infernoid Decatron (ATK: 500 / DEF: 200 / LV: 1) and Infernoid Lucifugus (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 0 / LV: 3) to the Graveyard.

"I end my Turn." Tsukasa concluded.

 _"He ended his Turn without summoning any monster, but there are still 2 Reverse Cards he hasn't revealed yet. This must be a trap. He is inviting me to attack him..."_ Yuno eyed Tsukasa carefully. It was clear that Tsukasa was waiting for him to attack so he can activate one of his Reverse Cards. But as much as he wanted to play safe, he didn't have the means to do it. The only thing he can do now would be...

"My Turn! Battle! I attack directly with Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon!" Yuno declared attack. He knew that it was risky to attack with obvious trap set, but he has no choice at the moment. He also has a backup just in case anyway.

"Trap Card: Purgatory of Azure Flame! I can special summon Infernoid Monster from my hand ignoring its summoning condition, but its effect is negated until the end of this Turn!" Tsukasa summoned Infernoid Nehemoth (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10) in Attack Position from his hand. It has 200 higher ATK than Mad Abyss.

Yuno took a card from his hand. "Trap Card: Undead Chrono! I can discard an Undead Monster from my Graveyard to activate this card from my hand! Monsters I control cannot be destroyed by Battle or Effect until my next Standby Phase!" He discarded Vendead Hellhound and activated his backup card. Mad Abyss' head clashed against Nehemoth, both pushing each other fiercely. However, Nehemoth was superior in power, and thus, managed to push back Mad Abyss back to Yuno's side.

 **YUNO LP: 3200 = 3000**

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Yuno concluded. For now, as long as he has Undead Debilitate, Mad Abyss won't be destroyed until his next Turn.

"My Turn! Due to Awakening of Purgatory's effect, I send 2 Infernoid Monsters from my hand to Graveyard." Tsukasa sent two Infernoid monsters from his Deck Graveyard once more.

"Yuno, now I will let you experience the pain in purgatory." Tsukasa stated maliciously, unleashing murderous intent that he has been holding up until now.

 _"I will win this time. I will be the one who emerge victorious and stand over him in this Duel. I will pay back the humiliation I experienced 1,500 years ago...!"_ Tsukasa never forget even once of the last Duel he had with Yuno. How he was thoroughly defeated by the Oracle. That was the first time he had experienced such a pathetic defeat. It was sickening, frustrating, and he would do anything to erase that stain once and for all.

"I banish 3 Infernoid Monsters whose total Levels are 8 or lower to special summon Infernoid Lilith (ATK: 2900 / DEF: 2900 / LV: 9)!" Tsukasa summoned Lilith in Attack Position from his hand.

"And then I activate Trap Card: Mad Feast of Purgatory. I send 1 Void Spell or Trap to special summon 3 Infernoid Monsters from my Deck whose total Levels exactly equal 8, ignoring their summoning conditions!" Tsukasa summoned copies of Decatron, Lucifugus, and Infernoid Astaroth (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 0 / LV: 4), all three in Attack Position.

"I activate Astaroth's effect. Once per Turn I can destroy a Spell or Trap my opponent controls." Tsukasa destroyed Yuno's Undead Debilitate. Now Yuno couldn't protect his dragon anymore.

"I also activate Astaroth's second effect. Once per Turn I can tribute 1 monster to banish 1 card in my opponent's Graveyard." Tsukasa released Decatron to activate Astaroth's second effect, allowing him to banish Undead Chrono from Yuno's Graveyard.

"You usually have Traps or Magics that has additional effect that can be activated by banishing it from Graveyard. I have to stop that from happening. And from the look on your face, looks like it's bullseye." Tsukasa noted the troubled reaction that Yuno has when he destroyed Undead Debilitate. He must have thought of using its second effect to protect his dragon.

"Battle! I attack Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon with Infernoid Nehemoth!" Tsukasa declared attack.

"At this moment I activate Quick-Play Spell: Inferno Roars! All Infernoid Monsters I control gains 1000 ATK!" Tsukasa increased Nehemoth's ATK to 4000, Lilith's ATK to 3900, Astaroth's ATK to 2800, and Infernoid Lucifugus' ATK to 2600.

Yuno clicked his tongue before opening his first Reverse Card. "Continuous Trap: Vendead's Helping Hands! I can banish a Vendead Monster from my Graveyard to negate destruction by Battle!" Before Yuno could banish Vendead Striges, Tsukasa interjected him.

"I activate Nehemoth's effect! When a Spell or Trap or monster effect is activated, I can tribute 1 monster to negate the activation and banish it!" Tsukasa released Lucifugus, negating Yuno's Vendead's Helping Hand and banished it from play. However, Yuno still has one more Reverse Card and opened it.

"Trap Card: Vendead Trap Mirror! When the activation of a Vendead Trap Card I control is negated, this card will gain that card's effect!" Yuno copied the effect of the banished Vendead's Helping Hand. He banished Vendead Striges, enhancing Mad Abyss' endurance.

Mad Abyss blocked the attack with its skeleton protrusions moving in front of its body, though the shockwave pushed it back and pushed Yuno away from the rock where he was standing. Fortunately, Mad Abyss used its tail to catch its master and placed him on another rock to stand.

 **YUNO LP: 3000 = 1800**

"Good. This way you will experience more pain! Next I attack with Infernoid Lilith!" Tsukasa continued his attack with Lilith.

Yuno once again activated the copied Vendead's Helping Hand's effect, banishing Vendead Hellhound to allow Mad Abyss to survive Lilith's attack. Mad Abyss once again blocked the attack with its protrusions. Unexpectedly, however, Lilith moved its tail to behind the Ritual dragon, striking Yuno. The Oracle coughed out blood from the strike as he fell from his standing again. Yuno quickly brought out a card from his pocket and entered the card into his Duel Disk, materializing a grappling hook that saved him from the fall.

 **YUNO LP: 1800 = 700**

"I end my Turn. You survived, but my next Turn will be your last. You only have 700 LP. You can try to activate Magic or Trap but I will negate and banish them. The same also goes for Monster effects, the moment you activate them, you'll lose your monsters. There's nothing you can do. I've won this Duel this time." Tsukasa told the kneeling Yuno who was clutching his abdomen where he got hit by Lilith's tail.

"Hehehe..." Yuno laughed softly while standing slowly, confusing the Infernoid user. "You...you truly think that's the case...?"

"What was that?" Tsukasa twitched in annoyance. Even in this situation his spirit hasn't died out?

"As a matter of fact, Tsukasa, I have everything that I want now." Yuno stated confidently. He didn't like arrogance, but for once he will act smug to his enemy.

"I banish an Undead Monster from my Graveyard or hand to activate Ritual Spell: Mad Revival! I tribute a Level 7 or higher Ritual Monster on my Field to Ritual Summon a Ritual Monster with Level exactly equal to the total of the Levels of the monster released and the monster banished to activate this card!" Yuno banished a copy of Vendead Striges from his hand to activate the card. A portal appeared between Yuno and Tsukasa.

"It's useless! I activate Nehemoth's effect! I tribute Astaroth to negate your–"

"The one that is useless is you. Cards and effects cannot be activated in response to this card's activation." Yuno revealed as Tsukasa's Duel Disk screen showed him failed to activate Nehemoth's effect, allowing the Ritual Summon to continue.

"Dragon born from the purgatory, ascend to the surface and bring forth the end to the corrupted souls! Ritual Summon! Level 10! Rave Abyss Ritual Dragon (ATK: 3200 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10)!" Yuno summoned the evolved form of Mad Abyss. It was a slender dragon with large black skeleton wings and a deep blue body covered in white-colored decaying scales. Its head was protected by one large-scale formed like a skeleton helmet.

"I activate Rave Abyss Ritual Dragon's effect! Once per Turn, I can change the position of my opponent's monster." Yuno chose Astaroth, pointing at the latter to change the monster's position into Defense Position.

"I activate Nehemoth's effect! I tribute Astaroth to negate your dragon's effect and banish it!" Tsukasa released Astaroth to negate the effect and then banished Rave Abyss Ritual Dragon from the Field.

Tsukasa snorted. "In the end it's just all talk. This is the end for you." He said condescendingly.

"No. This will be your end." Yuno retorted back calmly with smile of victory.

"When Rave Abyss leaves the Field by Battle or opponent's Effect, I can destroy my opponent's monster with highest ATK and inflict damage to my opponent equal to the destroyed monster's ATK!" Yuno revealed, shocking the Infernoid user.

"What?! Nehemoth's ATK?!"

Skeleton protrusions appeared right beneath Infernoid Nehemoth, stabbing its body. The Infernoid monster let out a painful cry as its body began to cracking and the skeleton protrusions began shining. Nehemoth's body was filled with blue light before it finally exploded to bits, destroying Lilith and blowing away Tsukasa together with his remaining LP.

 **TSUKASA LP: 1000 = 0**

The alternate space dispersed. Tsukasa fell on his back on the floor while Yuno landed safely across him, standing victoriously.

"It's my win yet again, Tsukasa."

 **JOUNOUCHI VS. SHIKI – UNDERGROUND PRISON – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Jounouchi looked around the space that has changed. He was caught by surprise that he almost fell from the floating ground where he was standing, earning a laugh from Shiki.

"You guys really like playing solo, huh?" Jounouchi remarked. As far as he knew, higher-rank Duelists from Apophis' side always preferred to Duel alone instead of in a group like the Servants.

"I have nothing against Tag Dueling, but this is my superior's order, so I have no choice." Shiki shrugged.

"You're a new face?" Jounouchi asked.

"Yeah, you can say that. His Excellency gave birth to me not long after the seal was broken. It wasn't difficult to find this body that suits me thanks to our fanatical cult." Shiki explained.

"Then sorry to break the bad news, but I'll put an end to you, kiddo." Jounouchi stated as he activated his Duel Disk.

"It'll be my pleasure to end the life of the Oracle's personal Duelist." Shiki replied calmly, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm starting first! From my hand, I activate Magic Card: Red-Eyes Draw. I can discard a Red-Eyes Monster from my Deck to Graveyard to add two Magic or Trap cards to my hand." Jounouchi discarded one of his Dragon-Type Monsters and then added Magic Cards into his hand.

"From my hand, I summon Swordsman of Landstar (ATK: 500 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 3)!" Jounouchi summoned Swordsman of Landstar in Attack Position.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn!" Jounouchi concluded.

"My Turn. I activate The Barrier of Orichalcos! From now on, all of my Monsters will receive a 500 ATK boost." Shiki activated his Field Spell, creating a green hexagram-like magic circle beneath them.

"And then I summon Orichalcos Gigas (ATK: 400 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 4) from my hand!" He summoned Gigas in Defense Position. Due to Barrier of Orichalcos' effect, its ATK was increased to 900.

"I pay 500 LP to Special Summon Orichalcos Kyutora (ATK: 500 / DEF: 500 / LV: 3) from my hand!" He summoned Kyutora in Defense Position with its ATK increased to 1000. He placed it in the Spell & Trap Card Zone, which means that it can't be attacked until his first-row Monsters are destroyed first. Due to the summoning condition, his LP was decreased by 500.

 **SHIKI LP: 4000 = 3500**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Shiki concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 4)!" Jounouchi Summoned Gearfried in Attack Position.

"I attack Orichalcos Gigas with Gearfried!" Jounouchi declared his first attack. Gearfried went straight towards the smaller Orichalcos Monster, ready to slash it with its sword.

Shiki immediately opened his facedown card. "Trap Card: Orichalcos Guard! I negate your monster's attack." He pointed at the Iron Knight, paralyzing it, which effectively stopped its attack.

"I end my Turn." Jounouchi concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Field Spell: Orichalcos Deuteros. This card can be activated when I have Barrier of Orichalcos. It gains all the effects of The Barrier of Orichalcos, plus a few effects of its own. I activate the first effect of Orichalcos Deuteros to gain 500 Life Points for each monster I control!" Since he has 2 monsters, his LP was increased by 1000.

 **SHIKI LP: 4000 = 5000**

"Battle! I attack Gearfried with Orichalcos Gigas!" Shiki declared attack at Jounouchi's monster despite his own monster's ATK being lower. As expected, Gigas' attack was stopped by Gearfried who destroyed it instead using its sword.

"Due to Orichalcos Kyutora's effect, the damage was nullified. And then I activate Orichalcos Gigas's effect to special summon it from my Graveyard in Attack Position with 500 more ATK than previously by skipping my next Draw Phase." He revived Gigas, increasing its ATK to 900.

"I end my Turn." Shiki concluded his Turn.

 _"He has been playing on defensive so far while increasing his LP. What is he thinking? Is he preparing for something?"_ Jounouchi was a bit restless. Once upon a time he would have thought the guy didn't pack a punch, but now, he had learned that a what seemed to be a simply harmless move proved to be fatal in later Turns. He had experienced it himself, so he knew not to underestimate this opponent, especially considering he was serving under Apophis.

"My Turn! I tribute Gearfried and Swordsman of Landstar to Advance Summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Jounouchi summoned his ace monster in Attack Position. Even if he attacks now, Shiki won't take any damage and he would just revive Gigas. There was no point to make any more move for now.

"I end my Turn." Jounouchi concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Orichalcos Mirror to tribute Timeater from my hand and perform Ritual Summon!" Shiki declared, creating magic circle beneath him again and his monsters as a mirror appeared at the center.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Mirror Knight Calling (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 6)!" Shiki summoned Mirror Knight in Attack Position with its ATK increased to 500.

"Since Mirror Knight Calling was Ritual Summoned, I can special summon as many Mirror Knight Tokens (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) as I can in Attack Position and place a Shield Counter of each one of them!" Shiki summoned three said tokens in Attack Position with its ATK increased to 500. He then increased his LP again through Deutoros' effect.

 **SHIKI LP: 5000 = 7000**

"Battle! I attack Red-Eyes Black Dragon with Mirror Knight Token! Due to the effect of "Mirror Knight Token", it gains ATK equal to the Monster it's battling!" He changed Mirror Knight Token's ATK to 2400, the same as Red-Eyes.

"I destroy the Shield Counter on Mirror Knight Token to prevent its destruction!" Shiki destroyed the Shield Counter attached to the token, allowing it to survive from the clash between itself and Red-Eyes. The dragon, on the other hand, was not protected, causing it to be destroyed.

"Now it's your turn, Jounouchi-san. I attack directly with Mirror Knight Token!" Shiki declared Direct Attack at Jounouchi with his second Token.

"Trap Card: Skewer Pitfall! I negate your attack, destroy your monster and inflict half of its damage to you!" Jounouchi opened one of his Reverse Cards. Shiki immediately removed its Shield Counter to prevent its destruction, and thus, he didn't take any damage, but his attack was negated.

"But I still have one more Mirror Knight Tokens! Go! Attack directly!" Shiki ordered the last of his tokens. However, Jounouchi then opened his other facedown card.

"Quick-Play Spell: Roulette Spider!" Jounouchi summoned a green-colored roulette-shaped spider with the following effect: When an opponent's monster declares an attack, roll a six-sided die and apply the following result:

1: Halve your LP.

2: Make that attack a direct attack.

3: Choose 1 monster you control, change the attack target to it, and perform damage calculation.

4: Choose 1 other monster your opponent controls, change the attack target to it, and perform damage calculation.

5: Negate the attack, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's ATK.

6: Destroy that opponent's monster.

As Roulette Spider stopped the Mirror Knight Token's attack by blocking its eyes, the dice stopped at 5, negating its attack and inflict damage to Shiki equal to its ATK.

 **SHIKI LP: 7000 = 6500**

"Tsk. I activate Mirror Knight Calling's second effect. I place a Shield Counter to the Mirror Knight Tokens that have lost its Shield Counter." Shiki placed new Shield Counters on the tokens that have used the Shield Counter before he finally ended his Turn.

"My Turn! From my hand, I activate Magic Card: Resurrection of the Dead! I special summon a Monster from my Graveyard!" Jounouchi revived Gearfried in Attack Position.

"I tribute Gearfried to Advance Summon Holy Knight Ishzark (ATK: 2300 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 6)!" Jounouchi summoned Ishzark in Attack Position.

"Battle! I attack Orichalcos Gigas with Ishzark!" Jounouchi declared attack, pointing at the Orichalcos Monster. Ishzark leaped and slashed down Gigas with its white broad sword, destroying it.

"If you think you can revive it again with its effect, you're wrong! When Ishzark destroyed a monster, that monster is banished and I can draw a card!" Jounouchi revealed. Shiki checked his Duel Disk, and right, Gigas was immediately sent to the Banished Zone. He couldn't revive it again with its effect.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Jounouchi concluded.

"You know that you're an idiot if you're satisfied with just getting rid of Gigas, right?" Shiki questioned.

"Of course, I am! Now just hurry up and start your Turn!" Jounouchi demanded.

"My Turn!" Shiki started his Draw Phase. He then activated Mirror Knight Calling's first effect to increase his LP by 3000.

 **SHIKI LP: 6500 = 9500**

At that moment, Jounouchi opened his Reverse Card. "Trap Card: Ring of Destruction! I destroy 1 face-up monster and inflict damage to both players!" He chose Mirror Knight Calling. A ring with grenades appeared around Mirror Knight Calling. The grenades around the ring exploded, burning down the Orichalcos Monster and inflicted damage to both Jounouchi and Shiki.

 **JOUNOUCHI LP: 4000 = 3500**

 **SHIKI LP: 9500 = 9000**

"Now you can't place another Shield Counter once you used them up." Jounouchi remarked with cheeky smile.

"Are you really supposed to be happy with that? You're still going to lose lots of LP." Shiki stated before he declared his Battle Phase, directing the first Mirror Knight Token to Jounouchi's Ishztar, destroying it.

"Next, I attack directly!" Shiki declared attack with his remaining two Mirror Knight Tokens. Both strikes Jounouchi with their swords one by one, reducing Jounouchi's LP by 1000.

 **JONOUCHI LP: 3000 = 2000**

"I end my Turn. If you think Mirror Knight Calling is my only way to win this Duel, then you're wrong. I still have many in my sleeves." Shiki warned his opponent.

"Whatever. I'm not going to let myself lose so easily. If I lost, Yuno will have my head." Jounouchi replied casually. He knew he was actually in quite a pinch though at the moment. He has no monster on his Field while his enemy has three and not to mention high LP compared to him. He must do something fast.

"My Turn! Draw!" Jounouchi slowly looked at the card he has drawn. It was Pot of Greed, which means he has one more chance to draw 2 cards that may help him in this Turn. It was the time for his luck to be tested now.

"I activate Magic Card: Pot of Greed! I can draw 2 cards fro my Deck!" Jounouchi drew 2 new cards and looked at it nervously. When he finally took a good look at the card, his face brightened. The goddess of luck has answered his prayer.

"I activated Magic Card: Red-Eyes Xyz! When I have a Red-Eyes Normal Monster in my Graveyard, I can use it as Xyz Material to summon Red-Eyes Xyz Monster with Rank equal to the Red-Eyes Monster used as Material!" Jounouchi used the Red-Eyes in his Graveyard as Overlay Unit and then open the Overlay Network.

"Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 7! Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2400 / RNK: 7 / ORU: 1)!" Jounouchi summoned the Xyz Red-Eyes Monster in Attack Position.

"Even if you summon it, I'll just use their effects and Shield Counter to negate the destruction. You, on the other hand, will lose your dragon." Shiki told Jounouchi, shrugging dismissively at the Xyz Monster.

"We'll see about that." Jounouchi said as he picked his one of his last four cards in his hand. "I summon Time Magician (ATK: 500 / DEF: 400 / LV: 2)!"

"I activate Time Magician's effect! Once per Turn, I toss a coin and call it. If I call it right, all your monsters will be destroyed. If I call it wrong, my monsters will be destroyed and I will receive total damage of half of their ATKs. Here we go!" Jounouchi tossed a coin that appeared from a portal made by Time Magician.

"Head!" Jounouchi made his call as the coin was tossed. When the coin was revealed, Jounouchi almost jumped in joy. His call was right. "This means all your monsters will be destroyed, but you're going to use all of their Shield Counter to negate it, right?"

As Jounouchi thought, Shiki used up all of the Shield Counters, negating the tokens' destructions. However, with this, if Jounouchi's monsters' attack and somehow able to destroy them, Shiki couldn't prevent it.

"However, Mirror Knight Tokens' effect will activate the moment you declare attack! You can destroy my Mirror Knight Tokens with your two monsters, but I still have 1 more Mirror Knight Token!" Shiki reminded again.

"I wonder about that!" Jounouchi grinned at the reminder before he pointed at Shiki himself. "Red-Eyes Xyz Monster summoned by Red-Eyes Xyz can attack opponent directly on the Turn it was summoned!"

"What?!"

"Battle! I attack directly with Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon!" Jounouchi declared attack. Red-Eyes shot deep crimson flame spiraled with black flames that enveloping Shiki who tried his best to endure the burn while keeping his foothold.

"At this moment I banish Red-Eyes Xyz to double its ATK!" Jounouchi banished the Magic Card and increased Red-Eyes' ATK to 5600.

 **SHIKI LP: 9000 = 3400**

Shiki kneeled from the flames. It was more hurt than he thought. The satisfied look on Jounouchi's face only added pain to the wounds. It was annoying.

"I set a card and end my Turn. My counterattack has just started. I'll do more than this, so hurry up and start your Turn." Jounouchi concluded. Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon's ATK reverted to normal following the end of Turn.

"Now you've done it. It's been a long time since I can summon this monster. Be honored that you can have a taste of its power!" Shiki stated and then revealed a card he just drew before activating it. Deutoros' effect recovered his LP.

 **SHIKI LP: 3400 = 5900**

"I activate Magic Card: Orichalcos Zero! By releasing at least 2 monsters on my Field, I can destroy Kyutoras and special summon Orichalcos Shunoros (ATK: ? / DEF: 0 / LV: 10)!" Shiki special summoned Shunoros in Attack Position from his Deck. As Shiki activated a card, Red-Eyes inflicted 500 damage to him.

 **SHIKI LP: 5900 = 5400**

"As Shunoros was special summoned, I can also special summon Orichalcos Dexia (ATK: ? / DEF: 0 / LV: 4) and Orichalcos Aristeros (ATK: ? / DEF: 0 / LV: 4)!" Shiki summoned Dexia in Attack Position and Aristeros in Defense Position. Shunoros was placed in Spell & Trap Zone, so unless Dexia and Aristeros was destroyed, Shunoros cannot be targeted for an attack or destroyed.

"Don't forget that Red-Eyes Flare Metal's effect inflict 500 damage each time you activate effects!" Jounouchi reminded as his dragon shot a ball of flame, inflicting 500 damage to Shiki once Dexia and Aristeros were summoned.

 **SHIKI LP: 5400 = 4900**

"Shunoros gains 1000 ATK for each Monster my opponent control controls!" Shiki revealed, increasing Shunoros' ATK to 2000 as Jounouchi was controlling two monsters. The Field Spell's effect also increased its ATK to 2500. However, his LP was decreased again due to Red-Eyes' effect.

 **SHIKI LP: 4900 = 4500**

"I also activate Magic Card: Mirror Knight Counter. Shunoros gains 500 ATK for each Mirror Knight Tokens destroyed in the previous Turn." Shiki increased Shunoros' ATK again by 1500, making its current ATK 5000 at the cost of his LP.

 **SHIKI LP: 4500 = 4000**

"Battle! I attack Time Magician with Dexia!" Shiki declared battle. At that moment, Dexia's effect was activated, increasing its ATK equal to Time Magician with addition of 300 ATK, making its ATK 500 until the damage calculation. Dexia trapped Time Magician within its magic circle, exploding the magician and destroyed it.

 **SHIKI LP: 4000 = 3500**

 **JOUNOUCHI LP: 2000 = 1800**

"Next, I attack Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon with Shunoros!" Shiki declared his second attack.

"No you won't! Trap Card: Magical Arm Shield! When a monster declared attack, I can change the attack target to the monster my opponent controls!" Jounouchi opened his facedown card. A magic hand appeared and pulled Dexia to his side of the Field between Red-Eyes and the attacking Shunoros. Dexia's effect was automatically activated, making its ATK 5300. Shunoros and Dexia clashed as the result. As Shunoros cannot be destroyed as long as Dexia and Aristeros were on the Field, Shunoros still remained on its Zone.

 **SHIKI LP: 3500 = 3200**

"So persistent. No matter. I still have the advantage here. I end my Turn." Shiki concluded. No matter how it looked, he was still on the lead. Jounouchi only has Red Eyes Flare Metal Dragon on his Field. With Dexia and Aristeros' effects, it's impossible for Jounouchi to destroy them.

"You know, there are many cases where Duelist can turn the tide in an instant by a single Draw and wipe out his opponent's LP." Jounouchi said. He had seen many Duelists won that way. He himself had experienced that several times in the past. He has no intention to give up on hope and his own luck, not as long as he was standing.

"My Turn! I activate Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon's effect! I detach an Overlay Unit to special summon a Red-Eyes Normal Monster from my Graveyard!" Jounouchi summoned Red-Eyes Doomstar Dragon – Meteor Dragon (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 6) that he had sent in his earlier Turn with his Magic Card in Attack Position.

"This card is treated as a Normal Monster while face-up on the field or in the Graveyard. While this card is a Normal Monster on the Field, I can summon it to have it become an Effect Monster with a granted effect! Other Red-Eyes Monster I control cannot be destroyed by Battle or Card Effects!" Jounouchi revealed.

"It's rare to see Gemini Monster. But, I ask, again, what are you trying to accomplish with that?" Shiki questioned.

"You'll see! I activate another Pot of Greed to draw 2 cards!" Jounouchi drew 2 new cards from his Deck and then picked one of them.

"I activate Magic Card: Crossing Realm! I can change the Rank of a Monster into Level and vice versa!" Jounouchi changed Red-Eyes Flare Metal's Rank 7 into Level 7.

"I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon and Red-Eyes Doomstar Dragon – Meteor Dragon! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! Meteor Black Dragon, the Comet Dragon (ATK: 3500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8)!"

"I activate Meteor Black Dragon's effect! When this card is Fusion summoned, I can send 1 Red-Eyes Monster from my Deck to my Graveyard, and inflict half of that monster's original ATK to opponent as damage!" Jounouchi sent Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon, inflicting 1400 damage to Shiki.

 **SHIKI LP: 3200 = 1800**

"Battle! I attack Orichalcos Dexia with Meteor Dragon!" Jounouchi declared attack. Meteor Dragon flew up above. Eyes sighted on its target, the dragon dashed down in full speed, its body covered in flame waves like a falling meteor.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Forbidden Holy Grail! 1 face-up Monster on the Field gains 400 ATK but its effect is negated!" Jounouchi pointed at Dexia, giving it 400 ATK but its effect was sealed, which stopped it from gaining the same ATK as Meteor Dragon with addition 300 powers. Meteor Dragon crashed against Dexia. Shiki who was standing nearby was thrown away by impact of the crash, depleting his entire LP.

 **SHIKI LP: 1800 = 0**

Shiki fell down to the floor as the alternate space disappeared, groaning in pain. Jounouchi landed safely, but he suddenly felt his legs getting cramped and he sat down, sighing in relief. It has been a while since he fought against such a strong opponent. He was positive for a moment he could lose.

"What to do now...?" Jounouchi wondered.

 **CARL VS. DANTE – UNDEGROUND PRISON – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Carl whistled when he was brought to an alternate space. He had heard about it before, but to think he could experience it himself...it was thrilling. It would have been more exciting if only this wasn't a life or death Duel. Carl glanced at his opponent, Dante. He only knew about him from what Yuno told him and from his Duel against Yuya in LINK VRAINS. He knew for sure that he was a formidable opponent that he must never underestimated.

"You're the younger twin prince, right? I've heard how you're taking a different approach to straighten things in the empire as you stayed out of the public eye, dedicating most of your times serving The Brotherhood." Dante addressed Carl. The second-born prince took prominent action as one of main members of The Brotherhood, putting various plans into action in order to attempt to bring winds of change across the Empire. But still, he hadn't heard about his Dueling skill being a top-notch. However, considering Yuno accepted him into leading one of the squads, he must be beyond average at the least.

"Mr. Dante, if you're done studying me, can we please go straight to the Duel? My Father, the Emperor, is going to hold a family banquet tonight, so I would like for this Duel to end quickly so I can help with the preparation." Carl said calmly. His smile was serene and bright like he was having his casual times.

"Do not worry, you'll attend the banquet...in the next world." Dante stated, activating his Duel Disk and begin the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm taking the first Turn! I summon Umbral Ghoul (ATK: 1800/ DEF: 0 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Dante summoned Umbral Ghoul in Attack Position.

"Oh? You changed your Deck?" Carl remarked at the new monster summoned.

"This is the new Deck His Excellency bestowed to me. He thinks this Deck will suits me and is more powerful than before." Dante answered before continuing his Turn.

"I activate Umbral Ghoul's effect! By reducing its ATK to 0, I can Special Summon an Umbral monster with 0 ATK from my hand!" He Special Summoned Umbral Unform (ATK: 0/ DEF: 0 / LV: 4) in Attack Position.

"I overlay my two Level 4 DARK monsters! Xyz Summon! Number 66: Supreme-Key Beetle - Master Key Beetle (ATK: 2500/ DEF: 800/ RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Dante overlayed Ghoul and Unform to summon Master Key Beetle in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Magical Tomb, which allow him to take one card from my opponent's Deck and place it under Magical Tomb!" Dante chose Carl's Power Connection, sealing it. "If Magical Tomb is destroyed, the card will be added to your hand."

"I activate Master Key Beetle's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can target a card I control and prevent it from being destroyed by card effects while Master Key Beetle is on the field." Dante chose Magical Tomb, protecting it from any effect that could destroy it.

"I set 1 card and end my Turn." Dante concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Angel's Charity. I can draw 3 cards in exchange discarding 2 cards from my hand." Carl sent two cards to Graveyard and then drew 3 cards.

"I summon Learning Elf (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 3) from my hand." Carl summoned Learning Elf in Attack Position.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Carl concluded.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack Learning Elf with Master Key Beetle!" Dante declared attack. Master Keey Beetle flew towards Learning Elf who crossed its arms in preparation to endure the incoming attack, but then Carl opened his facedown card.

"Trap Card: Elf Barrier! When my opponent attacks, I can deflect the attack and destroy the opposing monster!" Carl revealed, creating a transparent blue barrier that blocking the Xyz Monster's horn. Its horn started to crack as its attack was starting to backfire.

"I activate Master Key Beetle's effect! When it's about to be destroyed, the card protected by its effect is sent to the Graveyard instead!" Dante destroyed his Magical Tomb, negating his monster's destruction.

"Since my monster is attacked but wasn't destroyed, I activate Continuous Trap: Sin Key Law! I can special summon 3 Umbral Mirage Tokens who will always have the same ATK as that monster (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) each!" Dante summoned 3 Umbral Tokens. Since they have the same ATK as the Xyz Monster, their ATKs were 2500.

"I end my Turn." Dante concluded. Following Magical Tomb's effect, Carl's sealed card was added to his hand.

"My Turn! I once again, activate Angel's Charity." Carl once again discarded 2 cards to draw 3 cards, which caught Dante's suspicion.

 _"Angel's Charity again? Are the cards in his hand that bad?"_ Dante wondered suspiciously. An idiot would have thought Carl was simply a weak amateur, but the prince's smile and calm demeanor was saying otherwise. He didn't think Carl was bluffing either.

"I set 2 cards and then I summon Thoroughbred Elf (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 4) from my hand." Carl summoned Thoroughbred Elf in Attack Position.

"I activate Equip Spell: Spirit Slayer. The ATK points of the monster being attacked fall by 500. The ATK points of the monster equipped with Spirit Slayer rise by 500 and it cannot be destroyed by Battle twice." Carl equipped a magical sword for the Elf, increasing its ATK to 2300.

"I end my Turn." Carl concluded.

 _"Just that? He didn't do more? Am I overestimating him?"_ Dante began to doubt his judgement. He was still suspicious, but he will decrease as many LP as he could first.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack Learning Elf with Master Key Beetle!" Dante declared the first attack with his Xyz Monster, destroying Leaning Elf.

 **CARL LP: 4000 = 2900**

"And then I attack Thoroughbred Elf with Umbral Mirage Token!" Dante continued with his tokens. The first and then the second tokens strikes the last standing Elf with their purple lightning, which the Elf endured twice thanks to its effect, and the Tokens lost 500 ATK, making their current ATKs 2000.

 **CARL LP: 2900 = 2500**

When Dante declared attack using his last Token, Carl finally opened another Reverse Card. "Trap Card: Amulet of Affection! I equip this card to Thoroughbred Elf to reduce the damage to 0!" An amulet was equipped to the Elf, reducing the damage Carl would took to 0, but Thoroughbred Elf was destroyed.

"I activate Magic Card: Umbral Refresh. When Umbral Monster I control has different ATK than its original, its ATK reverted to its original ATK." Dante opened his Reverse Card, restoring the Tokens' lost ATKs.

"I end my Turn. Prince, do you really take this Duel seriously? If you're just playing around, then please just surrender. I'll make sure your death will be quick in return." Dante told Carl.

"Yes. This Duel has ended...with your defeat, Mr. Dante." Carl's relaxing smile turned confident, his eyes sharpened, which surprised the Umbral user.

"I activate Magic Card: Armament Reincarnation! All Equip Cards in the Graveyard appear on the field as monsters with 500 ATK and 500 DEF. The effects of those cards become the special abilities of the monsters!"

Carl Special Summoned Mirror Barrier, Amulet of Affection, Spirit Slayer, Neon Laser Blaster and Laminate Armor from his Graveyard in Attack Position as monsters with 500 ATK and DEF. Their effects were applied to themselves. Thus, Spirit Slayer and Neon Laser Blaster gained 500 ATK, while Laminate Armor gained 1000 DEF. Laminate Armor has 500 ATK and 1000 DEF. Amulet of Affection and Elf Barrier have 500 ATK and 500 DEF. Spirit Slayer and Neon Laser Blaster have 1000 ATK and 500 DEF.

"W-what?!" Dante was taken aback. He understood now. Carl used Angel's Charity not because the cards in his hand were bad, but because so he could send the equip cards to the Graveyard and then revive them as monsters with Armament Reincarnation.

 _"Calm down. No matter how many they are, their ATKs are still lower than my Monsters..."_ Dante told himself. This didn't last long as Carl made his next move that quickly turn the tide.

"And then I activate Magic Card: Power Connection! Until the end of this turn, all face-up monsters on the field gain 500 ATK for each other monster on the field with the same Type!" Carl opened his other facedown card, increasing the ATK and DEF of all his monsters by 500 for each monster of the same Type on the field. Laminate Armor, Amulet of Affection, and Elf Barrier's ATKs were increased to 2500. Spirit Slayer and Neon Laser Blaster's ATKs were increased to 3000.

"I'll say this again, it will be your defeat, Mr. Dante!" Carl declared and then pointed at the Xyz Monster. "Battle! I attack Master Key Beetle with Spirit Slayer! Due to Spirit Slayer's effect, Master Key Beetle's ATK was decreased to 2000!"

Spirit Slayer slashed down the Xyz Monster, slicing it into two and it exploded, pushing back Dante.

 **DANTE LP: 4000 = 3000**

Since Master Key Beetle was destroyed, all of Dante's three Umbra Mirage Tokens were destroyed as well. His Field was wide open and there was nothing to protect him now.

"Your LP is exactly at 3000. Neon Laser Blaster would be more than enough. I can attack you with my other lower monsters first so I can repeat the attack, but I'm not a cruel sadist. So, I attack directly with Neon Laser Blaster!"

Carl sent Neon Laser Blaster who has pointed its blaster towards the defenseless Umbra user. Dante could only stand still as the Equipment turned Monster made its shot, blasting him away together with his LP.

 **DANTE LP: 3000 = 0**

The alternate space disappeared, returning Carl and the unconscious Dante back to the real world at the Underground Prison. Carl raised his hand up in victory.

"My first win against Apophis' Duelist. I'm proud of myself!" Carl said cheerfully.

"Hearing you saying that to yourself sounds weird, you know." Jounouchi commented as he and Yuno approached the prince. The three of them then stared at the three barely conscious Apophis Duelists.

"What should we do with them? Should we take them in for questioning?" Carl asked.

"Forget it. They won't budge to any kind of interrogation or even torture. We'll have to finish them off now." Yuno stated coldly. He took a step forward, ready to put an end to the three Apophis Duelists for good...

...only to be stopped by the darkness swelled and bubbled, and then in places where nothing had been before, shadowy people appeared. The rest of the Apophis Duelists who have infiltrated the prison arrived. They took their unconscious comrades with them. For a brief moment, they turned to The Brotherhood Duelists, exchanging hostile glances before an explosion interrupted them, the underground was shaking. It was coming from the tunnels that lead towards the cells. The Apophis Duelists then disappeared.

Yuno turned to his two comrades as the underground started to fall apart.

"Fall back! Now!"

 **UNDERGROUND WATERWAY – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuya and the others finally reached the Underground Waterway, which was quite above the underground prison. It has been only a few hours, but it felt like days have passed since they saw sunlight. Soon they will be out of this dark place and reached the surface bathed in sunlight. When they were about to reach the exit, however, they spotted Apophis Servants. They were ready to force their way out when the Servants suddenly fell down and three people in blue robes were standing before the fallen Servants.

"You're...!" Yuya was loss at words when seeing them. He had heard that the person in blue robes who saved Serena and Yuri was not alone, and even Shun was one of them. But he didn't expect to see them here.

"Shun! Is it you, Shun?!" Yuto quickly questioned the three people in blue robes, hoping his best friend was one of them even though Yuzu has told him that Shun has left to the surface.

"You must leave this place quickly if you don't want to be buried." The person at the center told them.

"Buried? What do you mean?" Yuya asked.

"Heidel's men have detonated the explosives within the underground prisons to erase the evidence of the human experiments they were conducting. It would be a matter of time before this whole place would burn and collapse." The person at the right said. From the voice, she was a girl.

"What?! Then...there's no way to prove what he had done here?!" Yuzu exclaimed in dismay.

"You are witnesses, but it doesn't matter as long as you don't have proof. With Apophis' Duelists here, he can just say that what happened in the underground was their doing." The person at the left said.

Their surrounding started to shake, indicating the underground waterway was starting to fall apart. They must leave now or they'll be buried to death!

"We have already defeated all the Servants sent to capture you. Now, hurry up and leave this place." She told them again before she and her friends raised their Duel Disks, ready to make an exit themselves.

"Wait! Who are you guys?! Why is Shun with you?!" Yuto questioned.

"We have next time to explain about that, now hurry!" The three of them approached and pulled Yuya, Yuto, and Yukiya who were standing at the most front, pushing them upstairs and ushering the others to do the same. The girl's Duel Disk let out a buzzing sound before a voice, slowly, came out.

[What are you doing? Hurry up and leave that place! It'll fall apart completely in a minute!]

Yukiya immediately turned back to the girl upon hearing the voice coming from her Duel Disk. His brows furrowed as he stared at the source of the voice while running above.

Once Yukiya and the others were out of the underground waterway, the three people in blue robes quickly distanced themselves from Yukiya and his group and then pressed the screen on their Duel Disks, turning them into particles of data and disappeared before Yukiya could question them.

 **EVENING – YUKIYA'S ROOM – HOTEL – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

After Yukiya and the others came out from the underground waterway, Local police quickly burst into the scene. They were panicking when Yuno, Jounouchi, and Carl haven't come out and attempted to dug the debris to look for them. It was unnecessary as Yuno and the others emerged with their monsters. Fortunately, Yukiya and the others' figures were hidden by their cloaks and masks, and with Carl's authority and connection as the prince of Cantidel, they were not required for questioning and allowed to return to the hotel to rest. Aoi, however, was taken to Carl's care.

When Yukiya was back in his room, everything that was initially bothering him in the underground was forgotten as new wonder came into his mind. The voice coming from the girl in blue robe's Duel Disk. That voice. He knew that voice. He only knew one person with that voice. That person has always been by his side for years until recently after all. He missed that voice very much...

"Sara..." Yukiya covered his eyes with the back of his hand.

"But how...? She was in coma. The hospital has made sure of that. How is it..." Yukiya was confused. How could someone who was in coma speaking through the Duel Disk elsewhere? He called the hospital and the doctors and nurses have made sure that there was no movement from Sara. She was still unconscious. But there was no mistaking it. There was no way he would mistook her voice. He and Sara were best friends. He knew it was her.

 _"Unless..."_

Yukiya gasped when he remembered an update made by Lilac a few days ago. According to Sara's Duel Disk history, before she lost consciousness, a minute before Yukiya burst into her house, Sara was accessing LINK VRAINS once more with the last of her power. The history ended with that. From the damage of the Duel Disk, Yukiya and the others have assumed that the Duel Disk broke down before Sara could do anything she wanted by accessing LINK VRAINS. But if he thought carefully...

 _"Maybe she managed to log in...and since then her consciousness...was still inside LINK VRAINS...?"_ Yukiya deduced. Being a hacker like himself, it won't be difficult for Sara – for Ray to make contact with people outside with her self-made programs and all. Then it was possible the voice from before was Ray contacting the girl in blue robes through online means.

 _"Then...Sara is..."_ Yukiya was snapped from his thought when he heard knocks.

"Yukiya, sorry for coming in so suddenly." Ruri peeked into the room after knocking twice. Yukiya immediately sat up.

"It's fine. Do you need something?" Yukiya asked.

"We can't find Yuya and Yuzu. We thought maybe they're in your room." Ruri said.

"They're not here for sure. Maybe they're just taking a walk for refresher?" Yukiya guessed.

"Maybe...but there's something that we must discuss more. Of course, you're also included." Ruri replied.

Yukiya scratched his head. He would have further headache if he thought more about this. He was already tired enough for today, so he will put the question behind him for now and help looking for Yuya and Yuzu while taking some more of evening fresh air. Standing up from the bed, Yukiya gestured Ruri to go out.

"I'll help look for them. Let's go."

 **HOTEL PARK – HOTEL – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuno was sitting on the bench while staring at the night skies. Stars flooded the sky. Huge, sparkling white stars, scattered like diamonds across a deep, velvet blue. He could see something like the edges of wispy, multicolored clouds swirling in between the copses of stars. It was a beautiful scenery. It was perfect after what he has gone through this morning till afternoon. He needed this relaxation.

"Yuno-san."

Yuno turned around when he heard his name being called. Yuya and Yuzu was approaching him.

"Oh, Yuya, Yuzu. What's wrong? You should be taking a rest." Yuno told the two before beckoning the two to sit with him, which they did.

"We're okay. We just want to say something." Yuya said.

"What is it?"

"We're sorry…about what happened yesterday at the fort. And also, for going to rescue Aoi-san without telling you… I know that we have to be careful, but we just can't bring ourselves to make Aoi-san wait so long in that cell…" Yuya apologized. Guilt filled is face, and so did Yuzu. The two of them bowed their heads to the Oracle.

"It's fine. I understand how you feel." Yuno gently ruffled their heads before telling them to raise their heads. He then turned to his descendant. "As for you, Yuya, maybe I'm being too harsh at that time too even though the five of you did a good job taking care of the mercenaries."

"N-no! You're not in the wrong, Yuno-san! What you said was true!" Yuya quickly replied. Yuno raised a hand to stop him from trying to say anything more.

"…I just don't want…to lose people I care about that way…" Yuno told the two teens with sad smile. "It has been a few weeks, almost a month, since we met. To be honest, I've grown fond of all of you. You, Yuto, Yugo, Yuri, Yukiya, and the girls too. Maybe it's weird for you, but I have already considered all of you as my family."

Yuya and Yuzu's gaze softened at Yuno. Seeing his sad smile made their hearts ache.

"Putting aside Yuzu and the others, me, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri are your descendants. We are related by blood, so that's makes us family. I don't think it's weird… And…you can be scary sometimes, but I also like you, Yuno-san…" Yuya replied. It was the truth. He did like Yuno. The older man had taken him and his counterparts in, making sure they were safe, teaching them what were necessary to blend in this dimension, and many more. He couldn't explain it well, but he liked Yuno as both his ancestor and a person.

"Me too! You're a kind person, Yuno-san. To be honest, I think Yuya's kindness was inherited from you!" Yuzu added. She didn't know Yuno as much as Yuya does, but she always heard good things about him from most people, nobles and commoners alike, and especially from Celica.

"Thank you." Yuno replied gratefully, but his smile was still sad. Without him meaning to, bittersweet memories flooded into his mind.

"I have lived for more than thousand years. People I loved, aside from Celica, have died leaving me. Death through natural means is something I can accept and endure. But, seeing the people I loved got killed or they were sacrificing themselves for my sake, that is more painful than anything." Yuno had enough watching people he loved died in act of self-sacrifice. He could still every single person who had sacrificed himself so he could live on, and he felt guilty. He was already cursed by Apophis, so he should have more chances to keep living even without them sacrificing themselves. In fact, he has been living more than enough. They were the ones who were supposed to keep living. He didn't want any of them to die.

"I used to be just like you. If somebody is in trouble, I won't hesitate to help. I won't hesitate to sacrifice my own life if it means I can protect and save the people I care for. But later, I realized that this way of thinking is wrong. I realized it with a great cost." At that time, he was being too naïve and too selfless. He thought he was protecting them, but he didn't consider their feelings. He didn't realize that his self-sacrificing tendency has actually hurt the people he cares more. He didn't realize it until he lost one.

"There are many others who care about you very much. But when the danger comes that force you to choose between yourself and them, you don't realize it. At that moment you don't even care about yourself. You hate to see others get hurt…but you don't mind if you're the ones getting hurt. You don't understand that when you got hurt, those who care about you are also hurt when they see it." At that time, he didn't understand. His friends and family treasured his life very much, and then he was so easily give it away, just like that. That's just the same as viewing his own life as garbage and underestimate the ones who cares for him. He was truly an idiot back then.

"When I said you should be more careful and consider your friends more before taking action, I meant that you must cherish your life not only for your sake but also for the people who love you. They would be saddened if you're gone, wouldn't they?" Yuno told Yuya and Yuzu, urging to place themselves in their position. It shouldn't be so difficult.

"1,500 years ago, I have adopted children." Yuno revealed.

"Adopted children?" Yuya repeated in surprise. Jounouchi did mention that Yuno had a daughter. Does that mean that Yuno's daughter was adopted?

"Yes. They were victims of Apophis' rampage and lost their families, so I took them in. We were related by blood, but I loved them as much as I loved my own son. They were my precious children whom I swore to protect…" Yuno joined his fingers and covered his eyes while his head was bowing down to the ground, remembering each of his adopted children.

"But I couldn't protect them… Instead of me protecting them, they were the ones who protected me. Because of my incompetence and recklessness, I lost them." Yuno still regretted it to this day. He couldn't forgive himself until now. His failure to protect people he cherished the most. Their deaths were still haunting him like it just happened not long ago.

"In this war, we are putting our lives on the line and casualties can't be avoided in real battle. But still, never think that you're fighting to die. You're fighting so all of us can live on in peace." Yuno stood up, dropping his sad smile, his face turned dead serious as he looked at Yuya and Yuzu who looked up to him.

"Yuya, Yuzu, no matter what happens, never give yourself away too easily. I know that there are times that perhaps sacrificing yourself is the only option. But still, as long as there's a possibility, no matter how slim it is, don't ever choose death to protect the ones you love. Try hard to think for a way so both you and the people you love can continue to live." Yuno told them as he turned around, ready to return inside and take the sleep he needed. He felt a bit relieved after telling Yuya and Yuzu.

"Because, once you lost them, you can't get them back. Even if somehow, they're reborn, they won't be the same. You know what I mean, don't you?" Yuno gazed back at Yuya and Yuzu, and two teens knew what he meant. He was referring to Yukiya and Sara who were the reincarnations of their original selves. They were the same but yet different.

"I pray this war has a happy ending this time." Yuno breathed. "I have had my fill of sorrow."

Yuno left the park, leaving Yuya and Yuzu alone. The two watched Yuno's back until they could no longer see him. They couldn't say anything to him. Yuno's pain and suffering was more than they could handle, more than they could understand. While they understood how it felt to lose someone precious to them, Yuno must have it worse than any of them ever were.

"Yuno-san…" Yuzu said with concern.

"Hey, Yuzu…when you saw Sara, what do you think about her?" Yuya asked. He didn't get to ask this before, but now that Yuno brought it up, he asked while he remember it.

"…The same as you. At first I thought I'm seeing Ray again. But then I realized she's not the same Ray we knew a year ago. She is her own person as much as Yukiya and all of us." When she first heard Ray has been reincarnated, she thought this was a chance given to her to start over with Ray. But after spending times with Yukiya, she realized that even though he was the reincarnations of Zarc, he was not 'Zarc'. And thus, she realized, the one she thought as 'Ray' was not 'Ray'. It would be rude and cruel if she befriending Sara because she saw him as 'Ray', not 'Sara' herself.

"But I still want to get to know her. Not Ray, but the current her, Sara Akie. Once she is awake, I want us to be friends just like you and Yukiya." Yuzu replied. Once she realized they were not the same, she determined to get to know Sara for who she was at the present. From what Yukiya said about her, she was as much as wonderful as Ray did. SHe would like to know her more.

"You're really Strong Yuzu." Yuya commented with a teasing grin.

"Hey, now! Enough with that nickname!" Yuzu pouted.

"Sorry, sorry! But still...thank you." Yuya suddenly thanked her.

"For what?" Yuzu blinked.

"For everything you have done until now. You're always stronger than I do ever since we were children. When I was bullied you were always there to protect me. And even now, you're staying by my side despite the danger." Yuya smiled across at her, meeting her eyes. They looked black in the night, but they were still full of starlight.

"Of course, silly. There's no way I can leave you." Yuzu ducked her head, blushing.

"Yeah…that's what...I like about you…" Yuya said softly, but it was enough for Yuzu to hear. His heart was beating faster and faster after he finally said it. He finally said what he has been holding up until now. His face was hot as he waited for her reaction.

"…Eh…?" Yuzu turned to Yuya, blinking again. Did she just heard what she heard just now?

For just a breath, it's like the entire world was silent. It's like the time has frozen. Yuya reached across almost automatically and put his hand on top of hers. Yuzu tensed by the sudden gesture but didn't try to move her hand away. She was too nervous to do anything all the while staring at Yuya with reddened face for each second passed. Yuya opened his mouth, finally speaking again, and Yuzu listened intently to make sure she wasn't imagining things...

"I've just realized this after our Duel in Maiami Championship a year ago… We were so close since we were young…that I took it for granted and was late to realize it…"

His hand tightened his grip on her hand. In the evening under starlight skies, it was just them at the park, gripping each other's hands, and meeting each other's gazes. The time was still, and gentle.

"Yuzu…I…"

And then Yuya and Yuzu heard the quick steps of someone coming into the park. Automatically, Yuya and Yuzu let go of each other's hand and placed quite a distance from each other while holding their chests. That gave them a heart attacks. Who was it who came right at that moment when they were so close?!

"Yuya! Yuzu!"

Yukiya rushed to them, waving his arm up to get their attentions. Yuya felt the urge to cry waterfall tears for his friend's interruption. Just when the mood was perfect and it was just the two of them at the park. He shuddered when he felt pressure from behind him. He turned and saw Yuzu was burning in flames and her paper fan in her hands. She was clearly furious that Yuya decided to put a little more distance from her.

"The others have been looking for you two. Don't wander around so late." Yukiya told the two, unaware of the atmosphere. He blinked at Yuzu who was standing right in front of him. When he was about to ask what's wrong, he froze when he met Yuzu's angry gaze directed at him. It was even more intimidating when she raised her paper fan. He didn't know why, but he knew she was angry at him!

"IDIOT YUKIYA!"

Yuzu yelled all the while she was smacking Yukiya without mercy, ignoring his plea for her to stop. She was just so angry and frustrated and embarrassed. She didn't care whether Yukiya knew what he has done or not, she wanted to punish him for his insensitivity. Yuya stayed where he was, waiting until they were done. He was half mad at Yukiya for interrupting his confession, but maybe...if he was right from Yuzu's expression...he has properly conveyed his feeling to her. Still, he will tell her again more directly and clearly.

Finally calming down, Yuya now observed Yukiya who was finished being smacked but now being scolded by Yuzu. They grey haired teen was forced to sit in seiza while Yuzu was lecturing him like a teacher or mother. Yuya then stared at Yukiya when he recalled Yuno's words again. It felt like Zarc was here but at the same time not. Was he feeling this way because he hasn't accepted Yukiya for who he was? Will he stop feeling like this once he solved the problem?

"Even if reborn, it won't be the same…"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Ambush! Apophis' Advance! –** Apophis sent his Servants into four separate regions of ARC-V. In Academia, the war criminals from the last dimension war who were imprisoned, got released by the Servants.

* * *

 **FANFIC ORIGINAL CARD MEMO:**

 **UNDEAD CHRONO:** You can discard an Undead Monster from your Graveyard to activate this card from your hand. Monsters you control cannot be destroyed by Battle or Effect until your next Standby Phase. (Trap Card)

 **UNDEAD FULFILLMENT** : When you're being targeted for direct attack, you can lower the damage equal to the total ATK of an Undead-Type Monster you have in your Graveyard. (Trap Card)

 **INFERNO ROARS** : All Infernoid Monsters you control gains 1000 ATK. (Quick-Play Spell)

 **VENDEAD'S HELPING HANDS** : You can banish a Vendead Monster from your Graveyard to negate destruction of a Monster you control by Battle. (Continuous Trap Card)

 **VENDEAD TRAP MIRROR** : When the activation of a Vendead Trap Card you control is negated, this card will gain that card's effect. (Trap Card)

 **RAVE ABYSS RITUAL DRAGON:** (DRAGON / DARK / RITUAL / EFFECT / ATK: 3200 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10). Once per Turn, you can change the position of a monster on the Field. When this card battles a Defense Position Monster, it inflicts piercing damage. When this card leaves the Field, you can destroy your opponent's monster with highest ATK and inflict damage equal to that monster's ATK.

 **RED-EYES DRAW** : You can discard a Red-Eyes Monster from your Deck to Graveyard to add two Magic or Trap cards to your hand. (Magic Card)

 **RED-EYES XYZ** : When you have a Red-Eyes Normal Monster in your Graveyard, you can use it as Xyz Material to summon Red-Eyes Xyz Monster with Rank equal to the Red-Eyes Monster used as Material. (Magic Card)

 **ORICHALCOS ZERO** : By releasing at least 2 monsters on your Field, you can destroy Orichalcos Monster that you placed on the Spell & Trap Zone. (Magic Card)

 **MIRROR KNIGHT COUNTER** : Orichalcos Monster you control gains 500 ATK for each Mirror Knight Tokens destroyed in the previous Turn (Magic Card)

 **CROSSING REALM** : You can change the Rank of a Monster into Level and vice versa. (Magic Card)

 **ELF BARRIER** : When your opponent attacks, you can deflect the attack and destroy the opposing monster. (Trap Card)

 **I also changed Ishzark and Spirit Slayer's effects a bit.**

* * *

 **Finished. I was supposed to update this chapter yesterday, but Jounouchi's Duel against Shiki turned out to be more difficult than I thought. It was the most difficult that I have to make it longer than I planned. It's so tiring, but I'm glad I made it. I've decided to change Dante's Deck since I'm interested in using Vector's Deck and it's easier to write than the previous Deck.**

 **The next three chapters will focus on the ones back at ARC-V! It's been a very long time since they were absent from the story, so now I will return the focus to Reiji and the others for a few chapters! Sorry for any errors or mistakes, I'll fix it later if there is.**

 **To _GUEST_** **reviewers, please WRITE A NAME INSTEAD OF JUST 'GUEST' so I can tell whether it's the same reviewer or not. If it's continuing like this, I'll either delete the review or maybe even disabling anonymous reviews. I'm not telling you to stop reviewing, all I ask is for you to use a pseudonym like _Meemo_ and _Playerhood18_ , they're anonymous reviewers, but at least they're using names when reviewing. Also, it would be better if you write all you want to say in one review instead of one after another.**

 **To** _ **Jason,**_ **I believe I have told you in the previous chapter that I won't answer question that will spoil the story no matter how many times you ask so please don't repeat the same question again.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter~! Your reviews are my motivations :D**


	31. Ambush! Apophis' Advance!

**Big thanks to** _ **Ryujomaru15, aqua9597, Elbarto4000, Unknowedz, Ulrich362, GuestStar, Yuka Kuroshiro, Playerhood18, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Meemo, SSJGamerYT, Meemo, dvdryms, Big duels, Guests, GamingGuy84, NeoFGD**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

A day after the incident at the underground prison, Yuya and the others were taken to the Capital, or to be precise, to the Imperial Palace under Celica's request. Yuno, Carl, and the mentors, of course, also went to accompany them, mainly Johan and Rio who lived in the palace, as they were Celica's guardians. Celica didn't say much of why she requested for their presence, but it has something to do with the charges placed against Aoi and also about the human experimentation. Those were all they needed to convince them to go without much question.

The palace amazed the boys when they arrived. It was their first time coming here so their reaction was understandable. Although, Rin must shut Yugo's mouth to stop him from overreacting like a child as evident from the shine in his eyes and his excited body gestures. Yukiya, being a resident of Cantidel, have heard quite a lot about the Imperial Palace, but never in his wildest imagination he could ever set foot in it, let along meeting the imperial Adviser herself.

"Welcome to the Cantidel Palace, everyone." Rio said to them once they entered the palace.

"This is awesome…!" Yugo said. He was almost shouting if it were not for Rin nudging him again.

"Show your manners, Yugo!" Rin scolded.

"It's fine, Rin. It's always amusing to see such reaction." Carl told the girl, chuckling at Yugo's excitement.

"It's been a while since we came here. Right, Yuno?" Jounouchi turned to the Oracle.

"Yeah. I wonder how long it has been…" Yuno smiled, but there was uncertainty in his eyes. He was feeling quite nervous. After his last meeting with Celica, he hasn't been in contact with her. He wondered if she was mad at him.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, everyone."

Everyone turned up to the stairs, and they couldn't help but in awe when they saw Celica descending to them. She was wearing a velvet sleeveless floor-length gown with twin tail lapels that flare out on the sides from the waistline. A half skirt partially covers the front of the main skirt midway down. The gown comes with a pair of matching fingerless evening gloves. She truly gave an air of a noblewoman. It was very different from meeting her through communication screen and when meeting her while she was wearing casual clothes. She was beautiful whether in her casual clothes or not, but this was on a whole different level that they didn't know what to say.

"She hasn't gotten prettier, isn't she?" Jounouchi whispered teasingly to the Oracle who nudged him with a tinge of blush on his face.

"Shut up, Jounouchi." Yuno retorted. But he had to admit Jounouchi was right. Celica was pretty. She was very pretty, more than he had ever seen before.

"I suggest you take her now before someone else does like before." Ryo whispered from the other side, making Yuno to look at him with a face that was saying 'even you too, Ryo?' The Kaiser merely smiled coolly. Teasing his leader like this was fun.

They were mesmerized by Celica's appearance that they were late to notice Aoi was following behind her together with Kurt, Mai and Kiryu. Seeing Aoi, Ruri has the urge to run up and hug her, but she stopped herself, waiting until at least they were downstairs. It would be impolite to Celica and the others if she did that. It didn't take long for them to face each other. Celica smiled warmly in welcoming them. Yuzu and the girls couldn't help but wondering if they were really descended from her. True, they shared the same face, but seeing Celica like this made them doubt their blood connection a bit.

"No need to be so nervous. Just think of this as your own home for the time being." Celica told them so they could feel more relax.

"Aoi-san!" Ruri finally made her move, rushing and hugging the older girl. Aoi almost stumbled and was surprised by the hug before awkwardly returning it.

"How are you?" Ruri asked, looking up to the older girl.

"I'm doing fine. Celica-sama has taken good care of me." Aoi replied. When she was brought to the palace yesterday after the incident, she didn't expect for the Imperial Adviser to take her under her wing and treated her as she would to a guest. The room she stayed last night was bigger than a hotel suite. She almost has trouble sleeping from nervousness to be invited at such a fancy place.

"Celica-san, how are the charges against Aoi-san?" Ruri asked worriedly. Even though Carl has said he would take care of it, she was still worried that something could happen.

Instead of Celica, Kurt was the one who answered. "I've already taken care of that. Ruri-chan and the rest of you are our relatives. That fact combined with your testimonies as Aoi-chan's friends was enough to make the charges against her dropped." He broke the good news, much to the relief of everyone, especially Aoi herself.

"In addition, we also demoted Count Oslow. He messed up big time." Carl added. He had no doubt that Oslow won't change nor stop if they just convince him to drop the charges against Aoi, so they have to make sure he can never do that kind of dirty acts ever again by reducing him to the same as the very people whom he deemed beneath him. Served him right.

"That's great, Aoi-san!" Ruri said happily while holding Aoi's hand, and the other girls also surrounded her, expressing their relief.

"Yes. Thank you very much everyone. Not only you helped dropping the false charges, but you have also saved my life yesterday. I can't thank you enough." Aoi bowed in gratitude. She was truly thankful of them. She was positive that both her life and her brother's reputation were done for, but they have prevented them from happening. She couldn't thank them enough.

"Your brother will be here soon. I've sent a man to pick him up to take you home." Celica told Aoi.

After she took Aoi into the palace, she personally informed Akira about the false charges and her rescue. The older brother went into a brief panic that she pacified with assurance that Aoi was safe with her. Akira was ready to go pick his sister up right at that moment, but he relented to pick her today after Celica explained how tired Aoi was. After they hung up, Celica giggled at Akira's reaction. It reminded her of her own older brother years ago.

"Yes. Thank you." Aoi nodded at the Imperial Adviser in gratitude.

Celica's face then turned serious. She looked at each of them, making sure she has all of their attention. The importance of the talk they were going to have requires everyone's full attention. This was a serious matter. Positive that everyone was ready to listen, Celica gestured them to the door on her right side and led them there.

"While we're waiting, we have to talk…about what happened at the underground prison."

 **CHAIRMAN'S OFFICE – LDS – MAIAMI CITY – ARC-V**

"Still no contact from Yuya and the others?" Reiji addressed to his personal assistant, Nakajima. He was looking out of the window, observing the city like something could happen at any moment.

"I'm afraid not. The last message that was sent was three weeks ago from Yuya Sakaki's Duel Disk. The message said they were doing well and has formed alliance with one of the biggest organization in that dimension." Nakajima informed, reading the report he brought with him.

Reiji closed his eyes. It has been three weeks since Yuya and the others departed to the artificial dimension, and they haven't contacted them. Any effort they tried to contact them failed as something disrupting the connections. Reiji wouldn't say it to anyone, but he grew restless. First, they have lost Shun. He hoped now they won't lose Yuya and the others either. Wherever they were and whatever they were doing, he only hopes for their safety and return. So far there has been no movement from the new enemies. Were they waiting for something or since Yuya and the others have gone to the artificial dimension themselves they didn't see the need to go back here? He doubts they would never return though.

"Hikage, have you told Tsukikage what I have asked you to?" Reiji turned to Hikage who was standing not far beside him.

"Yes. Tsukikage has departed to Academia just a while ago. We have sent a message of his arrival to Principal Samejima to check on the research progress at Academia." Hikage answered.

"I see. Thank you, Hikage." Reiji replied.

"Chairman, maybe we should send some men to follow them. Maybe something did happen at the artificial dimension." Nakajima suggested.

"No." Reiji finally turned to him, rejecting the suggestion. "We have already sent eight of our best Duelists. If something happens here while they're gone, we're going to lack manpower."

"How about sending at least one person to the artificial dimension, Reiji-dono? I don't think it's wise to keep waiting for Yuya-dono and the others to contact us." Hikage suggested.

Reiji nodded. "I've been considering that idea. As for the one who I will send–"

And then there was an explosion on the other side of the city, rocking the windows with the weight of it. Outside, he heard a scream, one after another. The three of them flinched from the shaking building caused by the explosion, and the heat wave from the explosion rolled past them. Fires were raging in the outer corner of the city. The alarm rang throughout the LDS Tower.

"What's happening?!" Reiji asked the staff outside through communication screen.

"Chairman, it seems the invaders have come and attacked! Their signals appeared at the same time at four separate locations!" The staff informed urgently.

Reiji clicked his tongue. Speak of the devil, and a surprise attack no less. They have to act quick.

"Prepare the emergency broadcast system! Inform and send out all Lancers and our allies immediately to deal with the invaders and evacuating the citizens!"

 **TRAINING FIELD – ACADEMIA – FUSION ISLAND – ARC-V**

"I miss Yuya..." Grace said dreamily with a sigh.

"Stop daydreaming and do your job, Grace." Gloria sighed, pulling her sister from her sitting position to stand.

A year after the war, the Tyler Sisters became instructors in Academia. They were appointed as Tag Duel instructors. While Grace initially wanted to pursue the same profession as Yuya in Maiami City, Edo and Gloria's demands and encouragement from Yuya (who was asked by Samejima to persuade her), convinced her to stay at Academia as a teacher. While she was quite disappointed, encouragement from Yuya was all she needed to continue. Plus, Yuya visited once in a while...until recently since his departure to the artificial dimension from what she heard from Reiji.

"I wonder what's Yuya doing now...and Yuzu is with him..." Grace pouted. Since Yuzu accompanied him, that means the pink haired girl has more chances in getting close to Yuya. It has been three weeks already. What if they have made progress in their relationship? She didn't want to go down without a fight!

"Will you knock it off already? I'm the one who is doing most of the job here!" Gloria scolded her sister while trying to give advices to two students who were asking her. For goodness sake, she wished Yuya was here. That'll give her sister the motivation needed to do her work.

Gloria sighed when Grace finally did as she was told. She looked at the students who were training in Tag Duels. She never thought she would end up being an instructor. A year ago, during the war, she thought she and her sister would dedicate their lives as Duel Soldiers to the very end, following the Professor's order. They thought their sole purpose was to serve him. But now, she was living a relatively normal peaceful live with her sister. It felt odd at first, but she was slowly enjoying it. Academia that used to be no different than a prison to them, now became their home filled with life.

"Gloria, after this, why don't we go to Maiami City? Let's go visit Yuya's You Show Duel School! Please~" Grace begged her sister, rounding her arms around the blond twin.

"Why do you want to go there? Yuya hasn't come back." Gloria asked.

"But I heard we can watch various records of Yuya's Duels! I want to watch his Entertainment Duels that I didn't get to see! We need a break anyway, so come on!" Grace pleaded, shaking her sister.

"That would be a no. We still have a meeting after the school is over." Gloria said, much to the disappointment of her sister, as she expected.

"Eeeeh? Then let's just skip the meeting!" Grace suggested cheerfully, earning her a flick of fingers from her older sister on the forehead.

"Don't be such a child, Grace. You're an instructor now." Gloria said sternly. She won't back down on this one. It was her job as the older one of the twins here.

"Sheesh...you're so boring Gloria–"

An explosion interrupted them. The students began screaming as more explosions followed. They all turned to the building and saw thick smokes as fires started to spread. Gloria and Grace placed themselves in front of the students protectively while assessing their surroundings. They then noticed the place where the first explosion came from. They were coming at the direction of where the prison containing war criminals a year ago were being held captive. If it was coming from there, there was only one answer...

"All of you go to the evacuation routes! Inform other students and teachers that there was a prison break!" Gloria told the students behind her who all nodded without much question.

"Look! Up there!" One of the students pointed at the sky, prompting everyone to look up.

Three portals appeared. From the portals, men in orange robes riding black dragons emerged. The dragons opened their mouths and shot the academy with their blast, eliciting more panic screams. Gloria and Grace immediately recognized them. They fit Yuya and his counterparts' descriptions of the new enemies Reiji have told them to be aware of. They have officially declared a war against this dimension. So much for the peaceful reminiscence Gloria has a moment ago. A new war has begun.

"What are you standing there gawking for? Hurry up and go! Leave this to us!" Gloria firmly told her students, snapping them from their shock.

Two of the attackers noticed them. As expected they were ready to make their attacks again. Gloria and Grace quickly summoned their monsters, blocking the green blast shot at them. The students, as instructed by the sisters, fled while also warning the other students and teachers.

[Gloria! Grace! Can you hear me?]

Samejima's voice came from their Duel Disks.

"Yes, Headmaster." Grace responded.

[As you may have already knew, prisoners from the last war have escaped. They were freed by the invaders that Reiji had warned us before. Some of them have already left and are attacking the town!]

"What should we do then?" Grace asked.

"I have already dispatched several Duelists to handle the ones at the town. I want you two to fight together with the ones remaining here against the invaders!]

"Roger that. In fact, we're going to face the two of them now." Gloria replied as she and her sister were facing against the Servants who have landed to challenge them into a Duel.

"Look at them. Two cute girls. Too bad we have to kill them."

"Why don't we just capture them and ask His Excellency to turn them into one of us?"

Gloria and Grace looked at each other after hearing the Servants' remark about them before bursting into laughter, confusing the Servants.

"Did you just hear that, Grace? They said they're going to make us one of them." Gloria stared mockingly at the Servants.

"Yeah, I heard. If that's their way to ask us on a date, they did a terrible job. What's more hilarious is they think lowlifes like them can win against us." Grace wiped a tear formed on her eyes from too much laughing.

As they expected, the Servants were easy to take offense from that. They could tell veins popped on their faces behind the hoods covering their heads. They were no different from those arrogant Obelisk Force and Securities. Fools.

"What was that, you two bitches?!"

"You're going to eat those words!"

The Servants activated their Duel Disks. Excited smile formed on the sisters' faces. They have sworn they won't use Dueling to hurt people anymore. But in war, something like that was next to impossible. Also, even though they have accepted their Dueling, they found themselves unable to contain their blood thirst against opponents like the two men. They have no intention to kill them, but they will have their excitement with this.

"It's been a long time since our last battle." Gloria remarked.

 **"** Ehehe. This'll be fun." Grace giggled in anticipation. "Let's make this a Tag Duel. Field, LP, and Graveyard are shared."

"Fine by us. You two will die either way." The Servant agreed, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"My Turn! I Special Summon Hack Worm (ATK: 400 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)! When there's no monsters on my opponent's Field, I can Special Summon it from my hand." The Servant summoned Hack Worm in Attack Position.

"I'm Special Summoning another Hack Worm!" The Servant summoned another copy of Hack Worm beside the other in Attack Position.

"I release the two Hack Worms to Advance Summon! Show yourself! Cracking Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 0 / LV: 8)!" The Servant summoned Cracking Dragon in Attack Position, replacing the two Hack Worms.

"I set a card and end my turn with this." He concluded and then pointed at the two sisters. "Be prepared! This dragon will put an end to you two in the next Turn!"

"Well, well. He sure is enthusiastic." Grace commented.

"Hmph. We never let our guard down once we've returned to the battlefield! My turn! When there are Amazoness cards in my hand, I can Special Summon Amazoness Spy (ATK: 800 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 3)!" Gloria summoned Amazoness Spy in Attack Position.

"I activate Cracking Dragon's effect! When my opponent Normal or Special Summon exactly 1 monster while this monster is on the Field, that monster lose ATK equal to its Level times 200 until the end of this Turn, and damage is inflicted to my opponent equal to the ATK lost by its effect!" The Red Servant revealed. Cracking Dragon shot a ball of green energy at Amazoness Spy who endured it, but the Amazoness kneeled as it lost power, making its LP 200. Another blast was shot and this time it hit Gloria and Grace, decreasing their LP by the same amount.

 **TYLER SISTERS LP: 4000 = 3800**

"Not bad for a hello shot." Grace remarked condescendingly.

"Then, I release Amazoness Spy, in order to Advance Summon Amazoness Queen (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 6)!" Gloria summoned Amazoness Queen in Attack Position. Due to Cracking Dragon's effect, Amazoness Spy lost half of its ATK, makings its current ATK 1200, and the same amount was inflicted to them as damage once again.

 **TYLER SISTERS LP: 3800 = 2600**

"I activate Magic Card: Amazoness Scout Report! I can increase the ATK of the Amazoness Monster I control equal to the total ATK and DEF of an Amazoness Monster in our Graveyard!" Gloria added the total ATK and DEF of Amazoness Spy into Amazoness Queen, making the latter's current ATK 3200 until the end of Turn.

"Battle! I attack Cracking Dragon with Amazoness Queen!" Gloria declared her first attack. Amazoness Queen leaped, slashing down its sword towards the black dragon. However, the dragon blocked the sword easily with its head.

"Cracking Dragon cannot be destroyed by Monster with Level equal or lower than itself in Battle!" The Red Servant revealed as Cracking Dragon deflected Amazoness Queen away from it. However, they still took damage from the attack.

 **SERVANTS LP: 4000 = 3800**

"A Monster that cannot be destroyed by Battle unless we use Monster with Level 9 or higher Monster…yeah, not bad. But we'll eventually destroy it anyway. I set a card and end my Turn." Gloria concluded. She crossed her arms and raised tilted her head as she stared at the Servants, eyes challenging them. This angered the Servants more.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Hand of Destruction! Both players send 2 cards from their hands to Graveyard and draw 2 cards!" Blue Servant activated his Spell Card from hand, forcing the sisters to send 2 cards to the Graveyard and then draw 2 cards like they did. He sent two copies of Inverz Madith.

"Magic Card: A Feather of Phoenix! I discard a card to return a card in my Graveyard to the top of my Deck!" The Blue Servant discarded the last copy of Inverz Madith and then returned Hands of Destruction to the top of his Deck.

"Next I activate Magic Card: Soul Charge! I can special summon any number of monsters from my Graveyard, but lost 1000 LP for each monster summoned!" Blue Servant summoned three copies of Inverz Madith (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 0 / LV: 5) in Attack Position at the cost of 3000 LP.

 **SERVANTS LP: 3800 = 800**

"You sacrificed your own LP just to summon those three disgusting insects? What can you do with them?" Grace questioned while her lips curved into a smirk.

"That's exactly what we've been waiting for." Gloria also grinned the moment the Inverz Monsters were special summoned as she opened her facedown card.

"Continuous Trap: Amazoness Audience Room! Now each time our opponents special summon a Monster while we control Amazoness Monster, we will gain LP equal to that Monster's total ATK!" Gloria added the total of Inverz Madiths' ATKs. Combing all of their ATKs, the Tyler Sisters gained 6600 LP.

 **TYLER SISTERS LP: 2600 = 9200**

"What?! 9200 LP?!" The Blue Servant exclaimed in shock. He was horrified that he had inadvertently helped their opponents recovering their LP.

"Calm down! That card only works as long as they have Amazoness Monster! We just need to destroy Amazoness Queen and it'll be over!" Red Servant told his partner, pointing out the card's flaw.

"R-right! I tribute my three Inverz Madiths to Advance Summon Inverz Glez (ATK: 3200 / DEF: 0 / LV: 10!" Blue Servant proceeded to summon Inverz Glez in Attack Position. With its ATK, it should be enough to finish off Amazoness Queen.

"Battle! I attack Amazoness Queen with Inverz Glez!" Blue Servant declared. Inverz Glez swung its fist forward at the Amazoness Monster who raised its sword as the fist came. The fist clashed against its sword, creating destructive sparks.

"It's pointless! Amazoness Queen's effect! Amazoness monsters cannot be destroyed by Battle!" Gloria revealed as Amazoness Queen and Inverz Glez deflected each other's attack, retreating back to their masters. Gloria and Grace still received damage from the attack.

 **TYLER SISTERS LP: 9200 = 8400**

"Then I attack again, with Cracking Dragon!" Blue Servant declared his second attack with his partner's monster. Cracking Dragon shot its green blast, which Amazoness Queen blocked with its barrier again, pushing it and its masters backwards form the impact.

 **TYLER SISTERS LP: 8400 = 7800**

"I end my Turn. I failed to destroy your monster, but our monsters are still stronger than yours! You won't stand a chance against us!" Blue Servant stated as he finished his Turn, reminding the sisters of the difference between their monsters' ATKs.

"What a pathetic excuse of Duelists. I haven't even started my Turn and summon my Monster." Grace reminded. She refused not to have any part in this Duel. It shouldn't be difficult to wipe out their LP. If they want to talk about difference, then they should double check the difference between their LPs.

"It's my turn! From my hand, I activate the Magic Card: The Warrior Returning Alive! I add Amazoness Spy from the Graveyard to my hand!" Grace returned Amazoness Spy to her hand before taking one card.

"Then, I activate the Magic Card: Fusion. I fuse Amazoness Pet Tiger and Amazoness Spy from my hand! Wild beast of the jungle, who bears vicious fangs! Obtain the eyes of the warrior who hunts down his prey! Be reborn as a savage beast, and appear! Fusion Summon! Come on out! Level 7! Amazoness Pet Liger (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2400 / LV: 7)!" Grace summoned her ace monster in Attack Position. Due to Cracking Dragon's effect, Liger's ATK was decreased to 1100 and the sisters received 1400 points of damage.

 **TYLER SISTERS LP: 7800 = 6400**

"Battle! I attack Cracking Dragon with Amazoness Pet Liger! When Liger attacks, it gains 500 ATK!" Grace declared Battle Phase as her ace monster's ATK was increased to 1600. Due to Amazoness Queen's effect, Pet Liger was not destroyed, but Grace and Gloria received damage from the Battle.

 **TYLER SISTERS LP: 6400 = 5000**

"Have you gone mad from the differences between our powers that you attack even when your monster's ATK was clearly below us?" Red Servant sneered at Grace's move, but Grave simply flung her hair without being bothered by the damage nor the sneer.

"No pain, no gain. I activate Liger's monster effect! When an Amazoness monster attacks, after damage calculation, my opponent's monster loses 800 ATK!" Grace revealed, lowering Cracking Dragon's ATK to 2200, which now below Amazoness Queen.

"The ATK of Liger will return to normal once it's done attacking. But it's not over yet. I attack Cracking Dragon with Amazoness Queen!" Grace made her second attack with her sister's monster. Amazoness Queen slashed the black dragon, causing the dragon to cry out in pain, but tried to endure it.

 **SERVANT LP: 800 =** **600**

"It won't be destroyed by monster with lower Level, right? But then, due to Liger's effect, Cracking Dragon loses 800 ATK once again!" Grace lowered the dragon's ATK further to merely 1400.

"What was that again about us being mad? You certainly can run your mouth." Gloria snickered at the annoyed look the Servants made by her sarcasm.

"If you can use your mouth, you can pretty much say whatever you want. I activate the Continuous Magic: Amazoness Magical Mirror! It negates damage caused by my opponent's card effects!" Grace activated her Continuous Magic, reverting their LP to before they received Cracking Dragon's effect damage.

 **TYLER SISTERS LP: 5000= 6400**

"Also, the effect damage inflicted will be directed to the opponent!" Grace pointed at the servants. A demonic mirror appeared and unleashed the same green blast from Cracking Dragon's attack, going straight at the two Servants.

"Trap Card: Cracking Absorption! When effect damage is being inflicted, I can negate it and add that damage to one of my monster's ATK!" Red Servant opened his Trap, adding the damage to his dragon's ATK, which increased its ATK from 1400 to 2800.

"Tch, so you countered it almost the same way as I did. Oh, well. Not that it really matters. I set a card and end my Turn." Grace concluded. They at least have some tenacity. She preferred to end her Duel soon though.

"My Turn! I activate Inverz Glez's effect! We pay half of our LP to destroy all monsters beside itself from the Field!" Red Servant activated his partner's monster's effect.

 **THE SERVANTS LP: 600 = 300**

"Your Amazoness Queen can't be destroyed only through Battle! Effect is different case altogether! Say goodbye to your Amazoness monsters!"

He halved their LP, allowing Inverz Glaze to unleash yellow energies throughout its body like dozens of lasers that destroyed all monsters beside itself. Due to Amazoness Queen and Amazoness Pet Liger's destruction, the Tyler Sisters' Continuous Magic and Trap were destroyed as well, leaving the sisters' Field wide open.

"And then I attack directly with Inverz Glez!" Red Servant declared Direct Attack followed by a laugh. Inverz Glez formed yellow energy sphere within its palms and threw them towards the sisters. Gloria and Grace were thrown back the attack as their LP was halved.

 **TYLER SISTERS LP: 6400 = 3200**

"Hahahahaha! Take that, bitches! If you surrender now, then we'll reconsider to take you to His Excellency and make you one of us!" Blue Servant said as he and his partner were amused by the sisters struggling to stand up after receiving the attack.

"What a nuisance..." Gloria said faintly while she wiped a dirt from her face.

"I know, right? Let's put them down once and for all." Grace stared at the Servants with bored look. They have enough playing around with this Duel.

"My turn! From my hand, I summon Amazoness Swordswoman (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 4)!" Gloria summoned Swordswoman in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Amazoness Spiritual Deity! I can special summon Level 7 or lower Amazoness Monster from Graveyard with its effect negated!" Gloria revived Amazoness Queen in Attack Position.

"I activate the Magic Card: Fusion, from my hand, and fuse Amazoness Queen and Amazoness Swordswoman together! Queen of the jungle! Receive the power of the valiant swordswoman! Build an empire that subjugates everything! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 8! Amazoness Empress (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2400 / LV: 8)!" Gloria summoned her ace monster in Attack Position.

"Pointless struggle! Your Amazoness Empress only has 2800 ATK! It's nothing against Inverz Glez!" Blue Servant sneered at the Fusion Monster.

Gloria's grin widened. Her eyes almost turned feral. "We'll see about that. Battle! I attack Inverz Glez with Amazoness Empress!" She declared attack. She then turned to her younger sister who took the only card in her hand and activated it.

"Quick-Play Spell: Amazoness Force! When an Amazoness Monster attacks, I can change the Battle Position of a monster my opponent controls targeted by the Amazoness Monster!" Grace changed Inverz Glez's position from Attack to Defense Position.

"Even if you destroy Inverz Glez who has 0 DEF, since it's in Defense, we won't receive any damage–"

"Amazoness Empress's monster effect! When an Amazoness monster attacks a defense position monster, it can inflict piercing damage!" Gloria interjected the Servants' reminder, shocking them. Inverz Glez has 0 DEF while Amazoness Empress has 2800 ATK. And the Servants' LP was only 300. They got this.

"Let's blow away your remaining 300 Life! Finish them off, Amazoness Empress!" Grace joined her sister as well, directing Amazoness Empress to the Inverz Monster. Amazoness Empress slashed down its sword, sending destructive wave that destroyed Inverz Glez and taking down both Servants in one go, reducing their LP to nothing.

 **SERVANTS LP: 300 = 0**

"Two down, but there are still more to go. Many of them." Gloria stated, looking at the fallen servants and then to the chaos in the academy. They could still hear battle cries and explosions.

"We're not done yet." Grace stated as she turned to where her sister was looking. This was just the beginning. They didn't know how many of the enemies were left, but they have no intention to stop until every last one of them is defeated.

"Let's go." Gloria told her sister, who simply nodded in reply.

The two sisters went into the academy. This was their home. And they will protect the place where they belong, even if it cost them their lives.

 **TOWN SQUARE – FUSION CITY – ARC-V**

As soon as Tsukikage arrived in the square, he could see people fleeing from the fires. People screamed, parents huddled their children to their chest or holding their hands thight as they were running together, Duelists clashed against the unknown invaders, a few people tried to stand their ground and wave unarmed people in the right direction. Tsukikage cringed when he saw several bodies on the ground, either women, elderly, or children. This was far different from the war last year. Tsukikage forced himself to ignore all of them for the time being, running forward to the opposite direction where the conflict was the most intense.

He stumbled down the alleyways, out of the square, towards the place where the fires and the shouting sounded the loudest. He broke out through into the shopping district, almost stumbling in the process. When he arrived, there they were. The invaders. However, it wasn't just them, but the Obelisk Force was also there, helping in the attacks. Some of the Obelisk Force members were supposed to be imprisoned at Academia prison once they were found guilty in their crimes. But seeing them fighting side by side with the invaders, the only plausible explanation would be...

"It's him! He is one of the Lancers!"

Tsukikage flinched when he noticed an Obelisk Force was pointing at him. Two more Obelisk Force immediately turned to him. Three Obelisk Forces gathered and advancing towards him that Tsukikage have to take a step back before taking his fighting stance.

"We owe you Lancers a big time for what happened last year." Red Obelisk Force spat bitterly.

"Thanks to you guys we went through shitty life in that shitty prison." Yellow Obelisk Force added, clenching his fists furiously as he recalled the treatment he got during imprisonment.

"You're going to pay for that!" Green Obelisk Force declared.

"You have no one to blame but yourselves for your wrong doing." Tsukikage simply replied before activating his Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

{FIELD SPELL: CROSS OVER}

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'll take the first turn. From my hand, I summon Antique Gear Hound Dog (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3)!" Obelisk Red summoned Hound Dog in Attack Position.

"I set one card facedown and end my turn!" He concluded.

"My turn! From my hand, I activate the Magic Card, Ninjutsu Art of Hazy Duplication! I can Special Summon a Level 4 or below Ninja from my hand! Come! Twilight Ninja Shingetsu (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 100 / LV: 4)!" Tsukikage summoned Shingetsu in Attack Position.

"Next, by releasing a Ninja on my field, I can Advance Summon this card. I release Shingetsu! Come forth! Twilight Ninja Shogun – Getsuga (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 8)!" Tsukikage summoned Getsuga in Attack Position.

"Battle! I attack Antique Gear Hound Dog with Getsuga!" Tsukikage declared attack at the Antique Gear Monster. Getsuga was ready to make its move, however...

"Continuous Trap: Fusion Trench, activate! Due to its effect, all non-Fusion monsters cannot attack!" Obelisk Red opened his face down card, sealing Getsuga's means to attack.

"Kuh… I set two cards facedown and end my turn." Tsukikage reluctantly ended his Turn. There were three of them and he was alone. Worse, all of them were Fusion users using Antique Gear Deck that mostly have effects that stop any activation of other effects when attacks. With his current cards, he couldn't do anything until his next Turn.

"Now you can no longer attack. We'll crush you in our turns! It's my turn! From my hand, I activate the Magic Card, Fusion! I fuse the three Antique Gear Hound Dogs in my hand. Mechanical hunting dogs that have inherited the ancient spirit! Flock together, and combine. Be reborn with new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 7! Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1700 / LV: 7)!" Obelisk Green summoned Triple Bite in Attack Position.

"I activate Fusion Trench's effect! If no non-Fusion monster is summoned or Special Summoned, one Fusion Monster can attack directly during this turn! Battle! I attack directly with Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog! When this card attacks, my opponent cannot activate Magic or Trap cards until the end of Damage Step!" Obelisk Green declared Battle Phase. Triple Bite jumped and tackled Tsukikage, throwing him back to the ground.

 **TSUKIKAGE LP: 4000 = 2200**

"I end my turn!" Obelisk Green concluded.

"My turn! From my hand, I activate the Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse the three Antique Gear Hound Dogs in my hand. Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 7! Antique Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog!" Obelisk Yellow also summoned Triple Bite in Attack Position.

"Let's reenact the last turn, shall we? You know what they say, 'history repeats itself.' Due to Fusion Trench's effect, I can attack directly!" Obelisk Yellow repeated what Obelisk Green had done, directly attacking Tsukikage who just returned to his feet, tackling him down again.

 **TSUKIKAGE LP: 2200 = 400**

"I end my turn." Obelisk Yellow concluded. He and his three teammates sneered at the beaten form of Tsukikage who was struggling to keep standing.

"Let me say this in advance. Because of its effect, the Antique Gear Hound Dog on my field can deal 600 damage to you as long as there is a monster on your field. You have 400 Life left. In other words, it'll be game over for you in the next turn." Obelisk Red warned mockingly.

As much as Tsukikage hated to admit it, they were right. He has no Fusion Monster that could help him, nor he has any card that could destroy Fusion Trench at the moment in his hand. He has no chance nor hope of winning against three of them at this situation. He was naïve to think that he would never facing against Obelisk Force or Antique Gear monsters ever again. It was like the war last year all over again. The difference was he won't be carded, but dead for good.

"Say your prayer." Obelisk Red said, preparing to start his Turn that would have ended this Duel...

...if only not for the sudden interruption.

"My turn!"

Sora appeared, standing at the top of a lamp post, intruding the Duel. He took his Turn right before the Obelisk Red could, stopping him from finishing off the Ninja Duelist. Sora landed beside Tsukikage, standing protectively in front of him against Obelisk Force, surprising the blue ninja.

"Continuous Magic: Death-Toy Sanctuary! I can activate this card by sending one card from my hand and two Death-Toy monsters from my Extra Deck to the graveyard!" Sora sent Edge Imp Pseudo-DT from his hand and two Death-Toy monsters from his Extra Deck, Scissors Bear and Wheel-Saw Lio, to the Graveyard. Due to its effect, he could treat the Edge Imp Pseudo-DT in his Graveyard as a Death-Toy monster.

"Then I activate the Magic Card: Death-Toy Fusion! By banishing the Death-Toy monsters in my Graveyard, Scissors Bear, Wheel-Saw Lio, and Edge Imp Pseudo-DT, I can perform a Fusion Summon!" Sora banished his three monsters in the Graveyard, opening the Fusion Vortex.

"Unfeeling toys possessed by demons, annihilate the ignorant masses that dare to oppose you! Fusion Summon! Come forth! The demonic amalgamation of all playthings! Death-Toy Mad Chimera (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8)!" Sora summoned Mad Chimera in Attack Position.

"2800 ATK!?" Obelisk Red exclaimed in surprise.

"I'm not done yet. I activate the Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse the Furnimal Bear and the Edge Imp Scissors in my hand! Blades of demons! Fangs of beasts! Become one in the arcane vortex, and show us your new form and power! Fusion Summon! Come on out! Demonic beast of the jungle that tears up everything! Death-Toy Scissors Tiger (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 6)!" Sora summoned Scissor Tiger in Attack Position.

"When this card is successfully summoned, it can destroy as many cards as the number of its Fusion Materials!" Sora destroyed Obelisk Red's Fusion Trench, thus, allowing non-Fusion monsters to attack again.

"There's still more! I activate Scissors Tiger's effect! As long as this card is in the monster zone, all Death-Toy monsters on my field gain 300 ATK for every Death-Toy monster on my field!" Sora increased Tiger's ATK to 2500 and Mad Chimera's ATK to3400.

"There's two Death-Toys on his field… In that case, I activate the Trap Card, Barrier Ninjutsu Art of Hazy Transfer! Until the End Phase, one monster on the field can gain the effect of one of the opposing monsters!" Tsukikage transferred Triple Bite Hound Dog's effect to Sora's Mad Chimera, surprising Sora.

"Triple Bite Hound Dog can attack monsters three times in a row in the Battle Phase." Sora remarked at the effect granted to his monster.

"There's not much time. I'm counting on you." Tsukikage told the Death-Toy user. Sora nodded, turning to the three Obelisk Forces.

"Battle! I attack the first Triple Bite Hound Dog with Mad Chimera!" Sora pointed at the Fusion Monster. Mad Chimera shot its missile, destroying the Antique Gear Fusion Monster.

 **OBELISK GREEN LP: 4000 = 2400**

"Mad Chimera's effect activates! When it destroys a monster in battle, I can Special Summon that monster to my field. Come here! Triple Bite Hound Dog!" Sora summoned the destroyed Fusion Monster to his side, making it his monster.

"And for every monster under its control, Mad Chimera gain 300 ATK! and due to the effect of the Continuous Magic: Death-Toy Sanctuary, I can treat the Fusion Monster, Triple Bite Hound Dog, as a Death-Toy! The ATKs of my monsters also increase, due to Scissors Tiger's effect!" Sora increased Tiger's ATK to 2800, Mad Chimera's ATK to 4000, and Triple Bite's ATK to 2700.

"4000 ATK!?"

Sora repeated the same thing to Obelisk Yellow's Triple Bite Hound Dog and Obelisk Red's Antique Gear Hound Dog. With Mad Chimera's effect, he special summon destroyed two Antique Gear monsters to his Field, and Mad Chimera's ATK went up again. Due to the effects of Death-Toy Sanctuary and Scissors Tiger, the ATKs of the Death-Toy monsters on his Field, including the Antique Gear monster he just got except Antique Gear Hound Dog that was not a Fusion Monster, went up again until Mad Chimera's ATK reached 4900.

 **OBELISK YELLOW LP: 4000 = 1800**

 **OBELISK RED LP: 4000 = 400**

"This is no joke. He has five monsters on his field!"

"While our fields are empty!"

Sora pointed and counted at each of the Obelisk Force. "One…two…three. I got three monsters from you guys. Hehe…" He smirked, enjoying the helpless and panic look on the Obelisk Forces' faces. There was nothing they could do.

"Get beaten by your own monsters!" Sora declared his last Battle Phase with the very Antique Gear monsters he stole from his enemies, ordering them to attack and finish off their own masters, depleting their LPs completely.

 **OBELISK GREEN LP: 2400 = 0**

 **OBELISK YELLOW LP: 1800 = 0**

 **OBELISK RED LP: 400 = 0**

Once they were taken down, Tsukikage and Sora quickly restrained them so they couldn't fight again once they regained their consciousness. Academia Duelists who came to help took them into custody, making sure they were imprisoned somewhere for the time being until everything went down.

"Thank you, Sora-dono." Tsukikage thanked the blue haired boy.

"Don't thank me yet. There are still many of them." Sora replied as he looked at the battlefield. The battle was still continuing intensely. He held the urge to scratch his hair from frustration. He finally got a day off and thought to spend the whole day relaxing, taking a walk around the town while buying and eating his favorite sweets...only for the worst situation possible to ruin it. Heck, this was even worse than the war last year!

"Yes. It seems the enemies that Yuya-dono had told us before have freed the Academia criminals and recruited them to their cause." Tsukikage remarked as he spotted another group of Obelisk Force passing by.

"You still have fight left in you?" Sora asked, studying Tsukikage's condition.

"I will not rest until my mission is fulfilled." Tsukikage answered without hesitation. He was wounded, but it was only scratches and not life-threatening. He could still fight in this condition. And with Sora by his side, he knew that he'll get his back covered, and he will do the same for him.

Sora smiled at Tsukikage's answer. The two of them readied themselves as another group of enemies were approaching them.

"Then let's go for another round…"

 **ISOLATED ISLAND – ARC-V**

The sky was a prism of colors as Leo led Yusho through his house. Yusho has been one of the people who regularly visited him in this isolated island aside from his wife, children, and Samejima. The Entertainment Duelist would come, bringing various books that he knew Leo would like to read, talking about old times, or challenging him to a friendly Duel. While Leo at first didn't respond much, he gradually started to enjoy Yusho's company and now was more than willing to welcome him. Yusho often visiting his old friend in hope of helping him move on with what happened a year ago. While he made some progress, he could sense there was uncertainty within Leo that he didn't understand yet but decided not to pester Leo with it for fear it will make him uncomfortable.

"Do you want something to drink before we talk?" Leo offered.

"I already thought of this," Yusho replied as he took out a plastic of drinks. "Though, I wasn't sure what we were having, so I brought both a sauvignon blanc and zinfandel. Do you have preference?"

"I'll let you pick." Leo said.

In the room, he leaned against the counter, one leg crossed over the other while Yusho twisted the corkscrew into the cork. With series of quick movements, Yusho opened the bottle of sauvignon blanc. He set the glasses on the counter next to his old friend. He poured some wine, then set the bottle aside and handed Leo a glass.

"I hope it match your taste."

"I'm sure I'll love it," Leo said, raising his glass.

"Cheers." He offered, clinking his glass against his old friend's. Abele took a sip, feeling inordinately pleased with the taste of the wine. He savored the wine, enjoying the fruity tang it left on his tongue.

"Such a pleasant morning, don't you think so?" Yusho said

"Indeed, it is… May I ask now why is it that you want to talk about?" Leo asked.

"I'm sure Reiji had told you about the artificial dimension. I need your help with that." Yusho said.

"Yes, I have heard. But what do you wish for me to do?"

Before Yusho could say his point, but then there was a faint movement in the door, and their attentions were caught. Who would come here at this time? They were pretty sure there was no other appointment other than Yusho today.

Their blood turn icy at the sight of a stranger standing on the doorstep. He was a middle-aged man of physical built, with a goatee and emerald color eyes. He has a medium grown length of olive hair. He was wearing a long, olive coat over khaki trousers, a white button-down shirt, and black buckled military personnel boots.

"You're Professor Leo Akaba I presume?" The man addressed Leo.

"Who are you?" Leo asked back warily.

"My apologies. I should have introduced myself first." The man bowed politely before clearing his throat and spoke.

"My name is Heidel Aberforth. I came with a proposition for you."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Resistance Reform! –** Apophis' Servants starts destroying Heartland. With their homeland once again being invaded, Allen and Sayaka gather their comrades from the last war and reform the Resistance to defend Heartland City once more.

* * *

 **I didn't get to include Sora rescuing Tsukikage in the** _ **Bonds of Pendulum**_ **since I made changes, so I decided to include it here. Watching Sora using Obelisk Forces' own monsters to defeat them was just so cool that I want to include it here no matter what! I love the Tyler Sisters so much that I have the strong urge to include them in this chapter! But I'm sorry if the Duels are boring since it's not so different from the anime. But I promise I have future plans for them! As for Dennis, you'll see him in the next chapter. Before you're asking about Edo, I've decided not to include him because there are already more than enough cast for this fanfic, not to mention the other YGO characters. I think Edo and the others have already got plenty of roles in the** _ **Bonds of Pendulum**_ **, so this time Jounouchi and the others will be the ones to be in action (But they still won't be as much as the ARC-V characters though).**

 **To** _ **GUEST**_ **reviewers, please WRITE A NAME INSTEAD OF JUST 'GUEST' so I can tell whether it's the same reviewer or not. I'm not telling you to stop reviewing, I just want you to write a name other than 'Guest' when you're reviewing. Take example from** _ **Meemo**_ **,** _ **Playerhood18,**_ **and** _ **Neo FGD**_ **. They are anonymous reviewers who uses pseudonyms. Also, I would appreciate it if you write everything you want to say in one review instead of writing it one by one. Also, since it seems you've forgotten, the Doctor was dead in the previous fanfic _Bonds of Pendulum_.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter. Your reviews is my motivation ~**


	32. Resistance Reform!

**Big thanks to** _ **aqua9597, Elbarto4000, Ryujomaru15, Ulrich362, Unknowedz, matrixnis, Playerhood18, Guest, dvdryms, Yuka Kuroshiro, Silver Talons 400, GamingGuy84, NeoFGD**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **MARKET DISTRICT – HEARTLAND CITY – ARC-V**

The city was starting to burn with such intensity. Sayaka watched several buildings across the street as fire engulfed them from all sides. There was fire everywhere; the roof was on fire, the doors and windows were on fire, fire was even coming out of the buildings through various openings, looking like a fire-breathing dragon was inside the building, puffing away vicariously. The flames burned deep red and amber. Fortunately, there was no one inside as everyone have been safely evacuated. Nothing inside was likely to survive the fire, Sayaka thought as she saw some flames licking up in the air with the wind, trying to catch something else on fire, and finding nothing but air, disappearing into the windy night, like disappointed flutters.

Why was this happening again? Last year they have fought so hard to bring peace to their homeland and rebuilt their home to the way it once was, or perhaps even better than before. She had heard about possible new enemies to come, but still, she never thought it would come to another war. However, this was even more horrifiying. Instead of being carded, people were killed. Unlike people who were carded still have hope to be restored, this time, they were dead for good. They could never return. Why? Just why these new invaders were doing this? They didn't look like they were doing this for the sake creating utopia like Academia once did. It was far from that.

To see her once beautiful city, her precious home, to be engulfed in flame once more made her heart ache.

"Sayaka!"

Sayaka turned behind her when she heard her name being called. She saw Allen running towards her with their schoolmates at Heartland Duel School. They were their comrades who fought alongside them in the last war to protect their homeland. Now, they must band together, fighting against the new invaders.

"Allen! Everyone!"

"I brought everyone from Spade Branch who joined the Resistance last year. Kaito already took the ones from Clover Branch to repel the enemies on the other side of the city!" Allen pointed at the area where Kaito and the ones from Clover Branch have gone. From afar, they could see Kaito's ace monster, Galaxy-Eyes Cipher Dragon, flying in the sky, shooting down a blast, most likely to the enemies.

"Just when we have finally rebuilt our city…" One of the Resistance Duelists said in dismay as he saw the condition of the city. They city hasn't been engulfed completely in flames yet, but they must act fast or else they homeland will once again become hell on earth.

"Not only that, those bastards killed everyone they come across! They're even worse than Academia!" Another Resistance Duelist said, frowning at the sight of several bodies lying on the street.

"We should be able to form a barrier with the Real Solid Vision system at Heartland Tower. That way, at the very least, we can trap the ones in the city and deal with them while prevent the ones who have yet to come from entering this city. We can do at least that much until reinforcement arrives." Sayaka suggested, looking at the symbol of their city, Heartland Tower.

"Then me and Sayaka will go to the tower while the rest of you make sure no one will go to the tower! We're counting on you!" Allen told his comrades who all agreed to the plan.

"Let's go, Allen!" Sayaka said, pulling Allen with her towards the tower.

 **ENTRANCE – HEARTLAND TOWER – HEARTLAND CITY – ARC-V**

Sayaka and Allen were relieved to see the tower was still in one piece. People who were in the tower ran out for their lives, following instructions from their comrades to the evacuation route. Along they way, they came across several bodies that made them wretch, but they forced themselves to proceed and ignore the bodies and the smell of burning buildings nearby that smelled like a heated soldering iron or as if some wires and rubber was being burnt. This was not the time to be too sentimental. They must activate the barrier or else it'll be the end for everyone.

"Hold it right there!"

Allen placed a protective arm in front of Sayaka as they halted and faced two of the invaders landing in front of them. Like all invaders, they were wearing matching orange-colored robes but with different line colors.

"Don't even think you can escape from us!" The Servant with yellow lines stated while raising his Duel Disk.

"Our order not to let even one person alive. This will be the end for you two." The Servant with green lines added as he and his partner were advancing towards them.

"Try if you can! You think we'll go down so easily?!" Allen stated, activating his Duel Disk.

"We will protect this city! We won't let it got destroyed the second time!" Sayaka also activated her Duel Disk, ready to fight.

"Since there are the two of us, it will be Tag Duel. Our LP, Field, and Graveyard are shared." The Yellow Servant suggested.

"Heh! Tag Duel is something we have done more than often!" Allen accepted, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! From my hand, I summon Landmine Spider (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 100 / LV: 4)!" Red Servant summoned Landmine Spider in Attack Position.

"I end my Turn." He concluded.

"My Turn! I summon Ruffian Limited Express Battrain (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Allen summoned Battrain in Attack Position.

"Here comes the preemptive punch! Battrain can inflict 500 damage by not conducting a battle!" Allen stated as Battrain shot from its cannon, striking the Servants with its orange-colored blast, reducing their LP by 500.

 **SERVANTS LP: 4000 = 3500**

"Heh! You thought that I couldn't attack on the first turn and let your guard down, didn't you? I'll end my turn here!" Allen said with satisfaction. Even though he couldn't destroy the opponent's monster since it has higher ATK than Battrain, he could still inflict damage at least.

"My Turn! I summon Kaiser Sea Horse (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 1650 / LV: 4)!" Green Servant summoned Sea Horse in Attack Position from his hand.

"Next, I activate Magic Card: Tribute Doll! I can Special Summon 1 Level 7 Monster from my hand using 1 monster on my other side of the Field as tribute, but that monster cannot attack this Turn." Green Servant released Yellow Servant's Landmine Spider to special summon Demonic Wind Deity – Hyuga (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2200 / LV: 7) from his hand in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Darkness Designator! I declare 1 Monster Card name. If the declared card is in the player's Deck, that card is added to the hand! I target my partner and choose Demonic Thunder Deity – Sanga (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Green Servant declared Sanga as the card in his partner's Deck, allowing the latter to add it into his hand.

"I end my Turn." Green Servant concluded.

"My turn! I summon Little Fairy (ATK: 800 / DEF: 800 / LV: 3)!" Sayaka summoned Little Fairy in Attack Position.

"And by sending one card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can activate its monster effect! Little Fairy will gain one Level!" Sayaka increased Little Fairy's Level to 4.

"Furthermore, I activate the Magic Card: Fairy Crest, it'll change Battrain from Machine-Type to Fairy-Type!" Sayaka changed Allen's monster into Fairy archetype monster.

"All right! With this, we have two Level 4 monsters!" Allen exclaimed.

"I Overlay the Level 4 Little Fairy and Battrain! Offer an angel's smile to the fighting heroes! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 4! Fairy Cheer Girl (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 1500 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Sayaka summoned her ace monster in Attack Position.

"Since Battrain was targeted by Fairy Crest and became an Xyz Material, Fairy Cheer Girl will gain 500 ATK!" Sayaka increased Fairy Cheer Girl's ATK from 1900 to 2400.

"Good going! Keep it up and smash their faces in, Sayaka!" Allen encouraged his partner.

"Battle! I attack Kaiser Sea Horse with Fairy Cheer Girl!" Sayaka declared Battle Phase, attacking the monster with the lowest ATK on their opponent's Field. Fairy Cheer Girl flew forward, launching its pompom and strikes the Kaiser Sea Horse who tried to block it with its arms crossed in front of it.

"I activate Hyuga's effect! During my opponent's Damage Calculation, I can make the opposing monster's ATK to 0!" Green Servant stated, turning Fairy Cheer Girl's ATK to 0 right after it destroyed Kaiser Sea Horse, resulting no damage was taken.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Sayaka concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Resurrection of the Dead to special summon a monster in my Graveyard!" Yellow Servant revived Kaiser Sea Horse that was just destroyed in Attack Position.

"Next I activate Magic Card: Tribute Doll to special summon a Level 7 Monster from my hand using a monster on the other side of Field as tribute." Yellow Servant released Landmine Spider to special summon Demonic Water Deity – Suga (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2400 / LV: 7) from his hand in Attack Position.

"Don't think I'm done yet. I tribute Kaiser Sea Horse that can be treated as two tributes to Advance Summon LIGHT Monster. I Advance Summon Demonic Thunder Deity – Sanga!" Yellow Servant summoned Sanga in Attack Position.

Both Servants grinned maliciously, unnerving Allen and Sayaka who raised their guard up even more for what is going to come. Whatever it is, they knew it wouldn't be good for them.

"I tribute Hyuga, Sanga, and Suga to Special Summon Gate Guardian (ATK: 3750 / DEF: 3400 / LV: 11)!" Yellow Servant summoned Gate Guardian in Attack Position.

"A Level 11 Monster with 3750 ATK?!" Sayaka exclaimed, staring at the monster warily.

"Battle! I attack Fairy Cheer Girl with Gate Guardian!" Yellow Servant declared attack at the Fairy Xyz Monster. The three drums behind Gate Guardian started producing lightning that gathered within Gate Guardian's palm until it became a sphere of lightning. Gate Guardian threw the lightning sphere towards Fairy Cheer Girl.

"Not so fast! At this moment, I activate Construction Train Signal Red's effect from my hand! When my opponent declares attack, I can summon this card from my hand in Defense Position and redirect the attack to this card! Also, this card cannot be destroyed by that Battle!" Allen special summoned Signal Red from his hand, turning the sphere's direction to itself. The train-like monster endured the lightning that electrocuted it, protecting Fairy Cheer Girl. Since it was in Defense Position, they didn't receive any damage.

"Well dodge. But it won't last long. I set a card and end my Turn." Yellow Servant concluded.

"Heh. Didn't expect our monster, aren't ya? This is just the start of your living hell." Green Servant said while looking proudly at Gate Guardian.

Allen glared at the two. "We haven't lost yet! This match is just getting started! My turn! I summon Strong-Arm Limited Express - Troco Roco (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4)!" He summoned Troco Roco in Attack Position.

"From my hand, I special summon Midnight-Express Knight - Night Express Knight (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10)! This card can be summoned from hand without tribute at the cost its ATK becomes 0!" Allen summoned Night Express Knight in Attack Position at the cost its ATK was reduced to 0.

"I activate Magic Card: Southern Cross! I can target a Monster with Level on the Field and change it to Level 10!" Allen targeted Troco Roco, changing its Level to 10.

"I Overlay Level 10 Troco Roco and Night Express Knight! My strongest weapon! Make the earth tremble and shot down your enemy! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 10! Superdreanought Cannon Train - Gustav Max (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000 / RNK: 10 / ORU: 2)!" Allen summoned Gustav Max in Attack Position. This was a new monster he gained after the full year polishing his skill following the end of the war. He trained even harder after hearing another possible invasion from Reiji.

"At this moment, Due to the effect of Troco Roco, which has become an Xyz Material,  
Gustav Max gains 800 ATK!" Allen increased his new Xyz Monster's ATK to 3800, making it 100 ATK higher than Gate Guardian.

"I'm going to beat the stuffing out of you and payback for what you did earlier! Once per Turn, I detach one of Gustav Max's Overlay Units and activate its monster effect! I can inflict 2000 damage to my opponent!" Allen used the first Overlay Unit, allowing Gustav Max to made its greeting shot, shooting a small blast at the Servants, pushing them backwards.

 **SERVANTS LP: 3500 = 1500**

"Now it's the end for your Monster! Battle! I attack Gate Guardian with Gustav Max!" Allen declared attack. This time, Gustav Max was gathering its entire energy into one single big shot. Once charged, the Xyz Monster shot its strongest blast towards Gate Guardian.

Yellow Servant grinned and immediately opened his facedown card. "Trap Card: Guardians' Gatekeeper! When Gate Guardian is targeted for attack, we can banish 1 monster used as its tribute from Graveyard to negate the attack and inflict damage to our opponent equal to the ATK of the banished monster!" He revealed as he banished Sanga from Graveyard.

"What?!" Allen and Sayaka shouted together in disbelieve.

Gate Guardian easily repelled Gustav Max's blast and then deflected it back to Allen and Sayaka with addition of Sanga's own lightning attack, inflicting 2600 damage, equal to Sanga's ATK, to the two Xyz users.

 **ALLEN & SAYAKA LP: 4000 = 1400**

"If I were you, I'll be careful to make my next attack. We still have two more monsters at our disposal to negate and inflict damage to you after all. But that is if you have a next Turn." Green Servant warned mockingly.

"Urgh...! I end my Turn!" Allen reluctantly ended his turn.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Defense Wall (ATK: 0 / DEF: 2100 / LV: 4)!" Yellow Servant summoned Defense Wall in Defense Position.

"As long as this card is on the Field, your monsters can only attack this card." He informed his opponents who were having frustrated look, especially, the boy. This amused him. Not to mention he still has one more thing.

"I activate Continuous Magic: Gate Drain! We can target a monster our opponent controls and negate its effect as long as this card is on the Field!" Yellow Servant pointed at Allen's Xyz Monster, sealing its effect.

"My Gustav Max?!" Allen looked at his monster whose cannon was blocked by locked chains.

"With this you can't use its effect to inflict 2000 damage to us." Green Servant remarked before he and his partner turned to Sayaka,

"Your monster only has 2400 ATK. It's nothing against Gate Guardian! Battle! I attack Fairy Cheer Girl with Gate Guardian!" Yellow Servant declared attack at the Fairy Monster. Gate Guardian once again shot Fairy Cheer Girl with its lightning sphere. Unlike before that was intercepted by Signal Red, this time, Fairy Cheer Girl took the brunt of the attack. However, due to its effect, the Fairy Monster was not destroyed.

 **ALLEN & SAYAKA LP: 1500 = 140**

"I end my Turn. Can't you just surrender? The winner is already obvious." Yellow Servant said with a sneer.

"Your LP is only 140 and none of your monster can match against our Gate Guardian. It's over for you guys." Green Servant shrugged, belittling the Xyz Duelists and their monsters.

Sayaka sharpened her gaze. She took a step forward and stood straight with a resolve of steel. Never again she will run away from battle. In the last war, she left the true battle to Yuya and the others while she did nothing but stay at the city using the pretext of protecting the citizens in case Academia army will come again. Not this time. She won't let her friends to do the battle themselves while she did nothing. She will fight together with them. She will fight alongside them. She will use this Duel as a stepping stone to become stronger so she can protect her homeland the ones she loves with her own power.

"Not yet! As long as our LP still remains, no matter how little it is, we won't give up! My Turn! I detach one of Fairy Cheer Girl's Overlay Units and activate its monster effect!" Sayaka used her monster's effect to draw a card, using up all of its Overlay Unit. Sayaka looked at the card she drew. It was the time to put her new monster to a test in true battle.

"I activate Rank-Up Magic: Fairy Evolution! I can use a Fairy Xyz Monster I control and this card as Material to Xyz Summon an Xyz Monster with 1 Rank higher than the Fairy Monster!" Sayaka used the card and Fairy Cheer Girl to open the Overlay Network.

"Aid the warriors in the battlefield with your angelic prayer! Rank-Up! Xyz Change! Rank 5! Fairy Bright Cheer Girl (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 1900 / RNK: 5 / ORU: 2)!" Sayaka summoned hew new Xyz Monster in Attack Position. It resembled Fairy Cheer Girl but with light green cheerleader uniform with longer skirt. Its wings resembled the yellow swallowtail butterfly's wings, and its pompom was pink colored.

"I activate Fairy Bright Cheer Girl's effect! Once per Turn, by detaching an Overlay Unit, I can destroy 1 Spell Card my opponent controls and increases its ATK by 1000!" Sayaka chose Guardian's Gatekeeper and increased her monster's ATK to 3500.

"What?!" The Servants exclaimed in disbelieve at the sudden turn of event.

"With this you can't defend Gate Guardian by banishing your monsters in Graveyard!" Allen pointed out, smiling cockily.

"I detach Fairy Bright Cheer Girl's second Overlay Unit to activate its second effect! I can special summon 1 Fairy Monster from my Graveyard!" Sayaka revived Fairy Cheer Girl in Attack Position.

"Battle! I attack Defense Wall with Gustav Max!" Sayaka used Allen's monster to first destroy the monster that prevent them from attacking any other monster. The chains blocking Gustav Max broke apart. Gustav Max charged and shot its most powerful blast, destroying the wall-like monster.

"I attack Gate Guardian with Fairy Bright Cheer Girl!" Sayaka declared her second attack at the last monster standing on their opponent's Field.

"Gate Guardian has higher ATK! It will be your end!" Green Servant reminded, but Sayaka was unflinching.

"When Fairy Bright Cheer Girl battles, the opposing monster's ATK is lowered by 500!" Sayaka revealed, decreasing Gate Guardian's ATK to 3250, which was lower than the Xyz Monster. Fairy Bright Cheer Girl strikes Gate Guardian with its two pompoms, cracking its strong body and destroyed it completely.

 **SERVANTS LP: 1450 = 1250**

"Now you guys are wide open!" Allen stated, looking at the two Servants whose Field was empty.

"This is the end! I attack directly with Fairy Cheer Girl!" Sayaka declared her final attack. Fairy Cheer Girl flew forward, delivering the final blow at the two defenseless Servants with its attack, knocking them out.

 **SERVANTS LP: 1250 = 0**

"Alright! We did it!" Allen cheered.

"No. Not yet, Allen. There are still more of them." Sayaka frowned as she saw several more came by.

"Right. Sorry." Allen's eyes narrowed at the enemies.

"Allen! Sayaka! Are you guys okay?!"

Several of their comrades from Clover Branch came, having been sent by Kaito as reinforcement upon hearing their plan to use the barrier. While Sayaka and Allen were dueling, one of them has sneaked in and activated the barrier. True enough, the Action Field activated throughout the whole city, enveloping it in a barrier that prevented anyone from coming in and out. There was a secret exit that was only known to them to evacuate the civilians. In the meantime, until everything was done, they will continue to fight.

"Yeah! We just beat two of them! We still can't relax though." Allen said. He stared at one of the buildings that was just okay a moment ago, but now was engulfed in flames. "It's the same as last year..."

"No. It's not. It won't be the same." Sayaka said suddenly, surprising her comrades, especially Allen.

"This time, we'll defend our home for sure!" She said, turning to her comrades with unwavering conviction and determination. They have lost their home once. They won't let that happen again for the second time.

"That's right! Together we can do it! We're much stronger than last year!" Allen raised his arm up to emphasize their newfound strength and unity.

The rest of the Resistance also raised their arms up with determined battle cries. They have made their resolve. They will put an end to this, with them and their home come out safe. They soon were facing against a new horde of enemies who were coming towards. Allen and Sayaka placed themselves at the most front. As they activated their Duel Disks, the rest also followed, preparing for all out Duel.

"Let's go! We'll show them the strength of the Resistance!"

Allen's words were the cue for them to charge against the invaders as they move forward towards them.

At that moment they have made unspoken vow.

They will emerge victorious this time.

 **TOWN SQUARE – PALACE TOWN – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Dennis just defeated another group of enemies who were foolish enough to challenge him. He had made sure he had evacuated the children to a safe place with the help of Duelists from Clover Branch led by Kaito at the very least. He came to Heartland to teach his students like he regularly did, only for this to happen when they were having fun. He stared at the city with saddened eyes as it brought him bitter memories that also reminded him of his sin last year. He had done terrible things to this city. He and his Academia comrades have tried to atone for their sins by help rebuilding this city, and also teaching the children Entertainment Dueling he had learned from his teacher, Yusho Sakaki, with addition of his own touch. And now, the new invasion was like rubbing a salt to his wound.

Dennis stared at the building where he taught the children a few hours ago. In a few minutes, the building had been reduced to a pile of rubble, ashes, and smoldering wood and items. There was a very putrid smell that took over the whole neighborhood, like a bad barbeque party gone horribly wrong. The smell was so overpowering that it took Dennis a while to get it out of his nose. The building had burnt down to nothing within a few hours.

"This is the futility of the human life and ventures."

Dennis gasped when heard a voice not so far behind him. He jumped before facing the person behind. He was a boy in late teens with purplish blue eyes. His black hair was medium length, tapering off at his neck, and it is also rather thick and wavy. His hair was distinct in that it was layered in the back and has considerable volume. His figure was considerably thin, almost feminine. He does have broad shoulders but his waist was very thin. He was wearing the same orange-colored robes, but above the robes was a short black cloak that quite similar with Edo's mantle when he was still Commander-in-Chief.

"It takes man many years to build their dream home and it takes nature only a few minutes to completely destroy it." The person said as he looked at the building that Dennis looked at a while ago.

"And you are?" Dennis questioned warily.

"I am the lieutenant who is in charge of this invasion. I go by the name Kamui." The young man, Kamui, introduced himself.

"Dennis Macfield at your service. I know that you're not here simply to talk, aren't you?" Dennis replied, raising his Duel Disk.

"You have defeated many of my men. I can tell that you are stronger than most of men who I brought here. Sending more would be a waste of time, so I figure it'll be faster to handle you myself." Kamui said as he also activated his Duel Disk.

"It's show time." Dennis stated, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm going first. From my hand, I activate Magic Card: Dual Summon. I can conduct 2 Normal Summon this Turn." Kamui summoned The One Lurking in the Painting (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 4) and Nightmare Ghost (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 4) in Attack Position.

"When I control 2 DARK Monsters, I can special summon Child of Mirror (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 2300 / LV: 5) from my hand." Kamui summoned Child of Mirror in Attack Position from his hand.

"I end my Turn." Kamui concluded.

" _2 Normal Monsters with average ATK and 1 Effect Monster in Attack Position without any set card. He only has 1 card in his hand now. He is practically defenseless…is this part of his plan?"_ Dennis wondered cautiously. He had defeated several Duelists before him. From the conditions of the Duelists he defeated, he was no amateur. But his moves…

" _It won't do any good for me if I think too much. I'll just do what I can for now!"_ Dennis told himself before he began his Turn.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Magical Pendulum Box! Using its effect, I can draw 2 cards! And if they're Pendulum Monsters, I can add them to my hand. If not, they'll go to the Graveyard." Dennis drew 2 cards from his Deck. He smiled when the cards he drew were Pendulum Cards as he has hoped.

"Using the Scale 3 Entermage Bonus Dealer and the Scale 6 Entermage Overlay Juggler, I set the Pendulum Scale! With this, I can simultaneously summon monsters from Level 4 to 5! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my Entermages!" Dennis summoned Entermage Cup Tricker (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 5), Entermage Wind Sucker (ATK: 2100 / DEF: 0 / LV: 5), Entermage Wing Sandwichman (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 4), and Entermage Ball Rider (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 4), all in Attack Position.

"The show has just begun! Bonus Dealer's Pendulum Effect activates! When I Pendulum Summon three or more Entermage monsters from the hand, I can draw 2 cards!" Dennis once again drew 2 cards from his hand and picked one of them.

"I normal summon Entermage Fire Dancer (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4)!" Dennis summoned Fire Dancer in Attack Position.

"I Overlay the Level 4 Ball Rider and Fire Dancer! The show must go on! Magician of the ether! Swing across the stage with splendor! Xyz Summon! Come on out! Rank 4! Entermage Trapeze Magician (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Dennis summoned his ace monster in Attack Position.

"I Overlay the Level 5 Cup Tricker, Wind Sucker, and Wing Sandwichman! Descend! Artist of the Underworld! Xyz Summon! Rank 5! Entermage Shadow Painter – Shadow Maker (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 1000 / RNK: 5 / ORU: 3)!" Dennis summoned Shadow Maker in Attack Position.

"I'll target Shadow Maker to activate Trapeze Magician's monster effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, it'll allow Shadow Maker to attack twice this turn! Since it's been targeted by an effect, Shadow Maker's effect activates! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can Special Summon a second Shadow Maker from the Extra Deck!" Dennis summoned another copy of Shadow Maker in Attack Position.

"At this moment, I activate the effect of the Cup Tricker that has been detached and sent to the graveyard. With its effect, I can attach an Overlay Unit of an Xyz Monster on the field to another one!" Dennis attached the Overlay Unit of the first copy of Shadow Maker to the second one.

"Then, I'll detach Trapeze Magician's remaining Overlay Unit, allowing the second Shadow Maker to attack twice! With this, I can detach the second Shadow Maker's Overlay Unit, and Special Summon a third Shadow Maker!" Dennis summoned the third copy of Shadow Maker in Attack Position.

"Battle! I attack The One Lurking in the Painting with Shadow Maker!" Dennis declared his first attack with his Shadow Maker. As it could attack twice, it continued to attack Nightmare Ghost once it has destroyed its first target. With its scissors, Shadow Maker cut the demon monsters.

 **KAMUI LP: 4000 = 1300**

"Next, I attack Child of Mirror with my second Shadow Maker!" Dennis pointed his last target, the only monster left standing on Kamui's Field. Once it was destroyed, he could finish off Kamui with Direct Attack.

"Child of Mirror's effect! Once per Turn, it cannot be destroyed by Battle, and the damage is halved for two attacks!" Kamui declared as Child of Mirror blocked the first attack with its mirror, negating the first destruction and lowered the damage.

 **KAMUI LP: 1300 = 1000**

"Then I attack again with the third Shadow Maker!" Dennis proceeded with his last Shadow Maker. Child of Mirror once again blocked the attack and lowered the damage Kamui took, but this time it was destroyed as its effect has all been used up, leaving Kamui without any monster on his Field.

 **KAMUI LP: 1000 = 700**

"This is the finale! I attack directly–"

"Child of Mirror's effect! When this card is sent to the Graveyard, I can activate a Trap Card from my Deck." Kamui took a Trap that stuck out from his Deck and activated it.

"Trap Card: Battle Break! When an opponent's monster declares attack, my opponent can reveal 1 monster in their hand to negate this card's effect! Otherwise, the attacking monster is destroyed and the Battle Phase ends!" Kamui declared. As Dennis has no card in his hand, he couldn't negate the effect, resulting in his third Shadow Maker's destruction.

"I end my Turn." Dennis concluded, but he remained calm. His LP was still full and he still has 3 monsters on his Field. He will be okay until his next Turn.

"My Turn. Draw." Kamui drew a card. His eyes sharpened as he looked at it.

"You've fallen into my Trap, Dennis Macfield." The lieutenant told Dennis, confusing the latter.

"By banishing 3 Demon-Type Monsters in my Graveyard that was sent in Attack Position, I can special summon Dark Necrofear (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 2800 / LV: 8) from my hand!" Kamui summoned Dark Necrofear in Attack Position.

The female demon monster gave eerie feeling to Dennis for a reason he couldn't understand well. Strange, even though its ATK was lower than any of his monster. He has a bad feeling regarding the monster.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Kamui concluded.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack Dark Necrofear with Shadow Maker!" Dennis immediately declared attack. He was aware of the possibility that Kamui's facedown card was a trap, but he had no choice of the moment. To his surprise, Kamui didn't open the card and instead let Shadow Maker to destroy Dark Necrofear.

 **KAMUI LP: 700 = 400**

Turned out, that was what he aimed for.

"I activate Dark Necrofear's effect! When it was destroyed and sent to Graveyard either through Battle or card effect, I can equip this card to a monster by this effect and take control of it!" Kamui revealed. The spirit of the doll that Necrofear was holding emerged from the Graveyard with sinister giggle that gave Dennis a goosebumps. The spirit entered one of the remaining Shadow Makers, allowing Kamui to take control of it.

"What?!" Dennis exclaimed as his monster was stolen from him.

"With this one of your Shadow Makers is mine to control. There's nothing you can do now, isn't it? End your Turn." Kamui demanded. Trapeze Magician has lower ATK and Dennis' other Shadow Maker has the same ATK so it'll only result with a draw if it attacks. He knew Dennis was well aware of this fact and from Dennis' expression; the card in his hand could do nothing to help him in this situation.

"Ugh…I end my Turn." Dennis concluded.

"At this moment I activate Trap Card: Rear-Guard Action! During the end of my opponent's Turn, my opponent's monster with lowest ATK must battle!" Kamui opened his Reverse Card, forcing Trapeze Magician to attack the stolen Shadow Maker.

"My Trapeze Magician?!" Dennis could only watch in dismay as his ace monster made its attack. "Hey, wait! Don't go!"

Trapeze Magician kicked at Shadow Maker, but the latter easily dodged the kick, moving slender to behind the Xyz Monster. Shadow Maker then put an end to the Xyz Monster with a cut of its scissor, destroying Trapeze Magician.

 **DENNIS LP: 4000 = 3900**

"From my hand, I activate Magic Card: Pot of Greed to draw 2 cards." Kamui used the card he just drew to draw 2 new cards. He revealed one of them immediately.

"I activate Rank-Up Magic: Dark Undead Force! I can use this card and an Xyz Monster I control to special summon an Undead-Type Xyz Monster with 2 Ranks higher from the Extra Deck by paying half of my LP!" Kamui activated a Rank-Up Magic, sacrificing half of his LP to activate it. He then used the card and Shadow Maker as the Xyz Materials.

 **KAMUI LP: 400 = 200**

"Rank-Up! Xyz Change! Come forth! Number 23: Lancelot, Ghost Knight of the Underworld (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1500 / RNK: 8 / ORU: 2)!" Kamui summoned Lancelot in Attack Position.

"So you're an Xyz user too…!" Dennis remarked. A drop of cold sweat fell from his face as he stared at the monster. It has lower ATK than Shadow Maker, but what happened with Dark Necrofear made him wise enough to think there was still more that Kamui would do with the monster.

"Lancelot can attack directly while it has Overlay Units! Battle! I attack directly with Lancelot!" Kamui declared Battle Phase. Lancelot ran pass Shadow Maker and slashed Dennis with its sword. Dennis barely dodged the slash by jumping back, though the front of his clothes got cut.

 **DENNIS LP: 3900 = 1900**

"I activate Lancelot's effect! When this card inflicts battle damage to my opponent, I can target 1 face-up Monster my opponent controls and destroy it!" Kamui pointed at Dennis' last remaining monster. Lancelot repeatedly thrust its sword at Shadow Maker, destroying the Xyz Monster, and left Dennis' Field empty.

"No way!" Dennis cried out. His monsters were gone just like that.

"I end my Turn. Are you still planning to continue this Duel? You have no monster on your Field, and your monsters in the Pendulum Zones can't help you. From what I see, you don't have a chance to turn this situation around. Surrender and I'll make it quick for you." Kamui offered, pointing out the current facts that Dennis couldn't retort.

Despite knowing that, Dennis still refused to just surrender. If he was going down, he will go down while preserving his pride as a Duelist. That's what he has decided. Besides, Kamui was going to kill him either way, so surrender or not won't make a difference.

"Then I shall lend a hand."

Dennis and Kamui gasped as someone landed between them with Duel Disk on. Their Duel Disks immediately announced Battle Royale Duel due to the new addition of the participant in this Duel. Dennis blinked at the stranger who came to his defense while Kamui closely observed the new Duelist. He recognized him from the archive provided by his superior. He was Kino Kuramoto, a member of The Brotherhood, their enemy.

"My Turn! From my hand, I activate Magic Card: Angel's Charity!" Kino discarded 2 cards and then drew 3 cards.

"From my hand, I summon Ritua Beast (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1300 / LV: 4)!" Kino summoned Ritua Beast in Attack Position.

"I activate Ritua Beast's effect! When this card is normal summoned, I can special summon a Level 4 or lower Ritua Monster in face-up Defense Position from my Graveyard!" Kino summoned Ritua Avance (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4) in Attack Position from Graveyard after he sent it through Angel's Charity effect.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Ritua Ceremonial Water Mirror! I can summon Ritua Monster using monsters on my Field as tributes, who's Levels, are equal to the Ritual Monster I will summon!" Kino activated one of the 3 cards he just drew, which interrupted by Kamui.

"I activate Lancelot's effect! Once during either player's Turn, when a Spell, Trap, or monster effect is activated, I can detach an Overlay Unit to negate the card's activation!" Kamui detached the first Overlay Unit, negating Kino's Ritual Spell. However, Kino has already prepared for that.

"That only works once per Turn, right? In that case, I can still use this one! Ritual Spell: Forbidden Secret Arts of the Ritua! I can perform Ritual Summon using monsters on the Field as tributes whose total Levels are equal to the Ritual Monster!" Kino used his other Ritual Spell to perform Ritual Summon, having saved the card just in case.

"I tribute Ritua Beast and Ritua Avance! Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 8! Eviritua Soul Ogre (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2800 / LV: 8)!" Kino summoned Soul Ogre in Attack Position.

"Due to Forbidden Secret Art of Ritua's effect, Soul Ogre's ATK is halved and it cannot conduct Battle Phase this Turn." Kino revealed. He halved Soul Ogre's ATK to 1400 and it couldn't attack.

"You used that Ritual Spell even though you knew it will weaken your Monster and cannot attack using it…there's more from that monster, isn't it?" Kamui deduced.

"Correct. I activate Soul Ogre's effect! Once per Turn, I can discard a 1 Ritua Monster from my hand to target 1 face-up card my opponent controls and shuffle it back into the Deck!" Kino discarded Ritua Ariel from his hand to allow Soul Ogre to activate its effect. Soul Ogre formed water prison that imprisoned Lancelot and raised it up to the sky. Soul Ogre closed its hand into a fist, exploding the water prison together with Lancelot trapped inside it, leaving Kamui's Field empty.

"I end my Turn. Now it's up to you, Macfield." Kino turned to Dennis, giving him the chance for a payback. Dennis looked uncertain for a moment, but Kino's look that was brimming with confidence restored his own. Dennis smiled and nodded gratefully at Kino before beginning his Turn.

"My Turn! Draw!" Dennis looked at the card. He smiled as his monster answered to his will.

"I activate Magic Card: Pendulum Fusion! I can perform Fusion Summon using monsters in my Pendulum Zones as materials! I fuse Bonus Dealer and Overlay Juggler! Acrobat that freely manipulates even the pain! Merge with the infinitely form-changing strings that connect people, and become a new witch that spurs the sky! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 7! Entermage Trapeze Force Witch (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 7)!" Dennis summoned his Fusion Monster in Attack Position. Kamui's Field was empty and he has no cards in his hand. This was truly the finale.

"Battle! I attack directly with Entermage Trapeze Force Witch!" Dennis declared his last attack.

Trapeze Force Witch jumped to its trapeze, making a rolling movement before it went down, pointing its right leg towards the motionless Kamui. The lieutenant didn't make any particular reaction, merely staring at the Fusion Monster neutrally. He then closed his eyes as he accepted the kick, sending him sprawling backwards.

 **KAMUI LP: 200 = 0**

"The end!" Dennis bowed together with Force Witch before the monster disappeared.

Before he and Kino could approach Kamui, the lieutenant returned to his feet and activated his Duel Disk, making his retreat. Kamui's body dispersed into particles of black data and disappeared.

"Tsk. He ran away." Dennis clicked his tongue. He then turned to Kino. "Thank you. You really saved me."

"It was nothing. You're as flashy as Sakaki-kun said." Kino said, making Dennis blinked.

"You know Yuya?" Dennis asked.

"My name is Kino Kuramoto. I came from the artificial dimension. Do not worry. I am allied with your friends who came there." Kino introduced himself.

"Yuri and the others?! Are they here?!" Dennis asked, looking for any sign of his friend. To his disappointment, Kino shook his head.

"No. I was sent here to watch over things, but I never expected that Apophis has made his move." Kino replied while looking around the city with grim expression.

"Apophis?" Dennis raised a brow in question.

"We'll talk later. We need to deal with our enemies first. Reinforcement from my dimension already came to help." Kino pointed at several people wearing the same uniform as him along with other group who wore different uniforms but cooperated with Kino's group.

"Got it!" Dennis said. He will ask question later. Right now, dealing the invaders was the main priority.

Kino and Dennis went to the group to coordinate further plan against the invaders.

 **ROOM – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Celica has gathered everyone in what looked like a meeting room similar as the one Yuno has in the main HQ, but bigger, both the room and the table. Today, they made everything what happened, what they saw at the underground prison yesterday, clear. Yuya and the others recount everything they remembered. Heidel's men, the human experiments to create strong Duel Monsters, the ways to forcefully made them reborn as one, the people in blue robes, everything…

"So the rumor was true…" Carl muttered, catching everyone's attention.

"The reason I joined the mission to the underground prison was because I heard a rumor of an illegal experiment being held secretly by Heidel's men. I heard this from an underground doctor who tended someone claimed to have escaped the prison and told the whole story to him before he died from his injuries. But I never thought it was this kind of experiment…" Carl explained while having expression of disgust.

"Can't we do something about Heidel? We clearly can't let him be in charge as representative of Imperial Army." Johan asked to Celica, also having the same expression as Carl. Everyone was.

"Unfortunately, with the underground prison destroyed, we have no solid proof to prove what he had done. Tsukasa and his group's appearance also made it difficult. It would be simple to just blame the experiments on them." Celica said. She has always been suspicious of Heidel, but she never thought he would do something this far. This was just too inhuman. That made him no different from Apophis.

"How come he was able to send his men to do the experiment there?" Jounouchi wondered.

"Most likely he sneaked his own men into the prison as guards. Heidel had them enlisted into Amosis army while successfully hiding their connections to him. He has lots of loyalists." Mai explained.

"Then…what if he had also sneaked his own men into The Brotherhood?" Yuya questioned with worry. His question changed the air in the room, mainly around Yuno, Jounouchi, and Ryo who were in The Brotherhood.

"That is possible… We've been careful, but we're not perfect. We have to think of that possibility and be more cautious." Yuno said.

"What should we do now? We have not only Apophis to worry about, but also Heidel. It's like we're fighting two groups here." Yuto sighed. Even though Heidel and them were sharing the same enemies, he didn't think it would be wise to work with someone who was willing to sacrifice human lives so easily.

"Not to mention the tension between the two factions that already mess up this country's unity. Let alone defeating Apophis, the conflict between the two factions may destroy themselves first." Yuri reminded.

"Umm…maybe I can help about Heidel…"

Everyone turned to Aoi who has spoken. She raised a hand to get everyone's attention. She was nervous for a second by the attention she got, but she quickly recomposed herself. She was used to be at the center of attention as Blue Angel, so this was supposed to be nothing.

Before Aoi could continue, a knock interrupted her. A maid came in, meekly looking at everyone in the room.

"My apologies for the interruption, but Mr. Akira Zaizen has arrived."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Heidel Aberforth –** People of Neo Domino City who are against the new law join forces with the Servants, causing a civil clash. At the same time, at Maiami City, Reiji is approached by an unexpected help…

* * *

 **FANFIC ORIGINAL CARD MEMO:**

 _ **GUARDIANS' GATEKEEPER**_ **:** When Gate Guardian is targeted for attack, you can banish 1 monster used as its tribute from Graveyard to negate the attack and inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK of the banished monster. (Trap Card)

 _ **GATE DRAIN**_ **:** You can target a monster your opponent controls and negate its effect as long as this card is on the Field. (Continuous Trap Card)

 _ **FAIRY CREST**_ **:** Choose one monster on the Field; that monster become Fairy archetype until the end of Turn. (Magic Card)

 _ **FAIRY EVOLUTION**_ **:** You can use a Fairy Xyz Monster you control and this card as Material to Xyz Summon a Fairy Xyz Monster with 1 Rank higher than the Fairy Monster from your Extra Deck. (Rank-Up Magic Card)

 _ **FAIRY BRIGHT CHEER GIRL**_ **:** (ANGEL / LIGHT / XYZ / ATK: 2500 / DEF: 1900 / RNK: 5). 2 or more Level 5 Fairy-Type Monsters. Once per Turn, by detaching an Overlay Unit, you can destroy 1 Spell Card your opponent controls and this card gains 1000 ATK. Once per Turn, you can detach an Overlay Unit to special summon 1 Fairy Monster from your Graveyard. When this card battles, the opposing monster's ATK is reduced by 500.

 _ **CHILD OF MIRROR**_ **:** (DEMON / DARK / EFFECT / ATK: 2000 / DEF: 2300 / LV: 5). When you control 2 DARK Monsters, you can special summon this card from your hand. Twice per Turn, this card cannot be destroyed by Battle. When this card leaves the Field and sent to Graveyard, you can activate a Trap Card from your Deck.

 _ **DARK UNDEAD FORCE**_ : You can use this card and an Xyz Monster you control to special summon an Undead-Type Xyz Monster with 2 Ranks higher from your Extra Deck by paying half of your LP. (Rank-Up Magic Card)

* * *

 **I felt satisfied writing this chapter more than I did the previous chapter. And here, I introduced you to another one of Apophis' Duelists, Kamui. He will have more roles in the story later on. After a while thinking and rereading my own** _ **Bonds of Pendulum**_ **, I realized the treatment I gave Sayaka and Allen was no different from the anime. I think they deserve to have their shining moment, so that's why I made their Duel this way. Sorry that Dennis didn't do quite well here, but I want to make it clear how strong Kamui is. He is a lieutenant after all, and he hasn't even used his full strength. And this is also Kino's debut Duel. I've always been interested in Ritua Deck, so I chose him to use the Deck. He didn't do much yet in the Duel, but he'll Duel again in future chapter.**

 **In the next chapter, I'll reveal more about Heidel. And about Leo, sorry, but you'll still have to wait~**

 **By the way, I've said this before about the length of this fanfic is around 60s. But then there are changes made, and now the fanfic is planned to end at chapter 80. I have finished** _ **Bonds of Pendulum**_ **that consisted of 74 chapters to the very end, and I'm planning to do the same to this fanfic! I've planned every single important detail, every single chapter, and my pride as a writer strongly encourages me to write this fanfic until the very end! I'll make sure of that!**

 **Sorry for any error or mistake.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter! Your reviews are my motivation!**


	33. Heidel Aberforth

**Big thanks to _Unknowedz, Big duels, Ryujomaru15, aqua9597, Ulrich362, GamingGuy84, Elbarto4000, Yuka Kuroshiro, dvdryms, SSJGamerYT, Playerhood18, NeoFGD_ for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **LDS ENTRANCE – MAIAMI CITY – ARC-V**

"Battle! I attack Hack Worm with Hell Armageddon!"

Reiji declared his last attack, defeating another Servant who had challenged him. Reiji sighed. He wondered how many he has defeated. He already lost count of the enemies who came at him. These new enemies kept coming like a plague. He has been informed that not only Maiami City, but Academia, Heartland, and Neo Domino were being attacked as well. The portal at the temple didn't show any abnormal activity or any sign of something or someone coming out. He has assumed since the portal so far was the only one available, people from the other dimension must go through that portal. He was proven wrong when these new enemies came out from several portals that appeared out of nowhere right above the city.

"Brother!"

Reira ran to her brother. She was panting from exhaustion and her appearance was quite a mess. Reiji didn't need to ask to understand that she was going to reach her limit soon.

"Are you okay, Reira?" Reiji asked in concern.

"Yes. But there are still many of them." Reira replied as she looked at the remaining enemies who were still going rampage.

As she said so, another group of Servants turned and approached them. Reiji pulled Reira behind him, ready to take them on alone while letting his younger sister to rest a little bit. Right before the Duel could commence, the Servants were blown away by a blast, startling him and Reira. The siblings then saw another group of people came, but they were wearing a military uniform. Not only that, they immediately engaged the invaders in Duels. One of the people in uniform walked to Reiji.

"Are you Reiji Akaba?" The man asked Reiji.

"Yes. And you are?" Reiji replied calmly, though he was quite wary of the new group.

"Rest assured. We came from the other dimension to aid you." The man said.

"Pardon my skepticism, but how do I know we can trust you?" Reiji asked again. Reira held her brother's pants tightly as she peeked at the man from behind her brother suspiciously.

"It's okay, Reiji-kun. We can fight together with them."

Reiji blinked when he heard the voice and then saw Yusho walking to him with a man beside him.

"Sakaki-san?!"

Before Yusho could say anything, the man beside Yusho stepped forward to meet Reiji in the eye. The man smiled politely at Reiji while still keeping his straight stature like all military man always do.

"It is pleasure to meet you, Chairman Reiji Akaba." The man greeted.

Yusho placed a hand on Reiji's shoulder before he could speak; making the chairman to look up to the Entertainment Duelist. Yusho was looking at Reiji with an expression that was close to what you called 'grim'. Yusho would only have that kind of face whenever he was being extremely careful of somebody, meaning whoever this man was, they must not show any obvious reactions and not to so easily give anything about them to him so easily. Reiji's eyes met Yusho's, questioning him, but Yusho simply tightened his grip on his shoulder for a moment before letting go.

"We'll talk later, Reiji-kun. For now, we must fight."

 **SHOPPING DISTRICT – NEO DOMINO CITY – ARC-V**

It was supposed to be a bright peaceful beautiful day for Shingo Sawatari and Noboru Gongenzaka while they were watching over the three children under Crow's care, Frank, Amanda, and Tanner. Today, Crow was supposed to take the children to a shopping, but he has urgent business about the delegation to do with Jack and Tokumatsu that left him no choice but to leave. Not wanting to disappoint the children who have been looking forward for to day, Crow asked people that he trusted to accompany them. Shinji, Tony, and Damon were busy at the factory working on a new D-Wheel model project. Yuya and the others have left on a mission to the artificial dimension since three weeks ago. And thus, that left Crow with the only remaining Lancers he knew who were having more than enough free time, Gongenzaka and Sawatari.

Gongenzaka wholeheartedly accepted Crow's request. Sawatari, however, was not pleased with having to babysit the children as he was planning to lazy around in Maiami in one of Maiami City's most grand hotel. Fortunately, Crow have already prepared for Sawatari's refusal, and succeeded in convincing him after showing a footage of people of Neo Domino City cheering for his Entertainment Dueling last year during Friendship Cup. All Crow needed to do was did a little bit editing to make it seems the people were expecting him to come, and as he expected, that managed to get to Sawatari's ego, and he immediately agreed.

Of course, Sawatari was quick to regret this once the shopping began as in the end all he did was carrying the children's shopping bags with Gongenzaka. He tried to make a run for it. Key word 'tried' as Gongenzaka kept a close eye on him and stopped him whenever he was thinking to try to escape from his given responsibility. They thought the day would be spent shopping while hearing Sawatari's whining of how boring it was.

Those thoughts was quickly dismissed once several people riding black dragons suddenly came out through portals in the air that appeared out of nowhere and started shooting down the city, causing explosions, fires, destruction that reminded them of Academia's invasion last year. The city soon was filled with cries and screams as people were trying to either run away or fighting against the new mysterious group of invaders. Sawatari took back all the whining he said about the shopping being boring. He preferred that rather than seeing another genocide.

"Gongenzaka, what should we do?!" Amanda asked, holding his arm tightly together with her two friends.

"We have to get out of here!" Tanner said. His body was trembling terribly and he started crying. The memories of the previous invasion and being carded started to resurface in his mind.

"Calm down! Don't worry! We will protect you until we meet with Crow!" Gongenzaka held the children close to him.

"Are they the new enemies that attacked Yuya and the others before?" Sawatari remarked as he spotted one of the enemies.

"No doubt about it. If they attack now, maybe something is happening in the artificial dimension." Gongenzaka deduced.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get rid of them!" Sawatari stated as he prepared to join the battle.

Gongenzaka was about to stop him, as they must prioritize the children's safety first, sounds of D-Wheels interrupted him. They turned to see the Arrest Corps arriving. They expected them to come to help in fending off against the invaders, but to their surprise, the Arrest Corps instead were assisting the invaders. Not only them, Gongenzaka also spotted a few Duelists who used to be Tops also assisting the invaders. Three of the Arrest Corps then surrounded the five of them. Gongenzaka pulled the children behind him as he and Sawatari were facing against the Arrest Corps.

"What the hell are you doing?! Why are you aiding the people who are destroying your city?! They're the enemies here!" Sawatari questioned.

"Shut up! This city and their new law can just go down together!" The first Arrest Corps said.

"Because of that new law, we can't live the same luxurious lives and authority we once had! They promise if we help, they'll give us the live we deserve like before!"

"That's right! Screw with equal society! Those Commons should just live and work in trash like they're supposed to!"

Gongenzaka glared at the Arrest Corps. "You're willing to destroy your own city just so you can gain the wealth you once had? How selfish! I, the man, Gongenzaka, wouldn't let people like you roam free!" He declared, activating his Duel Disk.

"Damn straight! You said it, Gongenzaka! Let's teach these guys a lesson! Besides, we haven't get our revenge against them when we escaped from Facility!" Sawatari also activated his Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'll start things off! I summon Jutte Knight (ATK: 700 / DEF: 900 / LV: 2) from my hand!" The first Security summoned Jutte Knight in Attack Position.

"When there is a Warrior-type monster on my field, I can Special Summon Kiribi Lady (ATK: 100 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1) from my hand!" He then summoned Kiribi Lady in Attack Position.

"I'm tuning the Level 1 Kiribi Lady with the Level 2 Jutte Knight! Realize the power of the law! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 3! Goyo Defender (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3)!" He summoned Goyo Defender in Attack Position.

"Where there is a Goyo Defender on my field, I can Special Summon the other Goyo Defenders in my Extra Deck!" He summoned two copies of Goyo Defenders in Attack Position.

"I end my turn here." He concluded.

"This does remind me of last year! The power of the law, vs. the power of my magnificence! The last time I didn't get to show my full power due to interruptions when we escaped Facility, but now I'll show you who is the true star!" Sawatari declared in his usual narcissistic manner before he started his Turn.

"It's my turn! Using the Scale 1 Abyss Actor - Devil Heel and the Scale 8 Abyss Actor - Funky Comedian, I set the Pendulum Scales! With this, I can simultaneously summon Monsters between Level 2 and 7! Pendulum Summon! Come forth!" Sawatari summoned three Monsters to his Field that consisted of Abyss Actor – Big Star (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 7 / PS: 3) and Sassy Rookie (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4 / PS: 2).

"Next I activate Magic Card: Abyss Script – Rise of the Demon King! I can target face-up cards on the Field and destroy them up to the number of Abyss Actor Monsters I control in Attack Position!" Sawatari pointed at two of three Goyo Defenders, destroying both of them all at once as he control two monsters in Attack Position.

"My two Goyo Defenders are...!" The Security exclaimed in disbelieves. His monsters were taken out just like that.

"Goyo Defenders' ATKs are increased equal to the numbers of Goyo Defenders on the Field, right? You really need to learn not to stick too much with the same strategy and cards. I know all your tricks now." Sawatari still remembered the effects of Goyo Defenders when he encountered them a year ago during the prison break he staged with his friends. It was the time for sweet revenge.

"Battle! I attack Goyo Defender with Sassy Rookie!" Sawatari declared, pointing at the only Goyo Defender on the Field. Sassy Rookie kicked the Synchro Monster, destroying it.

 **ARREST CORPS 1 LP: 4000 = 3700**

"And then I attack directly with Big Star!" Sawatari proceeded to attack the now defenseless Security. Big Star also gave him his own kick, sending him sprawling on his back.

 **ARREST COPRS 1 LP: 3700 = 1200**

"I set a card and end my Turn. Don't think the same trick will work on me! Be honored that this Neo Ultra Hyper Super Strong Duelist Shingo Sawatari is the one teaching you a lesson!" Sawatari stated proudly, looking down at the enemies.

"Don't get cocky with just that! My turn! I summon Jutte Knight (ATK: 700 / DEF: 900 / LV: 2) from my hand!" The second Security also summoned Jutte Knight in Attack Position.

"When there is a Warrior-type monster on my field, I can Special Summon Kiribi Lady (ATK: 100 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1) from my hand!" He then summoned Kiribi Lady in Attack Position.

"I'm tuning the Level 1 Kiribi Lady with the Level 2 Jutte Knight! Realize the power of the law! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 3! Goyo Defender (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3)!" He summoned Goyo Defender in Attack Position.

"Where there is a Goyo Defender on my field, I can Special Summon the other Goyo Defenders in my Extra Deck!" Repeating his partner's first move, he summoned two copies of Goyo Defenders in Attack Position.

"Battle! I attack Sassy Rookie with Goyo Defender!" The second security attacked with his first Goyo Defender. Due to its effect, its ATK was increased to 3000. Goyo Defender crushed Sassy Rookie, destroying it.

 **SAWATARI LP: 4000 = 2700**

"I end my Turn." The second security ended.

"My Turn! I Summon Superheavy Samurai Jisha-Q (ATK: 900 / DEF: 1900 / LV: 4)!" Gongenzaka Summoned Jisha-Q in Defense Position.

"When Jisha-Q is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Superheavy Samurai Monster from my hand! I Special Summon Superheavy Samurai Horagai (ATK: 300 / DEF: 600 / LV: 2)!" Gongenzaka summoned Horagai, also in Defense Position.

"When I have two or more Superheavy Samurai Monsters, I can Special Summon Superheavy Samurai Kokorogama-A (ATK: 100 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 3)!" Gongenzaka Kokorogama-A in Attack Position.

"I Tune Jisha-Q and Kokorogama-A with Horagai! Unyielding as the mountain ranges. The soul that resides in the great rock! Now, become the towering fortress! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 9! Superheavy Demon Beast Kyu-B (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 9)!" Gongenzaka Synchro summoned Kyu-B in Defense Position.

"When a Superheavy Samurai Monster is Synchro summoned to my Field, I can special summon Superheavy Samurai Shineclaw (ATK: 500 / DEF: 500 / LV: 2) from my hand!" Gongenzaka summoned Shineclaw in Defense Position.

"Shineclaw's effect! I can equip this card to a Superheavy Samurai Monster I control! That monster's ATK and DEF are increased by 500!" Gongenzaka increased Kyu-B's ATK and DEF to 2400 and 3000 respectively.

"Also, I summon Superheavy Samurai Soul Chusai (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) from my hand and equip it to Kyu-B! With this my opponent can only attack Kyu-B and no other monsters!"

"Kyu-B can attack while in Defense Position! Battle! I attack directly with Kyu-B!" Gongenzaka attacked the first Security who didn't have any monster on his Field. Kyu-B swung its spear, throwing the Security to crash at the wall with the back of its spear, rendering him unconscious.

 **ARREST CORPS 1 LP: 1200 = 0**

"I end my Turn with this!" Gongenzaka concluded.

"My turn! When there are Goyo Defenders on the field, I can Special Summon the three Goyo Defenders in my Extra Deck!" The third Security also summoned 3 Goyo Defenders in Attack Position.

"The Goyo Defenders that are Special Summoned this turn cannot attack. So I'll summon Jutte Knight from my hand! I'm tuning two Level 3 Goyo Defenders with the Level 2 Jutte Knight! Bow down before the power of the law! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 8! Goyo King (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2200 / LV: 8)!" He summoned Goyo King in Attack Position.

"When Goyo King battles, its ATK goes up by 400 points for every Goyo monster on the field. Battle! I attack Kyu-B with Goyo King!" he increased Goyo King's ATK to 4400. Due to the card equipped to Kyu-B, Goyo King could only attack the opposing Synchro Monster. Goyo King dashed forward at the Superheavy Samurai Monster.

"Superheavy Samurai Monster equipped with Shineclaw cannot be destroyed! Also, since Kyu-B is in Defense Position, I don't take any damage!" Gongenzaka revealed as Kyu-B easily blocked Goyo King's attack, pushing it back to its master while the former was unharmed.

"Urgh...damn it. I end my Turn." The third security cursed.

"Hehehe! Cannot do anything, can you? It's your fault for thinking that we are stupid enough to fall for the same trick you used in the Facility last year. With our combo, you won't stand a chance!"

"My Turn! With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon!" Sawatari summoned Sass Rookie from his Extra Deck and Pretty Heroine (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4) from his hand in Attack Position.

"Fool! If a monster is summoned to your side of the Field, I can release 1 Goyo monster to take control of Level 8 or lower monster my opponent controls!" The third Security exclaimed as he released his partner's Goyo Defender and took control of Gongenzaka's Kyu-B. However, to his confusion, Sawatari was not disturbed in the slightest.

"The idiot is you. Of course, I still remember Goyo King's effect. If you're expecting me to be surprised with that, you're absolutely wrong, buddy. Because I already have a backup for that." Sawatari revealed a card from his hand and activated it.

"I activate Continuous Magic: Abyss Script – Abyss Entertainment! I can release 1 Abyss Actor Monster to target an Abyss Script Magic Card in the Graveyard and set it in my Magic and Trap Card Zone." Sawatari returned Rise of the Demon King from his Graveyard and immediately activated it.

"And now, I once again activate Magic Card: Abyss Script – Rise of the Demon King! I destroy your Goyo King and one of the Goyo Defenders!" Sawatari pointed at the two said Goyo Monsters, sending purple blast that destroyed the two monsters. With Goyo King destroyed, Kyu-B returned to Gongenzaka's side.

"Now you only have 2 Goyo Defenders, which means Goyo Defenders' ATK can only be increased to 2000. That is enough for Big Star to finish one Goyo Defender and the other actors to follow." Sawatari turned to the second Security who was controlling two Goyo Defenders, pointing out the facts that annoyed the said Security.

"Battle! I attack Goyo Defender with Big Star!" Sawatari declared Battle once more. Big Star threw purple-colored disk blades that slashed the first Goyo Defender, pushing its owner backwards at the impact of its destruction. He couldn't calm yet since Sawatari wasn't finished.

 **ARREST CORPS 2 LP: 4000 = 3500**

"Next, I attack the second Goyo Defender with Sassy Rookie!" Sawatari made his second attack, destroying the last Goyo Defender, finally making the enemies' Field wide open.

 **ARREST CORPS 2 LP: 3500 = 2800**

"I end my Turn. Now, it's up to you Gongenzaka. I'll let you do the honor to start the climax." Sawatari flicked his fingers at Gongenzaka, winking at the big guy as he entrusted him to do the finishing move. Gongenzaka simply nodded before he started his Turn.

"My Turn! I activate Superheavy Samurai Double Horn's effect from my hand! I equip this to Kyu-B, allowing it to make a second attack when I have no Magic or Trap in Graveyard!" Gongenzaka equipped the card he just drew to his Synchro Monster, powering it up.

"What?! It can attack twice now?! We don't have any monster on our Field...!"

"Don't panic! I still have 4000 LP! In the next Turn, I will–"

"I won't give you any next Turn! Kyu-B's DEF is increased by 900 for every special summoned monster my opponent controls!" Gongenzaka revealed, increasing his monster's ATK to 4200.

"What?!"

"Battle! I attack directly with Superheavy Demon Beast Kyu-B!" Gongenzaka finally declared his Battle Phase. Kyu-B swung its spear from the side, creating a wave of flames in the process as it strike back the two Securities, throwing them back to the wall not far from their fallen comrades.

 **ARREST CORPS 2 LP: 2800 = 0**

 **ARREST COPRS 3 LP: 4000 = 0**

"Yay! You did it, Gongenzaka! Sawatari!"

Frank, Amanda, and Tanner came out from their hiding place, hugging Gongenzaka as they cheered for the two's victory. But Gongenzaka couldn't celebrate yet. He gritted his teeth at the condition of the city that was starting to burn like sea of flames, not so different from a year ago when Academia invaded.

"Don't rejoice just yet! There are still more of them." Gongenzaka was prepared to Duel again until Sawatari yanked his shirt.

"Eeh…Gongenzaka, you might want to look at that." Sawatari pointed at the other side of the street.

A new group of people, wearing different uniform from the ones in orange robes, arrived. They started engaging the people in orange robes in Duels and also helped the injured civilians and Duelists alike, escorting them to safety. Their arrival brought relief to the people as they helped.

"Who are those people?" Gongenzaka wondered.

Sawatari shrugged. "Who knows, but they're fighting against the invaders and help the civilians! Looks like we got reinforcement." He stated. At the moment, he didn't care who they were; any help was needed to save the city.

Gongenzaka, however, felt there was something not right from them…

 **STREET – MAIAMI CITY – ARC-V**

Kachidoki and Battle Beast came to Maiami City after receiving Hikage's message for their assistance. While they didn't know what it was, they were planning to go to Maiami City anyway, so they accepted the job without asking the detail first. Plus, they owed Hikage and Tsukikage, so this was their turn to help them. When they arrived, they didn't expect the city to be in such chaos. They didn't expect the supposed peaceful city to become a battlefield where Duelists were dueling to the death, civilians were running to safety or holding their loved ones' dead bodies, or the building and street destroyed in flames.

Could it be this was the help Hikage asked them? They put their question behind them and quickly joined the fray, defeating the enemies they came across while also helping in civilian's evacuation. They thought the war has over, but looks like there were new enemies who came to destroy their peace. Not to mention these enemies killed people, not carding them, which made them even worse. The sight and smell of blood and corpses made them wanted to wretch. They couldn't forgive these people. They were crueler than Academia did.

"Are you still okay, BB?" Kachidoki asked his partner.

"I could ask the same to you." Battle Beast replied as he just defeated another opponent.

"They are tougher than Academia's army, but I can still handle them this much." Kachidoki said. He hasn't lost his spirit yet. He will continue to fight until he was sure his homeland was safe.

"I've found you!"

Kachidoki and Battle Beast gasped when they heard the familiar voice. The voice that they wished they would never hear for the rest of their life. Battle Beast flinched for a second when he heard it, though he recomposed himself. Kachidoki and Battle Beast slowly turned to the person who was definitely calling for them. They narrowed their eyes the moment their eyes landed on the person. They knew him all too well, especially Battle Beast. He was the very man responsible for making his life a living hell for a few years in Academia.

"You're…Sanders!" Kachidoki glared at the said man.

"Why are you here?!" Battle Beast questioned angrily.

Sanders snorted. "These people freed all the imprisoned former Academia Duelists, including me. I don't know who they are, but if working with them means I can get my revenge for the humiliation you've given upon me, then I'll gladly do it!" He declared. Ever since his lost against Battle Beast and the fact he betrayed him Sanders have sworn revenge. Every single day he never stopped thinking for revenge. In his cold prison, he always awaited the day he could exact his revenge on the two Duelists standing in front of him. And now the time has finally come.

"Now, both of you, Duel me! I'll defeat both of you and clear the stain on my pride!" Sanders activated his Duel Disk, challenging the two of them.

"For someone who once served the Professor for the sake of creating Utopia, you're actually pretty selfish. You're willing to ruin the lives of many and destroy your own world all for the sake of stupid thing like your inflated ego. You're much lower than I thought you were, Sanders." Kachidoki said with disgust at the old man's prattle, accepting his challenge. The old man needed to learn the lesson the hard way.

"I'm not your tool anymore. I've forged my own path. And to prove that, I will defeat you here." Battle Beast replied, also accepting the challenge. When he was under Sanders' harsh training, he was quite afraid of the man. But now, he was free from him. He no longer needs to obey his order. This was the time to put his past for good.

"Failure like you doesn't deserve to live! I'll end you with my own hands!" Sanders said, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I take the first Turn! I summon Gladial Beast Laquer (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Battle Beast summoned Laquer in Attack Position.

"I set 3 cards and end my Turn." Battle Beast concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand I activate Slave Fusion! With this I can Fusion Summon using a Gladial Beast Monster from my Extra Deck ignoring its Summoning conditions using Monsters in my hand or other side of the Field! I Fuse Slave Ape and Slave Tiger in my hand! Captive ape! Invite your master to whip the fierce tiger! Fusion Summon! Appear! Gladial Beast Tamer Editor (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 8)!" Sanders summoned his ace monster, Tamer Editor, in Attack Position.

"I activate Tamer Editor's Effect! I can Special Summon a Gladial Beast Fusion Monster from any Extra Deck to its owner's Field ignoring its Summoning condition!" Sanders summoned Gladial Beast Nerokius (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 1900 / LV: 8) in Attack Position via Tamer Editor's effect.

"Battle! I attack Gladial Beast Laquer with Tamer Editor!" Sanders made his first attack, pointing at Battle Beast's monster.

"Continuous Trap: Medallion of Gladial Beast! I prevent the destruction of a Gladial Beast Monster I control, but the damage I take is doubled!" Battle Beast opened his first Reverse Card, summoning a shield that blocking Tamer Editor's attack from Laquer, but Battle Beast took double damage as the cost.

 **BATTLE BEAST LP: 4000 = 2800**

"Since Laquer battled, I can special summon 1 Gladial Beast Monster from my Deck!" Battle Beast summoned Gladial Beast Secutor (ATK: 400 / DEF: 300 / LV: 4) in Defense Position.

"Then I attack Laquer again with Nerokius!" Sanders attack again without hesitation. Nerokius attacked, but Laquer once again was protected by the shield at the cost of its master receiving double damage.

 **BATTLE BEAST LP: 2800 = 800**

"Persistent scum. I end my Turn." Sanders concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand, I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I Fuse Hayate the Earth Soaring Star and Kaiki the Sky Fusing Star! O stars racing through the heavens, soaring above the earth, now become one, and shine as the star of the eternal conqueror! Fusion Summon! Come! Idaten the Conqueror Victory Star (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2200 / LV: 10)!" Kachidoki brought out his ace Monster in Attack Position.

"Battle! I attack Gladial Beast Secutor with Idaten!" Kachidoki pointed at Battle Beast's monster. For a moment, Sanders was surprised, but then remembered Secutor's effect. Kachidoki did it on purpose.

"Since Secutor battled, I can special summon 2 Gladial Beast Monster from my Deck!" Battle Beast summoned Gladial Beast Bestrouli (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 800 / LV: 4) and Gladial Beast Murmillo (ATK: 800 / DEF: 400 / LV: 3) in Attack Position. He nodded gratefully at his partner who smiled back.

"I Set 2 cards, and end my Turn." Kachidoki concluded.

"My Turn! I return and shuffle Laquer, Secutor, and Murmillo to special summon Gladial Beast Herakleinos (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2800 / LV: 8)!" Battle Beast summoned his new monster that he gained during one his trainings with Kachidoki. This was the first monster that became his first step of leaving his previous Dueling that hurt people.

"Battle! I attack Gladial Beast Nerokius with Herakleinos!" Battle Beast declared attack. Herakelinos punched the opposing Gladial Beast monster, but due to the latter's effect of unable to be destroyed by Battle, it was not destroyed and managed to endure the attack.

 **SANDERS LP: 4000 = 3200**

"I activate Continuous Trap: Pollice Verson! If a card is destroyed by Battle or card effect, its controller takes 500 damage for each destroyed card!" Battle Beast opened his second Reverse Card, inflicting additional 500 damage to Sanders.

 **SANDERS LP: 3200 = 2700**

"I end my Turn." Battle Beast concluded.

"My Turn! Draw!" Kachidoki started his Turn. Due to Kaiki's effect, he received 500 damage for each of his Standby Phase. Kachidoki writhed in pain by the effect, but he quickly recovered. He was used to it.

 **KACHIDOKI LP: 4000 = 3500**

"When I have a Star Fusion Monster, I can summon this monster from my hand with only that monster as tribute. I release Idaten to Advance Summon Yama the Punisher Star (ATK: 3500 / DEF: 2300 / LV: 9)!" Kachidoki summoned Yama in Attack Position via its effect.

"Battle! I attack Gladial Beast Tamer Editor with Yama the Punisher Star! I activate Yama's Effect! When it battles an opponent's Monster, the opposing Monster's ATK is halved!" Kachidoki halved Tamer Editor's ATK to 1200 as Yama was running towards the Gladial Beast monster.

"When Tamer Editor is attacked, I can negate the attack!" Sanders countered with its effect, but Kachidoki then interjected him.

"It's useless! When Yama the Punisher attacks, any effect that will stop its attack is negated!" Kachidoki revealed as Yama continued its advance. Twirling its blade up, it then swung it down, slicing the Gladial Beast Monster into two, exploding it to bits, sending Sanders to fall on his back.

 **SANDERS LP: 2700 = 700**

"It's over, Sanders. While you're staying in prison, we have polished our skills together by fighting various strong opponents for the whole year. Battle Beast's next Turn would be the end of you." Kachidoki told the former Academia instructor. The old man's LP was only 700 and his only monster was Nerokius. Battle Beast still has one Reverse Card he hasn't opened that he knew without being told could end this Duel in his next Turn.

"I have vowed to never card anyone and never unnecessarily hurt anyone ever again. Surrender and atone for you sins." Battle Beast added. As much as he wanted to punc the guy, he refrained himself. He must be judged properly.

"Shut up! There's no way I'll accept this! I will never accept defeat at the hands of failure like you!" Sanders forced himself to stand, ignoring the broken bones or trickles of blood from his fists after punching the ground so hard from frustrations. Even if it means his death, he would never bow down to these scums.

"That's enough."

A young woman with long blue hair that tied back in ponytail appeared. She was wearing the same orange robes, but with a black cloak drapped over it with an insignia pin on the right side of the cloak. She held Sanders' wrist, stopping him from making any move. Her stern eyes and the commanding aura she unleashed was enough to silence Sanders.

"If you want revenge, you'll get that soon. For now, we retreat. Either that or you'll return to your prison." She told him calmly.

"Who are you?!" Kachidoki questioned.

"I am one of the lieutenants in charge of leading this invasion. Do not worry. For now, we will retreat as ordered by His Excellency." The woman said as she pressed her Duel Disk screen. Hers and Sanders' bodies slowly became particles of black data.

Battle Beast noticed that the rest of people in orange robes were the same. They were retreating. Battle Beast tried to stop them, but Kachidoki placed an arm in front of him and shook his head. They were exhausted. Letting them be would be the best option for now. The woman stared at Kachidoki and Battle Beast and her lips moved, giving her parting words.

"We shall meet again."

 **LDS – MAIAMI CITY – ARC-V**

Two hours after the long tiring battle, Reiji finally able to call and gather his most trusted comrades at LDS Tower. They were having a meeting a man who was the one leading the army from the artificial dimension to assist them in repelling the invaders. The man, who introduced himself as the Supreme Commander of Cantidel's military army and the representative of the Empire, attended the meeting with two attendants by his side. It wasn't actually necessary to gather so many people in this meeting, but Reiji, following Yusho's warning, decided to call for his remaining comrades in this dimension other than the ones who couldn't come because of certain things, so they could observe Heidel and assessing what kind of person Heidel is. He seemed more than he appears to be.

"Welcome to Maiami City of ARC-V, Supreme Commander Heidel." Reiji said politely. "I'm surprised to see you yourself in person."

"Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you, Chairman Reiji Akaba." Heidel greeted back.

The Supreme Commander smiled again, and Reiji and his comrades in the room shuddered in spite of themselves. He made them feel so uncomfortable. There was really no reason for it—he looked harmless enough, and they didn't feel anything hostile from him, so he didn't currently mean them or their dimension any harm. Still...they felt their skin crawled. They felt nervous almost on a primal level.

"Supreme Commander," Reiji said, nodding slowly. "Again, I am very surprised to see you in this dimension yourself. I'm also surprised that you knew me, my father, and things that had happened last year."

"Of course, of course," the Supreme Commander said, straightening his long shirt. "That is because before my arrival, I've sent one of my men to gather intel of this dimension. And as you may have already aware of from deciphering the ruins, I have the ability to hear the voices of Duel Monster spirits, albeit on a limited power."

His eyes made them feel sick. Their stomach twisted. Reiji felt this man was familiar but at the same time he was not.

"Perhaps we could discuss the meaning of your arrival now, Supreme Commander?" Hikage questioned.

"Of course," Heidel said, clapping his hands. "Of course. Where are my manners?"

He smiled that somewhat distant, rheumy smile of an old, doddering man, but Reiji and his comrades weren't buying it.

"I heard all about the exploits of your fight for peace," the Supreme Commander said. He hummed and swayed a bit, and one of his silent attendants passed him a short cane for him to lean on.

"I had to come as soon as I could—I heard of Apophis and his people's plan to conquer this dimension, so I came to help. I have come to offer alliance between us, and the assistance of my dimension. I am the representative of His Majesty the Emperor after all. I came to convey his request."

It can't be that easy, Reiji thought.

Luckily, Yusho had the same thought.

"With all due respect Supreme Commander," Yusho said. "We have also sent some people into your dimension and heard the civil conflict between your faction and the nobles. You probably understand our...uncertainties towards you and your...army."

"Ah, yes. The Phantom Dragons. Your comrades have performed remarkably in defending my dimension. They amazed us, especially with the Pendulum Summon they're using. The people in my dimension are quick to grown fond of them. With that, I am aware you want to bring peace for both our dimensions as much as I do."

Reiji and the rest inwardly sighed in relief. Looks like Yuya and the others succeeded in building up good reputation and gradually sway the Cantidel people to fight together with them. That was at least good news to hear after long time.

"I understand, completely," Heidel said, inclining his head. "I will not deny that my faction and the nobles are...having difficulties to communicate. But at the moment what is most important is to defeat our sole enemy, Apophis. I am aware that this civil conflict must be resolved soon, and I am planning to do so with your help. Should we let Apophis do as his please, it will be the end for both our dimensions."

He smiled, though, making them thinly shudder again.

Don't trust him, Sora wanted to say. But he had nothing to go on except for a crawling sensation of nerves. He didn't sense anything bad from his presence, and there was the fact that he had come himself, despite the danger that would have gone along with it. For a moment, when Sora first saw him, he felt he was facing Roget again. However, he quickly dismissed this thought. Compared to Roget, this man was even more dangerous on a whole different level. He just knew that.

"As a sign of my goodwill, I have brought some of our newest technologies with us as a peace offering—they will make your own armies and the rebuilding effort run far more quickly and smoothly." Heidel said, gesturing his attendant to show one of the pictures of the technologies they have brought with them.

"We will...tentatively accept your gift, Supreme Commander," Reiji said. "However, we will want to discuss with you in far more detail beforehand what exact kinds of agreements you'd like to put forth."

"Not to mention, you should know you're early," Yusho said quickly, eyes level at him. "The alliance you're offering is not something we can decide ourselves. We must discuss this with our delegation."

"I understand, of course," the Supreme Commander said with a faint, coughing laugh. "But of course, you must understand—I am a man of science before anything else. I shall wait for your favorable answer."

His smile rested a little too long on Reiji before he finally excused himself together with his attendants.

 **AIRSHIP – MAIAMI CITY – ARC-V**

Heidel came back to the airship that he used to go to this dimension. The airship was smaller than the ones used for military, but it was still enough to fend off the enemies. Since the connection between ARC-V and the artificial dimension was still not quite stable, he could only bring one airship to use while the rest of his army went by foot. At the most back of the airship was his personal room where he will spend the night. He was planning to stay for three days and then returned to Cantidel. He couldn't stay for long as he must also maintain the situation at the empire. Who knows what could happen while he was absent.

"Welcome back, Supreme Commander." A female attendant greeted him, bowing politely at his arrival.

"I'll be back to my room now. Prepared the gifts for Reiji Akaba to be delivered tomorrow morning. Also send some men to find more information about this dimension, mainly the united delegation Reiji Akaba and Leo Akaba spoke of." Heidel ordered the attendant, dismissing her.

"Understood." She replied and quickly followed her given order.

Once back inside his room, Heidel took off his coat, placing it on the bed. He opened the refrigerator inside the cabinet and took out a wine, pouring into one full glass on the table. He sat down on the chair, looking at the wine from several angles before drinking it, savoring the taste. He leaned his back on the chair, relaxing his tired body. Today was quite exhausting with repelling Apophis' men and trying to convince the Akaba family to join his side. With the first one settled, all that left was convincing the people of this dimension to help his cause.

"Reiji Akaba...you're as intelligent I have heard. I know it won't be easy to convince you to join me. You're not like those people who are so easily convinced with little sweet words and good gestures..." Heidel stated as he took out a card from his pocket shirt, smiling passively at it. Just by looking at the Chairman of Leo Corporation, he knew the young man was not to be underestimated despite his young age. He has broad mind and able to make wise decision accordingly. The way he spoke with him during today's meeting was the proof.

"I'm also surprised by Leo Akaba's hesitation to my proposition. Still, if I pester him more and carefully, he'll eventually enticed."

Heidel recalled his visit at the island where Leo was exiled. He came and tried to recruit the man after knowing his knowledge would be a use of him, and he had prepared with a proposition that he knew will interest the Professor. Unexpectedly, Leo was hesitant. Instead of giving an immediate answer, the man has simply said that he must get the delegation's approval even if he accepts his proposition. Has the man changed during the whole year he was imprisoned? That was indeed a possibility, but Heidel doubt he has changed completely. Humans were not so simple.

"But I worry not. Even if he refuses, I still have another plan to convince the delegation of this dimension to help me."

Heidel stood from the chair to look at the night sky from the window. The time will come soon. The time for his plan to come to fruition. He had been waiting for 10 years. He will proceed to amass as much political influence as possible, coalescing the power of factions either of Cantidel or ARC-V under his banner. And once Apophis gone, all that left was taking care of the opposing noble faction who was getting in the way of his ideal.

"I will make my ideal come true. No matter what it takes."

 **ROOM – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The minute the doors were open, Aoi found herself smothered in her brother's hug until she almost choked.

"Brother, I can't breathe," she mumbled into his chest, but he didn't respond right away, squeezing her tightly against him with one hand against her hair. She gave in, wrapping her arms around his waist and pushing her face into his shoulder.

Tears prickled at her eyes. Had it really been two days since she had seen her brother…? It felt like weeks since she felt her brother's warmth like this.

Akira pulled her away a bit so he could see her face. "Are you all right? I've heard about the false charges and your arrest. And when I heard the underground prison broke down, I thought–"

"I'm find, Brother, I'm not hurt," she said. Aoi closed her eyes and leaned her face into his hand, suddenly feeling incredibly weak in the knees. He caught her before she collapsed, hugging her again.

"What happened?" He asked before turning to the other occupants in the room. "With all due respect, I will have to ask for explanation from all of you as well. My sister is involved."

Before Celica could speak, Aoi beat her to it, holding the front of her brother's shirt tightly.

"I'll tell you everything. We'll tell you everything, Brother. But…"

Aoi's expression hardened as she told him everything she has experienced in the underground prison. How she saw Heidel's men conducted human experiments to create strong Duel Monsters under Heidel's order. How they were nearly killed by them who tried to cover up the whole thing. All the while she was telling her story, Akira's reaction range from disbelieve to horrify.

"And—and please, you have to believe me. I'm not saying this because I was forced or because I don't want to work for Supreme Commander anymore, I saw it myself. I saw it with my own eyes how those people so easily killed the prisoners and forcefully made them Duel Monsters. It's terrible."

Aoi closed her eyes tight as the image of the prisoner who was forcefully turned into Duel Monster came into her again. She couldn't get rid of it even if she wanted to.

"Please, Brother, you have to believe me, you—"

"Aoi, it's okay," Akira said, soothingly taking both of her shoulders. "I believe you."

She almost choked. So quickly…?

"I'm not going to say it doesn't sound a little unbelievable, but something's clearly up here," Akira said, soothing. "I'm not sure. But I believe you."

"Thank you, Brother." Aoi mumbled.

Seeing the loving moment Aoi have with her brother, Ruri couldn't help but felt a pang of envy in her chest. She wanted to see her brother even more than ever. She could still feel his warmth when he rescued her from the fire. His soft hand, brushing the dirt form her face, the way he held her protectively in his arms as he carried her to safety. She wanted to see him again soon. She didn't care what his reason for leaving like that. She just wanted to be by his side. She wanted to feel his love again. She wanted to embrace him like Aoi did with her brother.

"Aoi-kun, you seem to have a plan earlier. What is it that you wanted to suggest?" Celica asked, breaking the moment.

Aoi broke away from her brother to face Celica properly. "You said that we need proof if we want to bring down Supreme Commander from his position, right? As for that, I'm thinking using our positions, my brother and I can try to find it." She suggested.

"Try to find it? What do you mean?" Yuya asked.

"We will become the obedient pawns he wishes us to be. Once we prove ourselves to him, he'll let his guard down eventually and reveal what he is hiding from us..." Aoi explained. She and her brother will continue to work for Heidel, helping him in his propaganda and made him believe they truly believe in his cause.

"So you'll play the role of obedient puppets, letting yourself being led by your master's strings while learning his movements and take him down once the opening shows itself. That's quite cunning of you...I like that." Yuri said with smile of approval. That was indeed a way to gain Heidel's trust and made him spill everything.

"For whatever the reason is, are you sure you want to work under him? Are you sure you want to do this, Zaizen?" Celica asked, not only to Aoi, but also to Akira who has been silent.

Akira looked at his sister, and she looked back at him determinedly. Akira honestly was still skeptical with what he just heard, but there was no way his sister would lie to him by making up such a story. He didn't exactly follow the Supreme Commander's goal and simply work for him for living, but he respected the man. Heidel Aberforth was born a commoner in the Cantiel Empire where he enrolled into its military, eventually rising to the ranks of Supreme Commander who have defended the country countless times where he earned full trust from Emperor, who honored him the position as representative of the Imperial Government.

While rising in the ranks of the organization, he presented himself to be older than he actually was so that people would be more likely to look up to him, rather than be jealous of his high rank. The man used his own power and knowledge to slowly reach the rank of the top without using any underhanded tricks. To think he could do something so inhuman was beyond Akira's imagination. It was hard to believe it. And working for him was the only way to find out the truth.

"If what you're saying is true, then I must stop the Supreme Commander. I cannot accept such heinous act." Akira replied.

"In that case there's nothing we can do to stop you." Celica said, accepting the siblings' decision. She smiled kindly at the two siblings who were holding hands together. She was quite envious. Aoi and Akira reminded her of herself when she was young and her deceased older brother. This started to make her miss her older brother's love and warmth.

"The two of you must be exhausted. You may go home now. I have prepared a limo to escort you back." Celica told the Zaizen siblings. She had held them here long enough. They deserved rest after what they have gone through. And they must have a lot to talk about. She could always ask for a talk through Ruri and the others. They went to the same school as Aoi after all even if they were in different year.

"We appreciate it very much, Lady Celica."

The Zaizen siblings bowed politely in gratitude before taking their leave. Aoi briefly turned to Ruri and waved at her, which Ruri responded with her own wave.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Whereabouts of the Devil –** Reiji gathers the remaining Lancers to discuss Heidel's proposal. Meanwhile, Celica, Yuno and the others are continuing their discussion about Apophis' possible location.

* * *

 **Done. I originally intended for Sanders to make his first appearance in Academia fighting against the Tyler Sisters, but then I thought it would be more fitting if he fights Kachidoki and Battle Beast whom he holds grudge against after what happened in _Bonds of Pendulum._ That's why I made him appear in this chapter. He wasn't much of a challenge in this chapter due a year imprisonment, but later I'll make him a stronger opponent. And the next chapter will be the end of showing the condition in ARC-V and then we'll return to Yuya and the others for the time being. But don't worry, this won't be the last appearance for Reiji and the others, they'll follow Yuya and the others in later chapters.**

 **Also, I made a change in Laquer and Secutor's effects.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter because your reviews are my motivation! (^_^)**


	34. The Whereabouts of the Devil

**Big thanks to** _ **Playerhood18, Big duels, Ulrich362, Yuka Kuroshiro, dvdryms, Ryujomaru15, Elbarto4000, GamingGuy84, Unknowedz, Citylover96, NeoFGD, SSJGamerYT**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **CHAIRMAN'S OFFICE – LDS TOWER – MAIAMI CITY – ARC-V**

"What do you think of Heidel?"

Reiji's eyes slid to Reira, Sora, Gongenzaka, Sawatari, Tsukikage, Hikage, Kachidoki, Battle Beast and Yusho who were standing in front of him. A few hours after Heidel and his attendant left, Reiji told everyone not to go back yet to continue their own meeting. Although, even without Reiji asked them they were going to stay to talk anyway. All of them were sharing the same thought and the same question that needs to be discussed together. The fate of their dimension was at stake.

"He is suspicious and dangerous. I can't explain why, but I just have that feeling..." Sora was the first one to voiced out first. He didn't like Heidel at all. Simply being in his presence felt overwhelming. He just knew the man was dangerous.

"Same." The rest also voiced the same opinion.

"Apophis attacks and then he and his army came right when we exactly need reinforcement... The timing was too good to be true." Reiji said out loud. They were cornered by the surprise attack and then Cantidel's military army swoop in to save them. People would have normally thought they were saviors, but to Reiji, after meeting the Supreme Commander himself, it was like they have been waiting until the situation went dire and then help so they will earn the trust from the people of these dimension who were grateful for their help.

"Do you think this Apophis and Heidel are working together to make us lower our guard?" Sawatari wondered.

"That is a possibility. But even if that's the case, I think Heidel has his own agenda." Reiji said. From his brief meeting with Heidel, he could tell that the Supreme Commander was quite similar as Roget. They appeared to be obedient to the ones who seemed superior in rank, but in reality they were actually planning to overthrow them and then reign supreme. The difference, however, Heidel knew how to play the game more than Roget did.

The door slid open, revealing Jack, Crow, Kaito, Allen, Sayaka, Edo, Asuka, and Samejima coming in together. After Heidel left, Reiji have asked for their presence in this meeting. However, they were preoccupied by the problems that came following the attack. Forming emergency camp for the ones who lost their homes, reforming the forces in case of another attack, and most importantly attending emergency delegation meeting with the other representatives.

"Sorry we're late." Crow said.

"We're just getting started..." Reiji assured them. "How is the delegation meeting?"

"Not good. Once you taste the sweet fruit of prosperity, it's hard to want to go back. They prefer to accept Heidel Aberforth's offer to defend this dimension. Most of them were panicked with this surprise attack and a help from army of another dimension with high level technologies than the ones we have...it's too hard to resist the temptation." Jack answered. Heidel unexpectedly sent a messenger into the delegation meeting, handing some of the gifts he brought as peace offering along with his proposal. Jack, Tokumatsu, Samejima, and a few other representatives tried to convince the council not to accept his offer, but the rest were desperate and strongly considering to accept Heidel's proposal.

"The same also goes for the citizens. Heidel's men have helped in ensuring their safety too. They recognized them as their saviors." Crow added, recalling people in the city talking about how grateful they were to Heidel and his men who have saved them and were willing to work together with them to repay their kindness.

"Actually, there's something that has been bothering me about the prison break at Academia." Samejima joined in, sharing information he gained from his investigation of the prison break.

"The prison break happened a few minutes before the arrival of those men in orange robes. Not only that, a student who was nearby the prison stated that he saw someone wearing the same military uniform as Heidel's men wandered suspiciously around the prison before the breakout." The principal explained. He had suspicion of both the people in orange robes and the ones in military uniform even though the latter have helped them. He had asked the personnel in charge of guarding the prison that time and learned that. The one he asked thought he was just seeing things since Heidel's men saved them, but Samejima thought otherwise.

"Some eye witnesses in the City also witnessed some men encouraging the former Tops and Securities to revolt." Crow added again. Even though Neo Domino City looked like a peaceful country where now people can live equally, there were still those who were dissatisfied with the abolishment of the social class system as the privileges that allowed them to live in wealth were stripped from them. Those people were drunk in their own greed to the point they were willing to destroy their own city after being promised luxury.

"Wait, all of the Securities were revolting?" Kachidoki asked worriedly.

"Not all of them, fortunately. But it still brought us concern." Crow replied.

"Either he was timing the prison break with Apophis' attack so they'll take the blame or Apophis Duelists have sneaked themselves into Cantidel's army or both are actually working together…" Hikage wondered again. There were quite many possibilities.

"What I am sure are there: Heidel purposely staged the prison break and revolt to start the attack earlier and then observed from somewhere until the time is right. Those Apophis Duelists also seems willing to recruit those people and didn't mind to take blame for their own goal. This way, no one would be suspicious of Heidel...except us." Reiji summarized.

"There goes. We can't trust that Supreme Commander for sure." Sora said.

"Even if the delegation decided that, can't you just refuse his offer?" Gongenzaka suggested.

"That would be too risky. There's a possibility that he will try to make the delegation and the citizens to turn on us if I just flat out refuse his offer. We need to find another option where we can refuse his offer while at least keeping the relation between the two of us civil, or we can try to stall more times to find another solution before giving our answer to him." Yusho said. They need to think up something fast. They only have three days until Heidel left and by that time, the Supreme Commander must have been expecting answer.

Sawatari scratched his head. "This is a mess...who is our enemy exactly here? Apophis or Heidel?" He wondered in exasperation.

"I may have the answer to that."

They all turned as the door slid again and this time revealed Dennis came in with a young man. The young man stepped forward and bowed politely before introducing himself.

"It is pleasure to meet you, Reiji Akaba. I'm Kino Kuramoto of The Brotherhood. I am an ally of Yuya Sakaki and your other comrades. I came here not only to help, but also to bring message from them. I assure you that my men and I work separately from the Supreme Commander." Kino said. He brought out a letter that Yuno have asked Yuya to write as proof that they were allies and handed it to Reiji who didn't waste any time to read it.

"This is certainly, Yuya's handwriting. Do you mind explaining what is happening so far on the other side?" Reiji said after reading the letter. He was relieved to at least know that Yuya and the others have gained themselves strong allies they could trust.

Kino brought out a small device that showed various holographic pictures. He explained everything one by one while showing the pictures to make it easier to understand and to prove his stories. He explained what Yuno had explained to Yuya and the others about Apophis and the artificial dimension in more detail, Yuno and Celica's relation to Yuya, Yuzu, and the others as their ancestors, LINK VRAINS, Link Summon and Link Monsters, Yukiya and Sara as Zarc and Ray's reincarnations, and what happened recently at the underground prison.

"Human experiments...that Heidel guy is nuts! He may as well even worse than Roget!" Sawatari exclaimed. His face paled at the thought of people being forcefully turned into Duel Monsters that was pretty much the same as killing them and make their new lives living hell.

"And there's also Yuno, Yukiya Kanbara, Celica, and Sara Akie...to think Yuya and the others are heavily connected this way..." Yusho rubbed his chin in wonder. Their revelation as Zarc and Ray's fragments last year was already surprising enough, and now there were ancestors and another new set of reincarnations.

"We were surprised ourselves, Mr. Sakaki." Kino responded.

"So this is what Heidel meant by his proposition..." Yusho sighed, covering his eyes with his hand.

"What do you mean, Sakaki-san?" Reiji asked.

"Heidel came to see Leo at the same time as when the prison break and attack occurred. He asked for Leo's cooperation in exchange he will reunite him with the person he cares the most." Yusho revealed. When the Supreme Commander came, he asked to be left alone with Leo to talk, but Yusho and Leo have insisted that Yusho was present in this talk as Heidel wasn't supposed to be there. Heidel asked for Leo to work for his cause, allowing the Cantidel army to use his knowledge and research he had done.

"The person he cares the most...is he trying to get the Professor to work with him in exchange he will reunite him with Ray who had reincarnated as Sara Akie? How did he even know about Ray and Sara?" Gongenzaka said.

"Don't tell me that the Professor agreed...!" Sora asked worriedly.

"No. At least not at the moment. Leo hesitated. In the end he said whether he can cooperate or not depends on the delegation's decision since he is still in exile... But to be honest, I think Leo is also still considering the offer..." Yusho assured. During the talk, Leo was skeptical of Heidel's promise even though it was clear that gained his interest. But even so, Leo refused as he couldn't leave the island without permission from the delegation. Yusho was glad, but he could see the glint in Leo's eyes that he thought was a wish to be reunited with his daughter.

"Looks like the Professor still hasn't completely got over Ray yet." Asuka said sadly.

Sawatari suddenly raised his hand, earning everyone's attention. "By the way, sorry to say it now, but can we really trust him? He came together with Heidel. If he is on Yuya's side, then he should have warned us about the attack!" He pointed at Kino who was standing beside him.

"I'm afraid it is not that simple. Yuno-sama has the ability to see the future and he had seen the attack on this dimension, but he didn't know exactly when the attack would be. He couldn't see visions whenever he wants, it's something that came naturally into him." Kino revealed calmly. He understood Sawatari's suspicion and frustration, and he was ready to accept any backlash. However, it was Sawatari's next words that broke his patience.

"So much for an Oracle." Sawatari snorted, saying with sarcasm.

Before he realized it, Sawatari's vision went upside down and then his back hit the floor with a loud thud and he cried out from impact. Before he could say anything, a knife right above his mouth silenced him while he was staring at Kino's dark angry face looming over him with his other hand holding him down on the floor.

"Watch your mouth unless you want your tongue to be cut out, monkey. I won't let anyone speak badly of Yuno-sama, especially someone like you who doesn't know a thing about him." Kino said with a that barely concealed his fury. Sawatari was trembling and sweating bullets as Kino moved the knife closer. A vigorous nod from Sawatari was all he needed to remove it.

Everyone who were almost in panic by Kino's stunt was relieved when Kino removed his knife before they could calm him down. They gave Sawatari scolding looks for running his mouth too far. Sawatari was ready to make his defense that Kino himself also went too far, but a stern look from Reiji that this wasn't the time argue shut him up.

"Nevertheless, you came not only to watch over Heidel, but also to help us. I appreciate that, Kuramoto. Thank you." Reiji said his gratitude to Kino, to which the latter respond with a simple nod.

"Back to the main problem, what can we do about Heidel? We can't trust him. That's for sure. But if we don't give our answer, he might do something that will get us into huge trouble." Dennis asked, leading to another round of silence as everyone was trying to think up a plan.

"Have you informed him that you're allied with the Phantom Dragons?" Kino asked, breaking the silence.

"You mean Yuya and the others' identities when they are in LINK VRAINS? Yeah. We have told him that." Gongenzaka replied.

"We can make use of that." Kino said.

"What do you mean?"

"Tell him that you're waiting for the answer from the Phantom Dragons. Tell him that you need to discuss with them. They are important figures in both this dimension and my dimension, aren't they?" Kino suggested. It won't be weird if they said they were waiting for the words from people who became influential figure amongst the people in this dimension. Heidel would understood this too since the bigger the influence people had, the more they could sway the citizens.

"Tell him to wait for your answer until you receive words from them. Heidel won't like it, but it will draw him out. It will stall us some times to think up a plan. He has no choice. He needs this dimension for his plan even if I don't know what that is." Kino didn't know exactly what Heidel tried to gain by trying to win over the people in this dimension, but he won't do anything that will make the delegation and the citizens distrust him. They just need to mention Yuya and the others, and the citizens will wait for them.

"But he said he will stay for three days and then he'll return to Cantidel. What if he is going to try to find Yuya and the others if we told him that?" Edo voiced his concern. If Heidel found out about Phantom Dragons' identities and will try to get them to his side, it would be the end for them.

"Your friends are under The Brotherhood's protection. Their identities have been kept secret as well. We promise that The Brotherhood will do our upmost best to keep them save. They are Yuno-sama and Celica-sama's descendants after all. That makes them families." Kino assured Edo. He personally also grew fond of Yuya and his friends not just because they were Yuno's descendants. Each of them was kindhearted boy in his own way, and he will protect them.

"It would be more convenient if we go to the artificial dimension and meet The Oracle and Imperial Adviser directly..." Reiji thought. Having a face-to-face conversation will make everything clear without any fear of misunderstanding or miscommunication.

"But we can't leave this dimension... What if Apophis attack again?" Kachidoki frowned. They couldn't afford to leave their dimension that was almost at fragile state after the first attack.

"You can count on us about that."

Reiji and the others turned to Jack who has spoken. Crow, Kaito, Edo, Asuka, and Samejima also made the same expression as the former King.

"Today we were caught off guard, but now that we know they'll be coming, next time they come we are already prepared." Crow said. He knew that Shinji and their other Commons comrades were all willing to fight together with him and Jack. The rest of the Securities who weren't against the new law would be willing to fight too, especially since they have also lost their loved ones in the attack.

"You can leave the protection of this dimension to us. We'll convince the delegation to be prepared with the armies too." Edo told them. Samejima and Asuka also voiced their promise together with Edo. They'll gather and reform the Academia armies. This time, they'll make sure the armies they formed will truly fight for the peace of the world.

"We'll gather our own armies together and set up plans in case of another attack." Kaito stated. He, Allen, and Sayaka have reformed the Resistance. They also gained new recruits or volunteers from civilians who wanted to fight and avenge their families and friends after the attack.

"I'll watch over Leo. Don't worry. I won't let him make the wrong decision." Yusho told Reiji. Reira held her brother's hand, also assuring her brother that she will stay and watch over their father. They will try to help Leo in letting go of his past and move on. His sin was already severe enough. They won't let Leo to add it more.

"You know that you can trust us, right?" Kaito turned to Reiji and the rest, smiling confidently.

Reiji and the rest looked at each other and then back to Jack and the others. The Leo Corporation chairman closed his eyes while pondering the idea. He knew he could trust his comrades wholeheartedly. They could handle things even if they were not there. They have done well when the Lancers departed to Academia while they stayed in the respective dimension last year. Even if something were to happen, they could think of something to work it out. There was no need to hesitate.

"It's settled. The Lancers will go to the artificial dimension." Reiji stood from his chair, announcing his decision, much to the satisfaction of everyone.

"However, it would be suspicious to Heidel if we go now. Let's wait a few days after he return and then we'll follow. We'll use those days to learn about Cantidel Empire and make preparations to fight the enemies." Reiji said while fixing his glasses. After hearing about Link Summoning and Link Monsters and two new Duel rules, Reiji had thought up a new program that would make it easier for the Lancers to fight.

"Now you're speaking my words."

"We'll kick their sorry asses once we get there!"

Everyone started discussing their plans and anticipations for another adventure to other dimension, Reiji approached Kino.

"Kuramoto, I want you to become messenger between us and your comrades at Cantidel." Reiji requested the Ritua user.

"That is exactly why I am here, Chairman Akaba." Kino replied.

While they were busy coming up with their plan and schedule for the next few days until their departure, unbeknownst to them, Linkuriboh sneaked out from Kino's hoodie and quietly wne out of the room, though it doubted that anyone could see it when it was in apparition form, there was always possibility that one of them has the ability to see Duel Monster spirits.

Linkuriboh made its way to the database where records in Maiami City and Lancers were placed. Linkuriboh stopped at one of the computers there and attached its tail into the plug, scanning and absorbing information that its master has asked for.

 **ROOM – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"We still need to be wary and careful of Heidel, but for now, let's discuss about Apophis again. There's something that has been bothering me lately." Yuno said. While Heide was still worrying them, this was as much as important for everyone to know.

"The viruses and bugs have spread at much quicker rate than before. Even though people have tried to use the vaccine program they have made, new updated viruses will appear and the current vaccine is useless against the newly updated viruses. Many people became too afraid to log in as the result." Yuno read the report that Lilac and her men have sent to him this morning. He showed several pictures taken from LINK VRAINS.

"How about the viruses that cause people to go berserk?" Yukiya asked.

"Fortunately, there are no longer many victims because the numbers of people logging into LINK VRAINS following the virus and bug rampage has decreased." Yuno said. That was at least quite good news. Doesn't mean they can just let the network being overwhelmed by the virus and bug. They knew they must create a new vaccine that overpower them even if they're being updated.

"Yukiya, you said Sara Akie has Link Sense, isn't she? And you theorized that she was attacked because of her ability." Yuno turned to Yukiya, remembering Yukiya mentioning about Sara's ability earlier in this meeting.

"Yes." Yukiya nodded.

"I think you're right. And after hearing this, I think I know where Apophis' location is." Yuno revealed, surprising everyone in the room.

"You do?!" Yuya almost stood from his seat.

"Think about it. Akie has Link Sense that allows her to sense the presence of the network, the abnormalities within the network. The day she was attacked, she sent you an SOS message that she only sent if something is happening in LINK VRAINS, meaning she has found something not right. And she is attacked by Dante due to her ability. If you put these facts together, most likely Dante wants to hide whatever Akie has found." Yuno explained, pointing out the facts they knew so far.

1,500 years ago, when Yuno and Celica fought Apophis, they managed to destroy his body and then sealed his soul away into another realm that they even didn't know where it was except it was somewhere within Cantidel. Even though Apophis have broken free, without a body, he couldn't move freely. He could reconstruct his body, but it took a huge amount of energy and time, which was impossible for him to accomplish since his power has been taken away from him by the Four Heavenly Dragons.

"Something that Dante wanted to hide so badly that he nearly killed Sara..." Yukiya trailed off while wondering what was so important enough for Dante to hide it that far. They all ponder and Yuno and Celica's story about Apophis' sealing finally hit them. There was only one possible answer.

Yuno nodded, knowing everyone has come into the same realization. "Yes. Apophis' soul is most likely inside LINK VRAINS. Akie perhaps sensed his presence and investigate it." He deduced. That was the only plausible explanation he could think behind Dante's action. Despite a problem in his personality, he was not a type of person who would just randomly attacking other people without clear specific reason.

"Not to mention their activities are mostly done through LINK VRAINS. The spread of bugs and viruses are most likely to make people afraid to enter LINK VRAINS. That way Apophis' presence will remain hidden until he restores his full power." Ryo added. Everything was starting to make sense now.

"But LINK VRAINS is a huge wide network. How are we going to find him? None of us have Link Sense like Sara does." Yugo questioned. It would take like forever to try to find Apophis in such a wide network.

"We'll use my vision." Yuno said.

"I thought you said your vision only comes naturally." Yugo raised a brow in confusion.

"No. He said that he can see vision at will but that will cost lots of power so he rarely does it." Yuto reminded.

"I've went to the temple and haven't used this oneshot vision. There's no guarantee we'll find the exact location, but if I concentrate enough, maybe we can at least narrow done his whereabouts." Yuno said. He had been saving this one vision for this purpose. This was a rare opportunity they could use. If they could defeat Apophis who was still recovering, all of his subjects will also disappear with him. Once Apophis was gone, all that left was how to handle Heidel.

"But I'm not going to use it now. Not until we are positive we can enter LINK VRAINS without too many risks. Yukiya, if possible, tomorrow I want you to work together with Lilac to create the vaccine. Can you do it?" Yuno asked his grey-haired look-alike.

"I'll be more than willing to do so, Lord Oracle." Yukiya said with a smile.

The door of the room suddenly opened again. This time, the one who entered was a tall middle-aged man with short blond hair and gray eyes. His attire consisted of a shirt and pants of similar color and designs. The white shirt has a high collar with black fur at the end and intricate gold and blue-colored designs on its circumference. The shirt also has long sleeves with light purple cuffs, which have similar black fur and designs. A pair of gold ring-shaped ornaments are also decorating the upper and lower parts of each sleeve. His brown pants were complimented by a pair of high boots of similar color, which have black fur at the collars as well. On top of everything, the man was wearing a long red robe that covers his entire body. The part of his robe, which covers his torso is decorated with white fur with a gold necklace and a couple of medals.

Yuno, Yukiya, Jounouchi, Ryo, and all of Celica's guardians quickly stood up from their seats to kneel down and bowed respectfully at the man while Yuya and counterparts were blinking in confusion by the sudden gesture and questioning who exactly this man was that caused them to behave this way.

"Father!" Kurt and Carl said together as they approached him. This finally made Yuya and the others realized who the person in front of them was and they all were staring wide eyed.

"The Emperor?!" Yugo exclaimed loudly, which clamped shut by Rin's hand.

"P-pardon him! He lacks manner, but he is actually a good boy, Your Highness!" Rin apologized in Yugo's stead, placing a hand behind Yugo's head and forced him to bow down in respect.

"It's fine. I honestly find it refreshing." The Emperor said, chuckling at Yugo's bluntness. He then turned to Yuno, beckoning him to stand, which the Oracle did. "It's been a while Lord Yuno. How are things at The Brotherhood?"

"Busier than always with what happens lately, Your Majesty." Yuno answered.

"And I take it these young ones are your descendants like how the young ladies are my distant relatives?" The Emperor shifted his gaze to Yuya and his counterparts and then to Yuzu and her counterparts. He had heard from Celica about them, but he hadn't gotten the chance to meet them in person because he was so busy with the empire's affair, particularly with problems in the nobilities recently.

"Exactly as it looks, Your Highness." Celica said.

"Please stay for the night. I would love to have a talk with all of you, especially these young ones who came from the original dimension. I would love to hear your stories." The Emperor asked Yuno and the rest of the Brotherhood. Yuno smiled. If there was one thing he has difficulty to say no to, that would be the request from the emperor himself.

"It would be our honor."

 **LIMOUSINE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The way back to Den City was filled with silence in the limo. Neither Aoi nor Akira have spoken after they entered the car. Aoi was pondering what should she do from now on, and Akira was thinking of the revelation he just heard. He didn't doubt his sister's words, but it was possible there was a set up to make it look like Heidel was the one behind the experiment. He still having hard time to believe his superior was capable of playing with human lives. His attention shifted when the radio news announced the present situation as LINK VRAINS. Despite the efforts to shut down LINK VRAINS, the viruses and bugs have taken over that it made it difficult to shut it down.

"Aoi." Akira finally spoke, calling for his sister.

"Yes, Brother?" Aoi stopped her pondering to look at her brother, paying attention to him.

"I'll look into the Supreme Commander. You must stop being Blue Angel. Don't involve yourself too deep into this." Akira told his sister. It would be too dangerous for his sister to enter LINK VRAINS and continued working as Blue Angel. Those who have been infected by the viruses ended up going berserk or went into coma. He didn't want his sister to go through that. She already had it rough with the false charges and imprisonment, he didn't want her to go through even worse than that.

"But I want to help! I can't just act like nothing happened!" Aoi protested. She has made her resolve after witnessing the experiment and how hard Ruri and the others fought. She didn't want to pretend she didn't see it. She wanted to put an end to that. Staying silent even though she can help was something she refuse to do.

"No. You have done more than enough. Besides, LINK VRAINS is not in good state with bugs and virus on the loose. It's too dangerous for you. I don't want to lose you." Akira said firmly. He looked at Aoi straight in the eyes that she couldn't look away.

"I am serious. Quit LINK VRAINS. Leave everything to me from now on." He said with finality, not accepting any objection.

Aoi opened her mouth to protest, but her brother's face saying everything. He won't let her continue as Blue Angel and ready to take action to stop her if necessary. Aoi bit her lips and clenched her fists.

"...yes..."

 **DINNER – DINING ROOM – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Accepting the Emperor's request, Yuno and the rest, including Yukiya, stayed for the night in the palace as special guests. The Emperor even invited them to dine with him and his sons. Celica's guardians were also allowed to join. While having their dinner, the Emperor inquired about ARC-V that he only heard from the stories passed down by his predecessors. Yuya and the rest were happily explaining about their homeworld from how it once got separated before being fused again, Action Duels, and their respective hometowns. All the while, the Emperor was listening with excitement concealed with his calm demeanor.

"The original dimension sounds fascinating. I wish to go there if possible." The Emperor stated after listening to their stories.

"When this war is over, you may come and visit, Your Highness. Our people will surely welcome you with open arms." Yuya told the emperor, feeling more relaxed and not so nervous speaking with the most important person in the whole country.

"I am looking forward to it." The Emperor said before turning to Yuno, Jounouchi, and Ryo.

"I forgot to say this, but thank you for taking care of Carl, Lord Oracle, Jounouchi-kun, and Ryo-kun. When he said he is going to join The Brotherhood, I was worried since he is already busy enough as the chairman of Den Academy's board of directors. But now I understand my worry was unfounded. He is in good hands." The Emperor thanked the Brotherhood Duelists.

"Prince Carl, you're the chairman of our school?!" Yukiya said in surprise. He had heard a rumor that a member of Imperial Family was the chairman of the school, but he thought it was just a rumor. Whoever thought it was true?

"That explains how we were able to be placed in the same class." Yuri remarked.

"Den Academy is one of few school without any distinction between nobles and commoners. I thought I can make changes in the relation between the two factions through the school. But unfortunately, as you can see, overall nothing has changed." Carl replied with embarrassment and shame. He thought by building Den Academy, he could set an example for the citizens that nobles or commoners, they were brothers in arms. They were supposed to build and protect this country together, not separating themselves because of some social class system.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Your Highness. Even if it's just a little, I'm sure you have made things better for the students who attends the school. Like us for example." Yukiya comforted. He had been attending Den Academy since he was still elementary school, and so far, he didn't see any problem involving social class in the school. Most students were getting along well equally. Even if there were problems, it has nothing to do with their social status.

"You've also sent us on several trips that allowed us to see the firsthand and give us cause to consider the conflict between two factions. I think that's great and you made the right decision." Yuto added, supporting Yukiya. He knew that his counterparts also felt the same.

Carl smiled gratefully at the boys. "In these turbulent times, that's the only thing I could think of to provide the hands-on education needed for the new generations to come." He said.

"This age need up-and-down comers who can think and act independently to face tomorrow's challenges head on." The Emperor added, agreeing with his second son's view.

"We'll try our best to live up to your expectations then, Your Highness." Yuya said.

"Now that we have gathered here, do you not wish to give your invitation to them?" The Emperor turned to his twin sons and ancestor.

"That's right. We almost forgot." Celica said.

"In a few days we'll be holding a party to celebrate our coming-of-age ceremony. We hope that you can come, even if it's just for a moment." Kurt told Yuno and the others. He originally intended to send invitation through letters, but since Celica invited them, better say it directly.

"Coming-of-age ceremony means you're going to make your debut in society? Isn't that something that you should've done at age of 16?" Ruri asked. She didn't know much about nobilities, but she at least has heard that nobles were considered adults if they have reached age of 16 and performed the ceremony. Until then, they could only visit relatives' houses and other nobles' houses under certain conditions.

"Most countries may follow that custom, but in Cantidel, we make our debut at age of 18. In this event, there's a tradition that during the party the ones who make the debut must choose a dance partner." Celica explained, tilting to Kurt and Carl.

"Actually, Carl and I are thinking to ask Rin and Serena to become our dance partners." Kurt revealed, turning to the two said girls together with his younger twin brother. Serena flinched and Rin was so surprised that she dropped her spoon she was holding.

"U-us, Your Highness?!" Rin pointed at herself and Rin, blinking incredulously at the two princes.

"We don't really interact that close with girls our age since we are so busy. The two of you are the only ones we can think of." Carl explained. There were plenty of girls who were trying to get closer to him, but both Carl and Kurt knew those girls were either no different from those arrogant nobles or trying to raise their ranks and influence for their own selfish needs. They avoided girls like them by busying themselves with their respective works.

"...Kurt, Carl, you do know that the ones chosen as dancer partners through generation ends up being the bride or the groom to the Imperial members." Celica reminded. Yugo blurted out his drink and Yuri dropped his fork after hearing the shocking news.

"B-B-Brides?!" Yugo exclaimed, not bothering to wipe the drink on his face until Yuto told him.

"T-then that means, becoming their dance partners is the same as being engaged to them?!" Yuzu also expressed her surprise, covering her mouth.

"Engaged?!" Yugo exclaimed again. His face was starting to get pale at thought of Rin becoming Kurt or Carl's bride. No! This cannot be happening! "W-wait a minute! Why Rin and Serena?!"

"As we said, we can't think of anyone else. Ruri-chan already has Yuto-kun, Yuzu-chan and Yuya-kun are clearly head over heels for each other, so that only leaves Rin-chan and Serena-chan." Carl answered simply. Yuya and Yuzu nearly fell from their chairs due to Carl's blunt answer. He just practically revealed their feelings to everyone in the room! Before that, he knew?! Were they so easy to read?! Luckily, no one seemed to take that much attention since Kurt continued.

"Are you worried about the engagement thing? We are technically cousins, and it's not exactly uncommon for cousins to get married, is it not?" Kurt said teasingly to Rin who was blushing mad, and Yugo distressed even more.

"M-marriage?!"

"Umm...I-I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I don't think I can accept that invitation. It's too much of an honor for someone like me..." Rin answered slowly as she sneaked a glance at the still distressed Yugo before looking away again so he wouldn't notice she was staring at him.

"I also have to refuse. I don't know how to dance." Serena said in a more composed manner.

"Yes. Pardon us. Perhaps it was too rude of us to trouble you with a petition like this on such short notice. Besides, I suppose it is because we are not good enough for you." Carl said with face feigning regret, which succeeded in fooling almost everyone.

"N-nonono! That's not the case at all, Your Highness!" Rin frantically said. Yikes, how can she turn down his invitation politely?

Mai wistled. "That's our princes. The both of you knows how to twist the knife." She remarked, which made the other guardians to laugh softly.

"Y-you're not helping at all, Mai-san!" Rin complained.

"...Ah. I see now. How could it not cross my mind earlier? The both of you actually already have your heart set on someone else?" Kurt asked. He and his twin secretly clasped each other's hand under the table when they saw the priceless reaction from the two girls and also Yugo who couldn't hide his curiosity. They also noticed Yuri got stiffened by the question.

"Oh my, do you? I'm positively interested to know which gentlemen have conquered the battlefield of your hearts." The Emperor joined in, finding the fun in the conversation.

"Could it be two of the boys present in this room?" Mai said purposely while glancing at the boys, Yugo and Yuri to be precise. Yuya and the rest of the counterparts laughed weakly at the obvious attempt to expose their feelings. They didn't know about Serena and Yuri, but Rin and Yugo were pretty much obvious to them by now.

Rin was muttering incoherent words from surprise, confusion, and embarrassment. Her hands flailing not knowing what to say. The Imperial Family and guardians and the Brotherhood found this amusing to watch.

"I think that would be enough teasing them, sons." The Emperor said, feeling a little sorry for the girls.

"Huh?"

Kurt pouted. "And we're just getting to the fun part. Oh well, it's still entertaining to see." He said leaning his back to the chair.

"The truth is, we're also thinking of introducing the four of you as members of Imperial Family. Distant relatives. There is history when the members have yet to pick their live partner until the coming-of-age ceremony, we are allowed to dance with our relatives." Carl explained, calming down the two girls and Yugo.

"Since we're introducing you as our relatives, marriage is the last thing that will ever happen." Kurt assured, making Rin, Serena, and Yugo to sigh in relief.

"You truly made me nervous, Your Highnesses!" Rin whined.

"Our apologies. But the two of you are so adorable that we can't help it." Carl apologized not so apologetically. He was clearly enjoying teasing them and most likely will do so again in the future so they won't bother to ask him to apologize more seriously.

"Isn't it good, Yuri, Yugo? The two of you still have your chances." Jounouchi whispered to the two boys from behind their chairs between them.

"Y-yeah...! Wait, it's not like that...!" Yugo whispered back, blushing.

"Shut that hole you call mouth before I make you, Teacher." Yuri said in annoyance. He glanced at Ryo who seemed not paying attention, but a curve of his mouth gave him away.

"If you're worried about dance we can give you lessons. Yuno is also a good dancer, so until the party day, you can practice from him." Celica suggested.

"Again. I'm strict in teaching." Yuno responded.

 **HALLWAY – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The rest of the dinner passed with the details about the party and a new schedule as dance practice has been temporarily added. Even though they originally planned to stay for the night, Jounouchi and Ryo have to leave because of urgent matters that required their help. They insisted that Yuno should stay as he was his descendants' guardian so it was his responsibility. Reaching bedtime, Yuno and his descendants and Yukiya were escorted to their rooms.

"I never thought the members of imperial family are so...easy-going." Yuya commented. While the dinner was quite exhausting, it was still fun to get to know the Imperial Family.

"It has always been that way for generations. The firstborn prince in my generation had hobby disguising himself as civilian and blend in to have fun, often running away from his guards." Yuno revealed. He was surprised himself when he first met the prince and how easy-going he was. Yuno eventually gotten used to it after living for generations and met the descendants who all miraculously inherited that easy-goingness.

"Do we really have to attend that party?" Yuri asked. He didn't quite like crowding in an event like that.

"The Emperor's request. Objection is not accepted. Just suck it up with your dance practice until the day." Yuno replied immediately.

"Rin and the others will be introduced as members of Imperial Family, but how about us? It'll be bad if we show our faces at the party, right? Didn't you say we must hide our connection with you?" Yugo asked Yuno. If people saw them at the party together with the Oracle, people will talk.

"Of course, you're going to wear masks again. Since I'm always wearing masks whenever I'm in front of public, Ryo and the others also tends to wear masks. Wearing masks became trademarks for The Brotherhood and no one will question it." Yuno answered. Ever since his decision to wear a mask to conceal his identity, Jounouchi convinced most main members to wear them as well. That way, everyone would think the masks as trademark and would never ask for them to take it off.

"That's a relief then..." Yuya said.

Yuto suddenly stopped walking, prompting the others to stop too. When they looked at him, Yuto was having troubled face. Something was bothering him, and it was something serious. Yuto looked up, facing his ancestor.

"Yuno-san...back at the underground prison, Geist and Neon said...that one of your monsters used to be humans...is this true?" Yuto finally asked. He has been curious about this. And this also ignited curiosity in his counterparts and Yukiya as well.

"Yes. Some of them are. My ace monster, Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon, is one of them. He was my best friend when he was a human." Yuno revealed, taking out Mad Abyss from his pocket.

"It doesn't bother you?" Yuto asked.

"They may have been reborn as Duel Monsters, but they are not the same ones as they were humans. Mad Abyss is my sworn friend, but he is not the same best friend I had when he was a human. They have the same soul, but they are different." Yuno explained. The spirit of Mad Abyss manifested behind him and leaned its head close to Yuno as if wanting to comfort him. Yuno smiled at his dragon, assuring him that he was okay.

Yuya then remembered what Yuno had told him and Yuzu when they were at the hotel park last night.

 _"Even if somehow, they're reborn, they won't be the same. You know what I mean, don't you?"_

 _"Yuno-san also experienced what I felt about Yukiya...and he already accepted it. He accepted Mad Abyss not as his best friend in the past when he was human, but as his Duel Monster partner who always fight by his side..."_ Yuya pondered. Could he do that? Could he do the same thing as Yuno? Fully accepting Yukiya for who he is now and not because of his past life?

Maybe this sounds callous of me...but if anyone had to be my Duel Monsters, I'm glad it was the friends I've made when they were humans." Yuno continued after Mad Abyss' spirit returned.

Yuya's lips parted, and he blinked.

"I would never wish that death upon my friends, or anyone," Yuno said. "But if the Duel Monsters had been anyone else...perhaps none of this could have come to pass. Perhaps we never could have come this far." He smiled again.

"So, when I say I'm glad they are my Duel Monsters, and not anyone else—it's not that I wish they had gone through what they did. But I'm glad that it's them that I can fight alongside in battles." Yuno made his meaning clear. Either as humans or Duel Monsters, one thing that he knew was he could always trust them with his life.

Yuya and the others felt the tiniest smile grow over their faces. Maybe...maybe they did understand.

Yuno turned his back, gesturing them to go to their respective room.

"That's enough talk for tonight. Let's go to sleep."

 **ROOM – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yukiya locked the door of his room to make sure no one come in abruptly as soon as he entered the room. He brought out his Duel Disk to open the message he has received in the middle of dinner earlier. It was a message from Linkuriboh. His monster successfully downloaded and sent the data he had asked. The data that will answer his questions. Placing his Duel Disk on the bed, pressed the screen so the data was projected into holographic pictures. There were quite many of them, but Linkuriboh had narrowed it down so it was easy for him to get to the point.

He stopped at the picture of someone who was too identical with the avatar he was using. Not only appearance, but even his name:

Zarc.

This Zarc even used the same Supreme King Deck as he was, though he has Pendulum Cards, unlike him. A coincidence? He doubted it. This was far too much for a coincidence. Yukiya read more carefully, and what he found gave him mixed feelings, one revelation to another.

The original dimension.

The dimensional war.

Four Heavenly Dragons.

En Cards.

ARC Area Project.

Revival Zero.

Supreme King Dragon.

ARC-V.

Zarc and Ray.

Zarc and Ray were Pro Duelists from the original dimension before it got split up. Zarc, in particular, was famous as superstar and world champion Duelist. However, the stress Zarc suffered from the people's continuous demands for violent duels drove him mad and turned him into a violent and egotistic sadist who lives for a challenge. This led Zarc to fuse himself with his dragons and become Supreme King Dragon Zarc, going on a rampage before Ray stopped him by scattering his essence with the En Cards, cards made from pure energies of nature. Zarc's fragmented soul reincarnated into four boys: Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri. Ray, on the other hand, reincarnated as Yuzu, Ruri, Rin, and Serena. Last year, Zarc was revived, but the joint efforts of Lancers and the temporarily revived Ray, he was stopped once more. When Zarc's vengeful desire still remained, Yuya absorbed his into himself and eventually managed to pacify him, allowing him and Ray to pass on in peace.

Reincarnation was something that Yukiya never believed before. But with the recent revelation of humans were able to reborn as Duel Monsters, Yuya and Yuri's conversation about him being the reincarnation of Zarc, his dreams about Yuya and his friends, the data that detailing what happened in ARC-V last year, and the fact that Cantidel's time move faster than ARC-V before the two dimensions were connected again, Yukiya finally got all the pieces and put it all together.

"I'm...the reincarnation...of Zarc..."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Black Wreaths –** Apophis gathers his loyal servants to discuss their situation so far. All the while planning their next moves, each of them reflects on what happened prior and during their awakening.

* * *

 **The next chapter will entirely focus on Apophis and his group. If you're waiting for Yukiya after he found out about his past life, sorry, but you'll have to wait a little bit more. I've been focusing on the main characters' point of view all this time, and now it's the time to move to the antagonists' point of view.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	35. The Black Wreaths

**Big thanks to** _ **Elbarto4000, dvdryms, Ryujomaru15, Unknowedz, matrixnis, Ulrich362, aqua9597, Playerhood18, ThePlotHand, Big duels, Yuka Kuroshiro, GamingGuy84, City Lover96, NeoFGD, BlueAbyssHaxx**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **PAST – UNKNOWN LOCATION – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The first thing he knew was that he was alive.

The second thing was he was in a pitch-black darkness.

The third thing was awareness of humanity. Every single one of them is just a piece of trash. They seemed nice outside, but inside, he knew they were filthy. Human beings were horrid creatures. Their minds contain nothing except their own selfish desires. Their minds contain nothing except vices. Their minds contain nothing except negative thoughts that represented the very darkness side of the world they are living. A proud look. A lying tongue. Hands that shed innocent blood. A heart that devises wicked plots. Feet that are swift to run into mischief. A deceitful witness that uttereth lies. Him that soweth discord among brethren.

Trash is trash no matter what. The human world was the worst of all. The filthiest of all; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying's, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like were dominating every single human beings.

He knew because he was born from those.

He was alone and there was nothing there. There was only him alone within the void. That was until there was a spark of white fire that started to flicker into flames. The world was no longer dark. Another being then appeared. Unlike his dark and black self, this being who took the form of dragon was pure and white…that it sickened him, and he knew the white dragon also felt the same way about him. He lived to destroy lives while the white dragon lived to protect lives. They were total opposites.

No words were needed.

They were born to oppose each other.

They fought endlessly, continuing the cycle of birth and destruction.

However, that ended when the opportunity opened itself to him. He awakened early than his archenemy, and thus, he was finally able to start his onslaught to the whole world. Yet, not long after, his archenemy followed him in awakening. Joining forces with the humans, they oppose him. In retaliation, he gave birth to six subjects of his own, born from his power and emotions. But they need vessels, and thus, his worshippers offered sacrifices for his offspring to come into being, presented within a temple built dedicated for him.

There were dead bodies clad in orange-colored robes in front of them, lying on altars with magic circles beneath, connected to each other. Then there was even thicker darkness from above, making them looked up to see a dragon. The dragon roared. At the same time, the magi circles glowed and they felt they were sucked in.

The next thing they knew, the darkness disappeared and they found themselves inside a temple. They were staring at their hands. They put them against their faces, feeling out the curves and edges of their cheeks, rubbing their thumbs over the tops of their eyelids. They ran fingers through their hairs. They ran their hands down their necks, next, and then down their bodies. Their new bodies. Those dead bodies have now become their own. And the one who gave them bodies were none other than the black dragon. Their master as they were his offspring.

The dragon roared again, and this time dark orbs came to their palms. When they touched it, the dark orbs changed into Decks. They weren't just ordinary Decks, they were Decks imbued with the dragon's power that carved chaos.

"The six of you are my first offspring." The dragon told them. His voice was cold and void of emotion.

"You shall bring forth destruction and despair to the world. That is the sole reason you are born and exist."

The dragon covered them with his wings as he leaned his face closer to them. His black eyes were commanding, and they just knew that they must obey his words no matter what it is.

"We are the black wreaths of this world."

The six of them kneeled down before the dragon. They have a duty to do. They have an obligation to do. That duty and obligation was to follow their master. They will obey his every word. And their order and purpose were to influencing humans' mind with despair and complacency. Those humans were little more than livestock and lemmings for their master to rule over and command due to their self-destructiveness and stupidity. They were going to destroy themselves eventually even if they were left alone, so they were just doing them the favor earlier.

"Yes. Your Excellency."

 **PRESENT TIME – LINK VRAINS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Tsukasa entered the hidden chamber where his master and his fellow offspring were waiting for him.

The curtains drew back with a snap, and Neon appeared. She complained how he was making everyone waiting and pulled him in. Tsukasa didn't have much say in the matter before he was swept inside. He took in the small group quickly. He noticed the five newborns were present as well. The five lieutenants as they and their master called them. His eyes then gazed at the person sitting on the throne beside their master whose figure completely clad in the darkness of the room. Tsukasa made a disapproving look. How dare a mere human getting so close with His Excellency. But since the master himself said to treat him with respect, he didn't voice his objection and begrudgingly accepted him.

"What's the news here?" Tsukasa asked, folding his arms.

"The invasion at ARC-V was a failure. Heidel led his armies and repelled ours together with the people in ARC-V." Kamui reported.

"That's to be expected, isn't it? It's because we have our spy to 'find out' about our plan and then 'report' it to Heidel. At least we got plenty new recruits with potentials." Shing said, placing is arms on the back of his head as he leaned on his chair.

"Now that we're discussing about it, why did you tell us to make sure Heidel knows when we're going to attack, Your Excellency? If it weren't for that, we would have already subjugated ARC-V." Rowan asked their master.

"Is it to give Heidel and the people of ARC-V a false sense of security?" Dante guessed.

"That is part of the plan. However, it is also a step to get rid of Heidel once and for all. As much as I loathe to admit it, Heidel's human experiments bore sweet fruits that may becoming a threat to us in the future." Apophis answered. From the cards that Geist and Neon managed to snatch during the infiltration at the underground prison, he could sense the strength and emotions of the Duel Monsters. They would make fine tools to fight, comparable with the ones he made. It was sickening and insulting to him.

"True. The Duel Monsters made from his experiments are exceptionally strong." Geist remarked, begrudgingly agreed with his master. He never thought Heidel was capable of such feat.

"But that is not the only reason why I have called all of you here." Apophis' voice became colder as he looked down at his offspring. They felt pressure from their master that they couldn't keep their standing and fell on their knees.

"I've been observing your performances ever since our awakening, and I have to say that I am quite disappointed. The incident at the underground prison proved it." Apophis was clearly displeased. His offspring have failed him again. They were defeated by not only the Oracle, but also his descendants who were less than experienced against them. He even granted them new bodies that allow them to use their strength and skill to the fullest but they still lost.

"Your Excellency, that's–" Neon opened her mouth to defend herself and her comrades, but Apophis only unleashed even more pressure that rendered them speechless. Their bodies were trembling and they were sweating cold. Fear struck them to the very bones.

"Silence! I will not listen to any excuses! Years slumber have made all of you gotten rusty while The Oracle and his comrades grew stronger than they were the last time we fought. Why do you think I gave birth to these five? Because I know the six of you alone won't be enough to fulfill my expectations!" Apophis yelled, causing the entire room to shake like an earthquake has occurred under the intensity of his anger. He tried to calm himself again. He lost it there for a moment. He realized that his patience has been wearing thin lately. He wanted to take action himself. He would have if it were not for his current condition.

Kamui took a step closer between his master and his fellow offspring, gaining their attentions.

"There is no progress in the search for the Four Heavenly Dragons either. We have covered our tracks in LINK VRAINS, but His Excellency can't stay here forever. We need them to restore His Excellency's body and power. If we can't fully restore his body and power now, at the very least we must provide him a sacrifice that will give him enough power to get out from LINK VRAINS." Kamui said, returning to the main topic of their meeting. That seemed to succeed in calming Apophis' temper to a degree as the pressure was no longer there and they got back to their feet.

"Is there any new news from the spy?" Dante asked, turning to the person who was sitting near his master who became the mediator between the spy and them.

"Only an update of that Duelist's growth. Aside from that, a week from now the palace will hold coming-of-age ceremony party for the princes. The date of the ceremony is never made public to prevent terrorist attacks and such. We can use this opportunity to get what we want at the same time." The cloaked figure replied.

"Capturing the owners of the Four Heavenly Dragons to lure them out and getting rid of the nuisances at the same time. I like the sound of that." Geist said, licking his lips expectantly.

"Before that, I want you to speed up the spreading of the virus and bugs. Infect as many people as you can. I need as much as negative energies to recover." Apophis ordered and then turned to his five lieutenants who immediately straightened themselves before him. He needed negative energies to consume to make the progress of his recovery quicker. He didn't necessarily need to eat to survive like other beings, but yet he has insatiable desire for malevolence, and humanity would give off unending malevolence due to their nature.

"I'm leaving that task to the five of you." He commanded them, which the five offspring complied with a salute.

"Sorry if this sounds rude but...who are these give again? I know they are newborns and lieutenants and all, but I don't know more than that." Shing asked, scratching the back of his head with apologetic smile at the five newbies.

The said five lieutenants stepped forward so the rest could see them. One of the lieutenants made an offended sound, but was nudged into silence by the only girl in the group of five. The round up and began self-introduction one by one, starting from the blue haired girl.

"My name is Zira. I was one of the lieutenants sent to ARC-V together with Kamui. It is pleasure to meet you." The girl, Zira, greeted emotionlessly.

"I'm Achille. I'll be in charge of defending the border between this place and the surface." Achille introduced himself. He has long white hair that changes to green at the tips, orange eyes, and a tanned complexion. Behind his robes, he has a muscular build and the tallest amongst the lieutenants.

"I'm Sting. I'm the second-in-command of the lieutenants. I'll prove my strength to all of you when the time comes." Sting claimed. He has long pointy ears, amber eyes, a wide grin, and long light-green hair with white tips tied in a ponytail.

"My name is Hyde. I'm the one in charge of creating the virus and bugs." Hyde stated. He was a tall, dark-skinned man with dark-brown hair and a stern expression.

"Kamui. The leader of the lieutenants. Nice to meet you." Kamui stated simply.

The six original offspring eyed each of the lieutenants. While they didn't seem like it as they were still newborns, since their master personally gave the order, that means they must have at least pack quite a punch to fulfill their duties.

"Looking forward to see what you can do." Shing said to them.

Apophis suddenly howled. His body was covered in black smokes. The smokes detached themselves from his body and went down towards the offspring. The smokes stopped in front of their face and then landed on their palms, revealing cards covered in black menacing aura. They felt incredible powers from the cards, unlike they have ever seen before. They sensed their master's presence. The cards have been imbued with their master's power like they were parts of him.

"Add them to your Decks. Do not disappoint me again." Apophis warned. If they still fail even after he gave them parts of his power, he might as well consume them to regain his power, and they were aware of the unspoken threat. They couldn't afford to fail.

"Understood."

 **TEMPLE – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Tsukasa and the others opened their eyes and awoke within the temple where they were created. Each of them was lying on their backs at the top of the altars where their bodies were presented to them. They have logged out from LINK VRAINS.

The temple was a large structure made of stone. A long staircase led to the one major opening—a doorway flanked by pillars and topped with an overbearing stone sculpture of an avian creature. Several other full-sized statues of similar looking creatures adorned both the outside and inside of the temple. After entering the building, visitors were met with a dragon stone statue. There was a course of booby-traps, beginning with a trap-door that deposited intruders onto a stone slide, which made its way into the depths of the temple. The stone slide was flanked by a large array of metal spikes, and if the intruders were not eliminated by those, a row of metal blades popped up from the center of the slope, designed to cut the trespassers apart. The slide ended with a pool of lava that would incinerate anything remaining.

After the last war 1,500 years ago, the temple was pretty much abandoned and everyone thought it was no longer non-existent while in reality it was still exist. They have set a camouflage barrier to deceive any possible eyewitness so that the existent of the temple would remain hidden until the time was right. It was partially thanks to the fanatical worshippers of their master who regularly fixed the building until their awakening the temple was still standing.

"Hmm? The five lieutenants haven't awakened yet." Neon remarked as he saw the said five were still lying on their altars.

"Given their orders, they must stay in LINK VRAINS." Rowan reminded.

"What to do now?" Dante asked.

"How about we test our new cards against each other? I want to test it beforehand." Shing suggested, raising his Deck expectantly.

"I pass. I have something else to do." Neon said dismissively, going to the upper room of the temple carrying her laptop.

"I'm also pass. I want to give a check of this temple." Geist said, going to where Neon was going.

"I'm in. But let's change place. We can't let you destroy the temple. You never hold back, Shing. Well, except when you fought Yuri the first time since His Excellency specifically ordered you not to." Dante agreed to join in, also excited to test his new Deck.

"Tsukasa, Rowan, how about ya guys? Wanna join us?" Shing asked the other two.

"I don't mind. I don't have any plan." Rowan agreed. He must get accustomed to his new Deck first if he want to win.

"Pass. I'm not in the mood." Tsukasa flatout refused before making his exit.

 **UPPER FLOOR – TEMPLE – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"What are you doing, Neon?" Geist asked at the young woman who was busy with her laptop.

"I'm developing the virus that Hyde made. I asked him to give me one before logging out." Neon answered without taking her eyes off from her laptop and her fingers didn't stop typing even after Geist took a seat beside her.

"Why do you need the virus for?" Geist asked again, curious. If Neon gained interest in a virus and made improvement, it would result in one deadly virus that he prefer to stay away from. Nothing good came from the ones Neon took interest in.

"Fufufu…I'm making improvement in this virus…with a little bit of my own touch." Neon said, licking his lips flirtatously even though she didn't flirt with particularly anyone.

"Again, for what?" Geist asked.

"For my 'pets'. All so that that boy can entertain me again." Neon's eyes and grin turned positively manic. She was very into this. She wanted to finish this virus and use it as soon as possible.

"That boy? You mean Yugo?" Geist remembered the unusually creepy infatuation Neon has for the Synchro Duelist. He couldn't understand what was so special about him that he managed to gain Neon's interest. His impression of the boy was a short-tempered and dimwitted little brat who was easy to be provoked. Seeing him having fits does amusing, but it seemed to Neon, there was more than that.

"I want to see him again soon. I want to see his face wallowing in despair and helplessness. I want these arms to embrace his body. I want to braze the moments his body start to decaying and slowly reach the death. And then his soul shall be tainted with darkness…" Neon typed even faster as her adrenaline from the excitement she imagined started boiling within her. She was looking forward to it. She wanted to

"You're…planning to turn that boy into your personal Duel Monster?" Geist finally realized where Neon was getting at. Even though not in the same extent as their master, they could also change human souls into Duel Monsters, albeit limited.

"But of course. That's the only way I can own him permanently. To do that, I'll end his life and allow him to be reborn to a much better being… After all, what's the fun if there's no life lost?" Neon explained. To humans, lives were precious and invaluable. And it is precisely because they were so precious to them that it made all the more worth and fun to take them away. She always enjoyed the sight of humans losing their lives.

"You're lunatic you know…" Geist said, looking away from the girl, but then his lips curved into a smile.

"And that's exactly why I can't hate you…" Geist could understand what Neon meant. What was the fun in destruction when there are no 'precious' lives lost? When he was born, he didn't feel anything. He felt empty. He thought he was nothing but a puppet following his master's order. That was until he made his first kill. The sight of pool of blood, the face of horror of the person he killed, the body that went limp, it strangely excited him. For the first time he felt so alive. He always revelled the moments he took those lives.

Both Neon and Geist knew how others view this side of them, but they didn't care.

Causing mayhem and chaos that led to countless deaths were their only joy.

 **DUEL FIELD – FOREST – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Rowan suddenly fell on one of his knees as he placed a hand on his head. This stopped Dante and Shing from continuing to wait until Rowan get back to his feet.

"What's wrong, Rowan? Tired already?" Shing asked impatiently.

"No… It's happening again. The memories of the previous owner of this body is resurfacing ever since we're back from the prison." Rowan said, furrowing his brows together.

"Maybe because we met the older Kamishiro? Meeting with him triggered the memories?" Shing guessed, remembering the Xyz user.

"This is the downside of having a body of someone who was friend with The Brotherhood's Duelist. If it were not for the compabilities I have with this body, I would have thrown it away long time ago and look for new one." Rowan sighed in exasperation. While the memories of this body was not entirely unpleasant, it sometimes gave him the headache and it annoyed him.

"It's comforting though whenever I see and feel the hatred this person had for Ryoga Kamishiro." Rowan said in attempt to ease himself.

"Heh. You can say that again. It was his own fault his friend willingly offered his own body to you." Dante remarked.

"You're right…" Rowan said, looking at his hand. Honestly, he thought that Shark's hatred for him was unfounded. He never forced the owner of this body to give the body to him. He never drove the owner of this body to sacrifice himself to him. The Xyz user was the one responsible. Shark was the one who inadvertently drove him to do the sacrifice. He admired the persistence the young man has to hunt him down, but recently it has grown into nuisance. He'll have to settle the score between them soon.

"Enough chatting and let's continue. When I'm playing a game, I want to enjoy it to the fullest." Shing complained, demanding they continued immediately.

"Be patient, will you? Also, hold back for a bit this one time. After what happened with His Excellency earlier, I'm not in much of a mood for rough game. Give me a moment to relax." Dante pouted. Whenever they were having a training together, Shing never gave anybody some slack. It was like he was going to overwork them until he is satisfied. While he admired the enthusiasm, the guy needed to chill out from his game mode.

"What the heck ya are saying? Everything is a game, and we are the players. No matter what the method is, the game is created for the player to win. Whoever standing in my way to clear the game, I'll dispose them all. Everything has always been like that for me." Shing replied. Ever since he understood the world, he gained obsession with games. He had done various games, from the simplest to the most dangerous. And then he realized that this world, this war, was like a one giant RPG game. This world was the setting, this war was the story, and they were the players.

One thing that Shing learned from gaming was you use anything to win. There was no fairness in war. If he lost, then it was game over for him. Nothing more and nothing less. He seeked the ultimate game that will force him to use everything he has. He wouldn't mind dying if that's what it takes.

 **LINK VRAINS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Kamui was sitting on the edge, looking down at his three of fellow lieutenants who were busy preparing to further their widespread infection using Hyde's newly updated virus. Achille have also done some improvement to the bugs Hyde created who will guard the core.

"You're not going down, Kamui?" Sting asked.

"No. I'm fine over here. There's nothing I can do anyway." Kamui replied plainly.

"You don't know about that. If you become more active, you'll rank will surely raise. You can surpass those six conceited fools who think highly of themselves just because they were born first before the rest of us." Sting said with a rather high-pitched laugh while referring to Tsukasa and the others.

"Aren't you the same?"

Sting's eyes widened at the respond from his fellow lieutenant. The cheerfulness around him dropped 180 degrees into tense silence as he stared at Kamui with peevish eyes that he only shows if he was truly getting to get furious. Kamui knew this, but it didn't stop him from telling the truth.

"You're thinking yourself above them and view them not on your level. Isn't that itself the same as being conceited as them?" Kamui stated what he thought was the obvious fact. Ever since they came into existence, Kamui was quick to understand what kind of people his fellow lieutenants were. Sting has an ego to match his power, and he lets his pride rule his head. He attempts to outshine the rest of them to prove himself superior.

Kamui blinked at the sudden coldness of air around him. Sting was smiling too sweetly at him and he made no attempt to hide the intimidating aura he has purposely unleashed to shut him up without any need to say a word. Kamui was unfazed though, and merely gave him a look that saying 'See?' to imply that what he was saying was true, but didn't make any further comment than that, and that was enough to satisfy Sting and he went back to his normal self.

"Kamui, you're really something you know. I really can't understand you."

"Really?"

"Yes. You're the second person most obedient to not only to His Excellency, but also to most of us, your fellow offspring. Whenever we asked you for something, you agree to it without a slightest bit of complains. It makes me wondering…"

"Wondering what?"

"I was wondering whether you're genuinely willing to do those tasks, or you just simply apathetic of everything even your own life? Like nothing but a puppet…"

With that, Sting jumped down to where his fellow lieutenants were, unaware of a brief surprise formed on the leader's face.

Kamui laid himself on the ground while thinking about Sting's question.

"Willingness or apathy…huh…?"

"What are you talking about with Leader?" Zira asked Sting, noticing him and Kamui talking.

"Nothing special. But I'm wondering why he is our leader again?" Sting shrugged. He didn't understand why their master specifically appointed Kamui to be their leader. He was like nothing more but obedient puppet who can't make decision by himself. Plus, he failed leading the invasion in ARC-V. Why would he still get to keep his position as leader?

"Because he is stronger than any of us and able to act calmly." Achille answered in Zira's stead.

Sting snorted. "As if that was enough to lead an army. Whatever the reason is, failure is still a failure. He failed to lead the armies properly in ARC-V." He said.

"I'm also to blame then since I'm the one who proposed to withdraw." Zira said.

"The responsibility for the subordinates' failure falls to the leader. That's the way it goes." Sting pointed out.

"No point discussing what has already passed. Let's just focus on our current mission." Zira replied before turning away from Sting.

"Fufufu...I think these bugs will be my masterpiece..." Hyde said while looking at particles of dirty red data in front of him that was starting to take form.

"Stop making that face, Hyde. It's making me uncomfortable." Achille told the man, but as he expected, he did nothing to stop.

"That wouldn't be possible. Not when I'm looking at my lovely creations. Machines, computers, data, they are truly the best. He always favored data, math, chemical formulas, and other scientific things because the solutions were precise and unambiguous. He could do whatever he wanted with it the way exactly he wanted it to be.

"And the virus?" Zira turned to Achille.

"It'll be done by tomorrow evening. With the speed rate, my calculation said once the virus is activated, it will fill the whole LINK VRAINS within five hours after its activation." Achille revealed.

"The Brotherhood and their comrades will come for sure." Zira stated.

"And that is precisely why we're here. We won't let them stop us." Achille said.

 **FOREST – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Tsukasa was panting tiredly and fell on his knees from exhaustion. He refused Shing's invitation to train together so that he could do his own training. The result was more than he could hope for. The new power bestowed by his master was incredible. It was beyond his imagination. This kind of power was what he exactly needed. He could accomplish his goal with this power. With this power and hatred, he has, he will prevail. He just needed to recall what happened 1,500 years ago. When he suffered his first and last lost.

His fists clenched, his knuckles blanching at the pressure. _Hate hate hate_ bubbled up and burned within him, beneath his eyes. He hated it that the Oracle grew stronger than him. He hated the fact that the Oracle has lived for thousands of years but yet his mind hasn't broken yet. He despised the way the Oracle was looking at him. He _hated_ _him_ , hated him with all his heart. He despised that man's very existence.

Suddenly Tsukasa laughed, the sound broken and disjointed to his ears. It carried on for a while before finally dying down, his eyes burning with a renewed determination. Even if it the last thing he did, he would make sure that he will kill that Oracle eventually with his own hands.

 **DUEL FIELD – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuri got thrown back by the shockwave of Ryo's dragon's attack as his dragon was destroyed, depleting his LP to 0. Ryo extended his hand to his student to help him stand, which, to his surprise, Yuri accepted this time. Ryo came to pick them up in the morning but decided to wait until lunch time was over before going home. While waiting, Yuri asked for a training session until the time of their departure. No one was using the Duel Field at the moment, so they were free to use it however they like as long as it won't cause any destruction that will require expensive fixing.

"You've improved significantly. Today you also felt more up to it. Something happened?" Ryo asked. In today's Duel, the cyber dragon user felt a new feeling from Yuri's dueling. It was positive feeling that burn with unusual determination, something that never happened before in their previous trainings. It was satisfying to him.

"Nothing special." Yuri replied simply as he wiped the sweat on his face with his towel.

"But still have long way to go to surpass me." Ryo added.

"Don't worry. I'll close the gap between us sooner than you thought." Yuri replied. As he expected, his mentor then gave a pat on his head as usual. When he looked up, however, Ryo was having this strange smile. Almost weird he would say. Why was he giving that kind of smile at him?

"What? Why are you smiling like that?" Yuri asked.

"Nothing. It's just you seem better than before. And I'm talking about our last conversation." Ryo said, reminding of their conversation after his fight with Serena.

"Oh, that…" Yuri's face dropped, but it didn't look as troubled as before.

"You still can't let go of the past. But I can tell you've made the first step." Ryo patted his student's back proudly.

"Don't be ridiculous. Even if I did that, no one will forgive me. I've messed up big time that would warrant people to kill me." Yuri retorted negatively.

"That is their lives. You can give it back to them, giving them the peace, they deserve. Meanwhile, you live your own life." Ryo told him back.

"True. I just need to abandon everything and everyone I know and start anew." Yuri said. He had thought about this for a while. It would be better for him to cut his ties with everyone he met and knew so far. He won't appear in front of them ever again. He will disappear, going somewhere alone where he will become a new person. If they happen to meet, they won't recognize him let alone remembering him.

"Who said that you had to abandon everything you have now?" Ryo said, raising a brow in surprise at his student's words. Yuri turned to Ryo, his eyes asking what he was trying to say?

"The only thing I'm saying is that you must give back the happiness and peace you've once taken away. Heal the wounds etched in their hearts. That doesn't mean you have to stop seeing them altogether. It's just mean you're going to have to approach them differently than you originally doing. You have everyone else in this place to start over with." Ryo told his student while handing him a bottle of water.

"Everyone...else?" Yuri blinked, not sure what Ryo meant.

"Yes. The ones who knows you the way you are now, not the you who have ruined people's life. I'm sure they'll be more willing to accept you. Besides, Yuri, if Yuya, Serena, and the others haven't forgiven you, I don't think they can hang around you like you always do together." Ryo pointed out. If he were to hate someone and has yet to forgive that person, he doubted he was able to talk so cheerfully and laughing like nothing had happened between them. If that happened, the only plausible explanation would be he has forgiven that person before he even realized it.

"Especially Serena. I can at least tell that she cares a lot about you." Ryo added. He never knew Serena as close as Yuri did, but watching her holding his student's hand while they were staying at the hospital, the way she watched over him while Yuri was asleep, that was enough to understand the extent of how much his student meant to her.

"Change your strategy, not your cards. You'll have people that'll support you in whatever choice you decide in your current life." Ryo ruffled Yuri's hair again, this time softer than he usually did.

"If no one accept you, then that'll make the two of us the two lonely drifters earning our daily keep on the road."

"The two of…us?" Yuri repeated in confusion. Did he mean...

"You and me. I've told you that you're not going to be alone. I'm your mentor and comrade. Should anything happen, I'd be by your side, even if you don't want me to." Ryo smiled so calmly and confidently that Yuri had to look away.

"Stupid." Yuri mumbled. That was the first time someone besides Serena and Dennis said something like that. So cliché and cheesy...but it wasn't bad...

"By the way, have you given Serena the ribbon?" Ryo chuckled and decided to change the topic after feeling what might be embarrassment of his student.

"No. Many things happened one after another that I kept forgetting to give it to her." Yuri revealed. After buying the ribbon they met the Duel Club and went together with them. Next there was attack on the fortress. Later that night was Aoi's arrest. The next day was infiltrating the underground prison. The next day again there was a meeting with Celica and her guardians and then dinner with the Emperor. Could he be blamed forgetting to give the ribbon?

"Thought so. You should call her now before we go back." Ryo suggested, pointing at the ribbon inside Yuri's bag that was wrapped cutely like a birthday present.

"I'll do it next time." Yuri replied. He wasn't really in the mood to give it now.

"Too late. I've already called Serena." Ryo revealed. He figured that Yuri would refuse so he had taken the liberty to tell Serena to come to the Duel Field one hour before they head back because Yuri wanted to speak with her after training. His student must do it now. More delay will end with never at all.

"You did what?" Yuri looked at his mentor in disbelieve. But then again, why he wasn't so surprise about it.

Speak of the devil. The door slid open and Serena entered the field, approaching the two. Ryo stood up, not before giving his student one last rough ruffle on his hair, before briefly greeting Serena and excuse himself.

"Make it quick since we're going back to Den City in an hour." Ryo told his student before closing the door, ignoring the veins formed on Yuri's face by his escape.

"What is it?" Serena asked.

Yuri, holding the wrapped ribbon behind his back, looked away from Serena. He had never done this before. How exactly he should give it to her? No, the main question was, why was it so difficult for him just to give her this ribbon? He just needed to give her like the way he entrusted Smile Universe to her. Right. He should just do it like that. It wasn't like anyone was seeing them together like this and would tease him. Serena was his childhood friend, so he just needed to act normally...like always in his sarcastic and creepy way...wait, that's didn't sound right either.

 _"Oh, whatever! I'll just give it to her!"_

Yuri finally faced Serena who has been looking at him with confusion, wondering why he was uncharacteristically being silent and avoided eye contact with her.

"…Seeing your face makes me want to laugh." Yuri suddenly said, forming veins on Serena's face by the remark.

"Are you calling me here just to pick a fight with me?" Serena retorted. Scratched what she thought before, he was as annoying as always.

Just when she was about to retort, Yuri held her hand and placed something on her palm. And then without saying anything, he picked his bag and walked out of the field. Serena blinked at Yuri's retreating form before staring at the cutely wrapped gift she was holding. There was a card attached to it. She opened the card. There was a message handwritten by Yuri.

 _With this we're even. Don't be picky._

Serena carefully opened the red wrap. Her expression softened and all her annoyance disappeared when she saw what the gift was. It was a box of ribbon. The ribbon was white in shade of yellow, similar like the color of moonflower that she loved. She mesmerized it before wearing it, tying the ribbon on her hair. She gazed at the door Yuri made his exit. If all he wanted was to give him this ribbon, he should have done it nicer.

"…Idiot…"

Even so, she was happy.

 **YUKIYA'S ROOM – KANBARA RESIDENCE – APARTMENT – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The morning was soft, and quiet. Yukiya could hear his own heartbeat, and nothing else. He was alone in his room and he hated it. He laid sprawled on the bed, staring into the dark where the canopy would be. Every bit of him felt so exhausted. He rolled over onto his side. Sometime during all thoughts that overwhelmed him after discovering his origin, he thought he might have passed out, because when he woke up again, it was already morning. He was wakened up by Yuya's call to get ready. He replied he will be prepared after he took a bath but didn't open the door for Yuya. He didn't know what he will do if he meet him now.

He was still wondering if what he read was just a dream. But then he found the data sent by Linkuriboh again to prove it wasn't a dream. It was real. And everything was starting to make sense. Yuya and his friends' behavior and all. Now that he knew, everything felt awkward. It was hard for him to pretend like he hadn't known anything.

He was confused. About his new friends, about his memories, about his past life, and most importantly...himself.

 _"How can I face them like this...?"_

* * *

 **Faraway Recollection –** Yukiya is troubled with the discovery of his origin and feel out of place and confuse due to being the only one in the dark. Wishing to know more and think it's the only way to solve his inner turmoil, Yukiya tries to recover his past life memories as Zarc.

* * *

 **Done. Sorry that there's no Duel again in this chapter. I promise there will be one in the next chapter! I originally didn't intend to put the part with Yuri, Ryo, and Serena in this chapter, but then I remembered Yuri hadn't give the new ribbon to Serena yet, so I decided to include it here before I forget.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter~!**


	36. Faraway Recollection

**Big thanks to** _ **Ulrich362, Elbarto4000, jason/Jonah, Ryujomaru15, Yuka Kuroshiro, Playerhood18, Unknowedz, dvdryms, Big duels, DB OP, GamingGuy84, NeoFGD, ThePLOTHand**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **HALLWAY – MIDDLE SCHOOL BUILDING – DEN ACADEMY – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yukiya was trying his best to act normal around his friends. In the end, even though he said he would ask Yuya directly now that his suspicion has been confirmed, he couldn't bring himself to ask. Every time he tried, his words stuck on his throat, like something was holding him back. It wasn't difficult to know why. He was afraid to ask about his past life as Zarc. He was afraid that things might change if he told his friends, especially Yuya. And aside from that, Yukiya himself was still having quite a hard time to accept everything about his past life.

"Yukiya, are you okay?" Yuya asked. They were on their way to their respective classroom at the third floor.

"Y-yeah. I didn't get much sleep." Yukiya lied, looking away from the Pendulum user instinctively. He couldn't even look at Yuya's eyes directly.

Based on Yuya's behavior when they first met and his conversation with Yuri, Yukiya understood that Yuya was still struggling to see him as himself, as Yukiya Kanbara, not as Zarc. However, not only resemblance, he even used his past life's identity (he must have remembered it subconsciously when creating his LINK VRAINS alter ego) online. He wouldn't blame Yuya if that made it even more difficult to accept his current self. Somehow he felt guilty for making this difficult for Yuya.

"Really? You look more out of it lately." Yuya replied in concern.

"I'm having difficulty developing the vaccine for the virus. It gives me a headache since the virus and bugs activities have increased." Yukiya lied again. It was half a lie. He was concerned with the lack of development in the vaccine for the virus, but his main concern at the moment was his discovery of his past life.

"You're right. Maybe it's a precaution to hide his existence in LINK VRAINS." Yuya deduced.

Yukiya secretly sighed in relief that Yuya didn't catch his lie. He glanced at Yuya. He wondered how exactly Yuya felt about him and Zarc. From what he read in the data, Zarc had nearly destroyed the whole world and no one could blame people to call him Demon Duelist. But from the way Yuya mentioned about him when they first met offline, something seemed to have happened during the times Zarc's soul was pacified. Something good must have happened between Yuya and Zarc, otherwise he wouldn't have talked about Zarc while smiling like that. He was curious.

 _"That's right. If I asked that way, he wouldn't be suspicious or anything."_ Yukiya got the idea. He just needed to ask Yuya about the 'friend' he mentioned before and pretended he didn't know anything about Zarc. That could be done.

"Yuya, I just remembered this and quite curious, but...err...what kind of person this friend that you once mentioned similar as me?" Yukiya finally asked.

"Oh, that friend. Umm...he was a great Entertainment Duelist. He was also able to communicate with Duel Monsters, maybe even better than I do. His Dueling was dazzling; he brought joy to his opponents, monsters, and audience alike regardless of the outcome of the Duel. And he also cared for his monsters and friends like you do, Yukiya." Yuya explained, trying his best to tell Zarc's good aspects that he remembered. Honestly, aside from the Entertainment Dueling and academic, Zarc was pretty much like Yukiya in his opinion.

"Really?" Yukiya's cheeks reddened. Even though it may didn't sound that way, he felt he was being praised. But then he noticed Yuya's smile saddened while continue to speak.

"He...he had done something wrong. But he was actually kind and gentle. I had helped him...but sometimes...I'm wondering if what I've done was enough..." Yuya scolded himself. He shouldn't have said this thing in front of Yukiya just because he got reminded of Zarc. And Zarc at that time seemed satisfied. But still, for some reason, he thought it was still not enough. Zarc deserved more than that after the suffering he experienced.

"I...see..." Yukiya immediately looked away, regretting having asked Yuya.

He didn't like the face Yuya was making. He looked hurt, and there was a sense of longing in his eyes. The longing for Zarc. But now he knew to what extent Zarc was important to Yuya. The bittersweet memories of Zarc Yuya still remembers in him, and Zarc's connection with Yuya must be what led them to meet in this dimension. Yuya was hurt, but he knew if he tried to make it feel better, those feelings he has for Zarc might disappear. And now that they met but Yukiya didn't have the past life memory, that might be painful for Yuya.

Yuno has said before of his view in rebirth. He understood what he meant. But...

 _"If I remember...Yuya will stop hurting like this, right...?"_

 **LIBRARY – DEN ACADEMY – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE**

After school, Yukiya didn't go home together with Yuya and the others under pretext he was going to look for reference for the vaccine development. In reality, he was actually looking for books that might help him to regain his memories. It was not easy since past life memory as far as he knew was not something to be remembered. He started by trying to look for books for people who suffered amnesia. He wasn't exactly amnesiac, but he has a memory he wanted to remember.

He read various books from hypnosis, mental therapy, and even supernatural means.

"Do you need any help with the book?"

Yukiya nearly jumped from his seat when he turned around and faced the librarian standing behind him with curious smile. He was so engrossed in reading that he didn't realize the old man was there.

"W-well...I'm trying to find a way to recover a forgotten memory. Any method is fine. This is just...a research project...! A personal project!" Yukiya said nervously. Why he needed to be nervous? It wasn't like Yuya and the others were here.

"Is that so? But you're rather having peculiar choices in books. From scientific method to supernatural." The librarian remarked as he stared at Yukiya's books. The boy didn't limit himself to what kind of memory-recovering method books.

"I'm trying to look for various ways. Anything is fine as long as it can recover memory." Yukiya told the librarian.

The librarian held his chin and looked up, trying to think something that could the boy. It was rare for teenagers his age to come here looking for this kind of reference, but the boy seemed to be diligent in this and he wanted to help. After a few seconds thinking, something finally hit his mind.

"I don't know if this can help, but you surely must have heard Temple of Ma'at, right?" The librarian asked.

"Yes. It's the very first temple dedicated for Ma'at that has been standing for 1,500 years after Ma'at manifested into the world, right?" Yukiya answered.

The temple was built shortly after Ma'at manifested into the world. Ma'at's emergence into the world and his guidance against Apophis earned him followers and believers. The temple was one of the country's most important treasures and held strong values in many ways. The temple was located at the outskirt of the capital. Not just ordinary person can enter it. The temple was not guarded, but only the person that the spirits of the temple accepted can enter. Someone who tried to enter the temple forcefully or without any business found himself back at the entrance the moment they entered the entrance gate. According to the ones who have been accepted and entered the temple, it was a beautiful sacred place.

"There's a legend that said if a soul who is truly in lost seeks for guidance and pray in that temple, fragment of Ma'at's soul will appear and help the lost soul finding his own answer. But it was only a legend. Still, I thought maybe you'd be interested." The librarian revealed.

"Yes. Thank you very much. I appreciate it." Yukiya thanked the librarian who nodded before checking another bookshelf.

Yukiya brought out his Supreme King Deck. Supreme King Deck originally was part of Ma'at. Maybe if he was the one who go there while bringing his Deck, something may happen. If it can't help him with recovering his past life, then maybe it can help with knowledge to fight against Apophis. There was no harm done in trying. He must do this or else his mind wouldn't be able to be at peace.

" _I'll go! To the Temple of Ma'at!"_

 **TEMPLE OF MA'AT – OUTSKIRT – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The Capital was not so far from Den City. It would take half a day to reach by car, but it only took 2 hours to go by train.

Yukiya looked around him as he arrived at the place. Trees began to appear slowly, first. They were thin, spindly things that had thought to try their luck sneaking out into the wide, open sun of the meadows. When he reached the base of the actual forest, he saw the woods began to get more and more green the farther he went, graduating slowly into thinner, more artistically twisted trees, with elegant branches and tiny dotted leaves that created dapples of light and shadow on the ground. Grasses began to grow instead of being choked out by a layer of leaves, soft and twisting against Yukiya's feet. There were flowers growing between the trees, and from bushes. It was like in a sanctuary.

Yukiya then saw unusual shaped trees. After squinting for a moment, Yukiya could see a thin deer trail. He walked through the trees, and immediately, he wasn't standing on the deer trail anymore. He was, instead, on a pearly white cobblestone path, looked out over a low meadow and clearing, a beautiful, sparse forest and the sound of a trickling river near by.

And then he saw it.

It was a double porched monumental building with colonnade on all sides, often reaching more than 20 meters in height. There was inner sanctum, the womb-chamber, where the primary image of a deity is housed in a simple bare cell. Around this chamber there are other structures covering several acres. The temple architecture reflects a synthesis of arts, the ideals of Ma'at, beliefs, values and the way of life cherished under Ma'at.

"I'm here now, but what should I do..." Yukiya mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

Should he pray for Ma'at?

Placing an offering at the altar?

"Kuri!"

Yukiya blinked when he heard that. Almost in a second, dozens of Kuribohs appeared, entering the temple and surrounded him. Yukiya was obviously startled, but tried to calm himself. Kuriboh was said able to sense people's heart. They should be able to tell that he didn't come here with bad intention. In fact, if he came with such thinking, he wouldn't be able to get into the temple in the first place.

One of the Kuribohs was sniffing at him. He deemed it wise not to make any movement and just let the Kuriboh to do whatever it wanted. It then sniffed into its Deck Case where he kept his Supreme King Deck. The Kuriboh was pointing at it, prompting him to bring out the Deck. Yukiya's eyes stilled when the Deck started glowing.

Golden flame suddenly flickered on the altar.

And then there was white light.

Yukiya didn't have the time react as he was blinded by the bright light.

 **TEMPLE OF MA'AT – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

When Yukiya opened his eyes, he was in a blank white space. There was neither sky nor floor; he was just floating there. There was nothing at all but himself. However, suddenly, his surrounding changed into that of a stadium. It was a wide huge stadium, with some kind of a stage near the center of the stadium with a hologram projector. The ceiling was far above showing beautiful scenery of stars.

He knew this place. He had seen it on the picture in the data sent by Linkuriboh. But it wasn't because of that his chest felt this place familiar. He had been in this place before…in his past life.

Yukiya then noticed an orb of light. Out of curiosity, he touched it. When he did, various feelings and images flashed into him. He fell to his knees from the sudden sensation. This was it. This was what he was looking for. The memory of his past life as Zarc.

When Yukiya tried to reach it again, the orb of light flew away. Yukiya chased after it until the orb stopped and landed on a palm. Yukiya blinked as he saw someone in front of him holding the orb. His heart leaped. He was not just an ordinary person that he didn't know of. He knew that face and attire far too well, except when he was in LINK VRAINS he covered his yellow eyes with goggles. There was no mistaking it. This wasn't a dream. This was real. This person front of him was…

"Zarc…?" Yukiya uttered.

For a moment, neither of them said anything. They just stood there, staring at each other.

And then, Zarc suddenly raised his Duel Disk and activated it, alarming Yukiya.

"If you wish to get this, you have to defeat me first." Zarc told Yukiya, referring to the orb that he moved behind him.

Yukiya was surprised, but quickly steeled himself. For Yuya's sake, he must get that orb. He must get that memory. That was the only way for him to stop being ignorant and hurt Yuya without him realizing.

Maybe this is the test from the temple? He didn't know. But he has no intention to back out.

"I don't have a choice, do I?" Yukiya activated his Duel Disk as well, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Supreme King Gate Magi (ATK: 0 / DEF: 200 / LV: 1)!" Zarc summoned Gate Magi in Attack Position.

"When Gate Magi is summoned normally, I can Special Summon a Magician-Type Monster from my Deck." Zarc summoned Double Iris Magician (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4 / PS: 8) in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Supreme King Trumpet. This card let me release a Monster I control to Special Summon a Supreme King Monster from my Deck! Kin with dichromatic eyes! Burn all your enemies caught by your sharp eyes! Appear! Supreme King Servant Dragon Odd-Eyes (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8 / PS: 4)!" Zarc summoned Odd-Eyes in Attack Position.

"I set 2 cards and with this I end my Turn." Zarc concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Supreme King Gate Iris (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 900 / LV: 4)!" Yukiya summoned Gate Iris in Attack Position.

"When I control a Supreme King Monster, I can special summon Supreme King Servant Dragon Almalkia (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 800 / LV: 3)!" Yukiya summoned Almalkia in Defense Position.

"Come forth, the circuit that will lead to the future!" Yukiya extended his hand at the Link Circuit above him.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is 2 monsters! I set Supreme King Servant Dragon Almalkia and Supreme King Gate Iris on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Yukiya's Almalkia and Gate Iris became one with 2 of the 8 arrows.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Supreme King Servant Dragon Darktroya (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 3 / LM: Top, Upper-Right, Bottom-Left)!" Yukiya summoned Darktroya in Attack Position.

"Battle! I attack Odd-Eyes with Darktroya!" Yukiya declared attack using his newly summoned Link Monster. Darktroya closed its wings in front of it before rolling itself towards the dichromatic-eyed dragon with its entire body, particularly its horn-like spikes, covered in red flames.

"I activate Darktroya's effect! By banishing the monsters used as its Material, I can negate destruction and the damage is reduced to 0, and the opposing monster's ATK is decreased equal to banished monsters' combined ATKs!" Yukiya revealed as he banished Gate Iris and Darktroya strikes Odd-Eyes, decreasing its ATK to 900.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yukiya concluded.

" _As I thought, he is also using Supreme King Deck like me. Not only that some of his monsters are Pendulum Monsters like Yuya's. This will be difficult…"_ Yukiya made a defensive stance, preparing for Zarc's retaliation.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Black Fang Magician (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 800 / LV: 4 / PS: 8)!" Zarc summoned the Dark Rebellion-like Magician in Attack Position.

"I end my Turn." Zarc concluded.

" _He didn't do anything? Or he is baiting me to attack?"_ Yukiya narrowed his eyes analytically at Zarc's facedown cards. This was clearly a trap. But if he simply ended his Turn without doing anything, Zarc may do something in his next Turn.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack Odd-Eyes with Darktroya!" Yukiya declared attack again with his dragon.

Zarc opened one of his facedown cards. "Trap Card: Supreme Gate! When a Supreme King Monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can place a Supreme King Gate Monster from my Deck to my Pendulum Zone!" He placed Supreme King Gate Zero (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 7 / PS: 0) into his right Pendulum Zone.

"Supreme King Gate Zero's Pendulum Effect! While I control a Supreme King Monster, I take no damage!" Zarc revealed.

"But you're Odd-Eyes will still be destroyed!" Yukiya reminded as Darktroya still made its move towards the Supreme King Servant Dragon. However, Zarc then spoke again.

"I activate Supreme King Gate Magi's Effect! When a Supreme King Monster I control other than this card is being targeted for an attack, I can Release it to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Supreme King Monster from my Deck and that Monster will receive the attack instead!" Zarc Released Gate Magi and then summoned Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwurm (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4 / PS: 5).

"Darkwurm's Effect! When this card is targeted while I control other Supreme King Monster, the attack can be negated!" Zarc said as Darkwurm moved to in front of Odd-Eyes, blocking Darktroya's attack with its transparent barrier deflecting it back.

"Ugh...I end my Turn..." Yukiya clicked his tongue. He reprimanded himself for not reading in detail about Zarc's Deck. At that time he was still shocked by the discovery that he passed the Deck detail.

"My Turn! I activate Odd-Eyes' Effect! I can Release it to Special Summon 2 Supreme King Servant Dragon Pendulum Monsters from my Extra Deck and all my opponents' Monsters' ATK are reduced to 0!" Zarc summoned two Darkwurms to his Field and made Yukiya's Darktroya powerless as the two Darkwrums electrocuted the Link Monster with yellow-colored electricity.

"What?!" Yukiya exclaimed.

"Battle! I attack Darktroya with Darkwurm!" Zarc finally made his attack using his first Darkwurm. The black dragon opened its mouth and shot red blast towards the Link Monster.

"Trap Card: Troja War! I can increase the ATK of my monster by 900 and my monster cannot be destroyed until the end of Battle Phase!" Yukiya opened his facedown card; giving Darktroya a boost to at least lessen the damage he would took, making his dragon's current ATK 900.

Zarc then made another three consecutive attacks using his remaining two Darkwurms and Black Fang Magician. The forces were stronger that it pushed back the younger Supreme King user.

 **YUKIYA LP: 4000 = 500**

 _"I've read that Zarc was a World Duel Champion, but still...my past life is this strong...?"_ Yukiya didn't know if he should be pleased or annoyed at this situation.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Supreme King Gate Hellebore (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 900 / LV: 3)!" Yukiya summoned Hellebore in Attack Position.

"When I control a Supreme King Link Monster, I can special summon Supreme King Gate Illumina (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Yukiya summoned Illumina in Attack Position.

"Come forth, the circuit that will lead to the future!" Yukiya extended his hand at Link Summoning Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is 4 monsters! I set Supreme King Servant Dragon Darktroya, Supreme King Gate Hellebore, and Supreme King Gate Illumina on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" All Yukiya's monsters then became one with four of the six arrows.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon (ATK: 2800 / LINK: 4 / LM: Left, Right, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right)!" Yukiya summoned his ace Monster in Attack Position.

"At this moment, I activate Magic Card: Cyber Magic! When a Link Monster is summoned, I can special summon a Magician-Type Monster from my Deck!" Yukiya opened his other facedown card and summoned Network Magician (ATK: 2300 / DEF: 2300 / LV: 7) from his Deck in Attack Position.

"I activate Network Magician's effect! When this card is summoned via its effect, I can negate my opponents' Magic, Trap, and Monster effects until the end of this Turn!" Yukiya revealed as Network Magician raised its staff above and then hit down the ground, unleashing a huge wave that caused Zarc's cards to flickering like broken programs. Since Zarc's cards effects have been sealed until the end of this Turn, Yukiya could make his attack and inflict damage to Zarc.

"Battle! I attack Darkwurm with Network Magician!" Yukiya declared his first attack. Network Magician twirled its staff and then pointed it at the first black dragon, shooting laser of particles of data that caused the dragon to disintegrate like it was being deleted.

 **ZARC LP: 4000 = 3500**

"Lastly, I attack Black Fang Magician with Cyber Cosmos!" Yukiya continued. Cyber Cosmos dashed forward, crushing the magician with its barehand, destroying it and pushing Zarc back.

 **ZARC LP: 3500 = 2400**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yukiya concluded.

"Is that all you got?" Zarc asked casually as he wiped dirt from his clothes, which unnerved Yukiya.

"My Turn! From my hand I activate Magic Card: Realm of Light! I can make a Monster I control into LIGHT attribute!" Zarc chose his second Darkwurm, changing it into LIGHT Monster.

"Next I release my third Darkwurm to Advance Summon Supreme King Angel (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 5)!" Zarc summoned a female humanoid monster in white robes with golden lines in Attack Position.

"When I have LIGHT Dragon-Type Monster and LIGHT Angel-Type Monster, I can discard them to special summon this monster from my hand or Deck!" Zarc sent Darkwurm and Angel to the Graveyard, opening a golden portal above the Field. From the portal, pristine white feathers fell and something gracefully descended down.

"I'm not the only one who is testing you." Zarc claimed as he looked at the Monster coming out from the portal.

"Appear! Deity of Light, Ma'at (ATK: ? / DEF: ? / LV: 10)!" Zarc summoned Ma'at in Attack Position.

"Ma'at?!" Yukiya exclaimed in disbelieve. When he said Ma'at, did he mean the Ma'at in the history? The great being that represented creation and opposing Apophis? The same Ma'at? But Ma'at was supposed to be a dragon! Even so, when Yukiya saw this Ma'at, he felt it was the real deal. His mere presence proved it.

"I activate Ma'at's effect! I can declare a card. If I'm right, I can use that card and activate the effect again! I declare Violet Poison Magician!" Zarc declared and drew the card. His declaration was correct, allowing him to summon Violet Poison Magician in Attack Position.

"Since I guessed it right, I can activate Ma'at's effect again! Next, I declare White Wing Magician!" Zarc once again declared correctly, allowing him to summon White Wing Magician in Attack Position.

"Again, I activate Ma'at's effect! I declare Magic Card: Magician's Deed!" Zarc declared right again and immediately activated the Magic Card.

"Through Magician's Deed's effect, I can revive two Magician-Type Monsters from my Graveyard with their ATKs and DEFs reduced to 0!" Zarc revived Double Iris Magician and Black Fang Magician in Defense Position with their ATKs and DEFs reduced to 0.

"I-Impossible...! How did he manage to guess it right three times?!" Yukiya felt his eyes almost bulged out from shock. How was it possible for a person to have this incredible luck in guessing cards three times?!

"I didn't guess it nor it was luck, I know what card I'm going to draw. The card themselves told me." Zarc replied as if able to hear what Yukiya was thinking.

"Your own cards...?" Yukiya murmured. That's right, Zarc was also able to hear the voices of Duel Monsters and communicate with them. He also has the same ability, most likely inherited from Zarc who was his previous incarnation, but Zarc's ability was at the whole different level. Zarc had reached the highest level in that ability.

"Ma'at's ATK and DEF are increased by 1000 for each draw done through its effect!" Since Zarc correctly declared 3 cards and drew 3 cards, Ma'at's ATK and DEF were increased to 3000.

"Battle! I attack Network Magician with Ma'at!" Zarc declared attack. Ma'at's body was covered in brighter light. He raised his arms up as the light spread out to the whole Field.

"Trap Card: Rainbow Life! I discard a card to convert the damage into my LP instead!" Yukiya opened his Reverse Card, creating a transparent portal that sucked the light and made it into his LP.

 **YUKIYA LP: 500 = 1200**

"I end my Turn." Zarc concluded. His face was still neutral and almost void of emotions. Yukiya couldn't tell what he was thinking. His eyes then shifted at the Angel-Type Monster beside Zarc.

"Is he...really Ma'at?" Yukiya asked, tilting his head to Ma'at.

Zarc nodded. "Yes, he is. His form is different, but he is the same white dragon Ma'at who created our Supreme King Deck." He answered, gazing briefly at Ma'at.

"Why he is testing me together with you?" Yukiya asked again.

"You misunderstand. This is not a test." Zarc shook his head, confusing Yukiya.

"Not a test? What do you mean?" Yukiya asked again. What other reason do they have to fight him if it wasn't to test him? What were they trying to do by challenging him like this?

"We'll talk once this Duel is over. Start your Turn now!" Zarc demanded, shutting close the conversation for now.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Supreme King Servant Dragon Ambrosia!" Yukiya summoned Ambrosia in Attack Position.

"Ambrosia can be treated as 2 monsters! I use Ambrosia as Link Materials! Come forth, the circuit that leads to the future! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Supreme King Gate Metafana (ATK: 1300 / LINK: 2 / LM: Right, Top)!" Yukiya summoned Gate Metafana in Attack Position beside Cyber Cosmos's Right Link Marker.

"I activate Cyber Cosmos' effect! I can target a Level 5 or higher monster my opponent controls and decrease its ATK and DEF equal to the sum of ATKs and DEFs of other monsters that connected to Cyber Cosmos' Link! Also, my dragon's ATK is increased equal to the same amount!" Yukiya declared. Gate Metafana's ATK was 1300, so Ma'at's ATK was lowered to 1700 and increased Cyber Cosmos' ATK to 4100.

"Battle! I attack Ma'at with Cyber Cosmos! This is the end!" Yukiya declared his Battle Phase with his powered up ace dragon. Cyber Cosmos unleashed its signature blast, striking the Angel-Type Monster who used its staff to block the blast.

The clash resulted with explosion. Soon, smokes and light filled the entire Field. Yukiya must shield his eyes from the impact of the explosion. He squinted to see how Zarc was faring. He thought he got him now and wished his past counterpart were well somehow. However, to his shock, he saw two silhouettes behind the smokes. And when a wind blew away the smoke, Zarc was standing together with Ma'at appearing unharmed. However, none of Zarc's magicians were present.

 **ZARC LP: 2400 = 1200**

"Magician's Deed's effect. When I'm being targeted for attack while I control 2 or more Magician-Type Monster, I can banish this card and destroy as many Magician-Type Monster I control to negate destruction and halve the Battle Damage." Zarc revealed his Magic Card's final effect. He has banished it from Graveyard seconds before the explosion occurred to protect himself and Ma'at.

"Ugh...I end my Turn." Yukiya groaned. He was so close. He thought he got him this time.

"That is your last Turn, Yukiya Kanbara." Zarc said as he saw the card he just drew in his Draw Phase.

"What?"

Zarc set the Pendulum Scale using Supreme King Gate Infinity and Gate Zero, forming a Scale that allowed him to summon Monsters from Level 1 to 12. However, he only needed one monster from this summoning. That one monster was what he needed to end this Duel in this Turn.

"Pendulum Summon! Appear to me! Chronograph Magician!" Zarc summoned Chronograph Magician in Attack Position.

"Chronograph Magician?!" Yukiya recognized that monster immediately. He also has the same monster with him. But unlike Zarc's, his Chronograph Magician was an Effect Monster.

"By releasing Chronograph Magician, I can banish the Four Celestial Magicians from my Deck, Extra Deck, or Field in order to activate its Effect! Chronograph Magician! Become my sacrifice!" Zarc raised his arm at Chronograph Magician above him, releasing it.

"Four Celestial Magicians! Violet Poison Magician! Black Fang Magician! White Wing Magician! Double-Iris Magician! As the one who represented the Four Heavenly Dragons, become my cornerstone!" Zarc chanted as he banished his four Magicians from his Extra Deck. Golden lightning filled the sky following the banishment, and Zarc's body was barely visible, covered by the bright light.

"Ultimate dragon, which governs the Four Heavenly Dragons and reigns supreme in the fifth dimension! Now, fight together with me! Integration Summon! Come forth! Supreme King Dragon Zarc (ATK: 4000 / DEF: 4000 / LV: 12 / PS: 1)!" Zarc summoned his ace monster in Attack Position.

"That's...Cyber Cosmos' past form...Supreme King Dragon...Zarc..." Yukiya stared at the monster with wide eyes. Seeing it from the photo and seeing it directly was entirely different. He could sense the presence of the dragon so strongly. It was both dreadful and majestic. Yukiya was speechless. He was in awe. He knew his dragon was feeling the same as him. They felt drawn by the Supreme King Dragon.

"I activate Supreme King Dragon's Effect! When this card is summoned, I can destroy all Monsters on my opponents' Field and inflict damage equal to the total of their ATKs!" Zarc declared, raising his arm at his ace Monster.

The Supreme King Dragon flew high above. It looked down at its opponents. It spread its wings wide and roared. From the sky around the Supreme King Dragon, golden lightning sparks and shot down at the Link Monster. The Link Dragon was struck down in an instant by the golden lightning, not leaving any trace of it behind. Yukiya was thrown back by the attack, falling on his back.

 **YUKIYA LP: 1200 = 0**

Yukiya struggled to sit up, but his body felt so exhausted. The Supreme King Dragon disappeared while Zarc and Ma'at remained. They approached him, looking down at his defeated form. Yukiya closed his eyes tight, gritting his teeth in frustration.

"Damn...! The memories...I can't get it..." Yukiya muttered. He has failed the test given to him. Even though he has tried his best to gain that memory. Now, he didn't know how he could face Yuya again.

"My memory. Is that something that you need?" Zarc asked, making Yukiya opened his eyes and looked up at Zarc in confusion.

"Why do you want that memory so bad?" Ma'at questioned, startling Yukiya a bit by how he was able to speak. Ma'at kneeled beside Yukiya and helped him to sit up. Yukiya mumbled an awkward thank you before facing the two again and answered.

"Being with Yuya and the others makes me feel so comfortable and warm. That's why, when I'm the only one not knowing anything, I'm scared." He admitted. He wanted to be by his new friends' side. He wanted to spend even more time with them. And the thought of being left in the dark, not knowing anything even though maybe he could help, made him afraid that he might be left behind one day.

"I thought if I had this, I could get closer to Yuya and everyone else." Yukiya looked at the orb of light, Zarc's memory. The memory was painful and also happy. He understood why Yuya was so fond of Zarc. If he had it, maybe Yuya and everyone else would feel the same way to him like they did to Zarc.

"Is that really the case?" Zarc asked, leaning closer to Yukiya. He placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled softly.

"Do you truly feel that way? Do you think the ties that bind you be utterly severed if you don't have this? Is that something absolutely necessary to you? My past is something that you need to be by their side?" Zarc questioned again. Yukiya couldn't answer that. He was not sure himself.

"All of us know what kind of people Yuya and his friends are. They are not the kind of people who will cling so much to the past. Maybe they at the moment they're still chained by their past, but they'll eventually break from those chains. They are strong and have each other. They have you who always pursue the future without forgetting the present and the past. With your help, they can overcome it." Ma'at told the younger boy.

Yukiya, again, didn't answer. He knew what Zarc and Ma'at were trying to say. He understood now. This wasn't a test like he thought it was. Zarc and Ma'at were trying to stop him from recovering this past life memory. Back then when Yuya said he reminded him of Zarc, Yukiya said harsh things that he didn't mean to say. That's because he wasn't the one who said, it was Zarc. Zarc wanted Yuya not to befriend Yukiya because he was the former's reincarnation, but befriend Yukiya because he was himself. Those words he said came from Zarc. He didn't want Yuya to be bound to him.

"Then, these memories will disappear, huh…?" Yukiya looked at the orb again. It felt sad to know the orb will be gone. Even though only a glimpse, he has seen the memories. Zarc had done horrible things that horrified him, but there were precious happy memories as well. Those happy memories were filled with love and tenderness. He understood why Zarc was important to Yuya.

"They won't vanish." Ma'at said.

"Everyone's soul remembers all reincarnations that have come and gone. They don't remember it or even realize it because it isn't simply necessary." Ma'at revealed.

"You don't remember because you don't need them. And when you think so, those memories sleep softly within your heart." Zarc placed a hand on his chest as he recalled his memories that he kept with him without letting out within Yukiya's mind. They were like photographs in albums. They're recollections you can view anytime if you open it up and get a nostalgic, happy feeling. But each time they grow distant. Someday you won't even notice the albums on your bookshelf.

"What is your name?" Zarc asked while pointing at Yukiya.

"Yukiya. I am Yukiya Kanbara." Yukiya answered with certainty, and that made Zarc's smile wider.

"Then this is the story, the journey, of Yukiya Kanbara. Not Zarc or anybody else. You are the Supreme King of your own tale. Write your own story, the way you want." Zarc patted Yukiya's head before he was back to his feet together with Ma'at.

The two smiled at Yukiya for one last time before walking away from him. The stadium started disappearing as well.

"Wait! Hold on a second! Zarc!"

Yukiya quickly stood up, finding himself able to move again. He ran, trying to reach the two, especially his past self. He ran as fast as he could, but he couldn't reach them no matter how hard he tried. His hand tried to reach them until he could no longer see their backs.

"Zarc!"

 **CLINIC – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD'S HQ – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Yukiya!"

The first thing Yukiya saw was the blurry ceiling. When he closed his eyes shut again for a second and then opening it again, he saw Yuya and Yugo's face looking down at him in concern. He blinked several times before he finally saw the rest were also there in the room. He sat up and got a brief headache, prompting Yuya and Yugo to help him lean back on the pillow.

"Yukiya, are you okay?!" Yuya asked worriedly.

"You, big moron! Worrying us like that!" Yugo scolded, lightly punching his head.

"Huh...? What happened? Where am I?" Yukiya asked. He was supposed to be at the temple. He met Zarc and Ma'at and lost Duel against them. And then everything went dark. Was it just a dream?

"You're at The Brotherhood's HQ in the Capital. At the clinic. We found you unconscious at the Temple of Ma'at." Yuzu answered, leaning closer to him as she placed a hand on his forehead to check his temperature.

"Unconscious...? No, wait, how do you know I'm at Temple of Ma'at?" Yukiya asked again. Turned out it wasn't a dream after all. But how come Yuya and the others found him at the temple? He didn't tell anyone that he was going there.

"Rainbow Kuriboh led us there. Rainbow Kuriboh suddenly went all jumpy and insist we go to the Capital and follow it. And then there were Kuribohs leading us to the temple where we found you unconscious and barely breathing." Yuto said as he glanced at his Rainbow Kuriboh. The Kuriboh sat on Yukiya's lap with concerned face. Yukiya smiled and patted its head while mumbling out thank you.

"For a minute your heart stopped, you know! We thought we're gonna lose you!" Yugo revealed, half-shouting.

When they found Yukiya at the temple, Yukiya was lying unconscious at the floor, surrounded by Kuriboh. To their shock and panic, Yukiya's pulse was weak and he didn't breath properly. They quickly rushed him into the HQ. They initially wanted to take him to hospital, but Yuno told them (after Yuya called him through Duel Disk) to bring him to the clinic at The Brotherhood's HQ as it was closer and he had called medical team to be on standby. By the time they arrived, Yukiya has stopped breathing, sending them into another round of panic until the medical team took him. They must give him emergency oxygen and electrical shock to make his heart beating again. It brought immense relief when they heard the Doctor said Yukiya's condition has stabilized.

"What are you doing at the temple anyway?" Serena asked from across the bed, crossing her arms. Even though she didn't look as panic as the others, she was clearly worried for him.

"I..." Yukiya recalled his meeting with Zarc and Ma'at, which seemed to happen only within his consciousness. He didn't understand what exactly happened to him, but he knew that meeting was real. He truly dueled against them, speaking with them, feeling their presence…remembering their words.

"I thought maybe I could find out more about Ma'at and Apophis. You know, for future battles." Yukiya lied. He decided it was the best for him not to tell him this. He will tell them about Ma'at, but not now.

"Thanks guys. You really are the best." Yukiya suddenly said while smiling, causing everyone to look at them.

"W-what's gotten into you? Suddenly saying something like that...!" Yugo scratched the back of his head and his cheeks turned pink in embarrassment from Yukiya's words. The rest was also as confused, but nevertheless happy to hear that from their friend.

"Then, do you prefer if I said I love you guys?" Yukiya said teasingly, snickering when Yugo became even redder.

"Stop that! It's embarrassing!" Yugo protested.

"Aww, but it's the truth." Yukiya replied.

Yuya couldn't help but chuckle. It was all so...silly, and yet this seemed so normal, and Yuya couldn't help but laugh. Yukiya started to giggle then too, and Yugo cracked a grin before he started to laugh in spite of himself too. The others also began to half smiled, which turned into a full, tender smile as Yukiya doubled over with his laughs, hugging himself. Yukiya didn't even know what was so funny, but he was happy.

" _My memory. Is that something that you need?"_

Yukiya has the answer to that question now. When laughing with his friends like this, he realized it.

It wasn't something he had to remember.

He didn't need it.

He wanted to be able to stand by their side and walk with them without past memory that didn't belong to him.

He will form strong bonds with them. Not as Zarc or as anyone before him, but as Yukiya Kanbara.

The day will come when he'll lock the memories again. When that time comes, he'll surely still be smiling and laughing along with his friends from this important present. They'll make new memories together that they'll capture into photographs for the future that is to come.

Whatever happens from now on, his bond with them, as Yukiya Kanbara, will never be severed.

He knew that for sure.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Aloof Falcon –** Yukiya found a clue about Shun's whereabouts from a rumor chats. Worried for him, Yuto and Ruri follow the rumor to find Shun.

* * *

 **Finally finished. This chapter took a while because I was busy with another project. How do you feel about this chapter? Surprise? Maybe not? Maybe some of you are expecting for Yukiya to fully regain his memories as Zarc, but no, because I personally think if Yukiya remembers and start behaving like Zarc, Yuya will never move on and will always think of Yukiya as Zarc instead of his own person.**

 **Finally the new reviews are showing up again after 3 days! I've been waiting like forever to know how you all think about the previous chapter! Thank goodness it was fixed now.**

 **To** _ **jason**_ **, I purposely didn't include Shiki in the previous chapter for a reason I won't reveal now.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter~!**


	37. Aloof Falcon

**Big thanks to** _ **MarBere123, Unknowedz, NeoFGD, Playerhood18, matrixnis, GamingGuy84, Ryujomaru15, Elbarto4000, Big duels, dvdryms, Jason, Yuka Kuroshiro**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **ROOM – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD'S HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

 _"Ryoga! You Duel, right?"_

Shark turned to the person who called him. He was a boy around his age. A grey-eyed muscle-built black skinned boy with dark-brown hair styled in curls, to even a ponytail. His attire consisted of white shirt with red sweater vest and black pants. He was also wearing black gloves. The boy smiled at him with younger children clinging to him like younger siblings did to their older brothers.

 _"Akihiro."_ Shark called back.

 _"You should duel with us sometimes! Dueling is gonna change our lives! I wanna become World Champion and make everybody happy!"_

The boy, Akihiro, said, extending his hand for Shark to take, hoping he would duel with them.

 _"I know that maybe we're not as good as your sister, but I'm sure she'll want you to duel more against opponents other than her."_

That's right. A day ago, his younger twin sister, Rio, left the orphanage to become a priestess trainee. After her compatibility with Duel Monsters surfaced, someone from the Imperial Castle came and offered to train her to become priestess. Rio accepted because not only she was interested, but she also thought she could send money for the orphanage once she became official priestess. Shark wasn't exactly thrilled by the news, but he respected his sister's decision and let her go, both promising to stay in contact with each other.

Shark stared at the boy in front of him, his friend that he and his sister made at the orphanage. If Shark has to be totally honest, his friend was a total opposite of him. He was cheerful, gentle, and popular amongst the children. He was like their light and hope. He and Rio were idolized by the children and often played together when Rio was still around. Shark, on the other hand, thought himself as tainted and warped. He had done lots of horrible things that dirtied his hands. He didn't feel he belonged in the light like his sister, their friend, and the children. Due to this belief, he kept himself as distance as possible.

 _"I'm not interested."_

Shark said as coldly as he could, brushing off the hand extended to him. They were friends, but he thought it was his duty to remain as a shadow. If this will give the children in the orphanage the hope and dream they needed, then he will continue to stay in the shadow...

Three months later, however, Shark regretted this.

He regretted his way of thinking that led him to lose his friend.

He couldn't erase that moment when he lost his friend.

The sight of his friend's bloody body lying on the altar won't leave his mind...

Shark abruptly awakened from his sleep with face full of sweats. He sat up, removing the blanket. He clenched his chest as his heart was beating fast and he was panting quite heavily. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He repeated for a few times until he calmed down.

"Damn it...!" Shark cursed, placing a hand on his head. What a nightmare to have. He wondered if it was because of the stress he has due to meeting Apophis' Duelists lately.

A ringtone ceased his thoughts. He picked his Duel Disk he placed on the table beside his bed. The screen showed an incoming call from Rio, her picture appeared on the screen.

"Yeah? What is it, Rio?" Shark picked up the call.

[What's with that tone? I know you're not much of a morning person, but be nicer, Ryoga!] Rio complained from the other side of the call.

"If you just want to greet me a good morning I'm out. I'm not in the mood for a chatter right now." Shark replied nonchalantly.

[Sheesh... Anyway, I'm calling to tell you that we're going to LINK VRAINS today. Celica-sama asked me to do a little scouting and asked me to take someone from Yuno-san's squad with me. Obviously, I chose you. Celica-san already made a call to Yuno-san.]

"Kay' then. I'll see you later. Now let me get more sleep." Shark said, yawning.

[We'll meet in LINKV RAINS at 15.00 AM!] Rio ended the call with that.

Shark put down the Duel Disk back on his desk. His eyes landed at two photographs beside it. The first was the photo taken when Yuno officially formed his own personal squad, he and the others were standing beside Yuno in the photo. The second one was the photo when he was still staying at the orphanage. His sister and Akihiro and the children were looking at the camera cheerfully while he, on the other hand, stood behind without even looking at the camera.

"Akihiro..."

 **DUEL FIELD – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD'S HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuto was standing alone on the Field. It might be weird for anyone who saw him, standing alone with his Duel Disk activated without any opponent to fight against. But Yuto didn't care about that. He wanted to do this alone. He summoned two monsters to his Field: Phantom Knights – Silent Boots and Phantom Knights – Dusty Robe, both in Attack Position through Pendulum Summon. Their Battle Positions weren't exactly matters since he won't be fighting anyone. He summoned them for another purpose.

Yuto looked at a certain card from his hand. He frowned as he was staring at the card, Magic Card: Fusion. This was the card provided by Yuno so he could fight against Neon's Fusion Spring that only allows players to summon Fusion Monsters and no other monsters for 3 Turns. Back then; he couldn't perform Fusion Summon because of what Neon and Geist said. No, even without Neon and Geist saying those words, he still couldn't do it because it brought back the memory of the war last year. When he recalled that, he froze.

" _I have to do it this time. I have to prove them wrong…"_ Yuto thought. He mustn't let his enemies' words to go through him. And it was just as Yuya said once before. The Fusion Summoning and Fusion Monsters were not at fault. The ones at fault were the Duelists who used it to harm people. If he thought about it that way, he should be able to do it.

"This time, I will…" Yuto picked the Fusion card from his other hand. He raised it up, preparing it to use it. At that moment, however, he found his hand trembling. They were appearing again. The horror inflicted by Academia from the war last year came into him. His breathing started to feel heavy. His hand that was holding the Fusion card stopped moving. He couldn't move it to do the summoning. Everything came into him again…

His burning homeland.

The cries of the citizens.

His family and comrades being carded one by one.

"Yuto!"

He didn't realize that he had blacked out until he realized Ruri was holding him by the shoulders, whispering soothingly to him. Yuto fumbled for his words again.

"R-Ruri…"

"What's wrong, Yuto? Are you sick?" Ruri asked worriedly. It has been a long time since she saw Yuto like this. What has happened?

"No. I…I'm…" Yuto looked away from her, staring at the Fusion card in his hand that he was still holding.

"That card…!" Ruri's eyes widened when she saw the card. Why Yuto has that card?

"This card was given to me by Yuno-san to fight against our enemies. He thought it would be useful for us. But… I'm sure you know why I can't use it…even though I tried…" Yuto laughed humorlessly, smiling bitterly.

"Yuto…" Ruri tightened her grip on Yuto's shoulder for a second before letting go to hold his hand.

"Ruri, do you think we have truly forgiven Academia, Fusion Dimension, for what they have done?" Yuto asked, finally looking at her in the eyes.

"What do you mean?" Ruri asked. She no longer held any contempt since the Academia has repented for the horrible things they have done. They truly regretted it and tried their best to atone everything. She no longer hated him or anything, and she was sure the same could be said to the others she knew.

"Whenever I 'm seeing the Fusion cards aside from Yuya's, it brought back those horrid memories. I feel there was malice as much as the ones who crushed our happiness that time. It reminded me of the pain we had, opening old wounds." Yuto's grip on the card tightened as he frowned even more.

"I said I've forgiven them…but maybe I'm just being hypocrite. If I have truly forgiven them, then I normally would have put the past behind me. I shouldn't have been bothered by a simple Summoning Method. But if I still avoid using it like a plague and merely seeing them brought back the memories, doesn't that mean that I haven't forgiven them? Maybe that was exactly the case? Deep inside I actually never truly forgive them? I actually wanted to seek revenge despite what I said?" Yuto couldn't stop recalling what Geist and Neon have told him.

Ruri didn't think. She just moved, and she heard him gasp as she threw her arms around him, and they both swayed, almost losing their footing on the ground.

"In that case, we're the same. I don't think I can use Fusion. Maybe, everyone else too. We are the same, Yuto." Ruri said. A tear started forming from her right eye. She was so stupid. How could she not think about it? Just a second ago she thought she has truly forgiven Academia, but after hearing what Yuto said, she realized that the thought of using Fusion Summon never crossed in her mind. In fact, using that summoning method was something she never wanted to do because it brought back memories like Yuto felt. That was a proof that part of her has yet to fully forgiven Academia.

"But one thing I am sure is, even though maybe we haven't fully forgiven Academia, wishing for revenge is the last thing in our mind. We want peace above all else, and trying to get revenge would only lead to another conflict." Ruri rubbed Yuto's back comfortingly. They have already enough with conflict and war. Revenge was the last thing to ever cross their minds. And Yuto was one of the kindest people she knew. He would never seek revenge if that would put the peace into danger. Above all else, he didn't want to hurt anyone.

Ruri pulled back and placed her hands on both sides of Yuto's face, smiling at him.

"We'll figure this out together. I'm sure we can overcome this." Ruri told him.

"Ruri…" Yuto stared hard at Ruri's smile and held one of her hands holding him. Strangely, he felt better.

Ruri then let go, but they were still staring at each other. "You don't have to force yourself for now. Let's talk this to Yuno-san–"

Ruri was cut off when the door suddenly slammed open, revealing Yukiya with pant up breath coming in while carrying his laptop. Yuto and Ruri blinked at the grey haired boy's condition that looked like he has just did long meters of marathon.

"Y-Yukiya? Why are you all sweating up?" Ruri asked.

"Forget about me! Yuto! Ruri! You need to look at this!" Yukiya showed his laptop to the two.

"A chatroom? What's wrong with this chatroom?" Yuto asked.

"Read the chats carefully!" Yukiya told them.

[Hey! I heard there is another newcomer from ARC-V!]

[Wow, for real?!]

[Where?!]

[Someone said he saw him in LINK VRAINS! He defeated Apophis Servant!]

[Who?! What kind of person this Duelist is?"

[Dunno his name, but he is using this bird-type Xyz Monster!]

[Oh, yeah, I heard about that too! That falcon-like monster, right?]

[Yeah! Dunno if this is true, but someone said he saw him wandering around the west server.]

Falcon-like Xyz Monster... Yuto and Ruri only knew one person who used that type of monster.

"Are you sure about this, Yukiya?" Yuto asked, turning to the said person.

"This is just a rumor, but I thought you should know this." Yukiya answered. He just happened to find the chat while looking for any information in regards of Apophis' activities.

"It's just a rumor, but this is our only clue." Ruri said before heading out.

"Where are you going, Ruri?!" Yukiya asked.

"I'll log into LINK VRAINS! If it's really Brother, then I have to go!" Ruri replied, hastening her pace.

"Wait! I'm going too! Yukiya, tell Yuya and the others about this!" Yuto followed his girlfriend behind. Finally, a clue after days since the underground prison incident. If the person mentioned in the chat was really Shun, then this time he won't let him go.

" _I'm coming, Shun…!"_

 **ZAIZEN RESIDENCE – APARTMENT – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Aoi just arrived home after school. She has Duel Club so she came home later than usual. It has been a few days since she has stopped being Blue Angel as her brother told her to. Honestly, she was frustrated. People started saying many things about her sudden absence. She didn't care though. What frustrated her was she couldn't help exposing Heidel's true nature. She witnessed it herself and determined to help, but yet, now she couldn't do anything. She wasn't even allowed to go outside the house other than school for a while by her brother.

"Can't I do anything at all?" Aoi said as she threw her bag on the floor and sat on the bench, sighing in exasperation.

"I wonder how Ruri and the others are faring…" Aoi wondered. Since the last time they met, she hasn't heard anything from Ruri. She at least wanted to help her looking for her brother, Shun Kurosaki, but without able to log into LINK VRAINS, what she could do was limited. Sighing, Aoi turned on the TV to cool her head.

{Everyone! Look what we have here! We have a special show for today! Now, a Duel between a member of Phantom Dragons, Shadow, and the rumored Duelist who lately defeated Apophis Servants from behind us, Hayabusa, shall commence!}

"What?!" Aoi's full attention turned to the TV.

As announced by the MC, Yuto, in his VR avatar, Shadow, was facing against a Duelist she has never seen or heard before. But she then processed the latter's name. Hayabusa means 'Falcon', and falcon reminded her of…

"Ruri's brother…?"

 **LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

As she said on the phone, Rio has logged into LINK VRAINS using her VR avatar, Merag. As Merag, her skin was chalk-white and her hair is longer with more volume and is purely dark blue instead of dual-colored. She was wearing a white dress with blue and gold pieces, with large white shoulder pauldrons and gloves, with a blue midriff and the Imperial Guardian's emblem on her chest. She still has her pink eyes. She also has red marks on each side of her cheeks, a jeweled diadem with a gold net over the back of her hair that was adorned with green and red jewels that also has a green teardrop jewel hanging over her face.

"You're 2 minutes late, Nash." Merag told her older brother who was also using his avatar, Nash, giving him a scolding look.

"Only 2 minutes. No big deal." Nash replied. He has a magenta skin tone and red and blue heterochromatic eyes with aqua markings on his face. He wore a crimson cape and copper-colored guards on the wrists, shoulders, and his legs are tipped with red stones and also wears a 'H'-shaped belt. The Brotherhood Emblem pendant was engraved onto his chest. His tentacle-like hair gained more volume and he also wore a copper-colored crown piece with a red jewel on his forehead.

"So, what's this thing you were asked to investigate?" Nash asked, going straight to the point.

"There's a rumor about an Xyz Duelist from ARC-V defeating Apophis Servants lately. The only Xyz users we know are Ruri and Yuto, but they're with us the whole time so it's definitely one of them. Plus, this Duelist is using falcon-like monsters from what the rumor said." Merag explained.

"Whoever is this, you intend to scout, to recruit him to fight together against Apophis?" Nash asked.

"That's the plan. If not, at the very least we must make sure he won't be a threat to us." Merag replied.

"And where do you plan to find him in this...mess up LINK VRAINS?" Nash asked again as he looked at his surroundings.

"I knew you'll ask that. I've studied his patterns. He was attacking at the places with the most concentrated virus and bug activities. If my deduction is correct, today, he'll appear over there." Merag pointed at the south way of the area.

Immediately after, an explosion occurred at right where Merag was pointing at. That just confirmed her deduction.

"Let's go." Nash said, rushing towards the explosion together with Merag.

Since running would be too slow to reach the place, they resorted using D-Boards and rode on Data Storm until they arrived at the exact place where the explosion occurred. They jumped into the thick smoke from their D-Boards and landed safely. They removed themselves from the smokes, but found it was unnecessary as a strong blow of winds were blowing away the smokes in a minute. And that was when they saw the very person they were looking for, together with his monster.

He has dark brown hair in usual style. He was wearing a lined pattern long-sleeve shirt with the sleeves folded. Overtop was a long dark crimson overcoat with white pants, boots and open-fingered gloves.

"Shun!"

Nash and Merag turned around when they heard the familiar voice and footsteps. Yuto and Ruri, in their VR avatars Shadow and Canaria, came running towards the Duelist. Shun. That was Ruri's missing brother and Yuto's best friend's name. Then this person was the missing Shun Kurosaki and the one who saved Ruri, Yuzu, and Aoi in the underground prison a few days ago?

"I'm going by the name 'Hayabusa' here. Those are fitting avatars you're using, Yuto, Ruri." Shun or his avatar name, Hayabusa, addressed his best friend and sister.

"It really is you, Brother!" Canaria covered her mouth while trying not to tear up from her immense relief. She moved several steps towards her brother, but when she did so, she was surprised that her brother's respond was taking a step back from her.

"Brother?" Canari stopped. A dull pain filled her chest by her brother's gesture.

"Don't come near me. I can't be with you." Hayabusa told his sister and best friend.

"What do you mean? Why?" Canaria asked.

"There's nothing I can say more than that. Leave." Hayabusa said in commanding tone.

"You really expect us to do that?!" Shadow stepped in. "Do you know how much you have made us worried? To be honest, there were moments we thought we have lost you! We were relieved when we found out that you're alive. But what's this? What's with the cold attitude?"

"As I said, there's nothing I can say more than what I've said. Leave now." Hayabusa demanded.

Shadow growled. The three of them have finally reunited after a month, and Shun's reaction was not only distant but he even told them leave just like that? Furthermore, he was one thing, Shun even acted cold towards Ruri? That was not right. He refused to leave like he asked them to. They have finally met, and he refused to leave without nothing. He wanted answer. He wanted to know what happened to his best friend that he was behaving like this.

"If you want to make us leave...use this." Shadow raised his Duel Disk and activated it. They must settle this in their usual way whenever they have unresolved problem.

"Fine. I'll have to do this the hard way to make you understand." Hayabusa activated his Duel Disk. He then ran towards the edge of the building and jumped towards the Data Storm, landing on his D-Board.

"Shadow!" Canaria called out in attempt to stop him, but he then smiled at her.

"Don't worry. The two of us will be fine." Shadow said before he jumped as well, landing on his D-Board, beginning the Duel.

 **[SPEED DUEL!]**

"Come at me!" Shadow challenged his best friend.

"From my hand, I summon Raid Raptors - Rudder Strix (ATK: 0 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 4)!" Hayabusa summoned Rudder Strix in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"When Rudder Strix is summoned or Special Summoned, I can inflict 300 damage to the opposing player!" Hayabusa declared as Rudder Strix shot its laser at Shadow, inflicting the damage.

 **SHADOW LP: 4000 = 3700**

"I set one card face-down and end my turn!" Hayabusa finished.

"I don't know what happened to you, but you'll tell us everything! My Turn! When I control no monster while my opponent does, I can special summon Phantom Knights – Nautilus Cloud (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 5)!" Shadow summoned Nautilus Cloud in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"When a Phantom Knights Monster is special summoned through its effect, I can special summon Phantom Knights Argent Fear (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 5)!" Shadow summoned Argent Fear beside Nautilus Cloud in Attack Position.

"I overlay Nautilus Cloud and Argent Fear! From the depths of Purgatory. Dedicate to the Restless Soul with the Song of Revolution. Echo for eternity, and appear! Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 5! Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2500 / RNK: 5 / ORU: 2)!" Shadow summoned Dark Requiem in Attack Position in the first Extra Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack Rudder Strix with Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon! Requiem Disaster Disobey!" Shadow declared attack. Dark Requiem's fangs shined and its wings spread, changing its design into that of stained glass. The dragon flew forward to strike the small bird-like monster.

"Trap, activate! Raid Raptors - Risky Flight! If a Level 4 or below Raid Raptors would be destroyed through battle, the destruction will be negated, and the battle damage will be halved! The Battle Phase will also be skipped!" Hayabusa opened his first Reverse Card, protecting Rudder Strix from destruction.

 **HAYABUSA LP: 4000 = 2500**

"When Rudder Strix is attacked, I can Special Summon two Raid Raptors from my hand!" Hayabusa summoned two more Rudder Strixes in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zones. And using the effect of the new Rudder Strixes, Hayabusa inflicted 600 damage.

 **SHADOW LP: 3700 = 3100**

"Damn it… I set a card and end my Turn." Shadow concluded. His best friend was still as merciless as always.

"My turn! I overlay the three Level 4 Rudder Strixes on my Field! Obscured falcon! Raise your talons sharpened by adversity! Spread your wings of rebellion! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 4! Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon (ATK: 100 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 3)!" Hayabusa summoned his ace monster in Attack Position in his first Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Rise Falcon's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, it can add the ATKs of all Special Summoned monsters on my enemy's Field to its own ATK! And it can also attack all Special Summoned monsters!" Hayabusa increased Rise Falcon's ATK to 3100 as the Xyz Monster's body was covered in blazing crimson flames.

"Battle! I attack Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon with Rise Falcon! Brave Claw Revolution!" Hayabusa declared attack. Rise Falcon flew straight towards its opponent, ready to strike and scorch the dragon.

"Trap Card: Phantom's Drug! I negate the destruction of a DARK Monster I control!" Shadow opened his Reverse Card, allowing Dark Requiem to block Rise Falcon's attack. The dragon clashed its hands against the Raid Raptor's head, deflecting each other. Hayabusa held onto his D-Board as he got pushed back from the impact.

 **SHADOW LP: 3100 = 3000**

"I set two cards face-down, and end my turn! At this moment, Rise Falcon's ATK returns to normal." Hayabusa concluded his Turn.

"Brother! Please stop!" Canaria shouted from above, riding her own D-Board but not interfering with the Duel.

"Ru-Canaria!" Shadow exclaimed.

"Brother, why are you doing this? We're fighting against Apophis, right? Then why we're fighting against each other?!" Canaria questioned her older brother. However, he didn't answer her, more like ignoring her. She bit her lip. Why won't he answer her?

"Why are you separating yourself from us? Why won't you explain anything? Talk to me, Brother!" Canaria questioned again with louder voice. She was truly on the verge of tears. She just…she couldn't understand her older brother she was seeing right now.

"There is something that I have to do alone. Nothing more and nothing less." Hayabusa finally answered, but that was it. He refused to talk any further. He glanced back at Shadow, gesturing him to start his Turn.

"Stand back, Canaria. We'll get our answer from him once we finish this Duel." Shadow told the girl, looking up at her before he started his Turn again. "My Turn! I set a card."

"I attack Raid Raptors - Rise Falcon with Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon!" Shadow immediately declared attack. Dark Requiem made a whirling movement as it made its way towards the Raid Raptors Monster, something that Hayabusa has already anticipated.

"Quick-Play Magic! Rank-Up-Magic: Battle-Up Force! When my opponent attacks, I can use a Raid Raptors on my Field to Xyz Summon a monster that is two Ranks higher!" Hayabusa opened the Overlay Network using the card and Rise Falcon.

"Prideful falcon! Spread your wings dyed in the blood of heroes! Advance down the road of revolution! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Come forth! Rank 6! Raid Raptors – Revolution Falcon (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 3000 / RNK: 6 / ORU: 2)!" Hayabusa summoned Revolution Falcon in Attack Position in the same Extra Monster Zone.

" _Revolution Falcon can destroy a Special Summoned monster and inflict damage equal to half of the ATK when it is summoned by ranking up a Raid Raptors Monster. I've already won this Duel!"_ Hayabusa smiled cockily, brimming in confidence. He pointed at Dark Requiem. "I activate Revolution Falcon's effect! Annihilate him, Revolution Falcon! I will destroy Dark Requiem, and inflict damage equal to half of its ATK!"

"You won't win so easily!" Shadow retorted.

"Hmph!"

"When my opponent activates an effect that will destroy a monster I control, I can activate Phantom Knights – Black Prints' effect from my hand! I discard it to negate Dark Requiem's destruction!" Shadow discarded the monster in his hand, negating Revolution Falcon's effect, thus, allowing Dark Requiem to remain on the Field.

"I won't let you win so easily, either! You can try and attack it, but due to Revolution Falcon's effect, Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon's ATK and DEF will become zero!" Hayabusa reminded.

"Who do you think I am, Shun?! We've known each other for so long, so of course I already know your Deck! I've prepared! Trap Card: Phantom Silent Echo! When the ATK and DEF of a monster I control were changed through monster effect during Battle Phase, I can activate this card the moment it was set to negate that effect!" Shadow negated Revolution Falcon's effect. With this, Dark Requiem kept its original ATK. The dragon swiftly pierced Revolution Falcon's body, exploding it.

 **HAYABUSA LP: 2500 = 1500**

"Quick-Play Magic! Rank-Up-Magic Death Double Force! When an Xyz Monster on my Field is destroyed, I can Special Summon that monster, and Xyz Summon a Raid Raptor whose Rank is two times higher!" Hayabusa activated the card from his hand, performing another Rank-Up Xyz Summon using Revolution Falcon.

"Falcon that is my very own soul! Fly forth, with unyielding conviction and undying devotion in your heart! Become an impregnable final fortress, and make your advent! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Come forth! Rank 12! Raid Raptors - Final Fortress Falcon (ATK: 3800 / DEF: 2800 / ORU: 1)!" Hayabusa summoned his strongest Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I set one card face-down, and end my turn! Come at me! Hayabusa!" Shadow concluded as he dared his best friend.

"Here I go, Shadow! It's my turn! I attack Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon with Final Fortress Falcon!" Hayabusa declared, motioning Final Fortress Falcon to launch its dozen missiles. All of the missiles hit the dragon who cried out as it exploded.

 **SHADOW LP: 3000 = 2200**

"Quick-Play Magic: Phantom Link! When a DARK Monster I control is destroyed by Battle, I can special summon the destroyed monster and two Level 4 or lower monsters from my Graveyard to perform Link Summon!" Shadow summoned back Dark Requiem, Nautilus Cloud, and Argent Fear.

"It's the time! Come forth, the circuit of shadow that cover the world!" Shadow opened the Link Circuit in front of him.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 1 Phantom Knights Monster! I set Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon, Phantom Knights – Nautilus Cloud, and Phantom Knights – Argent Fear, in the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Shadow set Dark Requiem in the Top Marker, Nautilus Cloud in the Left Marker, and Argent Fear in the Bottom Marker.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyber Rebellion Dragon (ATK: 2300 / Link: 3 / LM: Left, Top, Bottom)!" Shadow summoned Cyber Rebellion in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Final Fortress Falcon's effect! By detaching all of its Overlay Units, during this turn, I can attack my opponent's monster by banishing a Raid Raptors Xyz Monster from my Graveyard! I attack Cyber Rebellion Dragon with Final Fortress Falcon!" Hayabusa banished Rise Falcon, allowing Final Fortress Falcon to attack again, launching its missiles.

"Trap Card: Dragon's Phantom Armor! Until the end of this Turn, DARK Dragon-Type Monster I control gains 700 ATK and it cannot be destroyed by Battle!" Shadow opened his Reverse Card, equipping dark purple-colored armor in shade of black to Cyber Rebellion, increasing its endurance. Its current ATK became 3000. Cyber Rebellion endured the missiles and explosions caused by them, surviving the attack.

 **SHADOW LP: 2200 = 1400**

"I activate Final Fortress Falcon's effect! By banishing Revolution Falcon from my Graveyard, I can attack the opposing monster again!" Hayabusa banished Revolution Falcon, allowing Final Fortress Falcon to attack Cyber Rebellion one more time. However, due to Shadow's Trap effect, the dragon remained standing on the Field albeit injured.

 **SHADOW LP: 1400 = 600**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Hayabusa concluded.

"My Turn! Draw!" Shadow looked at the card he drew and his eyes widened in panic. The card he just drew was Phantom Fusion, one of the cards given to help him in Fusion Summon. He was so in hurry to log into LINK VRAINS that he had forgotten to exclude the card from his Deck. He looked at his remaining cards in his hand and Cyber Rebellion. He blinked at a certain card in his hand. He could use this!

"I activate Magic Card: Phantom Knights' Spirit Elysium! I can lower the ATK of my opponent's monster by 600!" Shadow activated that certain card from his hand.

"Only 600 won't be enough to defeat Fortress Falcon." Hayabusa pointed out the difference between their monsters' ATKs. Even if Shadow lowered Final Fortress' ATK to 3100, Cyber Rebellion still has lower ATK.

"This effect can be repeated up to the numbers of Phantom Knights monsters in my Graveyard!" Shadow interjected.

"What?!" Hayabusa was genuinely shocked. This was the same strategy he used to defeat Dennis' Antique Gear Chaos Giant during Friendship Cup. To think Shadow was using it against him. Shadow has 3 Phantom Knights monsters in his Graveyard, so Fortress Falcon's ATK was lowered by 1800, making its current ATK 2000.

"Battle! I attack Final Fortress Falcon with Cyber Rebellion Dragon!" Shadow declared attack now that Cyber Rebellion's ATK was higher than Final Fortress Falcon. Cyber Rebellion Dragon covered its entire body with purple electricity from its wings, particularly its fangs that glowed brightly. The dragon let out a loud roar before flying forward, eyes focused solely on Final Fortress Falcon. In a few seconds, Cyber Rebellion's fangs pierced through the black dragon, exploding it to bits of data.

 **HAYABUSA LP: 1500 = 1200**

"Trap Card: Raid Raptors Hatchling's Remnants! When an Xyz Raid Raptors Xyz Monster I control is destroyed, I can special summon two Level 4 or lower Raid Raptors from my Graveyard!" Hayabusa activated his trap in the midst of being blown away, barely able to keep his balance from falling off from his D-Board.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Shadow concluded. He positioned himself to ride beside his best friend. "Hayabusa, won't you give it a rest already? What are you planning? Why are you telling us to stay away? Have we done something wrong to you?"

Hayabusa was silent from the question. He didn't even look at Shadow's eyes. All of a sudden, Hayabusa crashed his own D-Board to Shadow, prompting the latter to retaliate to prevent himself from falling. The two crashed against each other as they continued to move forward until Hayabusa finally started his Turn.

"My Turn! I overlay my two Rudder Strixes! Fangs of Rebellion from the pitch-black darkness, rise up against the foolish oppression! Descend now! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Hayabusa summoned Dark Rebellion in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone, shocking Canaria, Merag, Nash, and especially Shadow who was its owner.

"Dark Rebellion?!" Merag exclaimed as she was watching from a building with her brother.

"Why does he has Dark Rebellion?!" Nash wondered out loud. They have been looking for the Four Heavenly Dragons, and Shun Kurosaki was holding one of them?!

"Could it be…you're the one who intercepted Apophis when he transported the dragons?!" Shadow questioned.

Hayabusa shook his head in denial, however. "No. It's someone else. I'm working with her at the moment for a reason." He revealed.

"Her? Who do you mean? For what reason?" Shadow questioned more, but Hayabusa decided to make his move at that moment.

"I activate Magic Card: Level Treat! I can treat a Monster on the Field as a Level 5 Monster until the end of this Turn!" Hayabusa treated Cyber Rebellion as Level 5 Monster, allowing him to use Dark Rebellion's effect.

"I activate Dark Rebellion's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can halve the opposing Level 5 or higher Monster's ATK and adds the lost ATK to Dark Rebellion! Treason Discharge!" Hayabusa activated Dark Rebellion's effect, absorbing half of Cyber Rebellion's power into itself, making Dark Rebellion's ATK 3650 while Cyber Rebellion's ATK became 1150.

"Dark Rebellion!" Shadow called out to his dragon. However, to his surprise, his own ace monster also acted the same way as his best friend. First Shun, and now Dark Rebellion. What was happening to his two closest friends?

"Battle! I attack Cyber Rebellion with Dark Rebellion! Revolt of Lightning Disobey!" Hayabusa declared the last Battle Phase. Dark Rebellion, without hesitation, charged at the Link Monster, roaring energetically with its shining fangs pointed towards the opposing dragon.

Shadow glanced at Phantom Fusion. If he use Phantom Fusion and summon his Fusion Monster at this moment, he could win this Duel. He knew that but still…he couldn't use it. When he tried to reach the card, the memories were resurfacing again.

He couldn't do it.

It was impossible for him.

He could never use Fusion Summon…!

Closing his eyes and gritting his teeth in frustration, Shadow removed his hand from the card and instead opened his Reverse Card that he has saved as the last ditch effort.

"Trap, activate! Cross Damage! The battle damage will be inflicted to both of us!" Shadow declared.

The two dragons unleashed their attacks and clashed against each other. The resulting clash caused quite a huge explosion that hit both sides. Shadow and Hayabusa fell from their D-Boards as they were blown away and their LPs were depleted at the same time. They both fell on the ground beneath the Data Storm, writhing in pain while struggling to move their bodies.

 **HAYABUSA LP: 1200 = 0**

 **SHADOW LP: 600 = 0**

Canaria, Merag, and Nash jumped off from their D-Boards and landed near the two. Merag and Nash tended to Shadow, while Canaria rushed to her older brother. She was also worried for Shadow, but at the moment she must be with her brother.

"Brother!" Canaria called out, trying to reach him.

Before she could even touch him. Hayabusa did a somersault, jumping several steps away from his sister. The two were staring at each other for one moment before Hayabusa broke the eye contact and turned his back on her. She didn't need to ask where he was going. He was going to log out.

"Don't go! We have been looking all over for you! Sayaka, Allen, Kaito, everyone is worried about you! Me too… I miss you…! Please come back!" Canaria couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She didn't care about anything at that moment. She just wanted her beloved brother to come back.

Hayabusa's hands were trembling as he listened to his sister's cry. But he clenched it so hard that it seemed it would bleed to stop the trembling. He brought out something from his Duel Disk. It was a rectangle-shaped data. He then threw it to his sister who clumsily caught it, looking confused at her brother and the item in her hands. Hayabusa's hand made a motion as if he wanted to cup her face, but he held it back. He wore back the cold mask he has earlier and turned his back from them again.

"We'll meet again soon." Hayabusa told them before he jumped onto his D-Board, riding on the Data Storm again.

"Brother!" Canaria called out. Shadow, who has regained his strength, stood up and ran to follow Hayabusa in attempt to stop him.

"Shun! Wait, Shun!"

But it was too late. Shadow could do nothing to stop his best friend. He has logged out midair.

 **PARK – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Ruri was sulking, as anyone would say when he saw her now. Shortly after her brother left, she handed the data to Merag and logged out. She quickly ran out from the mansion, running without any particular destination to go. She just wanted to run until she was tired out. She took a rest at a park, sitting on the bench near the playground.

She didn't understand. She couldn't understand her brother she met today. He was almost like a totally different person. He was like a stranger.

"You were here after all."

Ruri looked up to see Aoi and Rio smiling kindly at her. They then took a seat on both her sides.

"I'm sorry for making you worry…" Ruri apologized.

"We understand. Your reaction is normal, Ruri." Aoi patted the younger girl's back to comfort her.

"You don't need to hold it back." Rio assured her student who shook her head.

"No. I already have enough crying. I'm confused right now… I can tell that he is my brother, but yet he is not the same… I almost couldn't recognize him. I can't understand what he is thinking right now…" Ruri admitted, wiping another tear that was forming.

Aoi placed a hand on top of Ruri's. She smiled empathically at the girl. She understood. She used to be in the same position as her. She missed her brother and when the older brother didn't behave the way they expected, they felt lonely, feeling they were being neglected even though that wasn't exactly the case. But when they felt so lonely, their minds sometimes couldn't comprehend it.

"Ruri. I don't know a thing about your brother. But I do know this: your brother still loves you." Aoi told her confidently.

"When you got trapped in the underground prison, he came to save you despite the danger. He held you close to him all the time until we're reunited with Johan-san and Rio-san. You must have felt him, right?" Aoi reminded. The way he held Ruri that time, she knew that the older brother cared for Ruri very much.

Ruri closed her eyes, remembering that time when her brother saved her. She could still feel the warmth and soft touches of her brother when he was carrying her. It felt kind and gentle. That was the older brother whom she loved with all her heart.

"We don't know the reason behind your brother's behavior. But whatever he was doing, he must be thinking it's the best for you. As younger sisters, it's our job to trust our older brothers." Rio told Ruri, helping in wiping her tears with a handkerchief that Ruri accepted gratefully.

"Older brothers can be hard to understand sometimes, but deep inside we knew they never stop loving us, younger sisters." Aoi added.

Ruri slowly smiled. She recalled every precious moment she has with her older brother. All precious memories and love they were sharing. Remembering them, her heart was at ease. That's right. Her brother trusted her, and she trusted him. That would never change. Ruri pulled Rio and Aoi closer to her, smiling brightly.

"…Yes. Thank you, Rio-san, Aoi-san…"

 **ROOFTOP – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD'S HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuto was staring at the sky without any particular reason. His thought was not at the sky or anywhere in the mansion. His mind was thinking about his best friend. For the first time from since he first befriended Shun he didn't know what was on his best friend's mind. This was not only about Shun but also his ace monster, Dark Rebellion. This was the first time his dragon acted so cold towards him. Did this person responsible taking the dragons did something to them? No, his mind quickly decided. He could see it clear that both Shun and Dark Rebellion were in their right mind.

Then why? Why were they doing this?

"Don't think too much for your own sake, Yuto."

Yuto flinched from surprise, snapping him out from his thought. He saw his mentor, Shark, approaching him.

"Don't think any kind of bad things about Shun Kurosaki. Don't jump too quickly into conclusion. If you're his best friend, then trust him." Shark advised his student. He knew exactly what Yuto was thinking, and he must stop him before Yuto lose his trust for his friend without him realizing it.

"But it's unlike usual. I don't understand what he was thinking. Not at all." Yuto admitted. The Shun he met today was like a stranger to him.

"You're his best friend then you should know him best that he is not a kind of person who would do something without a reason." Shark said.

"Yeah. You're right. But…"

"No buts. If you want to understand him so much, try to position yourself in his position. Try to think, why do you want to avoid your own best friend and sister? Why you refuse to tell them anything? Why even though we could have fight together instead you distant yourself from them?" Shark interjected, not giving Yuto a chance to finish his words. He understood both Yuto and Shun's feelings. He knew because he had been in their positions before.

"Try to think about it while gathering all the facts you have. If I were him, I did that because whatever I think I have to do alone is dangerous…most likely too dangerous for the people I care about." Shark said, surprising Yuto.

Yuto knew that feeling. Not wanting to put the people he cares about into danger, distancing himself from them so they won't get involved, that was a common thing to do when the danger was too great. When he mistook Yuzu as Ruri, he stopped her from dueling Sawatari because he didn't want her to get hurt again. He also stopped her from going after Shun to stop her fight against Masumi because he didn't want her to get involved.

"If you understand that now, there should be no reason for you to doubt your best friend. And now, what is your other problem?" Shark asked, changing the subject.

"Huh?"

"You have something else that's bothering you, right?" Shark said. During the Duel, he noticed Yuto was hesitating to use a card. Whatever the card was, he was against using it and opted to use Cross Damage.

"Fusion Summon and Monsters. Until now, I still can't use them. Even though I understand that they were themselves are not bad, I can't help but be reminded of the last war when I almost lost everything. The ones at fault were the ones using Fusion Summoning, but even so part of me is still holding Fusion Summon and Fusion Monsters with contempt…" Yuto revealed, taking out the Fusion Card he has in his pocket pants.

Shark didn't know the full detail about the war that Yuto and the others have experienced, but at least he knew that Yuto was the one who suffered the most in the war. His hometown was destroyed, family and comrades being carded, and many others. It was not strange if Yuto was still holding a grudge against Academia. There was still hatred within Yuto, but he didn't choose that hatred. He chose for the path that will keep the peace. But now he was finally forced to confront this problem. Perhaps this was the true test for him to learn to fully forgive Academia without forgetting what they have done.

"Have you ever conversed with your Fusion Monster?" Shark asked.

"Talk with my…Fusion Monster…?" Yuto blinked. He never thought of that. He was so focused on the Fusion Summoning itself and using Fusion Monster that the thought trying to talk with the Fusion Monster directly never crossed his mind. Shark didn't need to wait for Yuto to speak to know his answer.

"The rest is up to you to figure it our yourself. You better do something quick or you'll shame my position as your mentor." Shark said while taking his leave, giving Yuto a wave of his hand before he descended the stairs.

He hoped what he did could help his student, especially the first problem they talked about. They have different circumstances, but somehow, Yuto and Shun reminded him of himself and Akihiro.

 _"You never acknowledge me as an equal! Inside, you always look down on me! I cannot forgive that! Because of you, I fell into hell!"_

For that reason he won't let Yuto and Shun to end up the same way as he and Akihiro did.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Cyber Magical Swordsman–** Yuya and his friends follow Shun's Intel about the five lieutenants responsible spreading the virus across LINK VRAINS. They encounter the first of the lieutenants, Hyde, the one who created the virus and bugs.

* * *

 **FANFIC ORIGINAL CARD MEMO:**

 _ **PHANTOM KNIGHTS – NAUTILUS CLOUD**_ **:** (WARRIOR / DARK / EFFECT / ATK: 1200 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 5). When you control no monster while your opponent does, you can special summon this card from your hand.

 _ **PHANTOM KNIGHTS – ARGENT FEAR**_ **:** (WARRIOR / DARK / EFFECT / ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 5). When a Phantom Knights Monster is special summoned through its effect, you can special summon this card from your hand.

 _ **PHANTOM KNIGHTS – BLACK PRINTS**_ **:** (WARRIOR / DARK / EFFECT / ATK: 1200 / DEF: 800 / LV: 3). When your opponent activates an effect that will destroy a monster you control, you can discard this card from your hand to negate destruction.

 _ **PHANTOM'S DRUG**_ **:** Negate the destruction of a DARK Monster you control. (Trap Card)

 _ **PHANTOM SILENT ECHO**_ **:** When the ATK and DEF of a monster you control were changed through monster effect during Battle Phase, you can activate this card the moment it was set to negate that effect. (Trap Card)

 _ **PHANTOM LINK**_ **:** When a DARK Monster you control is destroyed by Battle, you can special summon this card as two monsters and perform Link Summon. (Quick-Play Magic)

 _ **DRAGON'S PHANTOM ARMOR**_ **:** Until the end of this Turn, DARK Dragon-Type Monster you control cannot be destroyed by Battle. (Trap Card)

 _ **RAID RAPTORS HATCHLING REMNANTS**_ **:** When an Xyz Raid Raptors Xyz Monster you control is destroyed, you can special summon two Level 4 or lower Raid Raptors from your Graveyard. (Trap Card)

 _ **PHANTOM FUSION**_ **:** During Battle Phase, if a monster you control battle a monster with higher ATK, you can perform Fusion Summon using the targeted monster and this card as Fusion Materials. (Quick-Play Magic)

* * *

 **Finally done! The plot will move more starting the next chapter! Meaning, more actions to come! Before you ask, yes, Akihiro is based on Kyoji Yagumo from ZEXAL manga. However, I will change his backstory to make him different from Yagumo. I hope this chapter showed enough progress for certain characters' development.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter~!**


	38. The Cyber Magical Swordsman

**Big thanks to** _ **Elbarto4000, matrixnis, Citylover96, Unknowedz, Playerhood18, jason, Ulrich362, dvdryms, GamingGuy84, NeoFGD, Ryujomaru15**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **VIRUS CORE – SEWER – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Hyde was staring at the black-colored reverse pyramid surrounded by red bits of data with menacing grin. His eyes were observing every part of the black pyramid – the very source of the virus he had created. He projected a holographic screen that showed the condition above. The virus was spreading at significant rate thanks to the aid of bugs and Servants. Duelists who were present in LINK VRAINS were annihilated and infected by the virus, resulting them to be in state of berserk in real life or in coma. The negative energies from the people who went berserk and the ones around them who were upset by the impact of the virus to the victims provided enough negative energies for his master.

Personally, he didn't really care. His main interest was seeing his project came to fruition. He couldn't wait to see the outcome once the virus completely corrupted LINK VRAINS. Maybe he should extend it to not only LINK VRAINS, but also to the whole network. The current virus won't be enough at the moment, though. Once this was over, he must think of a way to spread the virus further. Who knows what kind of disorder will happen if he infects the whole network with his beloved creation. He couldn't wait. He was so excited.

"You seem to be in a creepily good mood, Hyde." Neon came, amused by the face Hyde was making.

"Miss Neon." Hyde greeted politely. "How is the development of the virus I gave to you?"

"It's great. I can't wait to use it. I've been itching to use it on my target." Neon said, giggling. Out of the five lieutenants, she liked Hyde the most. The man was as twisted as she was, and even more than Geist who often joined her company. She wished their master gave birth to Hyde sooner. They could have discussed lots of...interesting things.

"I knew since the moment we met that the both of us will click in." Hyde replied, pleased by Neon's satisfaction.

"The other lieutenants are on standby in their posts?" Neon asked, not seeing the other four lieutenants.

"Yes. Soon I'll be leaving to stand on my post too. How about you, Miss Neon?" Hyde asked.

"I'm going to stay here a bit longer. You don't need to worry about the core. We'll have watchdogs to protect it." Neon said, eyes glinted sinisterly as she turned behind her. Something came in and seeing them made Hyde's face brightened, impressed.

"How wonderful! I wish I knew you sooner, Miss Neon! I would love to share my research with you!" Hyde said ecstatically.

"The feeling is mutual, Hyde." Neon licked her lips.

A loud sound came from above, causing the place to shake for a few seconds. Neon and Hyde smiled at each other. That was their cue.

The fun time begins now...

 **MEETING ROOM – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD'S HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuno have gathered his personal squad, his compatriots, his descendants, Celica's descendants and guardians, and Yukiya in the meeting room. Celica actually wanted to attend the meeting as well, but she received order from the Emperor for their help in important mission. Shark shared the information given by Shun yesterday that surprisingly contained the layout of the area where the virus and bug activities were highly concentrated. Studying the static and patterns based on the information, they were able to pinpoint the source of the virus and bug. From the layout, they deduced the source was located in the sewer of LINK VRAINS.

However, before they could reach the sewer, similarly as the underground prison that was protected by electrical barrier system, they first must turned off the security system blocking the entrance to the sewer, which was separated into four different locations. That wasn't their only concern, however, as they also must handle the increase in activities of Apophis Servants. Looks like even though Shun has helped in decreasing their numbers, he and whomever he was working with have limitation with the sheer numbers.

"I have discussed this through with the captains and we will form six groups. Group 1 will be Yuya and Yuzu. The two of you will turn off the system at the west barrier." Yuno gestured to the two Pendulum counterparts who nodded, accepting the task.

"Group 2 will be Mai and Serena. Your group will go to the east barrier." Yuno turned to Mai and Serena. Serena nodded and Mai winked at the Oracle while hugging her student, saying the two of them would succeed.

"Group 3 will be Ryo and Yuri. You two will handle the south barrier." Yuno shifted his gaze to the Fusion mentor-student pair. Yuri replied with a confident 'roger' while Ryo simply made a voice of agreement.

"Group 4 will be Kiryu and Rin. You will turn off the north barrier." Yuno moved to the Synchro mentor-student pair who nodded to him.

"Group 5 will be Yugo and Sherry. You will be the ones to go first into the sewer once the barriers have been turned off." Yuno looked at the other Synchro mentor-student pair. Yugo accepted the task as energetically as always, earning him a scold to calm down by Sherry.

Yuno then turned to the rest who he hasn't named. "The rest of you will be in Group 6. You will form a perimeter to stop the Servants from interfering with Group 1 to 5. Make sure no one getting near them. I'll also join once I recover–"

"Not a chance. You will take a rest and leave everything to us. You're still too exhausted from using your vision. And I'm here to make sure you're not going to do anything stupid." Jounouchi interjected, forcing Yuno to sit.

The Oracle finally used his vision and managed to pinpoint Apophis' possible location. He deduced that if they managed to destroy the virus, the path to Apophis' hideout within LINK VRAINS will open. Right after he used it, however, he collapsed. Even now, it was actually difficult for him to speak. Jounouchi knew that if he joined the operation, no one will watch over Yuno and considering the Oracle's personality, they have no doubt Yuno will try to force himself to log in once there was no one to supervise him, so Jounouchi determined not to leave Yuno's side and stop him from doing something stupid. Yuno sighed, reluctantly conceded.

"Yukiya, Lilac, I leave the vaccine to you. Please make it as quickly as possible." Yuno told the two said computer geeks who gave him double thumbs up.

"I wish you all prevail." Yuno said for one last time before closing the final meeting. Jounouchi forced him to sit on wheelchair and pushed him back to his room while the rest were leaving, prepared to log into LINK VRAINS.

"Sorry I can't go with you guys." Yukiya apologized to Yuya. He wanted to go and fight too, but it would be difficult for Lilac alone to create the vaccine. She needed his help.

Yuya shook his head, smiling in assurance. "Don't be hard on yourself. The vaccine is crucial for this operation. Even if we're able to find the core, without the vaccine, it won't work out. So, we're counting on you, Yukiya." He told his grey-haired look-alike.

"Don't die until I bring the vaccine." Yukiya said while extending his fist, offering a bump fists.

"Got it." Yuya replied, bumping his fist to Yukiya's. At that moment then, he suddenly saw a light. And then from the light, he saw a golden figure. A Duel Monster with golden body with Egyptian appearance. When he blinked and shook his head, he only saw Yukiya again, looking at him with confused face.

"What's wrong?" Yukiya asked.

"No. Nothing. See you later!" Yuya said, following the others who have left and dismissed what he saw earlier as just his imagination.

He was unaware that his pendant was glowing dimly.

 **WEST BARRIER – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Phantom logged into LINK VRAINS, landing near the place where he and Yuzu were assigned to go. He frowned at the condition of LINK VRAINS. The once beautiful futuristic scenery was tainted by black spots eating away the city and anything it could. He wasn't surprised no one would want to come to this place again. If this continue...

"We'll restore this place again, Phantom."

Phantom turned to his right side and his eyes' widened. It was Yuzu in her avatar form, Flora Diva. She has lighter pink hair with a light pink blouse, a white skirt with white lining tied with a flower belt and a pink cape with sleeves. Her look was completed with pink gauntlets and boots decorated by floral ribbons. Phantom knew that this wasn't the right time to say this, but it was the first time he saw her avatar, and she was so cute. It was really fitting for her.

"What's wrong? Does my avatar looks weird?" Flora Diva asked, looking at herself.

"N-no. I think...it's cute." Phantom said it without thinking. He clasped his hand to his mouth when he realized what he said. He blushed. Why did he say it out loud?! Didn't he say it to himself this wasn't the right time?!

"T-thank you..." Flora Diva blushed at the compliment.

"L-let's go! We don't have time to waste!" Phantom said quickly before things became awkward between them, pointing at the building where they have located the first barrier system.

They both jumped onto their D-Boards, using the Data Storm to reach the building faster. Flora Diva was having difficulty keeping her balance at first, but with Phantom's advice, she got a hang of it quickly. The building fortunately was not so far away and with the Data Storm, it didn't take a few minutes for them reach the building. They found it, the pillar that was projecting the barrier. Once they disabled it, the first stage of the barrier will be destroyed.

"You're faster than I expected."

As they thought, someone was guarding the pillar. He was a tall, dark-skinned man with dark-brown hair and a stern expression that soon turned crazed. Phantom and Flora Diva paled at his expression. They knew that kind of expression. This man was what they would call mad in every way. They didn't like him one a bit at first sight.

"My name is Hyde. I am the third-rank lieutenant protecting this pillar. I am also the one who created the virus and bugs that were running amok in this place." Hyde introduced himself, amused by the reaction he got from the two teens.

"You're the one who created them?!" Phantom exclaimed.

"That makes it all the more reason for us to defeat you." Flora Diva stated, ready to fight.

"Yes. I have been waiting to use my greatest Deck. I want to see my marvelous creation reach its apex, and I cannot have anyone getting in my way to realize it. I'll annihilate the both of you...no wait, only the girl since His Excellency has ordered me to use you as a bait." Hyde said, setting Flora Diva as his main target to be destroyed.

"That won't happen! We'll defeat you here!" Phantom stated, activating his Duel Disk.

"We'll do Master Duel and players cannot attack on their first Turn to make it fair." Hyde stated, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"My Turn! With Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, I set the Pendulum Scale! With this I can simultaneously summon Level 2 to 7 monsters! Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Create an arc of light across the aether! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my monsters!" Phantom summoned Entermate Odd-Eyes Witch and Entermate Bubble Caster (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 200 / LV: 4) from his hand in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"When Bubble Caster is Special Summoned from hand, I can Special Summon a Magician-Type Monster from my Deck!" Phantom special summoned Entermate Sleight Hand Magician (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Witch's Effect! I can Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster with this card and a Monster on my Field! I Fuse Odd-Eyes Witch and Bubble Caster! Dual-colored eyed witch, become the eyes that lead the orb of the summoner! Fusion Summon! Descend! Magical Swordsman of Astronomy! Astrolabe Paladin (ATK: 2600/ DEF: 1400/ LV: 8)!" Phantom Fusion summoned Astrolabe Paladin in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I end my Turn." Phantom concluded.

"My Turn! As I control no monsters, I can discard a Helix card to Normal Summon Hellix Marmotroll (ATK: 2600/ DEF: ? / LV: 5) without tributing!" Hyde summoned Hellix Marmotroll in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I end my Turn." Hyde concluded.

"My Turn! With Scale 2 Astrid the Melodious Diva and Scale 8 Ella the Melodious Maestra, I Set the Pendulum Scale! With this I can simultaneously Summon Level 3 to 7 Monsters! Pendulum Summon! Appear!" Flora Diva summoned 2 Monsters to her Field that consisted of Soprano the Melodious Songstress (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4) and Canon the Melodious Diva (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 2200 / LV: 4).

"Appear, the circuit of our harmony!" Flora Diva opened the Link Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is one Melodious Monster! I set Canon the Melodious Diva and Soprano the Melodious Songstress in the Link Marker! Circuit Combine!" Yuzu set Canon on the Right arrow while Soprano on the Left arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Prodigy Stradivarius the Floral Melodious Maestra (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / LM: Right, Left)!" Flora Diva summoned her Link Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Flower Link! I can change a Link Marker of a Link Monster's position to one of the bottom markers!" Flora Diva changed Prodigy Stradivarius' Right Arrow to Bottom Arrow.

"I activate Prodigy Stradivarius' effect! On the Turn this card is Link Summoned, I can special summon a Melodious Monster to the zone pointed by its Link Arrow from my hand but it cannot attack this Turn!" Flora Diva summoned Aria the Melodious Diva (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4) in the zone pointed by the Bottom Arrow.

"I end my Turn." Flora Diva concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Magician's Chronicle! Until the end of this Turn, all Magician-Type Monster I control gains 300 ATK!" Phantom increased Astrolabe Paladin's ATK to 2900 and Sleight Hand Magician's ATK to 2800.

"Battle! I attack Hellix Marmotroll with Astrolabe Paladin! Triangular Space!" Phantom declared attack with his paladin. Astrolabe Paladin moved staff, causing the already space to formed into small pyramid-shaped terrain. Hellix Marmotroll roared in pain as the gravity only around it became heavier, causing the monster to collapsed together with the floor beneath it.

"Hellix Marmotroll's effect! Once per turn, I take no battle damage involving this card." Hyde revealed as Marmotroll was destroyed.

"Next, I attack directly with Sleight Hand Magician!" Phantom proceeded with his attack. Sleight Hand Magician strikes the Apophis Duelist with a palm strike, pushing him back.

 **HYDE LP: 4000 = 1200**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Phantom concluded. He eyed Hyde. "You spread the virus like this...looks like Apophis' soul is inside LINK VRAINS as we suspected."

Hyde raised a brow. "Oh? You've figured that out? I'm impressed." He mockingly applaused.

"But do you really need to spread this much virus just to hide hime?" Phantom questioned.

"No. Not necessarily, but His Excellency needs negative energies to recover the power he had lost. At the very least, he'll gain enough power to materialize and look for the Four Heavenly Dragons himself." Hyde revealed.

"Negative energies?" Flora Diva repeated in question.

"Sadness, anger, disgust, despair, and any of the sort that comes from humans. They are negative energies that replenish His Excellency's power. You haven't forgotten that he was born from those very emotions of humans, haven't you?" Hyde explained, reminding of what Yuno and Celica had told them before.

"You...you're making people suffer for that reason?" Flora Diva hissed, her anger spiking.

"That is just the law of nature. The survival for the fittest." Hyde simply replied.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Graveyard Incubation! I can Special Summon 2 Hellix monsters with the same name from my Graveyard with their effects negated and their ATK and DEF reduced to 0." Hyde special summoned two copies of Marmotroll in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Arrowhead Confirmed! The summoning condition is 2 Hellix monsters. I set my two Marmotrolls in the Link Markers! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Hellix Gothiclone (ATK: 0 / LINK: 2 / LM: Top, Bottom)!" Hyde summoned Gothiclone in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"As there's a Link Monster on the Field, I can summon Hellix Dreadrat (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 5) without releasing from my hand!" Hyde summoned Dreadrat in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack Astrolabe Paladin with Hellix Gothiclone!" Gothiclone moved forward, surprising Phantom and Flora Diva as the Hellix Monster has 0 ATK.

"At this moment, Gothiclone's effect activates! Its ATK becomes equal to the monster it is battling until the End Phase, while its other effect prevents itself from being destroyed by battle once per turn!" Hyde revealed, changing Gothiclone's ATK equal to Astrolabe Paladin's 2600. Gothiclone and Astrolabe Paladin clashed fiercely against each other. However, as they were equally strong, they soon got blown away by the clash with Astrolabe Paladin disappeared while the Hellix Monster remained standing due to its effect.

"As Gothiclone was not destroyed by battle as a result of its effect, I can activate its last effect! By releasing a monster next to its Link Marker, I can inflict damage to the opposing player equal to the released monster's ATK!" Hyde released Dreadrat, inflicting its ATK as effect damage to Phantom.

 **PHANTOM LP: 4000 = 2800**

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Hyde finished.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack Hellix Gothiclone with Prodigy Stradivarius!" Flora Diva immediately declared battle.

"I activate Prodigy Stradivarius' effect! When there's a Monster pointed by its Link Marker, it cannot be destroyed by Special Summoned Monsters and any destruction and Battle Damage involving this card is inflicted to the opponent instead!" Prodigy Stradivarius played its violin, creating soundwaves that cleared the dark atmosphere inside the room.

"Trap Card: Regeneration Cure! When my opponent activates a card or effect that would inflict damage to me, I can make that damage 0 and special summon 1 Hellix Token (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)!" Hyde negated Prodigy Stradivarius' effect, resulting him not taking any damage nor his monster was destroyed due to its effect.

"Also, I activate the second Trap Card: Hellix Cure! I can add the damage that was negated involving Hellix monster into my LP and that Hellix Monster cannot be destroyed until the end of this Turn."

 **HYDE LP: 1500 = 3500**

"Ugh..." Flora Diva made a voice of disappointment. Even if she attacks with Aria supported by her Quick-Play Spell she has in her hand, Hyde will just use Gothiclone's effect to negate Aria's effect damage and from his face, he seemed he was waiting for her to attack. She wouldn't do that for now.

"I end my Turn." Flora Diva finished.

"My Turn! With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Appear!" Phantom summoned Entermate Odd-Eyes Lilipath in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone from his hand.

"Odd-Eyes Lilipath can be treated as two monsters! Come forth! The circuit of entertainment that enlightened the future!" Phantom used Odd-Eyes Lilipath and Astrolabe Paladin to open the Link Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 1 Odd-Eyes monster! I set Odd-Eyes Lilipath treated as 2 monsters and Astrolabe Paladin on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Phantom set Astrolabe Paladin on the Top Arrow while Odd-Eyes Lilipath was on the Bottom and Right Arrows.

"Link Summon! Link 3! Cyber-Eyes Dragon (ATK: 2300 / LINK: 3 / LM: Top, Bottom, Right)!" Phantom summoned Cyber-Eyes in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone, replacing Astrolabe Paladin.

"Battle! I attack Hellix Token with Cyber-Eyes Dragon!" Phantom declared attack. Cyber-Eyes Dragon spread its wings, the orbs around its body produced white electrical circles that starting to form white spiraling energy sphere. Cyber-Eyes' dichromatic eyes glinted as it shot the sphere.

"Hellix Cure's effect! I can banish it from Graveyard to negate destruction of Hellix Monster I control until the end of this Turn and change its Battle Position!" Hyde changed Hellix Token into Defense Position, allowing it to survive against Cyber-Eyes' blast. As it was in Defense, Hyde didn't receive any damage.

"Tsk...! I set a card and end my Turn." Phantom concluded, clicking his tongue.

"My Turn! I activate Dreadrat's effect in the Graveyard! I can special summon it but it is excluded when it leaves the Field." Hyde summoned Dreadrat in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone, and immediately opened the Link Circuit.

"I set Dreadrat and Hellix Token on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Link 2! Hellix Necro Darwin (ATK: 1800 / LINK: 2 / LM: Left, Top)!" Hyde summoned Necro Darwin in Attack Position in the zone pointed by Gothiclone's Link Marker.

"Trap Card: Entermate's Magical Gloves! When my opponent special summoned a monster while I control Entermate Monster, I can inflict damage equal to that monster's ATK!" Phantom opened his Reverse Card he set in the previous Turn. A pair of red gloves appeared and formed a fist before going towards Hyde.

"Hellix Necro Darwin's effect. While this card is co-linked, monsters my opponent controls cannot attack this card. When my opponent activates a card or effect that would inflict damage to me, I can make that damage 0, then this card's ATK becomes double its current ATK until the end of this turn." Hyde revealed, destroying the pair of gloves coming at him and doubled Necro Darwin's ATK to 3600.

"Battle! I attack Aria with Hellix Necro Darwin!" Hyde pointed at the weakest Monster on the Field. Plus, Flora Diva was his main target to be annihilated in this Duel. Necro Darwin strikes the Melodious Monster, destroying it.

 **FLORA DIVA LP: 4000 = 2800**

"Next, I attack Prodigy Stradivarius with Gothiclone!" Hyde moved on to the next Melodious Monster.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Hellix Corruption! When a Hellix Monster attacks, the opposing monster's effect is negated!" Hyde activated the card from his hand, sealing Prodigy Stradivarius' effect.

"I activate Hellix Necro Darwin in the Graveyard! I special summon it to a zone a Link Monster I control next to the link." Hyde special summoned it to the Bottom next to the link of Hellix Gothiclone.

"As a Link Monster was Special Summoned from the Graveyard, I activate Magic Card: Preserve Species to halve the ATK of one of my opponent's monster and inflict damage equal to half of my opponent's LP." Hyde pointed at Phantom's Cyber-Eyes, halving its ATK to 1150 and halved Phantom's LP.

 **PHANTOM LP: 2800 = 1400**

"I end my Turn. How is it? Aren't my monsters and cards wonderful? They are cards that I created myself and then imbued with His Excellency's power! With this combo, the two of you won't stand a chance!" Hyde laughed madly, looking at his monsters with dreadful delight. Phantom felt even more disgusted by this person. By far, he was the Apophis Duelist he couldn't stand of.

But as much as he hated to admit it, Hyde was right. At the moment, neither he nor Flora Diva could do anything. They must break his combo somehow. But how? What could they do at this situation... It was then, Phantom saw it again. The light and the Egyptian figure.

And somehow, against all odds, the entire area stopped. Phantom heaved in heavy gulps of air as his vision returned back to LINK VRAINS. Flora Diva and Hyde, even their monsters' eyes were on him, as though he had them under some kind of spell. Their faces were pale, muscles trembled. Phantom's head pulsed.

"Phantom," Flora Diva whispered. "You're…you're glowing."

Phantom blinked. He raised one hand up, and sure enough, beneath his skin, there was a soft, golden glow. The figure appeared again. As the figure came closer, it raised its hand until its palm was in front of him. When its fingers touched his forehead, he saw it. He saw the silhouette of a humanoid monster. His pendant started glowing again, and light also came from inside his Extra Deck.

"Flora Diva, leave this to me!" Phantom suddenly said, startling the girl.

"Huh?"

"Just trust me! I know how to defeat him!" He said. He has heard the voice. He knew what he needed to do. He was forever grateful that Flora Diva trusted him and skip her Turn, simply drawing a card and ended her move with that.

"I'll say this, Hyde; this will be your end!" Phantom stated as he raised his arm up.

"Appear! The circuit of entertainment that enlightened the future!" He opened the Link Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is 1 Magician-Type Monster! I set Cyber-Eyes Dragon and Entermate Sleight Hand Magician on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Phantom set Cyber-Eyes Dragon on the Top, Bottom-Right, and Left Link Markers while Sleight Hand Magician on the Upper-Left Link Markers.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Decipher Paladin (ATK: 2400 / LINK: 4 / LM: Top, Bottom-Right, Left, Upper-Left)!" Phantom summoned a new paladin. It has a short spiky blond hair with a scar underneath its left eye. It wears a form-fitting black shirt with a small, white, collared vest and finger-less gloves. It was also carrying gunblade as its weapon.

"This power coming from you...! Impossible!" Hyde took a step back in disbelieve. He recognized that power all too well. It was the same power that sealed them away 1,500 years ago.

"I activate Decipher Paladin's effect! On the Turn this card is Link Summoned, I can special summon a Magician-Type Monster from Graveyard next to its Link Marker!" Phantom summoned back Sleight Hand Magician in Attack Position.

"I activate Sleight Hand Magician's effect! By discard a card, I can destroy a monster my opponent controls!" Phantom discarded a card from his hand and pointed at Gothiclone, removing it from the Field.

"What?!" Hyde exclaimed as his first Link Monster was destroyed, leaving him only with Necro Darwin.

"Battle! I attack Hellix Necro Darwin with Sleight Hand Magician!" Phantom made his first attack with his Entermate Monster. Sleight Hand Magician's body was covered in red energy as it delivered the Hellix Monster with repeated palm strikes, destroying the Hellix Monster

 **HYDE LP: 3500 = 2800**

"Now, the finale! I attack directly with Decipher Paladin!" Phantom declared his decisive attack.

Using the paladin's final effect, Phantom increased its ATK by 400 for every monster pointed by its Link Marker. As Sleight Hand Magician was pointed, its ATK was increased to 2800, precisely the same as Hyde's remaining LP. Decipher Paladin first shot Hyde twice, pushing him back against the pillar. Decipher Paladin then changed its gun into sword. Dashing forward, its body was covered in golden light and slashed the Apophis Servant together with the pillar, ending him for good and disabled the barrier.

 **HYDE LP: 2800 = 0**

Hyde wobbled backward, crumbling down on his back. His entire body slowly turned black, from feet to his head. His body was trembling and he writhing in pain, which shocked Phantom and Flora Diva. This was the first to ever happen. Before, when they defeated Apophis Duelist, nothing like this happened. Why now...he looked dying? What exactly happened?

"You...!" Hyde stared wide eyed, close to horror, towards Phantom. "How...did you...possess...that power...?"

"What power?" Phantom asked, not understanding what he meant.

"That power...! That abominable power...of the light...! The power...of...Ma'at...!" Hyde's eyes bulge and the blood leak from his mouth. His body dissipate like a smoke, not leaving a single trace of his existence. And both Phantom and Flora Diva meant that literally it was like...Hyde has truly died. They thought it won't be possible since they were online, but somehow their intuitions were strongly saying otherwise.

Phantom and Flora Diva looked at each other, confusion on both their faces.

What just happened?

 **HIDEOUT – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Apophis roared. His movement grew restless as he started destroying his surrounding, but not enough to destroy the entire place. The human who was standing near him dodged his attacks until the dragon calmed down. Even though he looked calm, the human was also a bit worried. He glanced up at the dragon. He only knew one thing that could make the dragon this restless.

"I sensed it...! I sensed his power...!"

Apophis roared again, its voice echoed throughout the whole place. He looked up, eyes burning in rage as he sensed the very presence he detested.

"Ma'at...! So you've begun to make your move...!"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Bonds of Past & Present – **Yuri and Ryo encounter the second lieutenant, Achille. Meanwhile, Serena and Mai encounter Shiki who are guarding the south barrier that blocking the entrance to the source of the virus.

* * *

 **Finally finished with this chapter. Sorry that this chapter was shorter than usual though. For Yuzu's VR name, I originally wanted to give her a singer, composer, and those kinds of names like her Deck, but I also want to include her En Flower theme like the others whose name also include their En cards themes. And that's why, this become...possibly her temporary VR name unless I find better name for her.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	39. The Bonds of Past & Present

**Big thanks to _Elbarto4000, Ryujomaru15, Big duels, Playerhood18, Unknowedz, dvdryms, Ulrich362, GamingGuy84, NeoFGD, girdltr, ThePLOTHand_ for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **EAST – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Serena as her avatar, Artemis, together with her mentor Mai, arrived in LINK VRAINS, landing right on their D-Boards and immediately made their way to where the East Pillar was. Artemis glanced at Mai's avatar. Mai was still herself in real life, but her outfit was different from the one she usually wore. She was wearing a black leather vest and mini-skirt and wore a tube top with the front closed. Mai, on the other hand, glanced at her student, noticing a new ribbon similar with the new one she has in real life that wasn't there before.

"Where did you get that ribbon, Artemis? That's the replacement of the one that you lost, right? Where did you buy it? You seem to like it so much that you add it into your avatar." Mai asked curiously. Serena once said that she wasn't really interested in buying a new ribbon after she lost the last one, but then suddenly she was wearing a new much prettier ribbon.

"I didn't buy it. This is from Yuri." Artemis revealed while touching the ribbon briefly.

Mai blinked and blinked and then she stared at Artemis for a few long seconds before she leaned closer and nearly hit her D-Board with her student's.

"What?! When?! Where?!" Mai asked, startling Artemis who nearly fell from her D-Baord.

"A-at the palace before he went back to Den City after the meeting." Artemis answered, still quite startled by Mai's sudden reaction.

"Heh…Yuri is bolder than I thought." Mai grinned sneakily while cupping her chin in thought. "So? How did he give it to you?! Tell me more!"

"He just gave it to me and left. He did leave it with a letter, but I don't think it's something big." Artemis replied, revealing the content of the letter to Mai who was listening so intently, much to the younger girl's confusion. Why was he so adamant asking about this?

"I see…I guess this is what people calls a tsundere type… He is cuter than he appears to be." Mai mumbled, gaining newfound interest in Yuri.

"What did you say?" Artemis asked, not hearing the mumble.

"Nothing. Anyway, this means both of you have made up, right?" Mai quickly changed the subject.

"Yeah. I guess so. But…" Artemis looked down. "He is still hiding something from me. It's something that he must share with someone, but he doesn't want to… I wonder when he will learn to lean on me even just a little bit."

Mai made an understanding sound. Just in case, she had asked Ryo what was bothering Yuri. She figured he might know since he was the boy's mentor. Ryo didn't make a clear answer as he wanted to respect Yuri's feeling and privacy, but she got the underlying message and pretty much sum up what was bothering the Fusion boy. She knew that this wasn't her place to interfere. To help both Serena and Yuri, the two must do this together and realize it.

"In that case, you'll have to proceed to the second option." Mai suggested.

"What's this second option?"

"Don't concern yourself with his intentions, even if they are not completely consistent with yours. Do your best to focus on honoring your own intentions instead. Be proactive by getting yourself centered, grounded, and open, with a willingness to listen deeply to your partner's spoken words—and underlying feelings." Mai told her student. This was something she has learned from her times with Celica. The Imperial Adviser did just that to open her heart. She was forever grateful to Celica for that.

"To put it simply, make him talk without making him feel uncomfortable?" Artemis summarized what she thought from what Mai told her.

"Exactly." Mai confirmed.

Seeing the designated building, the two jumped off from their D-Boards. They saw it. The pillar that was projecting the barrier. And as they have expected, someone was guarding the pillar. Artemis twitched when she saw the person. She knew him. There was no way she would forgot the guy who nearly drowned her to death.

"Hello, Artemis-chan." Shiki greeted, waving a hand at the said girl.

"You have some nerve to casually greet me after nearly killing me." Artemis replied coldly.

"That was an accident! I didn't know that attack would make you fall! Blame the weather!" Shiki defended himself.

"Boy, if you can be so kind, would you mind move away from the pillar? Or better yet, deactivate the barrier. It'll make it easier for the both of us." Mai told Shiki, taking a step forward with an arm in front of Artemis.

"As much as I want to say yes to two beautiful ladies, His Excellency's order is absolute. I would prefer if you just go back home and never get in our way again." Shiki replied, winking at them.

"You wish." Artemis activated her Duel Disk, followed by Mai.

"No harm in wishing." Shiki shrugged, also activating his Duel Disk.

"Let's use the old Duel rules. You're fine with that, right?" Shiki suggested.

"No problem." Artemis accepted, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I activate Field Spell: Fortissimo the Mobile Fortress." Shiki changed their surrounding area with his Field Spell. A huge machine fortress appeared, blocking the barrier pillar with Shiki standing on the top, looming over the two girls from above.

"This wasn't in his Deck before." Artemis said as she looked at the fortress.

"This is the new power that His Excellency has granted to us." Shiki replied before continuing his Turn.

"Now once per Turn, the Turn player, during their Main Phase, can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Machine-Type monster from their hand. During each End Phase, if the turn player does not control a face-up Machine-Type monster, they take 100 damage." Shiki then activated the first effect of the Field Spell to Special Summon Machine Imperial Soldier Wisel Ein (ATK: 1800/ DEF: 0 / LV: 4) in Attack Position.

"Next I summon Machine Imperial Soldier Skiel Ein (ATK: 1200/ DEF: 1000 / LV: 4)." Shiki summoned Skiel Ein in Attack Position.

"I set 3 cards and end my Turn." Shiki concluded.

"My Turn! Using the Scale 1 Moonlight Wolf and the Scale 5 Moonlight Tiger in my hand, I set the Pendulum Scale! With this, I can simultaneously summon monsters from Level 2 to 4! Pendulum Summon! Come forth, my monsters!" Artemis summoned Moonlight Black Sheep and Moonlight Purple Butterfly in Attack Position.

"Appear, the circuit that lights up the darkness!" Artemis opened the Link Circuit.

"Arrowhead Confirmed! The summoning condition is two Moonlight monsters! I set Moonlight Black Sheep and Moonlight Purple Butterfly on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Artemis set Black Sheep on the Right Arrow and Purple Butterfly on the Bottom Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Moonlight Caracal Dancer (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / LM: Right, Bottom)!" Artemis summoned Caracal Dancer in Attack Position. It has two, braided pigtails, which imitate the shape of a jester's hat, and its hair possess three colors — white and two shades of purple. Its outfit was richly ornamented with tiny representations of caracal skulls. It was carrying a bladed hula hoop.

"I Set 1 card and end my Turn!" Artemis concluded. Due to Mobile Fortress' effect, as she didn't summon Machine-Type Monster, she received 100 damage at the end of her turn. One of the cannons from the fortress opened a fire laser, sending her on her back.

 **ARTEMIS LP: 4000 = 3900**

"My Turn! I summon Harpie Lady 1 (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4)!" Mai summoned Harpie Lady 1 in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Continuous Trap: Level Cannon! Now when a player normal summons a monster, the controller of the summoned monster will take damage equal to the summoned monster's Level times 200." Shiki opened his first Reverse Card, taking out a cannon that shot a blast at Mai, pushing her back.

 **MAI LP: 4000 = 3200**

"I activate Equip-Spell: Cyber Bondage! I increase Harpie Lady's ATK and DEF by 500!" Mai increased Harpie Lady's ATK to 1800 and DEF to 1900.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Mai concluded. Following the end of her Turn, another one of the fortress' cannon shot a laser at her, sending her on her back as she took damage.

 **MAI LP: 3200 = 3100**

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Aurora Draw!" Shiki drew two cards and took one of them to use.

"I summon Machine Imperial Soldier Granel. (ATK: 1600/ DEF: 1200 / LV: 4)." Shiki summoned Granel in Attack Position.

SHIKI LP: 4000 = 3200

"I activate Granel's effect to halve the ATK of your monster!" Shiki pointed at Caracal Dancer, going to lower its ATK to 1000, but just as he did so, he pointed at his other face down card.

"And then I activate Continuous Trap: Power Gravity! I equip this card to a face-up monster when a monster my opponent controls would gain or lose ATK. The ATK of my opponent's monster becomes 0, instead. The equipped monster gains ATK equal to the amount of ATK my opponent's monster would have gained or lost." Shiki equipped the card to Wisel Ein, and then reduced Caracal Dancer's ATK to nothing while also increased Wisel Ein's ATK to 2800.

"Battle! I attack Moonlight Caracal Dancer with Wisel Ein!" Shiki declared attack at the Moonlight Link Monster. Wisel Ein made a shot with its arm gun, shooting a crimson laser.

"Caracal Dancer's effect! It cannot be destroyed by Battle twice per Turn!" Artemis revealed as Caracal Dancer formed a barrier with energies from its own body while crossing its arms in front of it.

"But you'll still take damage!" Shiki reminded as Caracal Dancer was struck by the laser, causing it to kneel but still remained on the Field.

 **ARTEMIS LP: 3900 = 1100**

"Next I attack with Skiel Ein!" Shiki continued with his second attack. Skiel Ein dashed down to strike the kneeling Caracal Dancer, but then Artemis opened her Reverse Card.

"Trap Card: Moonlight Delusion! Until the end of this Turn, I can discard a Moonlight Monster from my hand to reduce the damage I would take to 0!" Artemis discarded Moonlight White Rabbit from her hand to prevent the finishing blow from depleting her LP. Due to Caracal Dancer's effect, it still remained on the Field. Shiki saw no merit in furthering his attack and decided to end his Battle Phase right there.

"I activate Continuous Magic: Lock-On Laser. Now whenever my opponents set a Spell or Trap Card, they will take 200 damage." Shiki opened his third Reverse Card.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Shiki finished. Since Wisel Ein has attacked, Power Gravity was destroyed and Wisel Ein and Caracal Dancer's ATKs returned to normal.

"I don't like you bullying my student there, boy. Is this big sis not enough for you?" Mai stepped in front of Artemis protectively, displeased with the Apophis Duelist kept targeting her student.

"No offense, but I'm not into older girls. I prefer the ones like Artemis-chan." Shiki admitted casually, causing Artemis to look at him skeptically with a tinge of blush on her cheeks before she shook it away. This was not the time to be flustered.

"In that case, I'll give you a special service that your body will always remember. My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Moon Springs! I can special summon a Level 4 or lower Moonlight Monster from my Deck!" Artemis summoned Moonlight Cat Dancer (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4) in Attack Position from her Deck.

"I activate Blue Cat's effect! When it was special summoned, I can double the ATK of a Moonlight Monster I control!" Artemis doubled Caracal Dancer's ATK to 4000.

"Battle! I attack Wisel Ein with Caracal Dancer!" Artemis declared attack. Caracal Dancer threw its ring blade at Wisel Ein like a boomerang. However, before the blade could connect, Shiki opened his last Reverse Card.

"Continuous Trap: Machine Imperial Shield C! Once per Turn, each of Machine Imperial monsters I control cannot be destroyed by Battle and the damage is reduced to 0!" Wisel Ein stopped the blade with its hand and threw it back at Caracal Dancer who caught it effortlessly while looking displeased by Wisel Ein's survival.

"Tsk. I end my Turn." Artemis concluded, reverting Caracal Dancer's ATK to normal. She then received another 100 damage from the fortress as she didn't summon any Machine-Type Monster.

 **ARTEMIS LP: 1100 = 1000**

"My Turn! I summon Harpie Lady 2 (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4)!" Mai summoned Harpie Lady 2 in Attack Position. Due to Shiki's Spell, Mai received 800 damage for normal summoning.

 **MAI LP: 3100 = 2200**

"I activate Magic Card: Dual Summon! I can perform Normal Summon one more time!" Mai summoned Harpie Lady 3 (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4) in Attack Position, receiving another 100 damage.

 **MAI LP: 2200 = 1400**

"You're okay?" Artemis asked in concern at her mentor's form who was standing weakly due to the two consecutive laser shots. Mai merely smiled at her before turning to Shiki again.

"I activate Harpie Lady 1's effect! All WIND Monster gains 300 ATK!" Mai increased Harpie Lady 1's ATK to 2100 while Harpie Lady 2 and 3's ATKs were increased to 1600.

"Each of your monsters can only avoid destruction and damage once per Turn. I have 3 monsters, so I just need to focus on one monster to inflict damage!" Mai pointed at Shiki's weakest monster he was controlling, directing all her three Harpie Ladies to it.

"Battle! I attack Granel Ein with my Harpie Ladies!" Mai declared as her Harpie Ladies flew towards the Machine Imperial Monster. Even though it couldn't be destroyed, Shiki would still take considerable damage.

"You think I'm not prepared for that?" Shiki smiled in respond as he revealed a card in his hand.

"I activate Oreichalcos Kyutora's effect from my hand! I pay 500 LP to special summon it. While this card is face-up on the Field, all Battle Damage I take from battles involving monsters I control becomes 0!" Shiki summoned his Oreichalcos monster from his hand, placing it in the Magic & Trap Zone due to its effect.

 **SHIKI LP: 4000 = 3500**

The three Harpie Ladies attacked, clawing Granel, but Shiki's Spell Card combined with Kyutora's effect made their attacks ineffective in any way.

"It's that annoying troublesome monster. We have to destroy his three monsters first if we want to destroy Kyutora." Artemis told Mai. She and Yuri had quite difficulty against Shiki before due to Kyutora's effect.

"Or we have to find another way to inflict damage to him." Mai voiced a second option before she set a card and ended her Turn, receiving the fortress' laser again that she barely dodged this time.

 **MAI LP: 1400 = 1300**

"I don't want to hurt any of you any longer than this, so I'll end one of you in this turn and then the next one in my next Turn. Don't worry. I'll try to be as gentle as I can." Shiki assured the two girls who didn't take his words lightly.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Boon of the Machine Emperor!" Shiki subsequently activated it to draw three cards as he was controlling three Machine Imperial monsters.

"As I control at least 3 Machine Imperial monsters, I can Special Summon Machine Imperial God Dragon Asterisk (ATK: 0/ DEF: 0 / LV: 10)!" He summoned it in Attack Position. The effect of Level Cannon activated following this move, however the effect of Skiel Ein nullified the damage due to the damage being at least 1000. Due to the first effect of Dragon Asterisk, it gained ATK equal to the combined ATK of all Attack Position Machine-type monsters he was controlling, making its current ATK 4600.

"Battle! I attack Moonlight Blue Cat with Dragon Asterisk! You're going first, Artemis-chan!" Shiki pointed at Blue Cat. Dragon Asterisk shot burst of yellow blast.

Blue Cat and Caracal Dancer stood in front of Artemis, ready to protect their master from the incoming laser. Artemis didn't have any card that could stand against the attack and she was ready to accept her fate until she her vision darkened by shadows of a silhouette. She looked up to see Harpie Lady 1 floating in front of her and her monsters.

"Trap Card: Harpie Protection! I can direct the attack to a Harpie Lady monster I control and halve the damage!" Mai declared, opening her Reverse Card. Harpie Lady 1 endured the laser, making sure Artemis and her monsters were not harmed. Due to the Trap's effect, Harpie Lady 1 was able to endure the laser blast, though it burned part of its wings that it needed to be helped by its sisters.

 **MAI LP: 1300 = 50**

"I end my Turn." Shiki concluded.

"Mai! Are you okay?!" Artemis rushed to her mentor, carefully checking her condition. Her body was full of bruises even worse than when the fortress' effect took place.

"I'm sorry. I didn't prepare anything for the attack..." Artemis apologized and was ready to say more, but then Mai placed a finger on the girl's lips, silencing her.

"Don't apologize at the time like this. It's a sign of witness. Besides, it's my duty as your mentor." Mai said as she stood up, helped by Artemis.

She looked at her three Harpie Ladies and Artemis' monsters, reassessing the situation again. Due to Kyutora's effect any battle damage involving Shiki's monsters will be reduced to 0. And his monsters couldn't be destroyed due to his Spell's effects. The only way to defeat Shiki was either first destroying his Spells and Traps, inflicting effect damage, or attacking him directly.

Unfortunately, neither she nor Artemis have the cards to destroy the Spell and Trap. The same also goes for inflicting effect damage. The only option was...

Mai went still as she remembered Celica.

 **A YEAR AGO – PALACE – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

An 18-years-old Mai Kujaku was accompanied by two unique people who had took her quite forcefully from the casino and pushed her into a limo. The person on her right side was a red-haired man with strange tattoo all over his face and wearing traditional Korean robe. Ever since she met this man, she felt unnerved by the mere presence of him by her side. The person on her left side was a young woman with long blue hair and wearing black Chinese dress, long black stockings and long black gloves. She gave him this amused look throughout their way until they arrived at the palace.

They are Imperial soldiers? Why did they take me here? Those were the question she had repeated in her mind ever since she was dragged by the two. She had just lost against a young girl who somehow managed to sneak into the casino and figured out her aroma trickery like flipping the back of a hand and then defeated her swiftly. The little girl won a huge amount of money, but yet she didn't take it. Curiously, the girl said she came because she just wanted to duel against her. Not even a minute afterwards, these two people came and drag her out.

Back to the present, again, she asked herself why she was taken here? She looked around the expensive furniture around her. There was no mistaken that she was in the Cantidel Palace. She couldn't believe she could ever step foot in the palace. Was she dreaming? Maybe she somehow got drunk?

"If you're wondering if this is a dream, no, this is reality."

Mai turned to where the voice came from. At the top of the stairs, a girl in blue dress was looking at her with such serene welcoming smile that almost reminded her of her deceased mother. The two people beside her immediately straightened themselves as they faced the girl. Whoever this girl was, she must be of a royal bloodline since she was in the palace.

"What do you want from me?" Mai asked. She has been eager to ask the question.

Instead of the girl who descended the stairs to approach her, the woman on her left side was the one who answered her question. "Lady Celica wants you to join her. We've looked up into your personal history. You've made quite lot of reputation with your Dueling. Your skill is needed by Lady Celica, the Imperial Adviser."

Mai blinked before turning to the blond-haired girl with wide-eyes. This girl was the Imperial Adviser? The legendary Duelist who sealed Apophis together with The Oracle 1,500 years ago? This little girl? They were surely jesting, right? There was no way a little girl like this was a thousand years old granny! As soon as she thought so, the man beside her jab her side, motioning her to show some respect. The girl was giggling then.

"Despite my appearance, yes, I am the Imperial Adviser. Apophis had regressed my body to that of 15 years old girl and I had stopped aging since then." The girl, Celica, revealed.

"She is a real deal? Seriously?" Mai was still having difficulty to believe it. She decided to push aside this question and focused on the matter at hand.

"Anyway, are you sure you're asking me to work for you? If you have checked my personal history until recently, then you should've known that I'm not really what people call a 'clean person' and I am of common birth. Why would you pick-"

"I don't care." Celica interjected.

"I acknowledge those who are competent be they commoners or nobles. Limiting myself to social status would never develop this country to the better." Celica said and then she took out a card, extending it to Mai.

Mai just looked at the card extended by the girl with concealed surprise as the girl continues.

"I wish to protect this dimension and for the people of this country to understand one another. For that, I need your strength, Miss Mai Kujaku."

 **PRESENT TIME – EAST – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"That's right. That card. With my current monsters and Artemis' monsters, I can do it." Mai smiled slyly. Revenge Time.

"Artemis-chan, skip your Turn, please." Mai told her student, confusing her.

"What? Why should I?" Artemis obviously asked, frowning.

"I have a plan. Just do as your mentor told you to do." Mai said with her sweet tone that Artemis knew all too well that means trouble. She didn't know what Mai was planning, but whenever Mai was making that face, it won't be good for her opponent, and in this case, Shiki, which means it would be good for them.

"I end my Turn." Artemis relented, simply drawing a card and ended her Turn.

"Now, I'll show you the power that I gained from countless times dueling against Celica!" Mai declared. Ever since she joined Celica's group, the Imperial Adviser often trained together with her and the rest of the guardians. Shiki was strong, but compared to Celica, he was still no match. Dueling against Celica was harder than this. All she needed was to remember that, and everything seemed easier to her.

"I Overlay my three Harpie Ladies! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Harpie's Pet Mirage Dragon (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 2500 / RNK: 3 / ORU: 3)!" Mai summoned her Xyz Monster in Attack Position, surprising Artemis and Shiki. Mai made smile of victory in her mind. She only used this card in rare occasions. Not everyone knew she has this card. She didn't even tell Serena nor used it in their trainings. She has always liked to surprise people like this.

"That monster is nothing against my Arsterisk Dragon." Shiki replied calmly, snapping out from his stupor.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. My only target is you, boy." Mai winked while pointing at Shiki, confusing the latter. What could she possible do with that monster?

"Harpie's Pet Mirage Dragon can attack player directly when it has Overlay Units!" Mai revealed, extending her arm at Shiki. "Battle! Go, Harpie's Pet Mirage Dragon! Put an end to him!"

The Harpie Lady holding Harpie's Pet Mirage Dragon lashed its leash, giving the dragon the boost, it needed. Opening its maw, the dragon launched dark crimson blast, bursting Shiki back that his back hit the pillar.

 **SHIKI LP: 3500 = 1500**

Mai turned to Artemis, tilting her head to Caracal Dander and Blue Cat. Artemis nodded, understanding what she must do. This was their one and only chance to win.

"I activate Moonlight Caracal Dancer's effect! By releasing a monster pointed by its Link Marker, I can target a monster on the Field, that monster can attack twice!" Artemis released Blue Cat that was pointed by Caracal's Right Arrow, allowing Harpie's Pet Mirage Dragon to make a second attack.

Without further ado, Harpie's Pet Mirage Dragon unleash one last blast, blowing Shiki together with the pillar, destroying it completely along with the barrier.

 **SHIKI LP: 1500 = 0**

"Good job." Mai pulled Artemis into a tight hug. For once, Artemis didn't resist and simply smiled at her mentor.

"Ouch... Darn...girls these days are rough... Can't you be softer to the poor little me?" Shiki complained. He was completely lying on the floor. His body went all sore and hurt that he couldn't even move a finger.

"I'll enjoy stomping your face with my feet." Artemis said coldly with a foot raised up, seemingly going to go through with her words.

Shiki chuckled. "Being stomped by a cute girl doesn't sounds bad, but I'm gonna pass. Time for me to scram."

A portal opened beneath his body, and Shiki was sucked into the portal, making his escape.

"His comrade saved him. But it's not like he'll talk even if we bring him in." Mai said, scratching her head.

"We have destroyed the pillar. What should we do now?" Artemis asked her mentor.

"Let's take a rest for a bit." Mai said as she slumped down. She has been holding back her exhaustion. Now that they have defeated their enemy, they could take a few minutes rest.

Mai looked at Harpie's Pet Mirage Dragon. The card given by Celica has helped them. The card that was the symbol of the start of their bond has saved them. She owed her big time.

"I'll treat you to a dinner tonight, Celica..."

 **SOUTH – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

On their way to the south pillar, Yuri, in his avatar Venom, was staring at his mentor. Ryo was using his avatar, Kaiser, using the nickname he gained back at Academia. While Ryo's face was still the same in his avatar form, his outfit consisted of a black overcoat with white trimmings and sharp edges. The letter "R" is centered on his belt buckles. It was quite a surprise to see his mentor who usually wears bright-colored clothes now wearing black-colored clothes.

"Focus, Venom. We have reached out destination." Kaiser said without turning to his student.

"You've done well in our trainings lately. I hope you do the same in this Duel." Kaiser told his student.

"I'm always serious when I'm dueling, Teacher." Venom replied without looking at his mentor either.

"Before we go, I'll tell you this, do you know who the strongest warriors are?" Kaiser said, still not looking at Venom. Venom's eyes flickered towards him, solely focusing on his mentor now. Interest glittered in his eyes.

"Time and patience." Kaiser said. At his answer, Venom's forehead scrunched up slightly into a frown, but Venom didn't say anything because he knew Kaiser still has more to say.

"You're stronger than I thought, but there are times you're too overconfident and impatient. You leave no room for time and your patience is numbered, this is why you lost to me." Kaiser paid no heed to whatever kind of face Venom was making and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You may have lost now, but in the future you won't." Kaiser smiled opened one eye at the surprise look on Venom's face, which outwardly didn't look surprise at all if you didn't understand him better.

As quickly as the expression came to his face, Venom looked away, a tint of pink dusting his pale cheeks.

"You bet I will win." Venom said without looking back.

"Yeah. Guards up. That's our opponent." Kaiser stared at the person in front of them, standing in front of the pillar projecting the barrier.

"I've never seen you before. You're a newcomer?" Venom asked.

"Yes. My name is Achille. I am the fourth lieutenant that recently created by His Excellency. It is pleasure to meet you." Achille greeted politely like a gentleman.

"At least one of them knows some manners. Apophis should give birth more like him." Venom commented at Achille's courtesy.

"Don't let their outward appearance and behavior fool you. You never know what they're actually hiding once the Duel starts." Kaiser warned, raising his Duel Disk.

"It doesn't really matter to me how they'll behave because I'll finish them off either way." Venom remarked, activating his Duel Disk.

"Do you mind if we go with the normal rules? No Speed Duel nor Master Duel?" Achille proposed.

"Rule accepted." Kaiser answered, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse my Cyber Dragons in my hand Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! Cyber Twin Dragon (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2100 / LV: 8)!" Kaiser summoned Cyber Twin Dragon in Attack Position.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Kaiser concluded.

"Since you are a lieutenant, I hope you'll thrill me more than the hoodlums." Venom said before beginning his Turn.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Predator Plants Banksia Butterfly (ATK: 800 / DEF: 700 / LV: 2)." Venom summoned Banksia Butterfly in Attack Position.

"When I control a Predator Plants monster, I can special summon Predator Plants Moray Snail (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 5)." Venom summoned Moray Snail in Attack Position via its effect.

"When Moray Snail is summoned through its effect, I can special summon a Level 4 or lower Predator Plants monster from my Deck." Venom summoned Squid Drosera in Attack Position from his Deck.

"Appear, the circuit of thorn that open the path to the abyss!" Venom opened the Link Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 1 Predator Plants Monster! I set Banksia Butterfly, Predator Plants Moray Snail, and Predator Plants Squid Drosera on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Venom set Banksia Butterfly at the Top Link Marker, Moray Snail at the Bottom-Left Link Marker, and Squid Drosera at the Upper-Right Link Marker.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyber Venom Dragon (ATK: 2300 / Link: 3 / LM: Top, Bottom-Left, Upper-Right)!" Venom summoned Cyber Venom in Attack Position.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Venom concluded.

"My Turn! I set a monster and two cards." Achille set a monster in Defense Position and two cards in Magic and Trap Zone.

"I activate Field Spell: Xyz Colosseum! Now, while this card is face-up, only Xyz Monsters can attack, and all Xyz Monsters gain 200 ATK." Achille changed their surrounding into that of a huge dark coliseum. Kaiser and Venom's dragons went still the moment the field changed. Their attack has been sealed.

"And I end my Turn." Achille finished.

"I see. You knew the two of us are not Xyz users so you have prepared this in advance. Smart move." Venom praised the Apophis Duelist. Since he used this kind of card that means the man must be an Xyz user.

"Unfortunately, this won't be enough to stop us. My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Curse for the Spell! When I control a monster while a Magic or Field Spell is active, I can negate the effect of those cards until the end of this Turn!" Kaiser sealed Xyz Colosseum's effect for the time being, allowing his monster to attack.

"Battle! I attack your set monster with Cyber Twin Dragon!" Kaiser pointed at Achille's monster, which was revealed to be Gimmick Puppet Princess (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1), and easily destroyed it.

"Cyber Twin Dragon can attack twice on the same Battle Phase!" Kaiser continued the attack. Cyber Twin Dragon attacked Achille directly, striking him with its tail that send him sprawling on the floor.

 **ACHILLE LP: 4000 = 1200**

"As a Level 4 or lower monster I control is destroyed by Battle and sent to Graveyard, I activate Trap Card: Repair Puppet! I can special summon another copy of monster with similar name from my Deck!" Achille opened his first facedown card, summoning another copy of Gimmick Puppet Princess in Defense Position.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Kaiser concluded. He turned to Venom and nodded at him. His student understood what he meant.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Predator Plants Fly Hell (ATK: 400 / DEF: 800 / LV: 2)!" Venom summoned Fly Hell in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Flower Link! I can change a Link Marker of a Link Monster's position to one of the other markers." Venom moved the Bottom-Right Marker to Left Marker, pointing at Fly Hell.

"I activate Curse for the Spell's effect in my Graveyard! I banish it to negate your Field Spell's effect!" Kaiser banished his trap, allowing Venom's monster to make their attacks.

"Battle! I attack Gimmick Puppet Princess with Cyber Venom!" Venom declared Battle Phase. Cyber Venom struck the puppet-like monster with its tail, destroying it. As it was in Defense Position, Achille didn't receive any damage. However,

"Cyber Venom's effect! When it destroys an opponent's monster, I can inflict damage equal to the ATK of the monster pointed by its Link Marker!" Venom inflicted additional damage equal to Fly Hell's ATK, lowering Achille's LP by 400.

 **ACHILLE LP: 1200 = 800**

"I attack directly with Fly Hell!" Venom proceeded with his last attack using Fly Hell, halving Achille's LP.

 **ACHILLE LP: 800 = 400**

"I end my Turn." Venom concluded. He looked at Achille with a raised brow. "Please tell me this is not the extent of your power. You're a lieutenant, right? There must be more than this, right?"

"This is not a game, Venom. Don't let your guard down even for a second." Kaiser scolded, and Venom didn't say anything more. Achille didn't respond to him anyway.

"My Turn. From my hand, I summon Gimmick Puppet Scarecrow (ATK: 800/DEF: 2000 / LV: 4)." Achille summoned Scarecrow in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Level Cross. I send a card from my hand to the Graveyard and target Gimmick Puppet Scarecrow in order to double its Level." Achille doubled Scarecrow's Level to 8.

"I overlay Gimmick Box and Gimmick Puppet Scarecrow! Xyz Summon! Number 15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Killer (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 2500 / ORU: 2)!" Achille summoned Giant Grinder in Attack Position with its ATK increased by Xyz Colosseum's effect, making its current ATK 1700.

"I don't think it's appearance is the only thing that is scary, isn't it?" Venom remarked at the Xyz monster.

"Yes. I activate Gimmick Puppet Giant Killer's effect. By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can destroy all other special summoned monsters on the field and inflict damage to the destroyed monsters' controllers equal to the original ATK of the destroyed monsters to their controllers." Achille revealed as Giant Killer took both dragons into its hands.

"What?!" Venom exclaimed as he could only stand and watch his and his mentor's dragons being crushed like bugs. With their bodies broken, Giant Killer then threw both dragons back to their masters; the impact threw both Venom and Kaiser away back.

 **KAISER LP: 4000 = 1200**

 **VENOM LP: 4000 = 1700**

"Since Gimmick Puppet Princess is in my Graveyard because it was destroyed by battle and the monster that destroyed it is in my opponent's Graveyard, I can activate their effects! I banish them both from my Graveyard in order to Special Summon the monsters that destroyed them to the opponent's side of the field!" Achille banished his two Puppet Princesses to revive the two dragons belonged to his opponents.

As Cyber Twin and Cyber Venom were Special Summoned to Kaiser and Venom's respective fields in Attack Position, Achille was ready to activate the effect of Gimmick Puppet Giant Killer again in order to destroy their monsters and inflict the damage that will finish off their entire LPs. However, Kaiser then opened his facedown card.

"Trap Card: Cyber Chain! I pay half of my LP to negate the effect of a monster my opponent controls!" Kaiser revealed, chaining down Giant Killer, negating its effect, which allowed Cyber Twin Dragon and Cyber Venom to remain on the Field unharmed, but this came at the cost of Kaiser's LP.

 **KAISER LP: 1200 = 600**

"I end my Turn." Achille finished.

"You're still fine, right, Venom?" Kaiser asked his student, smiling confidently.

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Venom asked back with cheeky tone.

Achille observed Kaiser and Venom who just got back to their feet after the last attack. He couldn't comprehend humans like them. Even though they have been hurt so badly and the situation seemed hopeless to them, they still insist to continue fighting. It didn't make any sense to him. It was so unreasonable. Humans were peculiar creatures.

"Why, you humans insist to continue to fight even when you are injured in a hopeless situation?" Achille asked without thinking much.

Kaiser stepped forward, gesturing Venom with a hand up to not say anything or doing anything. It was his Turn.

"You're mistaken if you think I'm not learning anything ever since I came to this dimension." Kaiser said as a memory flashed in his mind.

 **2 YEARS AGO – THE BROTHERHOOD'S HQ – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuno was climbing the apple tree at the mansion's yard, trying to reach the delicious looking apple. He almost reached one until a voice disturbed him and broke his concentration.

"Skipping your paperwork, Lord Oracle?"

Yuno flinched as he looked down; finding Ryo below him with his arms crossed and displeased face

"Ryo-"

As he was distracted, he accidently lost his grip and his balance. His feet slipped and as the result, he fell from the tree. Fortunately, Ryo immediately caught him effortlessly in his arms. Yuno gave Ryo a thumb up, which the Kaiser returned with an exasperated sigh.

"Careful. And now, I'll have to drag you back to your office and you'll continue your work." Ryo started dragging Yuno who just let himself being dragged, too lazy to move.

"Come on, give me a rest for at least 5 minutes." Yuno pleaded. He was so dizzy by the amount of paperwork piling on his desk, so he wanted to refresh his head.

"Rejected." Ryo immediately replied. They must get this paperwork done by the end of the week before they pile up even more, so any sneaking won't be tolerated. He just joined The Brotherhood for three months, but he already understood everything that was necessarily important and take care of it accordingly. Jounouchi even trusted him enough to watch over Yuno who sometimes would sneak out from his work like this moment.

"Oh, that's right! Ryo, I have something to give you." Yuno detached himself from the Fusion user, taking something from his pocket jacket. He extended it to Ryo. It was a Monster Card. It was a Monster Card he got a few days ago and thought it would fit Ryo well.

"Yuno, I appreciate your concern, but I wish to grow as a Duelist using my own cards that I get with my own power." Ryo told the Oracle.

Yuno smiled softly and suddenly looked at the sky. "True power is not something that you gain alone, Ryo." He raised his arms to the sky as if to represent what he meant.

"Whether humans or Duel Monsters, we are able to grow thanks to the people we encounter be it friends or enemies. We can continue to grow thanks to through our meeting with various people."

He lowered his arms again and looked back at the taller guy, extending the card once more to him.

"Accepting this card doesn't mean you'll lose your own identity and style. You can use this as a stepping stone to evolve your own Dueling further while staying true to yourself."

 **PRESENT TIME – SOUTH – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"My Turn! I activate Quick-Play Spell: Fusion Cancel! I return Cyber Twin Dragon to my Extra Deck to special summon my two Cyber Dragons!" Kaiser returned Cyber Twin Dragon and revived its Fusion Materials in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Pot of Greed! I draw 2 cards!" Kaiser drew 2 cards and immediately used one of them.

"From my hand, I activate Magic Card: Cyber Dragon Reflection! When I control 2 or more Cyber Dragons, I can special summon another copy from my Deck!" Kaiser summoned the third copy of Cyber Dragon in Attack Position.

"Are you going to summon Cyber End Dragon? It's a powerful monster, but it's a Fusion Monster. As long as Xyz Colosseum is still face-up, non-Xyz Monster cannot attack." Achille reminded, knowing that having 3 Cyber Dragons was the condition to summon Cyber End Dragon.

"Who said I'm going to summon Fusion Monster?" Kaiser replied, confusing Venom beside him.

"I activate Magic Card: Ascend Together! I can increase the Level of all of my monsters with the same name by one!" Kaiser raised all his three Cyber Dragons into Level 6.

"I overlay my three Cyber Dragons! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 6! Cyber Dragon Infinity (ATK: 2100 / DEF: 1600 / RNK: 6 / ORU: 3)!" Kaiser summoned his Xyz Monster in Attack Position. Due to Xyz Colosseum's effect, its ATK was increased to 2300.

"He has an Xyz Monster?!" Venom was visibly surprised. Ryo never summoned nor even mentioned that he has an Xyz Monster. In all their trainings so far, Ryo always used Fusion Summon, so Yuri assumed that Ryo fully used a Deck for Fusion Summoning.

"With Xyz Monster, I can attack, can I?" Kaise grinned as he eyed the opposing Xyz Monster.

"Battle! I attack Gimmick Puppet Giant Killer with Cyber Dragon Infinity!" Kaiser declared the last attack.

Cyber Dragon Infinity's body was covered in crimson electrical energies. The mechanical dragon closed its wings as it was charging its strength, intensifying the lightning that strikes around it like the mechanical dragon was controlling the weather itself. Cyber Dragon Infinity's eyes glinted as it finally opened its wings, unleashing thunderous waves that struck down Giant Killer and Achille together, defeating them.

 **ACHILLE LP: 400 = 0**

Achille leaned on the pillar that has been struck down by the lightning as well, breaking the barrier projection. Despite the pain, Achille's expression remained passive and he simply sighed in respond to his pained body. He remained calm even when Venom and Kaiser was right in front of him.

"If I ask you about Apophis, will you answer my question?" Venom asked, his hands both on his waist.

"Semper fi." Achille replied simply, shifting his gaze at Kaiser who caught it.

"Semper fi it is." Kaiser repeated, understanding what it meant.

A portal then appeared from beneath Achille, transporting him away from the place.

"Always faithful, huh. He won't talk no matter what." Venom said, also understanding what Achille meant. Semper fidelis was a Latin phrase that means "always faithful" or "always loyal". It was the motto of Marine Corps usually shortened to Semper fi. It was also in use as a motto for towns, families, schools, and military units.

"That's just show how strong their loyalty for Apophis." Kaiser remarked. When he turned to Venom after making sure the pillar no longer projecting the barrier, he found his student looked displeased at him.

"What's with that face? Why are you pouting?" Kaiser asked.

"You...you never used that Xyz Monster during our trainings. You never even told me about it..." Venom said with annoyance.

"You're mad about that? Isn't it normal for Duelist to hide certain cards to make sure their opponents won't know their strategy? In your case, you're not ready yet." Kaiser honestly was quite surprised that the fact he was hiding his Xyz Monster would bother his student like this.

"You're trying to say you're underestimating me? You must have plenty of cards you haven't revealed." Venom spat out angrily. He didn't know why, but the fact his mentor was hiding his Xyz Monster irked him.

"I'm not underestimating you. What I'm trying to say is I'm waiting for you until you become even far stronger than you are now. The earlier spoke itself of your progress, no?" Kaiser said while patting his student's head. And that seemed to pacify him to a degree, fortunately.

"...Fine. I'll let you slide for now, I guess..." Venom relented, though he was still annoyed.

"I actually didn't expect I'd used this card in this Duel. The opponent is tougher than I thought. But since you're watching me, there's no way I can lose. I have to protect you too." Kaiser admitted.

Venom blinked. "Protect me? I can protect myself, so you don't need to worry and just focus looking after–"

"Victory is not everything. Duelists truly become stronger because they have people, someone they want to protect. When we have people or someone precious to us and fight for their sake, we'll bring out our true potential without we even realize it." Kaiser ruffled Venom's hair again. This time it was more affectionate than ever.

"Always remember that."

 **HIDEOUT – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Kamui turned around when Shiki and Achille winced from the pain they have suffered in LINK VRAINS. They tried to stand, only to fall from the chair, lying on the floor from exhaustion and pain. Kamui carried the two of them; the young man was strong despite his slender stature. He placed them on a sofa, making sure they were more comfortable to rest there.

"Status report?" Shiki asked while making himself comfortable on the sofa.

"Hyde perished. Yuya Sakaki unexpectedly possesses power of Ma'at." Kamui informed them, catching the two's attention.

"How is that possible? Ma'at's power is supposed to be in the Supreme King Deck alone." Shiki said.

"Most likely somehow Ma'at is able to transfer his power to him." Kamui deduced. That was the only plausible explanation. The question was, how?

"His Excellency is no doubt in bad mood once he heard this." Shiki commented, imagining his master's rage and how much of a mess he made in their LINK VRAINS hideout.

"We can worry about that later. We must focus on our current mission and purpose." Achille said calmly. When he opened his eyes, he noticed Kamui's mind was elsewhere. The first lieutenant was always flying in his own thoughts, but there was something different this time.

"What is bothering you, Kamui?" Achille asked.

"No. It's just…" Kamui trailed off, not sure how to say it. Achille and Shiki were waiting for Kamui to say it. To be honest, the lieutenant didn't even understand this feeling. This has been bothering him ever since his last conversation with Sting.

"Is following His Excellency's every order…truly the only purpose we are born?"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Feast of Savage Virus** – Rin and Kiryu go to the north barrier, but then meet an unexpected opponent. Yugo and Sherry find the source of the virus and meet Neon. However, instead of fighting herself, she dares them to fight against her 'pet'.

* * *

 **FANFIC ORIGINAL CARD MEMO:**

 _ **MOONLIGHT CARACAL DANCER:**_ (BEAST WARRIOR / DARK / LINK / ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / LM: RIGHT, LEFT). You can release a monster pointed by its Link Marker and then target 1 monster on the Field; that monster can make a second attack.

 _ **HARPIE PROTECTION:**_ You can direct an attack to a Harpie Lady monster you control and halve the damage and that Harpie Lady cannot be destroyed until the end of Battle Phase.

 _ **CYBER CHAIN:**_ Pay half of your LP to negate the effect of a monster your opponent controls. (Trap Card)

 _ **ASCEND TOGETHER:**_ You can increase the Level of all of your monsters with the same name by one. (Magic Card)

 _ **CURSE FOR THE SPELL:**_ When you control a monster while Magic or Field Spell is active, you can negate the effect of those cards until the end of this Turn. You can banish this card from Graveyard to negate the effect of a Magic or Field Spell until the end of Turn. (Trap Card)

 **By the way, I change the effect of Level Cannon.**

* * *

 **Finally, this chapter is done. Never thought it would take me this long to write it. After much thinking, I've decided to change Yuri's VR name from Foxglove to Venom. It's simpler and easier name. For those who think Rin and Yugo's development are lacking compared to the other counterparts, starting the next chapter, you'll see more of their character development (and their relationship XD)!**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter~!**


	40. Feast of Savage Virus

**Big thanks to** _ **Yuka Kuroshiro, Ulrich362, Big duels, Playerhood18, Unknowedz, dvdryms, NeoFGD, Elbarto4000, GamingGuy84, Ryujomaru15, ThePLOThand**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **NORTH – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"You're okay with it, Kiryu-san?"

Kiryu turned to his student, Wind Frost, while they were reaching the barrier projection pillar. Wind Frost's expression was that of genuine curiosity and concern.

"If you're talking about my avatar, yes. My face is already known as the Imperial Adviser's guardian. If you're talking about going on this mission, it's also yes. We finally have found a clue of Apophis' whereabouts and stop this virus madness." Kiryu answered.

"No, I'm talking about Heidel. I thought that you'd insist in investigating him…" Wind Frost said. After the meeting, she noticed her mentor has this grim face upon knowing what Heidel had done in the underground prison. She had thought he would thoroughly investigate Heidel and then hunt him down once there were proofs. But no, he dutifully followed Celica's order.

"It would be a lie if I said I don't want to investigate his crimes. However, at the moment, this LINK VRAINS crisis is much more dangerous. Furthermore, the rest of our friends are fighting, I can't let my personal insecurity stop me from helping them. Above all, they are far more important to me than my revenge." Kiryu admitted. He had enough losing his friends years ago. He didn't want to experience that loss again with his new friends, his new family. He will keep them save, or at least stay by their this time, because once they're lost, there's no way to bring them back.

"If there's a time Yugo is in big trouble, you must stay by his side no matter what, Wind Frost." Kiryu suddenly told his student, causing her face to beat up apple red.

"W-why you suddenly bring out about Yugo?!" Wind Frost asked embarrassedly.

"He is your precious childhood friend, right? I can tell that the of you are very close more than you to the others." Kiryu said, turning to Wind Frost, confused why she suddenly looked so perplexed.

"Oh, y-yes! Of course! He is my precious childhood friend! Like a younger brother!" Wind Frost quickly calmed herself. So that's what Kiryu meant. That almost gave her a heart attack.

"I don't know Yugo as you do, but he reminds me of one of my friends whom I lost in the incident. He is cheerful and can be clumsy and maybe even idiotic but he is nice. But, even though he always look upbeat on the outside, a guy like him tends to try too hard not to bother others when something serious is happening to him. That's why, you have to be careful." Kiryu warned. Maybe he wasn't really doing this for Rin or Yugo, but maybe this could be his way of atoning for unable to help his friends back then. He didn't want them to experience the same thing as him.

"We've got a company." Kiryu stopped one they reached their destination.

Wind Frost gasped when she saw what was in front of them, blocking the pillar that was projecting the barrier.

It was a creature that looked exactly like a Duel Monster, but she knew it wasn't. Its skin had gone as black as the area around him, bones jutting into spikes from his shoulders. His teeth were fangs, and his dull blood red, with slits for pupils. His skin looked like it was cracking, as though he were made of the earth that bleached of life.

"What is that…?" Wind Frost asked her mentor who was scanning the creature with the monocle-like device he was wearing.

"From the scan, he has the same composition as the virus. But judging from the Duelist in his hand, he is most likely an A.I infected with virus." Kiryu explained.

"Then Apophis is controlling this virus to stop us." Wind Frost frowned as she looked closer at the virus. Somehow, his appearance looked familiar. But she was soon alerted when the virus raised his Duel Disk.

"Be careful, Wind Frost. I have a feeling that defeated by this virus will lead us to a fate worse than we think." Kiryu warned as he activated his Duel Disk.

"I can see that from his appearance." Wind Frost replied as she also activated her Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'll take the first Turn. I activate Magic Card: Contract with the Purgatory. I discard my entire hand to special summon one Infernity Monster from those cards." Kiryu summoned Infernity General (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 7) in Attack Position from his Graveyard in the Main Monster Zone.

"I end my Turn."

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Wind Witch Flow! I send two Wind Witch Monsters in my hand to Special Summon Wind Witch – Aster Bell (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 500 / LV: 5)!" Wind Frost summoned Aster Bell in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone

"And then from my hand, I Summon Wind Witch – Glass Bell (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 4)!" Wind Frost summoned Glass Bell in Attack Position. Following its Effect, she added a Wind Witch Monster from her Deck to her hand.

"When I control 2 or more Wind Witch monsters, I can special summon Wind Witch – Orb Bell (ATK: 900 / DEF: 500 / LV: 5)!" Wind Frost summoned Orb Bell in Attack Position via its effect in the Main Monster Zone.

"Open before me, the circuit of the frozen night!" Wind Frost opened the Link Circuit for her Link Summon. The gate appeared in front of her.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 1 Wind Witch Monster! I set Wind Witch – Aster Bell, Wind Witch – Glass Bell, and Wind Witch – Clear Bell to the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Wind Frost set Aster Bell at the Top Arrow, Glass Bell at the Left Arrow, and Orb Bell at the Bottom Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Wind Witch – Sleet Bell (ATK: 2200 / LINK: 3 / LM: Top, Bottom, Right)!" Wind Frost summoned Sleet Bell in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Sleet Bell's effect! When it was special summoned, I can special summon a Wind Witch Monster from my hand or Graveyard to where its Link Marker points to!" Wind Frost summoned Orb Bell in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone pointed by Sleet Bell's Bottom Arrow.

"I end my Turn." Wind Frost concluded.

"My Turn. I set a card." Duel Virus set one card that he just drew.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Trap Booster. I discard a card to activate a Trap Card from my hand. I activate Trap Card: Call of the Living Dead!" He discarded Satellite Cannon (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 5) from his hand and then revived it using the Trap Card in the Main Monster Zone in Attack Position.

"Since I Special Summoned a monster with 1500 or less ATK while my oppponents have monsters on their side of the field, I can activate Reckless Summon of Hell to Special Summon all monsters with the same name as the Special Summoned monster from my hand, Deck, or Graveyard. After that, my opponents must select one monster they control and Special Summon all monsters with the same name as the selected monster from their hands or Graveyards." He special summoned two more copies of Satellite Cannon in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone. Kiryu has no other copy of Infernity General so he didn't summon any while Wind Frost summoned the other copy of Orb Bell from the Graveyard in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I end my Turn. At this moment, Satellite Cannon's effect activates. It gains 1000 ATK for each of my End Phase." Duel Virus ended his turn, increasing all of his three Satellite Cannons' ATKs to 1000.

"My Turn. Due to the effect of Infernity Pawn in my Graveyard, I cannot draw." Kiryu revealed, not drawing any card from his Deck.

"Battle! I attack Satellite Cannon with Infernity General!" Kiryu declared attack using Infernity General. The Infernity Monster strikes at the first Satellite Cannon. However, Satellite Cannon was enduring the attack by creating a barrier.

"Satellite Cannon's effect! It cannot be destroyed by Level 7 or lower monsters!" Duel Virus revealed as Infernity General's attack was deflected, pushing it back to Kiryu's side, though Duel Virus still received damage.

 **DUEL VIRUS LP: 4000 = 2300**

"I end my Turn." Kiryu concluded.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack Satellite Cannon with Sleet Bell!" Wind Frost declared Battle Phase. Since Link Monster doesn't have a Level, Satellite Cannon's effect doesn't apply to Sleet Bell, allowing the Link Monster to destroy the second Satellite Cannon.

 **DUEL VIRUS LP: 2300 = 1100**

"I activate Sleet Bell's effect, it copies Orb Bell's effect. When I inflict damage to my opponent, I can inflict additional 100 damage!" Wind Frost continued. Sleet Bell rang its bell, unleashing cold tornado that blew back the virus.

 **DUEL VIRUS LP: 1100 = 1000**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Wind Frost concluded.

"My Turn. I activate Magic Card: Resurrection of the Dead to revive a monster from my Graveyard." Duel Virus revived the second Satellite Cannon that was just destroyed in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Charge. I increase the ATK of all face-up Satellite Cannons on my side of the field by 2000." Duel Virus increased the first and third Satellite Cannon's ATK to 3000 while the second Satellite Cannon that just revived was increased to 2000.

"Battle! I attack Infernity General with Satellite Cannon!" Duel Virus used the first Satellite Cannon to shot down Kiryu's only monster, leaving his Field completely empty and wide open. The first Satellite Cannon's ATK was then reduced to 0 at the end of damage calculation due to its effect.

 **KIRYU LP: 4000 = 3700**

"I attack directly with Satellite Cannon!" Duel Virus proceeded to use his second Satellite Cannon to attack Kiryu directly, throwing him back to the ground, but Kiryu quickly recovered. The second Satellite Cannon's ATK was then reduced to 0 at the end of damage calculation due to its effect.

 **KIRYU LP: 3700 = 1700**

"Next, I attack Wind Witch – Sleet Bell with Satellite Cannon!" Duel Virus shifted his target to Wind Frost's Link Monster. The third Satellite Cannon shot its laser that went right through Sleet Bell's abdomen, destroying the Wind Witch Link Monster as Wind Frost was blown back, but was quickly caught from behind by Kiryu.

 **WIND FROST LP: 4000 = 3200**

The third Satellite Cannon's ATK was then reduced to 0 at the end of damage calculation due to its effect.

"T-thank you, Kiryu-san." Wind Frost thanked her mentor.

"Let's safe that for later until we win this Duel, okay?" Kiryu replied as he helped Wind Frost to stand properly on her feet.

"I end my Turn." Duel Virus concluded. Following Satellite Cannons' effects, all of them gained 1000 ATK at the end of Turn.

"Due to the effect of Infernity Pawn in my Graveyard, I cannot draw. I'm skipping this Turn." Kiryu skipped.

"My Turn! Draw!" Wind Frost started her Turn and then glanced briefly at her mentor. Kiryu's specialty was counter attack his enemies by using his handless combo. But Kiryu just skipped his turn while his Field was wide open after Infernity General was destroyed. Either it was part of Kiryu's plan or he really couldn't do anything because he didn't expect Infernity General to be destroyed so quickly. She didn't know which, but she will protect her mentor.

"I activate Magic Card: Wind Witches Snow Party! I can increase the ATK of all Wind Witch Monsters I control by 500!" Wind Frost increased her two Orb Bells' ATKs to 1400.

"I'm not done yet! I also activate Magic Card: Wind Rise! I can double the Level of a Wind Witch Monster I control!" Wind Frost doubled her first Orb Bell, changing it into Level 8 until the end of this Turn.

"Battle! I attack Satellite Cannon with Orb Bell!" Wind Frost attacked using her first Orb Bell. The Wind Witch Monster rang the giant hand bell it was carrying; creating a sound wave whirled by cold winds that freeze the first Satellite Cannon before destroying it into packs of ice.

 **DUEL VIRUS LP: 1000 = 600**

"I activate Orb Bell's effect! When it inflicts Battle Damage to opponent, it can inflict additional 100 damage!" Wind Frost quickly added, motioning Orb Bell to ring its bell again.

 **DUEL VIRUS LP: 600 = 500**

 _"If I attack one more time with my other Orb Bell, even if Satellite Cannon is not destroyed, the damage inflicted would be enough to deplete his LP! This is the finishing blow!"_ Wind Frost thought determinedly.

"Trap Card: Debris Station. When a Satellite Cannon is destroyed by Battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can send 2 Satellite Cannons from my other side of the Field to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 Satellite Laser X-06S Balsam (ATK: 0 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8)! This Special Summon is treated as Fusion Summon!" Duel Virus summoned Satellite Laser in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"Due to Debris Station's effect, Satellite Laser gains 3000 ATK." Duel Virus increased his Fusion Monster's ATK to 3000. Wind Frost halted her attack. The Fusion Monster's ATK was higher than her Orb Bell.

"I end my Turn." Wind Frost reluctantly ended her Turn. She glanced worriedly at her mentor. Even now Kiryu hasn't made any move. Did this mean he truly couldn't do anything after Infernity General was destroyed?

"My Turn. From my hand, I activate Quick-Play Spell: Book of Moon. I can change the Attack Position Monster on the Field to facedown Defense Position." Duel Virus changed Wind Frost's first Orb Bell's position into facedown Defense Position.

"From my hand, I summon Satellite Shuttle (ATK: 0 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4)." Duel Virus summoned Satellite Shuttle in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack Wind Witch – Orb Bell with Satellite Laser! When it battles Defense Position Monster, it inflicts Piercing Damage!" Duel Virus pointed at the first Wind Witch Monster. Satellite Laser, true to its name, shot down a laser that went in high speed, almost close to that of speed of light.

"When a Wind Witch monster I control is about to be destroyed, I can special summon Wind Witch – Brina Bell (ATK: 400 / DEF: 900 / LV: 2) from my hand to halve the damage!" Wind Forst summoned the card she got from Glass Bell's effect in her first Turn, halving the damage she would took as the laser went through her first Orb Bell's body, destroying it.

 **WIND FROST LP: 3200 = 700**

Duel Virus turned from Wind Frost to Kiryu. The young man was the Imperial Adviser guardian, and compared to the Wind Witch user, he was seen as a much bigger threat in their creator, Neon's, view. The only reason he left Kiryu was in consideration of Wind Frost's possible movement that may protect her mentor. But as they the Wind Witch user didn't seem to have any card left that could save either of them, it's better to get rid of the bigger threat now than later.

"Next, I attack directly with Satellite Shuttle." Duel Virus declared attack with his other Satellite Monster. Satellite Shuttle's effect granted it ATK equal to Satellite Laser's 2000 DEF during Battle Phase. Satellite Shuttle opened shot, blasting Kiryu away together with his LP.

 **KIRYU LP: 1700 = 0**

"Kiryu-san!" Wind Frost immediately rushed to her mentor who has been thrown back. However, to her surprise Kiryu raised a hand, stopping her from moving.

"Don't worry. I've been waiting for this since the first Turn." Kiryu revealed as he was back to his feer.

"Huh?" Wind Frost blinked in confusion. She was further confused when she noticed that even though Kiryu has no LP left, he was still in the Duel. How was this possible? Once the player's LP reduced to 0, they should have been out from the game.

"I can't afford to lose here until I fulfil my vow." Kiryu stated, narrowing his gaze at the Duel Virus.

"The moment you reduce my LP to 0, you have sealed your fate." Kiryu said as he took out a card from his Extra Deck that has stuck out by itself.

"I activate Zero Gate of Purgatory from my Graveyard. When I have no cards in my hand, my Field, and my LP hit 0 I can activate this card from Graveyard to special summon Purgatory Dragon – Ogre Dragoon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 8)!" Kiryu revealed, summoning Ogre Dragoon in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"Kiryu-san!" Wind Frost exclaimed in relief. That's why her mentor was able to stay so calm even though he has no cards in his hand or Field and when his LP was low. That was because he was waiting for their enemy to reduce his LP to 0 so he could summon his ace monster.

"As long as Ogre Dragoon is not destroyed, I'm still in the Duel." Kiryu stated.

"I activate Satellite Shuttle's effect! I release it to change Satellite Laser to Defense Position!" Duel Virus released Satellite Shuttle and then changed Satellite Laser's position into Defense Position. With this, even if Ogre Dragoon attacks, he won't receive any damage...or so that was what he believed.

"It's pointless. Due to Infernity Queen's effect in my Graveyard discarded through Contract with the Purgatory, my dragon can attack directly." Kiryu revealed.

"Battle! I attack directly with Purgatory Dragon – Ogre Dragoon!"

Ogre Dragoon opened its mouth as it flew above Duel Virus. It unleashed a lightning blast that went straight at the opposing Satellite user. Duel Virus was engulfed in the blast, letting out a screeching cry as his LP and monsters disappeared.

 **DUEL VIRUS LP: 100 = 0**

Almost immediately, Kiryu and Wind Frost heard something like a cracking sound, coming from the virus lying on the floor. When they approached the virus, his body faded from black back to the original form it had once taken, softer, more human, the spikes drawing back beneath his skin. And from beneath his skin, a faint wisp of mist lifted.

"This is…!" Kiryu gasped.

It swirled for a few moments over the top of the virus, and then—fractured. They saw the cracks spread through it, hair thin at first, until it shattered entirely. The wisps of mist fled up into the sky, and shot off in different directions, until they couldn't see them anymore.

"What was that?" Wind Frost wondered.

"I was wrong…" Kiryu bit his lip and clenched his fists.

"About what?" Wind Frost asked, worried as she saw her mentor's face darkened.

"He is not an A.I infected virus…he is a human whose consciousness infected by the virus…!"

 **SEWER ENTRANCE – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Sync..." Sherry started.

"Yeah?" Sync asked back.

"Why are you walking while clinging behind my back?" Sherry asked as she glanced down at Sync behind him who oddly turning right and left and up and down like something was going to attack him at any second.

Ever since the barriers were deactivated, allowing them to into the sewer, Sync all of a sudden flinched and has a bad case of cold sweat. All the excitement and flame of determination he has went down, reducing him almost to a frighten puppy. While it was quite cute of him and amusing to see him like this (she could have sworn she saw puppy ears and tail coming out from him), it wouldn't be good for both of them if he was all edgy like this.

"Because I can feel that woman is nearby. This...is this clairvoyance?!" Sync said while warily looking around him.

"That woman? You mean Neon? You're that bothered about her over a single kiss?" Sherry looked at the boy in disbelief. Did a single kiss was really enough to make him act this way?

"Kiss? No... I don't know what you're talking about...!" Sync crouched down, looking like vomiting blood as Sherry said the forbidden words.

"I get it! I get it! I'm sorry for bringing that up!" Sherry apologized exasperatedly while yanking the boy by the back of his collar, forcing him to stand and walk beside her instead of behind her.

"That woman is sick...really sick. What she had done in the underground prison...to those prisoners...she is frightening...!" Sync said, furrowing his brows together. That time when Neon and Geist mercilessly killed those prisoners and wardens...their bodies, and the cries of the Duel Monsters who were forced to serve them...he couldn't get it out of his mind.

"Relax, if anything happens, I'll protect you. I'm your mentor." Sherry patted Sync's head in comfort. Sync blushed and pouted.

"Being protected by a girl is lame and uncool..." Sync said. This earned him a smack from his mentor.

"I'm saying this out of concern for you, you know. Be grateful instead of complaining." Sherry said as she pinched Sync's left ear.

"I'm sorry!" Sync quickly apologized.

They stopped their banter when they saw a dim light coming from a thin opening of a gate. The two kicked off the gate door, arriving in a wide room where there was a reverse-shaped pyramid almost similar with the one in The Brotherhood's mother computer, but this one was black colored. Seeing the black spots coming from the pyramid, they realized what this was.

"As you've realized, this is the core of the virus."

They looked up upon hearing the voice and saw the very last person Sync wanted to meet. Neon was sitting comfortably above, waving down at the two of them, particularly to Sync in flirtatious way.

"Hello, Yugo-kun~ No, I should say Sync-kun, right?" Neon greeted.

"Go to hell, damn woman!" Sync spat out bitterly.

"As much as I want to play with you today, I already prepared something else for the both of you. I made him especially for you, Sync-kun." Neon flicked her fingers.

In front of the core, a portal appeared. From within the portal, someone came out. Sync and Sherry wasn't sure, however, if he could be considered a 'person'. No one could blame them when they saw the monstrous almost demonic black-colored creature emerging.

"This is my pet. A Devil Virus. I've done a little bit experiment to a consciousness of a Duelist that got consumed by the virus, and this is the result. Don't you think he is beautiful?" Neon said gleefully.

"Then he is a human infected with a virus?!" Sync exclaimed in shock. This made Neon even more terrifying in many ways.

"You don't like being compared to Heidel, but yet what you're doing is no different from him." Sherry glared at Neon in disgust. They really have no qualms sacrificing human lives for their own satisfaction.

"But of course, humans exist for our disposal." Neon replied.

"You...! Get down here! I'll finish you off for good!" Sync demanded. He was furious now.

"As I said, today I'm not feeling for it. My pet would be enough to play with you. Now, take them on!" Neon ordered her Duel Virus who obediently activated his Duel Disk.

"Maybe the only way to restore him to normal is by defeating him." Sherry said, activating her Duel Disk as well.

"Then we'll beat him up and free him!" Sync regained his flame of determination and activated his Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"My Turn. I summon Eva Abductor! (ATK: 1000/ DEF: 500 / LV: 4)" Duel Virus summoned Eva Abductor in Attack Position.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn."

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Swift Horse of the Flower Knight Order (ATK: 400 / DEF: 800 / LV: 3)!" Sherry summoned Swift Horse in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate its effect! When it was normal summoned, I can draw 1 card!" Sherry drew another card from her Deck.

"I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse Holy Knight's Spearholder in my hand and Swift Horse of the Flower Knight Order on my Field! Fusion Summon! Level 6! Centaur Mina (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 600 / LV: 6)!" Sherry summoned Centaur Mina in the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

"I set a card and end my Turn."

"My Turn! As I control no monsters, I Special Summons Speedroid Terrortop (ATK: 1200/ DEF: 600)!" Yugo summoned Terrortop in Attack Position via its own effect.

"As I control a WIND monster, I can Special Summon Speedroid Taketomborg (ATK: 600/ DEF: 1200) in Attack Position via its own effect.

"And then from my hand, I summon Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice (ATK: 100/ DEF: 100 / LV: 1)!" Sync normal summoned Red-Eyed Dice in Attack Position.

"Appear, the circuit of acceleration that sway the wind!" He called forth the Link Circuit, forming it above him.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 1 Speedroid Monster! I set Speedroid Terrortop, Speedroid Taketomborg, and Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Sync set Terrortop on the Upper-Right Link Marker, Taketomborg on the Bottom-Left Link Marker, and Red-Eyed Dice on the Bottom-Right Link Marker.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyber Wing Dragon (ATK: 2300 / Link: 3 / LM: Upper-Right, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right)!" Sync summoned his Link Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I end my Turn." Sync concluded.

"My Turn. I activate Eva Abductor's effect. By discarding a card, I can take control of a monster my opponent controls." Duel Virus discarded one card from his hand and pointed at Cyber Wing who disappeared from Sync's Field, only to reappear on Duel Virus' Field.

"My Cyber Wing!" Sync yelled in dismay as his dragon was stolen.

"Battle! I attack directly with Eva Abductor!" Duel Virus didn't waste any second, immediately declaring attack against the defenseless Sync, striking down the Synchro user who got electrocuted by black lightning.

 **SYNC LP: 4000 = 3000**

"Ugh...! Damn...that hurt...!" Sync groaned. He felt his body almost paralyzed. He could still continue the Duel. Unbeknownst to him, Neon was grinning wickedly right at that moment.

"Next, I attack Centaur Mina with Cyber Wing Dragon!" Duel Virus moved to Sherry's Fusion Monster. Cyber Wing opened its wings and opened its maw, shooting green static blast.

"Trap Card: Floral Shield! When my opponent declares attack, I can negate the attack and Draw 1 card!" Sherry opened her Trap, summoning a flower-shaped shield that blocked Cyber Wing's blast, protecting Centaur Mina.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Duel Virus concluded.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack Eva Abductor with Centaur Mina!" Sherry began her counterattack. Centaur Mina let out a battle cry before running forward; ready to slash the monster with its weapon.

"Trap Card: Dark Star! When my opponent declares attack, I can change the target of the attack to other monster I control!" Duel Virus opened his trap, redirecting the attack to Cyber Wing. The Link Dragon grasped Centaur Mina's weapon and crushed it before grabbing Centaur Mina itself. Having the Fusion Monster in its hold, Cyber Wing shot Centaur Mina up close with its blast, incinerating it.

 **SHERRY LP: 4000 = 3900**

"Tsk. I set a card and end my Turn." Sherry concluded. For a virus, it was rather intelligent. She wondered if this was similar with the threatening A.I she often heard and saw in the sci-fic movies. The idea of A.I rebelling against humans didn't seem so far-fetched now with her fighting against one of them, infected by virus.

"That's it! I'm gonna take my dragon back! My Turn! From my hand, I summon Speedroid Double Yoyo (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4)!" Sync summoned Double Yoyo in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"When Double Yoyo is Normal Summoned, I can target Level 3 or lower Speedroid Monster from Graveyard and special summon it!" Sync revived Red-Eyed Dice in Attack Position beside Double Yoyo.

"I tune Double Yoyo with Red-Eyed Dice! Synchro Summon! Feel the pulse of this swordsman's soul! Come forth Level 5! Highspeedroid Chanbarider (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 5)!" Sync summoned Chanbarider in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone. He was ready to make his attack on Eva Abductor to take back Cyber Wing, but apparently that was what the virus has been waiting for.

"Trap Card: Black Horn of Heaven! When my opponent Special Summon exactly 1 monster, I can negate the special summon and destroy that monster!" Duel Virus activated his second Reverse Card, destroying Chanbarider, once again leaving Sync's Field completely empty.

"You gotta be kiddin' me!" Sync shouted in frustration. Again, he was not given a chance even to try to attack.

"Darn it...! I set a card and end my Turn!" Sync reluctantly ended his Turn. He must do something in his next Turn. Until then, he hoped he could survive this Turn somehow, and perhaps with his mentor's help as much as he didn't want to depend too much on her.

"My Turn. I release Eva Abductor and Cyber Wing Dragon to Advance Summon Zeta Reticulant (ATK: 2400/ DEF: 2100 / LV: 7)!" Duel Virus summoned Zeta Reticulant in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone. Sync inwardly cursed. His beloved dragon has been sent to Graveyard now.

"Next I activate Field Spell: Cosmic Space. All face-up monsters gain Life Star Counters equal to their own Levels. A Life Star Counter will be removed from each monster during every End Phase. When a monster runs out of counters, it is destroyed." Duel Virus activated his Field Spell, changing their surroundings into that of outer space filled with stars.

"Battle! I attack directly with Zeta Reticulant!" Duel Virus declared attack at Sync again with his newly summoned monster.

"When my opponent declares attack, I can special summon Speedroid Mencoat (ATK: 100 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 4) from my hand and change all my opponent's monsters into Defense Position!" Sync quickly summoned Mencoat, forcing Zeta Reticulant into taking defensive stance, stopping its attack.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Duel Virus finished.

"I summon Flower of Death – Necro Fleur (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) from my hand!" Sherry summoned Necro Fleur in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Fleur Draw! I destroy a Plant Monster I control to draw 2 cards!" She destroyed Necro Fleur, sending it to Graveyard to draw 2 cards.

"I activate Necro Fleur's effect! When this card is destroyed through an effect, I can Special Summon 1 Witch of the Time Flower – Fleur de Sorciere (ATK: 2900 / DEF: 0 / LV: 8)!" She summoned Fleur de Sorciere from her hand, placing it in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Fleur de Sorciere's effect! I can take control of a monster from my opponent's Graveyard, but at the End Phase that monster is destroyed!" Sherry took control of Sync's Cyber Wing in Attack Position, temporarily reviving it.

"I'm borrowing your dragon for this Turn, Sync." She told her student for his permission.

"Feel free to do so if you'll kick his butt!" Sync wholeheartedly permitted his mentor. He was sure that Cyber Wind would be willing to lend a hand to Sherry.

"Battle! I attack Zeta Reticulant with Fleur de Sorciere!" Sherry declared the first attack with her monster. Fleur de Sorciere created rain of flower petals that cut Zeta Reticulant like hundreds of falling arrows, destroying it. However, since Zeta Reticulant was in Defense Position due to Sync's Mencoat's effect, Duel Virus didn't receive damage.

"When Zeta Reticulant is destroyed, I can Special Summon two Eva Tokens (ATK: 500/ DEF: 300 / LV: 1)." Duel Virus summoned two Eva Tokens in Attack Position.

"I attack one of Eva Tokens with Cyber Wing!" Sherry proceeded with Sync's dragon. Cyber Wing tackled the token, crushing it flat to the floor, which also threw back the Duel Virus.

 **DUEL VIRUS: 4000 = 2200**

"I end my Turn." Sherry concluded. Cyber Wing was destroyed following Sorciere de Fleur's effect as she reached the End Phase.

"Yosh! It's time for my payback! My Turn!" Sync excitedly set Speedroid Marble Machine in his Right Pendulum Zone and Speedroid Hexasaucer in his Left Pendulum Zone, forming the Pendulum Scale. However, he didn't perform Pendulum Summon.

"And then I activate Magic Card: Pendulum Synchro! This card allows me to use the cards in Pendulum Zones to Synchro Summon! I tune Speedroid Marble Machine and Speedroid Hexasaucer!" Sync used the card to treat Marble Machine as a Tuner Monster, allowing him to perform Synchro Summon.

"Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 7! Clearwing Fast Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 4)!" Sync summoned his Synchro-Pendulum Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"Now you're finished! I–"

Sync pointed at the only remaining Eva Token, ready to get his payback. He opened his mouth, attempting to declare his attack – until his head was assaulted by an unbearable pain. Sync's hands automatically held his head from the pain. But then he felt his entire body was starting to get hurt too that he fell on his knees while still holding his head.

"I wonder about that..." Neon's smile was menacingly feral. She let out a gleeful giggle at the pain Sync was experiencing.

"What's wrong, Sync?!" Sherry immediately rushed to her student. Her hands up, not knowing what to do despite her wish to help her student who was clearly suffering. She glared up at Neon.

"What did you do to him?!" Sherry questioned angrily.

"I just gave him a little bit present through my pet when it first attacked." Neon answered in sweet tone, referring to the time when her Duel Virus first attacked Sync directly.

"I...end my Turn..." Sync declared, missing his chance to turn the tide. Only then, the pain was subsided. He was still in pain, but with Sherry's help, he could at least stand up again.

"Sorry, Sherry…I missed the opportunity…" Sync apologized. He couldn't believe how helpless he was in this situation.

"Don't mention it. I'll cover for the both of us in my next Turn." Sherry replied, assuring her student.

"My Turn. I activate Magic Card: Banish Draw! I banish 2 cards in my Graveyard and draw 3 cards!" Duel Virus banished Eva Abductor and Zeta Reticulant from his Graveyard before drawing 3 cards. He took one of them.

"I summon Lyra the Giver (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 4) from my hand." He summoned Lyra in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Draw Summon. I discard a card at the top of my Deck to release Lyra the Giver and Eva Token to Advance Summon Greed Quasar (ATK? / DEF: ? / LV: 7)!" Duel Virus summoned Greed Quasar in Attack Position. It gained seven Life Star Counters via Cosmic Space. It has 300 ATK and DEF for each Life Star Counter it has, therefore it has 2100 of each.

"I activate Lyra the Giver's effect. When it was sent to the Graveyard, I can transfer its remaining Life Star Counters to Greed Quasar." Duel Virus added Lyra's Life Star, increasing its Life Star Counter to 11, making its ATK and DEF increased to 3300.

"Battle! I attack Clearwing Fast Dragon with Greed Quasar!" Duel Virus once again attack Sync. The Synchro user was ready to activate Clearwing's effect to change Greed Quasar's ATK to 0 and negate its effect, but pain assaulted his entire body again, stopping him from declaring so, which allowed Greed Quasar to destroy the dragon.

 **SYNC LP: 3000 = 2200**

"I activate Greed Quasar's effect. Its Life Star Counters are increased by that of any monster it destroyed." Duel Virus added Clearwing's Life Star Counter, which increased its Life Star Counters to 16, making its ATK and DEF to 4800.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Duel Virus concluded. Losing a Life Star Counter, Greed Quasar's ATK decreased to 4500.

"Fufufu. Too bad, Sync-kun. You can't do anything. No matter how hard you try, you won't overcome the pain. It's already the end for you. And it's a matter of time for you too, Sherry LeBlanc." Neon said, giggling.

"My Turn! Draw!" Sherry looked at the card she just drew and the remaining two cards in her hand. She stared at the Duel Virus' situation. He has Cosmic Space and Greed Quasar on his Field without any set card and he has no card in his hand.

" _If things go as I expected, it's possible to win with these three cards."_ Sherry glanced at Sync who was still having difficulty to stand. She must end this Duel quickly and logged him out.

"I set 3 cards and end my Turn." Sherry concluded. Losing a Star Life Counter, Greed Quasar's ATK decreased to 4200.

This time, Sync wasn't even given the chance to start his Draw Phase. The pain came faster that it was hard for him to concentrate. He could only feel pain. He tried to move his hand, but he could even lift a finger. He skipped his Turn. The pain was too much.

"Sorry Yugo-kun, but power decides everything. In war, power and cunning mind are what makes people strong and continue to win. It is the only thing needed to win a battle." Neon said what she thought was the obvious fact.

"Wrong." Sherry interjected, blocking Sync protectively from Neon's view.

A certain memory then surged into her mind.

 **6 YEARS AGO – ROOM – MANSION – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

After her parents' death and seeing the ones responsible who killed them, Sherry has decided then, that she will become strong enough so she could avenge her parents. She will lay waste on those fanatical followers of Apophis, making them pay for their sins with their lives so her parents' souls could rest in peace. She trained hard every day as a Duelist, pushing herself to the limit no matter how painful it was. She has determined that she will become strong so she didn't need to suffer the same thing again. She will eliminate those who got in her way.

"That kind of thinking isn't good."

During one of her trainings, that were what the Oracle, the person whom her parents respected and supported said to her when she told him her reason wanting to become strong. Even though she was glaring so hatefully at him, rejecting him as she partially blamed him for her parents' demise, he still smiled kindly and calmly at her. She didn't understand why he said that. Didn't it normal for a child want to avenge her parents' death?

"What is no good with that? Weak people can never protect their loved ones! That's why it's necessary to become strong and eliminate all enemies without exception!" Sherry argued."Being strong doesn't mean a thing unless you use your power to help the weak. Otherwise, you'll only fight for self-interest." Yuno replied calmly, still smiling.

This reply angered Sherry who quickly activated her Duel Disk and summoned one of her monsters. She has enough with him. This person didn't know how she felt, so he didn't have any right to say that to her! Who does he think he is? It was because her parents supported him they died, and he wasn't there to help them!

"Only the weak would say something like that!"

Sherry extended her hand at Yuno, motioning her monster to strike him.

"Get out of here!"

However, in a flash, a dragon appeared and blocked her monster's weapon, easily deflecting it. She then realized that Yuno was wearing his Duel Disk but didn't even activate it. This dragon was one of a few Duel Monsters who were able to manifest and took corporeal bodies by its own will, and no ordinary Duelist has that kind of monsters.

"You certainly have what it takes to become first-class Duelist. You have great potential, and the will to become strong for the sake of protecting your loved ones, that is admirable. But you're being too hasty and too blinded by your hatred." Yuno raised a hand, gesturing his dragon to return, which the dragon dutifully did. The Oracle then slowly walked to Sherry who was too shocked to move.

"What the dead ones' wishes is not revenge, but the happiness for the living. Your parents often talked about you, mentioning how you are their most cherished treasure." Yuno took a white rose from a nearby vase. He kneeled until he was eye to eye with the little girl. He extended the white rose to her face.

"If you seek judgment, then it is fine, but don't let your hatred overwhelm you. When you let hatred get the better of you, you no longer fight for your parents but only to satisfy your own vengeance. To protect your loved ones while being strong, never forget your love for them and their love for you. That way, you won't lose yourself." The Oracle tucked the white rose to behind her right ear.

"This kind of training place doesn't suit you."

The Oracle carried her into his arms, treating her like she was a princess. Yuno's smile lightened by the moonlight coming from the window felt soothing.

"Let's go. My little daughter."

 **PRESENT TIME – SEWER – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Power is indeed necessary in this war. But if you only use that power for your selfishness, that is not true strength. It's meaningless if power is the only thing you have." Sherry recalled. If it weren't for Yuno, she would have been led astray by her petty revenge until she was driven into emptiness. He helped realized what her parents would have wanted her to do.

"Worthless answer. The world we're living is a survival for the fittest, little lady." Neon replied with a sneer. She flicked her fingers, motioning her pet to start his Turn. It's about time they end this.

"I summon Eva Nicaea (ATK: 1000/ DEF: 1600 / LV: 4)." Duel Virus summoned Eva Nicaea in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack directly with Greed Quasar!" Duel Virus made his first attack with Greed Quasar.

"Due to Eva Nicaea's effect, all monsters I control can attack directly once each!" Duel Virus revealed, allowing Greed Quasar to go straight at Sherry.

"Trap Card: Fleur of Life! When I'm being targeted for attacks, I increase my LP equal to half of the ATK of a Monster in my Graveyard!" Sherry opened her first Reverse Card, adding half of Centaur Mina's ATK to her LP.

 **SHERRY LP: 3900 = 5000**

"But you'll take is 3900!" Neon reminded as Greed Quasar struck Sherry.

 **SHERRY LP: 5000 = 1100**

"Next I attack with Eva Nicaea!" Duel Virus continued. Eva Nicaea also went straight for Sherry, striking her down. However, in exchange of it able to attack opponent directly, it was destroyed at the end of Battle Phase.

 **SHERRY LP: 1100 = 100**

"I activate Eva Nicaea's effect! When it's destroyed, its Life Star Counter is added to Greed Quasar!" Devil Virus added four more Life Star Counters to Greed Quasar, whose ATK and DEF become 5100.

"This is what I have been waiting for!" Sherry smiled confidently while declaring so, confusing Neon. She then opened her second Reverse Card.

"I activate Trap Card: Fit of Rage! I can increase the ATK of a monster I control by the amount of Battle Damage I receive this turn from direct attack, though its total ATK will be halved during the End Phase!" Sherry increased Fleur de Sorcerer's ATK to 6800.

"What's the point of increasing your monster's ATK now? The Battle Phase is already over, and that ATK will be halved once my pet ended his Turn." Neon pointed out.

"I activate Trap Card: Fleur Counter! With this I can conduct a Battle Phase of my own using Plant or Magician-Type Monster after my opponent ends his!" Sherry revealed her final Reverse Card, allowing Fleur de Sorciere to attack. This will be the last Turn.

"Battle! I attack Greed Quasar with Fleur de Sorciere!"

Fleur de Sorciere once again summoned rain of flower petals. The petals then moved in a swirling motion around Greed Quasar, trapping the latter entirely while the petals continued to whirling like a tornado. From the tornado of petals, colorful lights came out and blew away the whole petals, filling the entire area with them. Greed Quasar was nowhere to be seen, and the Duel Virus was lying motionless on the floor.

 **DUEL VIRUS LP: 2200 = 0**

The cosmic space dispersed, returning their surroundings to normal. Neon looked at them with a bored face before turning to her pet. His monstrous body changed back to his human form and dissolved.

"That's quite a show. A one boring show." Neon pouted, jumping off from the sideline. This alerted Sherry who immediately stepped in front of Sync who was still suffering severe pain, preparing to take on the woman to protect her student. But Neon only smiled at Sync.

"But this is only the first step. The next time we meet, you'll succumb completely, Yugo-kun." Neon gave an air peck before she retreated, leaving the two Riding Duelists alone.

"Urgh...!" Sync cried out. His pain has worsened.

"We're logging out now! Don't worry, Sync! You'll be okay!" Sherry held her student close. Even if they have reached the core, they still haven't finished the vaccine so they couldn't do anything with the virus core at the moment. And with Sync in this condition, it'll make things harder. More importantly, Sync's condition was abnormal. Even though the Duel Virus has been defeated, Sync's condition didn't get better. He must be treated quickly.

Using the program made by Lilac, the two logged out together.

 **MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD'S HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

After defeating the Duel Virus, Kiryu and Rin intended to go and help their friends, but then they received an emergency message from Yuno that something happened to Yugo. Sensing Rin's worry for her childhood friend, Kiryu allowed Rin to log out to check on Yugo and she could help them again later. Rin thanked Kiryu and quickly logged out. She ran out from the room where she logged in once she heard Yugo's scream outside and followed it.

When she arrived at the room where he and Sherry were in, Rin saw Yugo's pupils suddenly dilate. He started to breathe harder and heavier, his whole-body trembling. Rin grabbed Yugo's arm, seeing how pale he was getting and trying to get him to sit down. Yugo was trembling so badly now that he could hardly stand. His words slurred when he tried to speak.

"Yugo! What's wrong?! Stay with me!" Rin begged as she held Yugo closer to her.

"I'll go get the medical team! Stay with him!" Sherry told Rin as she dashed out the room in hurry.

Rin carefully helped Yugo to sit on the bench to ease his pain until Sherry came with the doctors. However, she then suddenly found herself lying on the floor with a thud. Rin choked as she felt Yugo's hands wrap around her throat, saw his flat, burning eyes, wide and wild overhead, as though he didn't know what he was doing.

"I can't let go," he mumbled, sounding terrified. "R-Rin, w-what's h-happening, p-please stop m-me—"

And then his eyes turned a flat, full blue without any pupil or white and his voice cut off in the middle, changing into a low, guttural growl.

"Y-Yu...go...!" Rin choked out while holding Yugo's wrist as he tightened his grip around her throat. She couldn't breathe. Yugo was too strong. She was a few seconds close to lose her unconsciousness until air came back into her throat and her lungs. Rin coughed, holding her throat while sitting up and saw Yugo being restrained by Sherry and the doctors.

"Yugo!" Rin yelled, but Yugo didn't seem to listen to her and continued to act wild until the doctor sedated him. Rin felt like crying seeing her childhood friend like that.

Sherry retreated to Rin's side, holding the girl's shoulder and back, gently patting the girl's back. She frowned as the doctors lay the sedated Yugo on the stretcher, taking him to the medical room with them following behind.

"So this is what she meant...!" Sherry gritted her teeth, recalling Neon's last words.

"What? What do you mean?" Rin asked. What exactly happened while they were in LINK VRAINS?

"Neon...that damn woman infected Yugo with her virus!"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Angel's Determination –** Lilac and Yukiya succeeds in creating the vaccine for the virus and needs time to spread the vaccine worldwide without interruption. Things become difficult when the remaining lieutenants arrive to stop the vaccine from being unleashed.

* * *

 **Hello, everyone. Sorry for the delay. I was taking a few days break from writing. I really needed the rest. Here you go with this chapter. Thank you to** _ **ThePLOThand**_ **for pointing out important things in these Duels. And don't worry, even though Yugo is infected, it doesn't mean he will be out of commission. In fact, he'll have plenty of actions later! I actually wanted to add Kiryu's flashback here, but I decided to keep 'that flashback' for later :D**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	41. The Angel's Determination!

**Big thanks to** _ **Ryujomaru15, Playerhood18, Unknowedz, Elbarto4000, Ulrich362, Yuka Kuroshiro, SSJGamerYT, Big duels, Guest, GamingGuy84, NeoFGD, dvdryms**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **MEDICAL ROOM – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD'S HQ – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yugo was still lying unconscious from the sedative. Just in case he went berserk again, the doctors decided to strap him on the bed. Both Rin and Sherry found this unsettling, but when they saw Yugo making violent noises and movements even in his sleep, they reluctantly kept him that way. In exchange, both stayed by Yugo's side. The two girls refused to leave him alone. They wanted to be by his side when he was awake. That was the least they could do. Rin was sitting beside Yugo, holding his hand, while Sherry was sitting on the chair across her.

"If...the vaccine is completed, Yugo will return to normal, right?" Rin said without turning to Sherry, eyes still staring at her childhood friend.

"If the virus is the same type as the one infecting the other victims, then yes. I'm sure Yugo will return to normal. We'll just have to wait for Lilac and Yukiya to finish the vaccine." Sherry replied even though she wasn't even sure herself. But that was what she wanted to believe.

"I'm sorry. I was with him but I couldn't help him..." Sherry apologized. She was so useless. She might have won against the virus, but Yugo was in critical condition like this. If only she had done something to Neon, beat her out and make her give the vaccine. She was his mentor. She was supposed to take care of him, making sure he was okay.

"Don't blame yourself, Sherry-san. None of us would have thought that Yugo would be infected. The one who is at fault is Neon." Rin replied. Her expression briefly turned bitter and angry at the woman who did this to Yugo. She won't forgive her. If they meet, she'll make her pay. Not only for what he did to Yugo, but also for everything she had done. For the first time she could hate someone this much.

"This Neon is one fearsome woman."

Rin and Sherry gasped and turned to the door to see Yukiya standing there, looking concerned at Yugo.

"Yukiya! Why are you here? What about the vaccine?" Rin asked.

"We have already completed it. Lilac-san is handling that now." Yukiya said as he approached Yugo.

"Then, can you cure Yugo with the vaccine?!" Rin stood up from her chair, looking hopeful.

"I don't know about that yet. I'll have to examine his condition first." Yukiya placed Yugo's Duel Disk on its owner's wrist, connecting it to cables from his laptop that he opened.

"What are you doing?" Sherry asked.

"As I said, I'm examining his condition. Not only him, but also his avatar. The virus infected him through his avatar and it might be still there. I'll see what I can do." Yukiya said before fully concentrating on his laptop.

Rin sat on the side of the bed, once again taking Yugo's hand into hers.

"Yugo..."

 **CITY PLAZA – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

People were watching what currently occurring in LINK VRAINS with dread. Ever since the spreading of the virus accelerated, they became too afraid and deemed it too dangerous to log into LINK VRAINS. Those who went to log in to simply check on the situation ended up becoming comatose victims or went berserk like madmen that they needed to be confined in psychiatric ward. The appearance of more Apophis Servants didn't make it even better. In fact, it made things worse not only in LINK VRAINS, but also the entire network. They became so afraid that they avoid anything that may connect them to the network.

And then, today, they appeared. The new heroes from another dimension, Phantom Dragons, appeared and joined forces The Brotherhood and the Imperial Guardians. The three groups were working together defeating the viruses and Apophis Servants. For a while, they rejoiced by their arrival. However, slowly, they realized that no matter how many they defeated the enemies, new ones came, one after another. It was like there was no end of them? Fear surged once more into them. Would their heroes fight until they exhausted themselves?

"Hey, what will become of the entire network?"

"If Apophis occupies the network, won't that mean he's close in ruling the real world?"

"What will become of us?"

"What if we become like those people who fell victim to the virus?"

Murmurs of unrest started amongst the citizens. They feared for their lives and future, thinking of various the worst possible scenarios they could come up. Before they realized it, negativities were the only things in their minds.

Amongst them, Aoi and Go were watching the whole thing, equally worried.

"Ruri...everyone..." Aoi frowned as she watched Canaria defeated one enemy, only to fight again against another one. Aoi clenched her hand on her chest.

 _"I am serious. Quit LINK VRAINS. Leave everything to me from now on."_

Her brother's words rewound in her head. She had promised her brother that she won't involve herself with LINK VRAINS or Dueling anymore and leave everything to him, at least until the situation has cooled down. But she couldn't bring herself that was the right thing to do. Ruri was her friend. And she and her friends have helped her escaped from the underground prison and cleared up the false charges against her. She was able to stand here today thanks to their help.

Now they were fighting right in front of her, and she did nothing but watch. Doing nothing while her friends were risking their lives, was that right?

 _"If you carry the hopes of others, you're fighting for everyone. When it's like that, a wish for you to fulfill their expectations will bloom in your heart. But someone once said this; while we must fight for people's desires to make them happy, we too must fight for what we believe in. Never let your conviction wavers."_

 _"Otherwise, you will lose sight of yourself and what is precious to you. Always remember that, Blue Angel."_

"My conviction. What is precious to me..." Aoi closed her eyes tight as she remembered Ruri's words. For the first time in her life she felt this conflicted.

Meanwhile, Go was taking a few children from the orphanage with him on a shopping. He thought of cheering them up due to what happened recently both in LINK VRAINS and real life. But now, watching the battle, the children felt unease again. They clung to him like a lifeline with Go trying to sooth them.

"Big Bro Onizuka, what will happen to LINK VRAINS?"

"Is LINK VRAINS going to disappear? You're not going to duel anymore?"

"Are we in danger?"

Go carried one of children, patting her back as she was on the verge of tears. Go glanced at the screen, seeing the Duels again. His Duel against Phantom felt like it just happened yesterday. The LINK VRAINS showered with the glimmers of their Entertainment Duel, the people cheering for the both of them, now all of them felt like a wonderful dream when he saw the current condition of LINK VRAINS. Right now, his rival, Phantom was fighting to save LINK VRAINS – no, this dimension. For the sake of the people living in them, for the sake of these children...

Wasn't he the hero of LINK VRAINS? What were he doing just standing here and watch?

 **LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Shadow and Canaria have just defeated another group of three Apophis Servants. Even though they were nothing, their numbers were troublesome. At this rate, they'll succumb to exhaustion and that will make them perfect target for the Servants and viruses. Even though they have help from both Celica's guardians and Yuno's Brotherhood members, they were still loss in numbers. The enemies will keep coming as long as the virus still spreading.

Sherry and Sync have found the core of the virus, but since they don't have the vaccine yet, they couldn't do a thing about the virus. They truly need the vaccine at any second now.

"Are you doing fine, Canaria? You can rest a bit, I'll handle them." Shadow told the girl.

"As much as I want to rest, even if I leave it to you, they won't let us…" Canaria replied. The Duel Viruses and Servants kept coming. They won't let them rest even for just a second.

"We won't hold much longer if this continues. We must destroy the virus core." Shadow stated as he glanced at their other comrades who were fighting. They were also starting to get exhausted.

Fortunately, their prayers seemed to have been answered.

A portal appeared above them. From the portal, Lilac came out, landing straight in the middle of the battlefield, inside a UFO-like capsule.

"Everyone! Sorry to keep you waiting! The vaccine is completed!" Lilac announced. From the capsule, she brought out a pole-like device.

"You have to place this right where the virus core is! You have to make sure it stays attached until I finish the process to activate the vaccine!" Lilac told her comrades from inside the capsule.

"Understood! Let's take this to the virus core now!" Phantom said as he took the pole.

"We won't let you!"

Not far above them, two portals appeared. From the portals, Sting and Zira came out. The virus and Servants took distance from the two lieutenants, giving them their spaces. The two lieutenants faced their adversaries, landing their sight on Phantom who was holding the vaccine.

"You're not going to spread that vaccine. We'll make sure of it." Sting said, grinning menacingly as he raised his Duel Disk.

Shadow, Canaria, and the rest of their comrades took a stand in front of Phantom, Flora Diva, and Lilac. Shadow and Canaria took a step forward against Sting and Zira while the rest were facing the Duel Viruses and Servants.

"Phantom, Flora Diva, go to the core. We'll buy you some time." Shadow instructed the two Pendulum counterparts.

"We don't have any second to waste. The vaccine must be spread as soon as possible. Leave them to us." Canaria added.

"Alright! Be careful guys!" Phantom turned to Flora Diva. The two of them nodded at each other and made their way to the sewer.

Shadow and Canaria briefly turned to the rest of their comrades who stayed. They were fighting against the Duel Viruses and Servants again while protecting Lilac. Other than making sure they must not let them reach Phantom and Flora Diva, they also must protect Lilac until she finished the vaccine. If something happened to Lilac, the vaccine cannot be spread and everything would be for naught. They must protect the three of them at all cost.

"Since there are four of us, that means we'll do a Tag Duel. Field, LP, and Graveyard are shared." Zira stated.

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay fighting us with just the two of you? I'll have you know that we, lieutenants, are super strong unlike these pipsqueaks." Sting stated with a sneer at the two Xyz users.

"Defeating lieutenants makes it all the more worth it." Shadow activated his Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! I set a card." Sting took the first Turn, setting one Reverse Card.

"From my hand, I summon Skull-Mark Ladybug (ATK: 500 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 4)." Sting summoned Ladybug in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I end my Turn." Sting concluded.

"My Turn! When I control no monster while my opponent does, I can special summon Phantom Knights – Nautilus Cloud (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 5)!" Shadow summoned Nautilus Cloud in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"When a Phantom Knights Monster is special summoned through its effect, I can special summon Phantom Knights Argent Fear (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 5)!" Shadow summoned Argent Fear beside Nautilus Cloud in Attack Position.

"I summon Phantom Knights – Silent Boots!" Shadow normal summoned Silent Boots in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Come forth, the circuit of shadow that cover the world!" Shadow opened the Link Circuit in front of him.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 1 Phantom Knights Monster! I set Phantom Knights Silent Boots, Phantom Knights – Nautilus Cloud, and Phantom Knights – Argent Fear, in the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Shadow set Silent Boots in the Top Marker, Nautilus Cloud in the Left Marker, and Argent Fear in the Bottom Marker.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyber Rebellion Dragon (ATK: 2300 / Link: 3 / LM: Left, Top, Bottom)!" Shadow summoned Cyber Rebellion in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack Skull-Mark Ladybug with Cyber Rebellion Dragon!" Shadow declared attack. Cyber Rebellion Dragon covered its entire body with purple electricity from its wings, particularly its fangs that glowed brightly. The dragon let out a loud roar before flying forward, eyes focused solely on the insect monster.

"Trap Card: Insect Wall! I negate the attack against an Insect-Type Monster I control!" Sting opened his Reverse Card, summoning swarms of flying insects that gathered and formed a barrier, blocking Cyber Rebellion's fangs.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Shadow concluded.

"My Turn. I summon Altergeist Marionetter (ATK: 1600/ DEF: 1700)." Zira summoned Marionetter in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"As Marionetter was Normal Summoned, I activate its effect. I can set an Altergeist Trap Card from my Deck." Zira set a card with its effect, and then set another card before she ended her Turn.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Lyrical Luscinia – Cobalt Sparrow (ATK: 0 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1)!" Canaria summoned Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"If I control a Lyrical Luscinia Monster, I can Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia – Sapphire Swallow (ATK: 100 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) from my hand and one Level 1 Lyrical Luscinia Monster!" Canaria summoned Sapphire Swallow along with another copy of Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Cobalt Sparrow's Effect! I can add a copy of Cobalt Sparrow from my Deck to my hand!" Ruri added another copy of Cobalt Sparrow to her hand.

"Come forth, my circuit in the sky!" Canaria opened the Link Summon circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 1 Lyrical Luscinia monster! I set Sapphire Swallow and Cobalt Sparrow on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Canaria set Sapphire Swallow on the Right Arrow and Cobalt Sparrows on the Left Arrow and Upper-Right Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Lyrical Luscinia - Rhythm Nightingale (ATK: 200 / LINK: 3 / LM: Right, Left, Upper-Right)!" Canaria summoned her first Link Monster in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone pointed by Cyber Rebellion's Bottom Arrow.

"When I control a Lyrical Luscinia Monster, I can special summon Sapphire Swallow from my hand!" Canaria summoned Sapphire Swallow on the zone pointed by Rhythm Nightingale's Left Arrow.

"I activate Rhythm Nightingale's effect! This card gains 300 ATK equal to each of the monster pointed by its Link Markers and can make a direct attack for each monster pointed by its Link Markers!" Canaria increased Rhythm Nightingale's ATK to 500.

"Battle! I attack directly with Rhytm Nightingale!" Canaria declared battle. The Link Monster flapped its wings, flying to the air and shot down powerful tornado at Zira and Sting.

"I activate Altergeist Kunquery's effect from my hand! When my opponent declares attack while I control an Altergeist Monster, I can special summon this card from my hand and negate the attack!" Zira summoned Kunquery in Defense Position. The Altergeist Monster effortlessly dispelled the tornado with a push of its hands.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Canaria concluded.

"My Turn! When I control a Level 4 or lower Insect-Type Monster, I can special summon Dark Ant (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 900 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Sting summoned Dark Ant in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I tribute Skull-Mark Ladybug to Advance Summon Insect Queen (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 2400 / LV: 6)!" Sting summoned Insect Queen in Attack Position, replacing Ladybug in the Main Monster Zone.

"Insect Queen gains 200 ATK for each Insect-Type Monster on the Field." Counting Dark Ant and Insect Queen itself, the ATK gained was 400, making Sting increased Insect Queen's ATK to 2600.

"Battle! I attack Rhythm Nightingale with Insect Queen!" Sting pointed at the weaker Link Monster. Insect Queen opened its mouth, shooting melting poisonous miasma towards the Lyrical Luscinia Monster. Right before the miasma could melt her monster, Canaria opened her Reverse Card.

"Trap Card: Bird Crisis! I release a Lyrical Luscinia monster I control to increase the ATK of another Lyrical Luscinia Monster I control equal to half of the opposing monster's ATK!" Canaria released Sapphire Swallow to add half of Insect Queen's ATK to Rhythm Nightingale, increasing its ATK to 1500.

"Lowering the damage by increasing your monster's ATK? Wise move, but you'll still lose your monster!" Sting exclaimed as Insect Queen's miasma hit Rhythm Nightingale, melting the Lyrical Luscinia monster.

 **SHADOW & CANARIA LP: 4000 = 2900**

"It's destroyed. I set a card and end my Turn." Sting snickered at Canaria's dejected face at her monster's destruction. That was the most beautiful way of destruction, and Canaria's reaction added a plus score.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Phantom Knights – Crack Helm (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 500 / LV: 4)!" Shadow summoned Crack Helm in Attack Position beside Rhythm Nightingale under Cyber Rebellion's Bottom Link Marker.

"I activate Cyber Rebellion's effect! I can lower the ATK of my opponent's monster's ATK equal to the ATK of a monster pointed by its Link Marker until the end of this Turn!" Shadow lowered Insect Queen's ATK equal to Crack Helm's ATK, making its current ATK 1100.

"Battle! I attack Insect Queen with Cyber Rebellion!" Shadow once again motioned his Link dragon to use its fangs to pierce through the insect monster. Cyber Rebellion flew forward following its master's order.

"Trap Card: Dark Multiplication! Each Insect-Type Monsters on my Field is treated as 2 monsters." Sting multiplied all his Insect Monsters into 6 in total, increasing Insect Queen's ATK to 2300, equal to Cyber Rebellion's ATK.

"Trap Card: Bird Climate! I banish a Lyrical Luscinia Monster in my Graveyard to end the Battle Phase!" Canaria banished a copy of Cobalt Sparrow, halting Cyber Rebellion's attack who retreated back to their Field, stopping the dragon and Insect Queen from destroying each other.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Shadow finished.

"My Turn. I summon another Altergeist Marionetter and use its effect to set a card from my Deck." Zira summoned another copy of Marionetter and set another Trap Card from her Deck. She then extended her hand down as a Link Circuit appeared beneath.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is 3 monsters. I set Altergeist Kunquery and Marionetters on the Link Markers. Circuit Combine." Zira set Kunquery on the Bottom Arrow, and her two Marionetters on Bottom-Right and Right Arrows.

"Link Summon. Appear. Link 3. Altergeist Primebanshee (ATK: 2100 / LINK: 3 / LM: Bottom, Bottom-Right, Right)." Zira summoned her Link Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Trap Card: Altergeist Materialization. I can special summon 1 Altergeist Monster from my Graveyard." Zira opened her first Reverse Card, reviving a copy of Marionetter.

"Next I activate Continuous Trap: Altergeist Protocol. As long as this card is on the Field, the activation and effect of Altergeist cards cannot be negated." Zira opened her second Trap, protecting her Altergeist Cards.

"I activate the second effect of Marionetter. I can send a face-up Altergeist card I control to the Graveyard to Special Summon an Altergeist monster from my Graveyard." Zira sent Altergeist Protocol that she just activated to the Graveyard and Special Summoned the other Marionetter (ATK: 1600/ DEF: 1700).

"I activate Primebanshee's effect, I can tribute an Altergeist monster to Special Summon another Altergeist monster from my Deck to a zone that Primebanshee points to." Zira released the first copy of Marionetter to Special Summon Altergeist Meluseek (ATK: 500/ DEF: 300) to the Bottom Link Marker of Primebanshee in Attack Position.

"I activate Meluseek's effect. I can attack my opponent directly!" Zira declared Battle Phase. Meluseek strikes both Shadow and Canaria, pushing them back with such a force that they crushed the building wall behind them.

 **SHADOW & CANARIA LP: 2900 = 2400**

"As Meluseek inflicted battle damage, I activate its effect. I can send a card my opponent controls to the Graveyard!" Zira sent Cyber Rebellion to the Graveyard. A portal appeared beneath Cyber Rebellion. From the portal, black smokes came out, dragging the Link dragon into the abyss.

"Cyber Rebellion!" Shadow exclaimed in dismay at the loss of his monster. Now he and Canaria only have Crack Helm on the Field.

"Battle! I attack Crack Helm with Marionetter!" Zira continued her attack with her second Marionetter. Strings surrounded Crack Helm before it cut the Phantom Knights monster to slices, destroying it, leaving Shadow and Canaria's Field wide open.

 **SHADOW & CANARIA LP: 2400 = 2300**

"Now, I attack directly with Primebanshee!" Zira continued her third attack with her Link Monster. Right at that moment, Shadow opened his Reverse Card.

"Trap Card: Rebellious Shadow! When I'm being targeted for direct attack, I can special summon this card as a Defense Position Trap Monster. Until the end of this Turn, my opponent can only attack this card!" Shadow summoned Rebellious Shadow (ATK: 0 / DEF: 500 / LV: 4) in Defense Position. Rebellious Shadow used its shield to block Primebanshee's attack.

"I end my Turn." Zira concluded, seeing no point to continue attacking with Sting's Insect Queen since it won't do any damage.

"And at the end of the Turn, Rebellious Shadow is destroyed, and I can special summon a Phantom Knights Monster from my Graveyard with its effect negated." Shadow revived Argent Fear in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

Shadow felt his head was lilting slightly to the left and his eyelashes fluttered every couple minutes with fatigue. He noticed Canaria was starting to drift off herself. The two of them were swaying on their feet from fatigue.

"Are you sure the two of you are okay? I think you're barely able to catch your breath." Sting looked at them, seeming pleased by their weak and groggy state. It made sense, if they were too tired to even stand up straight then of course they would be less likely to fight.

"After continuously fighting against our Duel Viruses and Servants, it's understandable you've reached the limit of your stamina. Under exhaustion, it's difficult to remain concentrated. Those moves the two of you made so far are the proof." Zira calmly observed them. Exhaustion tends to affect their capabilities to think properly. The more tired they are, the more difficult for them to coordinate strategies.

"You're not thinking that will stop us, aren't you?" Shadow retorted. He bit the inside of his cheeks to keep himself awake. Fainting now would be the end for them.

Sting shrugged. "No. We know your tenacity and stubbornness are as much as cockroaches." He sneered. The two Xyz counterparts were as good as dead once his turn comes up.

"That is as far as you can insulting them!"

Almost everyone stopped what he or she was doing. At the rooftop of a building near where Shadow and Canaria fighting the lieutenants, Blue Angel was standing there. Blue Angel jumped onto her D-Board, using it to land safely on the ground, coming in between the Tag Duel.

"Blue Angel!" Canaria exclaimed in surprise and also in relief.

"My Turn! I activate Field Spell: Trickstar Light Arena!" Blue Angel formed an area full of spotlights and sparkling papers, creating a perfect stage for an idol.

"From my hand, I summon Trickstar Nightshade (ATK: 100 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)!" Blue Angel Normal summoned Trickstar Nightshade in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Blue Angel concluded.

"Blue Angel, why are you here?! I thought you wouldn't return anymore!" Canaria asked. She has heard that Aoi's brother, Akira, had forbid her to continue becoming Blue Angel and even Dueling completely until the entire problem is solved. Not the one who disobeys her brother, Aoi reluctantly quit. Canaria understood and decided not to press her much.

"We must fight for what we believe in. Don't let your conviction wavers. Isn't that what you said to me before?" Blue Angel recited what Canaria had told her after their first Duel. She understood what she meant now.

" _I want to prove to my brother that I can hold on my own. But more than anything, I want to fight together with my friends and fulfill everyone's hope!"_ Blue Angel has made her decision. Even if she was going to be scolded by her brother, even if he will be furious at her, she will continue to fight.

" _I won't hesitate anymore!"_

 **OFFICE – ABERFORTH ENTERPRISE – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Akira was ready to go back home after he finished the documents given during the Supreme Commander's absence. It took a lot of times as it was piling up. It already late in the afternoon, Aoi must have been waiting for him for dinner. The Supreme Commander will return tomorrow, so his workload would lessen by tomorrow.

"Blue Angel has returned to LINK VRAINS!"

Akira stopped just as he was about to press the button. He turned to the janitor who was taking a break by watching from his pad. Akira almost couldn't believe what he heard. Did he hear it right? His sister returned to LINK VRAINS even though he had told her no?

"Excuse me, can I look?" Akira asked the janitor who allowed him to watch the show that aired Duels currently taking place in LINK VRAINS. And to his surprise, he saw his sister's avatar turning to the camera, waving her hand.

"To all my fans, sorry to keep you waiting!" Blue Angel said.

"Aoi...why are you doing this?" Akira frowned. This was the first time she defied him. He was worried about her, so why couldn't she understand that? Akira returned the pad and made haste. He must stop his sister before she got hurt.

"Chief Zaizen, you're going to go to LINK VRAINS?" The janitor asked without turning away from the screen.

"Isn't it obvious? I can't let my sister to place herself in danger!" Akira replied.

"You can't do that. That's not good." The janitor said as he approached Akira, surprising him.

"Your sister is fighting for what she believes. She said so herself. It's an older brother's job to watch over and believe in your younger sister." The janitor told him, finally turning his gaze away from the pad to look at him in the eye.

"She's not a little girl forever." The janitor said and patted Akira's shoulder before leaving the office, humming.

Akira was left flummoxed, wondering of the janitor's words. He only wanted for his sister to be safe, away from danger. But has he ever considered her feeling in that matter? He knew that she wanted to help after seeing with her own eyes what Heidel had done. Aside from that, there was something more that he didn't know? He rarely could be with his sister due to his work. Even though he could still say that they were close, he knew little of his sister recently.

"Wait..."

Akira turned to the door where the janitor has left. It suddenly kicked him. That janitor just now…

"I don't remember we have someone that young working here. Is he new?"

 **LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Lyrical Luscinia - Nightingale Strike! I discard 3 cards at the top of my Deck to special summon a Lyrical Luscinia Monster that was summoned from Extra Deck from my Graveyard!" Canaria sent 3 cards from the top of her Deck and then revived Rhythm Nightingale in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"Rhythm Nightingale can attack directly! Battle! I attack with Rhythm Nightingale!" Canaria declared attack. However, since there was no monster pointed by its Link Markers, Canaria's ATK didn't increase. The gust of winds blown by the Lyrical Luscinia monster hit the two lieutenants, but the two barely even move from their spot.

 **ZIRA & STING LP: 4000 = 3800**

"Missy, that's not even enough for a scratch." Sting mocked as he draped his clothes, staring condescendingly at the Lyrical Luscinia user.

"I know that. That's why I used Nightingale Strike." Canaria stated as she pressed a card that she sent to Graveyard due to Nightingale Strike's effect.

"I activate Lyrical Luscinia – Ruby Antpecker's effect (ATK: 100 / DEF: 500 / LV: 1) in my Graveyard! When this card is in Graveyard and a Lyrical Luscinia Monster I control inflict battle damage, I can banish a Lyrical Luscinia Monster to repeat the attack!" Canaria revealed. Her monster might have low ATK, but if it attacks repeatedly, the damage inflicted would be considerably high.

"There are 4 Lyrical Luscinia monsters left in my Graveyard, so I can attack directly 4 times!" Canaria started to banish her Lyrical Luscinia monster one after another, repeating the direct attack four more times. It was almost like using her ace monster Assembly Nightingale, though the damage was lower.

 **ZIRA & STING LP: 3800 = 3000**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Canaria concluded. Blue Angel's arrival was enough to keep her awake and renew her spirit. She turned to Blue Angel, smiling happily, which the latter returned with her own.

"Finally, this got interesting. My Turn! I summon Soldier Ant!" Sting summoned Soldier Ant in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Multiplication of Ant! When I control Soldier Ant, it is treated as 10 Monsters until my next Standby Phase!" Sting multiplied Soldier Ant into 10, making it look like there were truly 10 Soldier Ants on the Field. This increased Insect Queen's ATK to 4200.

"Battle! I attack Rhythm Nightingale with Insect Queen!" Sting declared his attack. Insect Queen let out a screech before shooting its miasma, now bigger than before.

"I activate Nightingale Strike's effect! I banish it to negate the destruction and damage of the Lyrical Luscinia Monster summoned through its effect!" Canaria banished her Trap Card, forming a barrier that protected her Link Monster. There was no way she would let her monster being melted by that horrible miasma again.

"I end my Turn." Sting concluded. Multiplication of Ant's effect ended, reverting Insect Queen's ATK. Zira blinked.

"Why not using my monster to attack?" She asked her partner.

"My monsters are enough to handle them." Sting replied proudly. Using Zira's monster would be the same as admitting that is monsters were no big deal to him.

"My Turn! I special summon Phantom Knights – Gazette Glove (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 500 / LV: 3)!" Shadow summoned Gazette Glove in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"At this moment, I activate Primebanshee's effect! I tribute 1 Altergeist Monster to special summon 1 Altergeist Monster to the zone pointed by its Link Marker!" Zira released Altergeist Meluseek and special summoned Altergeist Silquitous (ATK: 800 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 2) in Defense Position. As Meluseek was sent to the Graveyard, she activated its effect to add an Altergeist Monster from her Deck to her hand, adding Altergeist Kunquery.

"I tribute Gazette Glove and Argent Fear to Advance Summon Phantom Knights – Evil Slayer (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Shadow summoned Evil Slayer in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Evil Slayer's effect! When it was Advance Summoned using Phantom Knights cards as tributes, it gains 1000 ATK!" Shadow increased Evil Slayer's ATK to 3400.

"Battle! I attack Altergeist Primebanshee with Evil Slayer!" Shadow attacked without hesitation against Primebanshee. Its effect would be troublesome.

"I activate Altergeist Kunquery's effect! I can special summon it and negate the attack and the effect of your monster!" Zira summoned another copy of Kunquery in Defense Position, blocking the attack again. However, Shadow has already anticipated this.

"Quick-Play Spell: Phantom Cross! Phantom Knights Monster can make a second attack!" Shadow declared his second attack, once again choosing Primebanshee as its target. Evil Slayer twirled its spear before piercing it right through the Altergeist Monster's chest, destroying it.

 **ZIRA & STING LP: 3000 = 1700**

"Also, I attack directly using Rhythm Nightingale!" Shadow used Canaria's monster to attack, finally pushing the two lieutenants back after they didn't budge from their spot.

 **ZIRA & STING LP: 1700 = 1400**

"Now our LP is lower than them…! Zira, you better do something in your Turn!" Sting demanded, feeling insulted to have his LP lower than the two scums.

"Affirmative. I activate Altergeist Silquitos' effect. I can return an Altergeist card I control to my hand, and then return a card my opponent control to his hand." Zira returned Kunquery to her hand and then chose Shadow's Evil Slayer, returning it to Shadow's hand. This once again left them with only Rhythm Nightingale on their Field.

"I summon Altergeist Reelpuca (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1700 / LV: 4)." Zira summoned Reelpuca in Attack Position.

"When I have Altergeist monsters with 2000 or more ATK in my Graveyard, I can release this card to special summon one of that monsters with its ATK halved!" Zira released Reelpuca to revive Primebanshee whose ATK was halved to 1050. She once again opened the Link Circuit to perform Link Summon.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is 2 Altergeist monsters! I set Silquitos and Primebanshee on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Zira set Silquitos on the Bottom Arrow and Primebanshee on the Bottom-Right Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Altergeist Heralda (ATK: 1900 / LINK: 2 / LM: Bottom, Bottom-Right)!" Zira summoned Heralda in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Altergeist Heralda's effect! Once per Turn, this card gains 400 ATK for each Altergeist Trap Cards in my Graveyard!" There were 2 Altergeist Trap Cards in her Graveyard, so Zira increased Heralda's ATK by 800, making its ATK 2700.

"Battle! I attack Lyrical Luscinia – Rhythm Nightingale with Altergeist Heralda!" Zira pointed at the only monster her opponents have left. Heralda used the protrusions behind its back to strike down the Lyrical Luscinia Monster.

"Trap Card: Mischief of Little Birds! When Lyrical Luscinia Monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can end the Battle Phase, but in exchange I must skip my Turn!" Canaria opened her last Reverse Card, calling forth swarm of small birds to stop Heralda's attack, paralyzing it. This came at the cost that Canaria must skip her turn once Zira's Turn was over.

Canaria, however, didn't mind with skipping her Turn. She turned to Blue Angel. She knew her very first friend from this dimension could do this.

"It would be a shame if the idol don't do any show when she just arrived, so it's time for your performance, Blue Angel." Canaria told the Trickstar user, winking at her.

"Leave it to me!" Blue Angel replied energetically. She couldn't say no to that. Not with her friend trusting her to do the finishing move.

"Everyone! Set your eyes on me, please! Blue Angel's Trickstar performance will now begin!" Blue Angel announced as the spotlights from Trickstar Light Arena all were focusing on her and her Trickstar Monster.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Trickstar Crystal Lake! I discard and banish 3 Trickstar Cards on the top of my Deck. Until the end of this Turn, my opponents cannot activate any Magic or Trap Cards!" Blue Angel discarded 3 random Trickstar Cards from her Deck and then banished them. As she did it, the ground beneath the two lieutenants became that of a crystalized lake, sealing their Magic and Trap.

"Now let us begin! Appear! The circuit of dreams and hope! Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is a Trickstar Monster! I set Trickstar Nightshade on the Link Marker! Circuit Combine!" Blue Angel set Nightshade on the Bottom Link Marker.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Trickstar Bloom (ATK: 100 / LINK: 1 / LM: Bottom)!" Blue Angel summoned Trickstar Bloom in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"As Bloom was Link Summoned, I activate its effect to let my opponent draw a card." Blue Angel told the other four Duelists who each drew 1 card from their Decks before she continued her Turn.

"As Nightshade was sent to the Graveyard as a material for the Link Summon of a Trickstar monster, I activate its effect to Special Summon it from the Graveyard!" Blue Angel revived Nightshade in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Appear once more! The circuit of dreams and hope! Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Trickstar Black Catbat (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / LM: Right, Left)!" Blue Angel summoned Black Catbat in Attack Position replacing Trickstar Bloom in the Extra Monster Zone.

"As I Link Summoned a Trickstar monster, I activate the effect of Light Arena, to special summon a Trickstar Monster from my Graveyard!" Blue Angel revived Nightshade again in Attack Position.

"For the third time, I open the circuit of love and hope! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Trickstar Delfiendium (ATK: 2200 / LINK: 3 / LM: Bottom-Right, Top, Bottom-Left)!" Bue Angel summoned her third Link Monster, Delfiendium in Attack Position in Extra Monster Zone.

"Three consecutives Link Summons?!" Sting exclaimed in disbelieve.

"It's too soon to be surprise! I activate Trap Card: Trickstar Maribold! I return a Trickstar card from the Graveyard to my hand, then Normal Summoning a Trickstar monster from my hand." Blue Angel returned Nightshade to her hand, then Normal Summons Trickstar Candina (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 400 / LV: 4) in Attack Position.

"As Candina was Normal Summoned, I activate its effect to add another copy of Nightshade to her hand.

"Battle! I attack Insect Queen with Trickstar Delfiendium!" Blue Angel finally declared her attack.

"Fool! Have you forgotten? Insect Queen's ATK is increased equal to each of Insect-Type Monster on the Field!" Sting reminded. If he didn't have his other Insect Monsters, both his Insect Queen and Trickstar Delfiendium would have been destroyed.

"Then I'll increase Delfiendium's ATK far higher than your disgusting insect!" Blue Angel replied, confusing the others.

"I activate Delfiendium's effect! I can return banished cards to my hand, up to the number of Link Monsters on the opponent's field, then increasing the ATK of Delfiendium by 1000 for each card returned until the End Phase, however I cannot Set those cards this turn!" Blue Angel returned three copies of Trickstar Reincarnation to her hand, increasing Delfiendium's ATK to 5200.

"Impossible!" Sting was dumbstruck, staring helplessly as Delfiendium was coming at his monster. Zira couldn't do anything either. Her Trap was sealed by Trickstar Crystal Lake's effect.

Delfiendium pointed its sceptre at the insect monster, unleashing purple-colored lightning shockwave that struck down the Insect Queen, blasting away Zira and Sting following the destructive explosion that came following after, depleting their LP.

 **ZIRA & STING LP: 1700 = 0**

Zira and Sting fell on their knees from the impact of the attack. Zira glanced at her partner and noticed the insect user was furious by the lost. She knew where this would go if they stayed. When anger got the better of him, Sting would be the same as losing himself. He would lose his cool, insisting he will defeat them at any cost. In short, he would be no different than a child throwing a tantrum. Fighting while he was in that condition would just end with his demise.

"How troublesome." Zira got back on her feet and pinned Sting to the ground before he could get up. Staying here while Sting was ready to burst out childishly won't give them any merit. They'll leave the rest to Kamui and the henchmen.

Zira forcefully logged herself and Sting out.

"Canaria!" Blue Angel ran to the Lyrical Luscinia user. The said girl was also running at her, and then the two hugged each other.

"Thank you! I'm so glad that you came, Blue Angel!" Canaria cheered as they broke the hug.

"I have decided. I will fight all of you whether Brother allowed me to or not." Blue Angel said with certainty.

"This is not exactly the best circumstances, but I'm happy that we the two of us can Duel together." Canaria said honestly, holding Blue Angel's hands gently. With another addition of comrade, their manpower has increased and improved.

"We have defeated those two. But…" Shadow interrupted. As much as he didn't want to, they still have much bigger concern to deal with. Another group of Duel Virus and Servants came again.

"How long do we have to fight against them?" Blue Angel asked.

"Until the vaccine is activated. It shouldn't be that long." Canaria answered, facing their enemies again.

" _Yuya, Yuzu, please hurry!"_

 **OUTSIDE ABERFORTH ENTERPRISE – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Shun was leaning on the tree, crossing his arms while waiting for someone. It was already 20 minutes and the person he was waiting for hasn't arrived yet. He said it would only take a while, but now he was starting to get a cramp. While waiting, he was watching the Duel taking place in LINK VRAINS, watching his sister and best friend in particular.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Shun turned with a growl at the very person he was waiting for. Finally. He was disguising as a janitor. He took off the cap he wore, revealing a face of a boy around the same age. He has dark purple spiky hair and yellow eyes.

"Took you long enough." Shun replied, still annoyed.

"Worrying for Ruri and Yuto?" He asked, glancing at the TV screen not far from their place.

"They're not alone. They'll be okay." Shun replied, though his tone revealed that he wasn't that sure himself.

"I know how much you want to go to their side. I'm also the same." He said, smiling sadly.

"Even if we go, there won't be much difference unless the Duel Viruses and Servants stop appearing. The best way to help them now is stopping the enemies from sending anymore reinforcement." Shun said calmly, turning away from the TV screen.

"I know. I already got what is necessary. Let's regroup with the others." He said, showing Shun a flash disk he took out from his pocket. Shun nodded.

It's time for them to close the portal that allows enemies to send continuous reinforcement.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Raise Courage with Entertainment! –** Reaching the core, Phantom and Flora Diva finds Kamui defending it. As Kamui unleash his assault, he brought the virus core to the surface to accelerate the infection worldwide.

* * *

 **Phew! Writing this chapter was more tiring than before since the numbers of people dueling here are by far higher than the previous chapters so it took a while. At first I intended to conclude the virus extermination in this chapter, which means there were supposed to be 2 Duels here, but I decide to split it up as I find it easier to write or else it would take even longer times. The next chapter would be the conclusion of the virus extermination arc!**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	42. Raise Courage with Entertainment!

**Big thanks to** _ **Elbarto4000, Playerhood18, Ulrich362, Jay, Jason, Yuka Kuroshiro, Ryujomaru15, GamingGuy84, Big duels, dvdryms, NeoFGD, Unknowedz for reviewing the previous chapter!**_

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter :D**

* * *

 **BRIDGE – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Hayabusa and his purple haired comrade were riding on Dark Rebellion's back, flying in the sky. They looked down, searching for the rendezvous point that they and their other comrades have agreed upon. Their comrades said that they would know the moment the signal was sent, but even they didn't know what the signal is. No one told them other than they'll recognize it immediately. So far, their eyes didn't see anything standing out in particular for them. Did this mean the signal hasn't been sent yet?

Dark Rebellion let out a low growl as the dragon turned below. The dragon tilted its head up, telling the two men riding on its back to hold still as they were going to land. Making sure the two have held onto it tight, the dragon flew down, seeing the other three dragons and their comrades in blue robes that have been waiting for them.

"When you said 'signal' you meant the dragons." Hayabusa said as he got down from the Xyz dragon's back.

"This is the safest way without being found out." The person in blue robe standing beside Clear Wing replied.

"Even with the camouflage program made by Ray, there are still other ways for the enemies to find our whereabouts other than through eyes." The person standing beside Starve Venom added.

"You've gotten used using Dark Rebellion, Hayabusa." The person beside Odd-Eyes commented the closeness between the dragon and Raid Raptors user.

"I just want to get to know my best friend's ace monster. Besides, we share the same goal." Hayabusa replied as the dragon nudged its head to the Raid Raptors user who returned the gesture by patting its head.

"Yuto is still number 1 to Dark Rebellion." The purple haired boy remarked. While the Hayabusa and Dark Rebellion certainly got closer due to their shared goal and friendship with Yuto, the Phantom Knights user was still the Xyz dragon's number 1 person.

"You can say the same to these three." The person beside Odd-Eyes gestured to the Pendulum dragon and the other two.

"Do not worry. You'll be reunited with your masters again eventually."

The five of them turned to the alleyway, following the voice and sound of footsteps. She has long, maroon and dark red colored hair. Her hair style was in two pigtails with hair clips. She was wearing blue, purple, and white suit similar as Riding Duel suit. She was wearing a thigh strap. Her eyes were covered by pink sunglasses.

"Ray." Hayabusa called the girl who smiled at him in return.

"That is the portal." Ray pointed at the bridge. Across the bridge, there was some sort of rift that couldn't be seen from afar. If you look at it closer, there was a distorted space. And this was confirmed when several Servants came out, going towards the city where the battle was taking place.

"Are you prepared?" Ray asked, turning to her comrades.

"We won't be here if we're not." Hayabusa replied, raising his Duel Disk.

The four dragons reverted back into cards as the Duelists activated their Duel Disks. They pressed the touchscreen buttons. A transparent cloak then appeared above them, draping them. While they could see each other, other people couldn't see them with naked eyes.

"Let's go."

 **VIRUS CORE – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Here it is! The core of the virus!"

Phantom and Flora Diva arrived at the room where the virus core was. They stared at the reverse black-colored pyramid that was producing some sort of pulse, which unnerved them for a moment. Standing right in front of the core, Phantom and Flora Diva attached the vaccine pole together, making sure it won't come off easily. The pole then changed form, resembling a satellite.

"Now all we have to do is wait until Lilac-san is finished." Phantom said while staring at the satellite.

Fearing the enemy will try to destroy it, Phantom and Flora Diva were on standby at the place, ready to take on anyone working under Apophis. They then felt the ground beneath them shaking, followed by the entire room. It was like an earthquake was occurring. Phantom held Flora Diva when she lost her balance as the entire room was starting to move up.

"W-what what's happening?!" Flora Diva exclaimed.

The ceiling above them opened, giving the path for the virus core to the surface. For a moment, everyone in LINK VRAINS stopped as the huge reverse black pyramid appeared all of a sudden at the top of a building. It was like a tower. The pulse coming from the virus became stronger that it echoed throughout the whole city. The strong pulse was followed with the Duel Viruses' behavior becoming more aggressive. It wasn't difficult for them to figure out what has happened. The virus core was affecting the Duel Viruses as it spread itself further.

"I can't let you complete that vaccine." Kamui revealed himself in front of Phantom and Flora Diva.

"You're...!" Phantom and Flora Diva were quick to be on their guard.

"I am Kamui. I'm the first lieutenant of His Excellency ordered to stop you." Kamui introduced himself passively.

"The first lieutenant? That means you're the leader?" Flora Diva asked.

"You can say that. Now step aside if you value your lives." Kamui took several steps forward while raising his Duel Disk, his eyes set on the satellite behind the two enemies.

"We won't let you stop us spreading the vaccine!" Flora Diva retorted, not moving a budge from her spot.

"We will cure everyone who have fallen into victims of your virus!" Phantom declared.

"No need for any more talk then." Kamui said, activating his Duel Disk, which begin the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm taking the first Turn. I set 2 cards." Kamui started by setting 2 cards from his hand.

"Almost forgot, you don't need to bother with the rule of player cannot attack on their first Turn. You may attack if you want. It won't give any difference for me." Kamui told Phantom and Flora Diva. While usually in Battle Royale, each player couldn't attack on their first Turn to give equal chance for each of them, Kamui didn't need such handicap. He was confident enough without that even if he was alone, something that both Phantom and Flora Diva realized.

"I summon Goblin Zombie (ATK: 1100 / DEF: 1050 / LV: 4) from my hand." Kamui summoned Goblin Zombie in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I end my Turn." Kamui concluded.

"My Turn! With Scale 3 Entermate Seal Eel and Scale 5 Entermate Chain Giraffe, I set the Pendulum Scale! With this I can summon Level 4 monsters! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my monsters!" Phantom summoned Entermate Amenboat (ATK: 500 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 4) and Entermate Helpprincess (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I tribute Amenboat and Helpprincess to Advance Summon Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Phantom summoned Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack Goblin Zombie with Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon!" Phantom declared attack. Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon shot crimson red flame, burning the zombie monster and pushing back Kamui who didn't seem perturbed by the destruction of his monster nor the damage.

 **KAMUI LP: 4000 = 2300**

"Continuous Trap: Horrible Earthbound! When my opponent declares attack, I can activate this card. Every time my opponents' monsters attack, my opponents receive 500 direct damage." Kamui opened his first Trap. A demonic mouth appeared beneath Phantom, biting half of his body. While it was nothing compared to real-life pain, it was still hurt as Phantom almost fell on his knees.

 **PHANTOM LP: 4000 = 3500**

"I end my Turn." Phantom concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse Sonata the Melodious Diva and Score the Melodious Diva in my hand! Angel's songs! With the guidance of the baton, gather your power! Fusion Summon! Now come here to the stage! Sing the song of victory! Bloom Diva the Floral Melodious Saint (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 6)!" Flora Diva quickly brought out her ace Monster in Attack Position to the Extra Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack directly with Bloom Diva!" Flora Diva declared battle. This could be their only chance to inflict as much damage as they could. If they could reduce many LP out of him, then receiving 500 damage worth it. Bloom Diva sang, blowing tornado at the lieutenant.

"Trap Card: Ripple Barrier – Wave Force. When an opponent's monster declares a direct attack, all my opponents' Attack Position Monsters are shuffled into the Deck." Kamui opened his second Trap, a water barrier protected him, blocking the tornado. The barrier and the tornado then mixed together, moving to Phantom and Flora Diva's Fields like ocean wave, drowning their monsters back into their respective Decks. And due to Horrible Earthbound's effect, Flora Diva received 500 damage for her attack.

 **FLORA DIVA LP: 4000 = 3500**

"In two turns he already wiped out our monsters?!" Flora Diva remarked as she looked her and Phantom's now empty Field.

"He's not a lieutenant only by namesake...!" Phantom eyed Kamui warily. He was different from Tsukasa and the others. Not just from skill, Deck, strategy, but also demeanor. And that bothered him quite a bit. Tsukasa was calm and cold, but he still showed certain emotions. Kamui, on the other hand, Phantom felt the man was...almost empty in the inside.

"What's wrong, Phantom?" Flora Diva asked, noticing Phantom was lost in thought.

"No. Sorry. I'm okay." Phantom quickly dismissed. He mustn't get distracted now.

"I end my Turn." Flora concluded reluctantly.

"My Turn. When I control no monster, I can special summon Cursed Cassim (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4) from my hand." Kamui summoned a male mummy-like undead monster from his hand in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Wicked Smoker's effect in my hand. I can discard this card to draw 2 cards." Kamui sent Wicked Smoker to the Graveyard, adding 2 cards into his hand.

"I tribute Cursed Cassim to Advance Summon Puppet Master (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 6)." Kamui summoned Puppet Master in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone. It has 0 ATK and DEF, but Phantom and Flora Diva knew there was more to it from sensing the menacing aura of the monster.

"I activate Puppet Master's effect. I can pay 1000 LP to special summon 3 monsters from my Graveyard." Kamui revived Goblin Zombie, Cursed Cassim, and Wicked Smoker in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone. The three monsters' bodies were tied by Puppet Master's strings, making them its marionettes.

 **KAMUI LP: 2300 = 1300**

"Reviving three monsters at once?!" Phantom exclaimed as a drop of sweat fell from his face. Neither he nor Flora Diva have any monsters nor cards that could avoid attack. If Kamui used those monsters to attack them directly, the damage would be quite a concern even if they would still have enough to survive.

"You know, most people tend to use the same archetypes in their Decks. It's very rare to see Duelists who use mixed archetypes like you do, Phantom." Kamui suddenly said, turning to the said Pendulum user.

"And I learned that if we constantly show our opponents cards of the same archetype, they'll surely be surprised if it turns out there are cards of different archetypes in the Deck." Kamui continued, confusing his enemies.

However, this subject brought interest to Phantom. Now that he thought about it, most of his friends were using Deck with the same archetype. When he arranged his Deck, he didn't think much about archetype, he simply choose cards that he thought would make good strategies and fitting for his entertainment shows. If being asked why using the same archetype, he thought it was simply because everyone has their own style. Speaking about subject, Phantom thought about Kamui's Deck. So far from his observation, Kamui was using an occult Deck focused on Demon and Undead-Type monsters. His Deck employed strategies to wipe out all of their monsters at once using Traps by baiting them into attacking even at the consequence of losing considerable LP. And after getting rid of their monsters, Kamui summoned monsters to attack them directly.

But why Kamui was bringing up this subject now? Unless...

"To put it simply, first we make our opponents believe the archetype we use along with its strategy in using them, and then we take them aback by showing different cards with different strategies that they didn't anticipate." Kamui said before opening the Link Summoning Circuit above his Field.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning conditions are 3 monsters. I set Goblin Zombie, Cursed Cassim, and Wicked Smoker on the Link Markers. Circuit Combine!" Kamui set Goblin Zombie on the Top-Arrow, Wicked Smoker on the Left-Arrow, and Cursed Cassim on the Bottom-Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Three Burst Shot Dragon (ATK: 2400 / LINK: 3 / LM: Top, Left, Bottom)!" Kamui summoned Three Burst Shot Dragon in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"So it's true...!" Phantom gritted his teeth. Kamui also using a completely different archetype in his Deck. And somehow, he felt that wasn't the worst of it yet.

"This is just the first step. Once again, I open the Link Circuit!" Kamui declared to Link Summon again, sending Three Burst Shot Dragon and Puppet Master.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is 2 effect monsters. I set Three Burst Shot Dragon and Puppet Master on the Link Markers. Circuit Combine!" Kamui set Three Burst Shot Dragon on Top, Bottom-Left, and Bottom Arrows while Puppet Master was set on the Bottom-Left Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Topologic Bomber Dragon (ATK: 3000 / LINK: 4 / LM: Top, Bottom-Left, Bottom, Bottom-Right)!" Kamui summoned Topologic Bomber Dragon in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"A Link Monster with 3000 ATK?!" Flora Diva exclaimed almost in panic. This has turned direr than she initially thought

"Battle! I attack directly with Topologic Bomber Dragon! Ultimate Malicious Code!" Kamui pointed at Phantom. Topologic Bomber Dragon opened its maw, shooting crimson static blast that blew away the Pendulum user, hitting the stem of the virus core behind with such a force that the Phantom was struggling to get back to his feet.

 **PHANTOM LP: 3500 = 500**

"Phantom!" Flora Diva rushed to the Pendulum user, helping him stand.

 _"So this is what he is aiming for...!"_ Phantom thought while standing up, leaning to Flora Diva for a while before assuring the girl he would be okay. _"I'm starting to doubt we can win this..."_

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Kamui finished.

"My Turn!" Phantom started. He looked at the card in his hand. It was Pendulum Card Burst. He could gamble his chance with this card...or maybe not. Even if he was able to summon a monster stronger than Topologic Bomber Dragon, there were still set cards in Kamui's Field. Not to mention Horrible Earthbound's effect would inflict 500 damage each time he attacks, and his LP was exactly at 500, which means if he made attack now somehow, he was as good as dead. And he didn't want to burden Flora Diva alone.

"Damn. I set a card and end my Turn." Phantom concluded simply by setting a card. He had no other option left as of now.

"My Turn! I summon Soprano the Melodious Diva!" Flora Diva summoned Soprano in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone. Maybe it wouldn't help much bringing out her ace monster again that was sent back to the Extra Deck a while ago, but with the current cards in her hand, this was the only thing she could do.

 _"Even if something were to happen to me, I'm sure Phantom can do something. At the very least, I will make Kamui reveal what he has so Phantom can deal with it in his next Turn!"_ Flora Diva thought, determined to go through with this Turn.

"When I control a Melodious Monster, I can special summon Sonata the Melodious Diva!" Flora Diva summoned another copy of Sonata the Melodious Diva in Attack Position beside Soprano.

"Once again, I Fusion Summon! Come to the stage once more, Bloom Diva!" Flora Diva summoned back her ace Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack Topologic Bomber Dragon with Bloom Diva!" Flora Diva declared attack again, motioning Bloom Diva towards the dragon. "Bloom Diva cannot be destroyed by special summoned monster! Also, any destruction and damage will be inflicted to the opposing monster instead!"

In response, Kamui opened his two Trap Cards at the same time.

"Double Trap open! First, Trap Card: False Monster. When my opponent's monster activates an effect that will destroy my monster, I can destroy this card instead." Kamui activated the first Trap, summoning an imp-like being that came between Bloom Diva's tornado and Topologic Bomber Dragon. The imp accepted the attack in dragon's stead and got destroyed.

"Second Trap Card: Dimension Wall. When my opponent's monster declares attack, my opponent takes the Battle Damage instead." Kamui activated his second Trap, forming a dimensional portal that absorbed the tornado the moment the imp was destroyed. The portal then unleashed the tornado back towards Flora Diva, blowing her away. She would have hit the stem of the virus core like Phantom did had her ace monster didn't catch her from behind.

 **FLORA DIVA LP: 3500 = 1500**

"And due to Horrible Earthbound's effect, you get 500 damage each time your monster attacks." Kamui reminded as the demonic mouth bit Flora Diva, causing her to collapse to the ground in pain.

 **FLORA DIVA LP: 1500 = 1000**

"Flora Diva!" This time, Phantom was the one who rushed to her side, helping her stand. Even after Flora Diva stood and seemed to regain her balance, Phantom still held her close to him like she would collapse at any second.

"I-I'm...okay...!" Flora Diva told him, holding him back before pulling herself from him. Her Turn hasn't ended yet.

"I set a card and end my Turn..." Flora Diva concluded.

"My Turn. I activate Black Haunted Pistol's (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 0 / LV: 4) effect from my hand. When I control exactly 1 DARK Monster, I can special summon this card on my opponent's Field." Kamui summoned the black ghost-like monster holding a pistol on Flora Diva's Main Monster Zone.

"On my Field?!" Flora Diva turned to the new addition of monster in her Field that gave her bad feeling.

"As long as Black Haunted Pistol is on the Field, your monster cannot activate monster effects and on the Turn it was summoned on my opponent's Field, I recover LP equal to its ATK." Kamui revealed as he replenished his LP.

 **KAMUI LP: 1300 = 2700**

"Battle! I attack Bloom Diva with Topologic Bomber Dragon! Ultimate Malicious Code!" Kamui declared attack, prompting the dragon to shoot the crimson static blast again.

"Trap Card: Phantom of the Opera! When an Attack Position Melodious Monster I control is targeted for attack, I change a Melodious Monster I control to Defense Position and set a Melodious card from my Deck! Also, I gain 500 LP!" Flora Diva opened her Trap, changing Bloom Diva into defensive and recovered her LP by 500 before setting a card from her Deck. Her Fusion Monster was burned down in flames.

 **FLORA DIVA LP: 1000 = 1500**

"I activate Topologic Bomber Dragon's effect! When it destroys an opponent's monster, I inflict damage to the player equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK! Aiming Blast!" Kamui revealed as Topologic Bomber Dragon shot an additional blast, sending her on the ground again.

 **FLORA DIVA LP: 1500 = 500**

"I end my Turn." Kamui concluded and he then observed his opponents. Both of their LPs now were at 500. They didn't have any monster on their Field. Even if they were able to summon a monster stronger than Topologic Bomber Dragon, he doubted it would be enough to deplete his LP. Furthermore, Horrible Earthbound's effect would reduce their LP to 0 the moment they declare their next attack. In his eyes, they didn't have any chance to win anymore. It was zero chance of winning.

However, this was another trait of humans that he couldn't comprehend. Even though they have been beaten so badly, lost in their path, almost dead, and facing defeat, they would still face them no matter how many times and people around them would help them stand. He couldn't understand those kind of humans...like these two in front of him and the ones still fighting below.

"I really don't understand humans. Why do humans always struggle and make incomprehensible decisions? Why do you insist to protect those humans when many of them are dirty and insignificant?" Kamui questioned without thinking. He was even surprised himself he just asked that.

Before either Phantom or Flora Diva could answer that, someone jumped onto the rooftop, coming between them. The three of them turned to the side where the voice came from, and they were facing none other than the Charisma Duelist GO Onizuka.

"My Turn!" GO started, intruding the Duel.

"GO Onizuka!" Phantom exclaimed in both astonishment and relief.

"A hero always comes in a pinch, isn't it?" GO told Phantom, smiling at him, and the Phantom couldn't help but smile back.

Before Kamui could react, he was distracted by the smoke coming from the bridge quite far from the building. It was coming from the portal that continuously sent Servants into LINK VRAINS. The portal was starting to dissolve, closing the path for the Servants to come out.

 _"The portal is destroyed?!"_ Kamui thought in shock.

"Where are you looking at?! I'm your opponent! I summon Gouki Suprex (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 0)!" GO snapped Kamui from his distraction, summoning Suprex in the Main Monster Zone in Attack Position.

"As Gouki Suprex was Normal Summoned, I activate its effect to Special Summon a Gouki monster from my hand!" He Special Summoned Gouki Twistcobra (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 0).

"Appear! My circuit!" GO opened the Link Circuit to perform Link Summon.

"Arowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is 2 Gouki Monsters! I set Gouki Suprex and Gouki Twistcobra on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" GO placed Suprex on the Left Arrow and Twistcobra on the Bottom Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Gouki Jet Ogre (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / Left, Bottom)!" GO summoned Jet Ogre in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"As Suprex and Twistcobra were sent from the field to the Graveyard, I activate both of their effects to add a Gouki card from my Deck to my hand." GO added two cards and activated one of them immediately.

"I activate Magic Card: Gouki Re-Match! I Special Summon two Gouki monsters with different Levels from my Graveyard in Defense Position!" GO special summoned Suprex and Twistcobra.

"Appear once more! My circuit! Link Summon! Link 3! Gouki Thunder Ogre (ATK: 2200 / LINK: 3 / LM: Bottom-Left, Top, Bottom-Right)!" GO summoned Thunder Ogre in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Thunder Ogre's effect! I can Normal Summon an additional time during my Main Phase to a zone Thunder Ogre points to!" GO summoned Suprex to the zone the bottom-left Link Marker of Thunder Ogre points to. As Suprex was Normal Summoned, GO activated its effect, special summoning Gouki Rising Scorpio (ATK: 2300/ DEF: 0 / LV: 5) from his hand.

"I activate Topologic Bomber Dragon's effect! When a Monster is summoned on the zone a Link Monster points to, it can destroy all monsters in the Main Monster Zones! Full Overlap!" Kamui declared. Topologic Bomber Dragon's wings shined brightly before unleashing destructive light.

"I activate Twistcobra's effect! By tributing a Gouki, I can increase the ATK of another Gouki monster I control by the tributed monster's ATK until the end of the turn!" GO released Rising Scorpio before the light could destroy his monsters, increasing Thunder Ogre's effect to 4500. As Suprex, Twistcobra and Rising Scorpio were sent from the field to the Graveyard, GO activated all their effects, adding three Gouki cards from his Deck to his hand.

GO's Suprex and Kamui's Black Haunted Pistol that was still on Flora Diva's Field were destroyed by the light, leaving GO with only Thunder Ogre on his Field.

"Black Haunted Pistol's effect! When the card leaves the Field by a monster effect, I can draw 2 cards and set them." Kamui took two cards of his choice stuck out from his Deck and set them.

"Battle! I attack Topologic Bomber Dragon with Gouki Thunder Ogre!" GO immediately declared his attack. Thunder Ogre's arms formed purple arm blades before it dashed at the dragon who moved covering its master.

"I activate False Monster's effect in my Graveyard! I can banish it to negate destruction!" Kamui banished his Trap Card, protecting Topologic Bomber Dragon from Thunder Ogre's strike. Due to Horrible Earthbound's effect, GO received 500 damage.

 **KAMUI LP: 2700 = 1200**

 **GO Onizuka LP: 4000 = 3500**

"I set a card and end my Turn. Now, it's your Turn, Phantom! I have prepared the stage for you." GO told the Pendulum user, giving the boy a thumb up.

"No. This is not the stage just for me. It's the stage for all of us!" Phantom exclaimed, his spirit renewed. Having help from another fellow Entertainer Duelist sure fired him up.

"It's true that humans can be horrible and weak, constantly making mistakes. But humanity is beautiful, too." Phantom told Kamui, giving the lieutenant his answer to the earlier question.

"There is not one person who will avoid some sort of struggle or hardship in life. In fact, there are things that happen in life that often shake us to our very core. The essential nature of being alive and being human is to experience life in its purest form — the wins and losses, celebrations and challenges, and the good with the bad." Phantom started to explain, earning him attentions from everyone who was watching from outside LINK VRAINS.

"Some of these experiences are not favorable. We might be in pain, physically or emotionally — we hurt. Often we feel betrayed by life itself, we feel it is unfair and question why we have to go through these struggles. What we don't realize is that these struggles are a gift from life itself. When we come face to face with a struggle, a low point in life, be it an illness, a relationship breakdown or financial ruin, at the time we are lost in darkness." Phantom felt nostalgic. It felt almost like when he told Zarc to believe in humanity a year ago.

"Through darkness comes light, through fear comes love and through pain comes triumph. This is the triumph of the human spirit; it is not in a select few, it is in every one of us. Our struggles and hardships are our gifts so that we can reach deep down inside of ourselves and discover our inner power and the glory of who you are. We use them to share our message of hope and love with the world so that they can resonate in the hearts of others and give hope and courage to show that it is possible to overcome anything." Phantom wondered how Zarc would react now if he heard him. It was pointless to think about him now, but if this couldn't reach him, then he hoped his feeling reached as many people out there.

"Alone, human will never beat you. But together, we can, just like 1,500 years ago. As long as humans have strong wills and courage, they can evolve further. I believe in humanity's potential." Phantom's smile returned, entering his entertainer persona.

"Now, let's invite everyone into the magnificent world of Entertainment Dueling!" Phantom raised his arms up, bathing himself and his friends in the spotlights that marked the start of their show.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Keep your eyes peeled, for the three of us, Entertainer Duelists, will deliver one of the best Entertainment Duel in the century!" Phantom announced as he started his Draw Phase. He pointed at his facedown card.

"First off, I activate Magic Card: Pendulum Card Burst! I destroy two Pendulum Monsters on my Field and draw two cards!" Phantom opened his Reverse Card, destroying Seal Eel and Chain Giraffe in exchange he was allowed to draw 2 cards.

"With Scale 1 Entermate Pendulum Conductor and Scale 5 Entermate Barracuda, I set the Pendulum Scale!" Phantom set a new Pendulum Scale but didn't conduct Pendulum Summon yet.

"I activate Pendulum Conductor's Pendulum Effect! I can place 1 Pendulum Monster from my Deck face-up in my Extra Deck and then increased this card's Pendulum Scale by that monster's Level!" Phantom placed one of his Pendulum Dragons into the Extra Deck face-up and increased Pendulum Conductor's Scale from 1 to 11, which means Phantom can now summon Level 6 to 10 monster.

"With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Create an arc of light across the aether! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my monsters!" Phantom summoned Supreme King Red Dragon Odd-Eyes Valor Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 10 / PS: 1) in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone. Thanks to Pendulum Conductor's effect placing the dragon face-up in the Extra Deck, he was able to summon it.

"From my hand, I summon Entermate Kuribohder (ATK: 300 / DEF: 200 / LV: 1)!" He then summoned his Kuriboh partner in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Valor Dragon's effect! Once per Turn, all monsters on my Field gain this card's ATK!" Phantom increased Kuribohder's ATK to 3300.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Valor Dragon's third effect! This card gains 300 ATK for each monster whose ATK is increased through its effect!" Phantom increased Odd-Eyes Valor's ATK to 3300.

"Now both monsters have ATKs over 3000! With this, once Phantom destroy Topologic Bomber Dragon, he can attack Kamui directly!" Flora Diva remarked hopefully. They have a huge chance of winning now.

"No, you won't. Trap Card: Mist Overload! I can special summon a DARK Monster from my Graveyard to my opponent's Field!" Kamui revived Black Haunted Pistol in Attack Position on Phantom's Field.

"Due to Black Haunted Pistol's effect, your monsters' effect are negated as long as it's present on your Field." Kamui remarked, reverting Odd-Eyes Valor and Kuribohder's ATKs to normal.

"Heh! I have thought of that! Trap Card: Rising Energy! I discard a card to target 1 face-up Monster on the Field and that target gains 1500 ATK!" GO discarded a card from his hand and pointed at Odd-Eyes Valor Dragon, increasing its ATK to 4500.

"Sorry, Apophis' servant, but you're still going to lose!" GO stated, pointing confidently at the lieutenant.

"I also have expected that. Trap Card: Death Virus! When the value of an opponent's monster changes, I can increase the same value to a monster I control!" Kamui opened his last Reverse Card, increasing Topologic Bomber Dragon's ATK to 4500. Now, if Odd-Eyes Valor attacks, both dragons would be destroyed and even if Kuribohder attack directly, Kamui would still have enough LP to survive until his next Turn.

"I won't let you prolong this Duel any longer!" Flora Diva interjected, opening her Reverse Card she had set for quite a while. She made the right decision to choose this card to set.

"Trap Card: Concert Encore! I can lower the opponent's monster's ATK by 300 for every Melodious Monster in my Graveyard!" Flora Diva lowered Topologic Bomber Dragon's ATK to 3000. The spirits of Melodious monsters came out from Flora Diva's Graveyard, showring the entire Fields with flower petals while they were singing. Topologic Bomber Dragon's body were twitching as the petals showered and hit its body, feeling its body became weaker.

"And just in case, I activate Entermate Barracuda's Pendulum Effect! When the value of my opponent's monster change, I can double that value!" Phantom doubled Concert Encore's effect, lowering Topologic Bomber Dragon's ATK further to 1500. Barracuda momentarily left its zone to shower the petals with its own black rose petals as the Link dragon felt even weaker.

"Finish this, Phantom!" GO encouraged as Thunder Ogre unleashed purple lightning strike from its arm blades, unleashing it to the sky, creating purple-colored fireworks.

"This is the finale! Battle! Odd-Eyes Valor Dragon, attack Topologic Bomber Dragon! Soaring Howl Burst!"

The red markings that decorated Odd-Eyes Valor's Dragon's body started to shine and reddish white energy gathered inside the dragon's mouth. The blue jewel on its stomach also glowed, charging more of the energy. Energy accumulated enough, the dragon opened its mouth towards Topologic Bomber Dragon and Kamui. With its dichromatic eyes glowed for an instant, the Supreme King Red Dragon unleashed the charged energy, shooting reddish white blast, burning the Link Monster and blew away its master until he fell down from the building.

 **KAMUI LP: 1200 = 0**

At the same time, Lilac, inside her capsule, was having a bright expression as the monitor in front of her showed 100%.

"Done! Vaccine Launch!"

The moment Lilac pressed the button, the satellite that Phantom and Flora Diva has attached. The satellite shot a laser up to the sky, turning the entire sky green before particles rained down. The Duel Viruses screeched as their bodies were starting to dissolved, ceasing their monstrous forms and reverting their human forms before they dispersed into particles of data and disappeared. The falling green particles were like hundreds of fireflies. The Apophis Servants who remained and didn't get any backup fearfully retreated until there was not a single left present in LINK VRAINS. The black spots caused by virus also disappeared, returning the condition of the network to normal like the virus had never appeared.

For that moment, no one said anything, too astonished by what they were seeing until...

"We did it!" GO cheered while pulling Phantom and Flora Diva into his arms.

That was when everyone burst into cheers, both online and offline. People offline were either clasping their hands, hugging each other in relief, or praising their heroes who have fought and saved them. Meanwhile, the ones online went to Phantom, Flora Diva, and GO, praising their hard work and thanked them for doing job well done.

"Onizuka, thank you. You really help us big time. We owe you one." Phantom expressed his gratitude to the Gouki user, clasping his hand with the older guy.

"No. We're even now." GO replied, referring to their first Duel that brought the Gouki user realization.

"If Apophis and his goons are running amok like this, we can't do Entertainment Duels again like before, and the children would lose their smiles. To protect them and this world, as the hero of LINK VRAINS, I'll fight Apophis from now on!" GO stated with iron will. He was resolute.

"Then I'm looking forward to fight together with you from now on, GO." Phantom said.

"Don't forget about me." Blue Angel interrupted. "I'll fight together with you too. From now on, I'm not going to duel for reformist movement or for the Supreme Commander. I'll fight for what I believe in and for everyone's hope." Blue Angel said, also equally determined as GO.

"Blue Angel...!" Canaria couldn't hold the urge to hug the Trickstar user. She was so happy.

"For now, let's go back. There are still a lot of things that we must do." Shadow told everyone.

Making a voice of agreement, they logged out to plan their next move.

This was just the start of their counterattack.

 **INFIRMARY – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD'S HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"They did it. The virus has been vanquished completely from LINK VRAINS. All the victims have returned to normal too!" Yukiya informed Sherry and Rin as he received the message from Lilac who typed "BIG SUCCESS!" In the message sent to him. The three teens rejoiced for a few seconds before their faces somber again when seeing the still sleeping Yugo.

"Except him…" Yukiya said. The virus that infected Yugo was different and stronger than the ones they have deleted.

"I have tried my best, but I can't remove the virus from Yugo. I'm sorry." Yukiya apologized to the two girls, feeling ashamed of himself.

"Then…what can we do? How can we save Yugo?" Rin asked, taking Yugo's hand into hers again.

"The only solution would be…defeating Neon herself." Yukiya muttered, loud enough for the two girls to hear.

"Defeat Neon?" Sherry repeated.

"This is something I found while examining Yugo. I found a trace of Neon's data in Yugo's avatar that giving impact on Yugo directly. It's like the virus in LINK VRAINS. Destroyed the core, and the rest of the virus is destroyed as well." Yukiya explained.

"You're saying if we defeat Neon, Yugo will be cured from the virus?" Rin repeated to confirm Yukiya's meaning.

"Precisely." Yukiya nodded.

"The problem is, only Ma'at's power is capable of completely annihilating those born from Apophis." Yuno joined the conversation, entering the infirmary. He heard what happened to Yugo and went as soon as he at least able to walk.

"Yuno-san!" Yukiya exclaimed.

"1,500 years ago, Ma'at blessed us his power to defeat Apophis. Not just through Supreme King Deck, but also Celica, our comrades, and I. However, we have used up the powers he blessed to us to seal Apophis and the ones we couldn't defeat." Yuno revealed. He hadn't got the chance to explain this to them before.

"That means only Yukiya's Supreme King Deck can defeat them for good?" Rin asked, not quite liking what she heard.

"With the current Supreme King Deck, it's still difficult. I don't know why, but the Supreme King Deck is not as strong as it was 1,500 years ago." Yuno answered. The moment he dueled against Yukiya during the latter's infiltration, he noticed the Supreme King cards didn't give much impact like when he used it before. He thought it was the after effect of the reincarnation, and the true power was still lying dormant.

"I maybe have the answer to that…"

Yuya entered the room with the rest who have just logged out from LINK VRAINS. They all agreed to gather at the infirmary after hearing what happened to Yugo. Yuya stepped inside first, turning to Yukiya as he recalled his Duel with Hyde and how he disappeared along with his last words.

"I think...the key is Yukiya himself..."

 **LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"We failed yet again..." Neon commented but didn't seem annoyed at all. In fact, she was humming like something good has just happened to her, staring at a card in her hand.

"Someone closed the portal without us realizing. How did that happen again?" Tsukasa asked, turning to Shing who was supposed to be the one responsible in guarding the portal.

Shing scratched his head before answering. "Whoever destroyed the portal used a camouflage programs. I can't see or sense him." He said. He only realized at the moment too late. For a few seconds, even though it was just a glimpse, he saw someone draped in camouflage program momentarily removed it. It was careless of him and he was ready to accept criticism.

"An exceptionally skilled hacker for sure." Sting said sarcastically, still sulking by his lost.

"My apologies. I almost had them." Kamui apologized to his master, bowing down.

"No matter, Kamui. I have gained enough negative energies to move." Apophis answered dismissively.

"But it's still not enough to manifest yourself, Your Excellency." Geist stated, but Apophis closed his eyes calmly.

"It is fine. Even if I gain enough power to manifest myself into the real world, I don't think I'll survive so long as my power is still incomplete even with these energies. I still need that Duelist to make my move." Apophis said. He felt much better than before, so that was good news for them. From the very beginning, he didn't really care whether the virus engulfed the whole internet or not as long as he was able to replenish the majority of his power.

"Your Excellency, what are we going to do now? It's possible that the enemies have found out about this place." Achille inquired. "We have to leave this place and move to a new one."

"Yes. But we will stay for a bit longer. Let them come here." Apophis said, surprising some of them.

"Your Excellency?" Tsukasa repeated in confusion. Why would he ordered them to do that while he has yet to fully recovered?

"There is something that I would like to confirm..."

Apophis eyes were glowing with contempt as he recalled the sensation of Ma'at's power before.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Amenti –** Finding a path that potentially lead to where Apophis is hiding, Yuno and Celica sent their respective comrades to the lower network of LINK VRAINS.

* * *

 **FANFIC ORIGINAL CARD MEMO:**

 _ **Cursed Cassim**_ **:** (DARK / DEMON / EFFECT / ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4).

 _ **Wicked Smoker**_ **:** (DARK / DEMON / EFFECT / ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1). You can discard this card from your hand to draw 2 cards.

 _ **False Monster**_ **:** When your opponent's monster activates an effect that will destroy your monster, you can destroy this card instead. When this card is in Graveyard and your monster is about to be destroyed, you can banish this card instead. (Trap Card)

 _ **Black Haunted Pistol**_ **:** (DARK / DEMON / EFFECT / ATK: 1400 / DEF: 0 / LV: 3) When you control exactly 1 DARK Monster, you can special summon this card on your opponent's Field from hand. As long as Black Haunted Pistol is on your opponent's Field, the opponent's monsters cannot activate monster effects and on the Turn it was summoned on your opponent's Field from hand, you recover LP equal to its ATK.

 _ **Phantom of the Opera**_ **:** When an Attack Position Melodious Monster you control is targeted for attack, you can change a Melodious Monster you control to Defense Position and set a Melodious card from your Deck. (Trap Card)

 _ **Concert Encore**_ **:** You can lower the opponent's monster's ATK by 300 for every Melodious Monster in your Graveyard. (Trap Card)

* * *

 **Finally the virus extermination is done! Starting the next chapter, Yuno's compatriots will finally make their debut Duels (except Carl and Kino)! Of course, with Celica's guardians too. And about the villains constantly losing, sorry about that, but you'll see some of them winning soon enough. And about Yugo, he will be cured soon. Wait around...2-3 chapters. Be patient. In the end, I couldn't resist the urge to use Revolver's Deck in this fanfic. And after much thinking, I think Kamui is the perfect guy to use it. Don't get me wrong, this is not something that I came up while writing the chapter, I have decided this for long times.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	43. Amenti

**Big thanks to** _ **Yuka Kuroshiro, Elbarto4000, Ulrich362, Ryujomaru15, Unknowedz, Playerhood18, Big duels, dvdryms, NeoFGD, GamingGuy84, Jason, Missingmoney**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **INFIRMARY – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD'S HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuya and Yuzu explained about their Duel against Hyde and what happened to the Apophis Duelist after they defeated him. Yuya explained from how he saw a vision of Ma'at when he bumped fists with Yukiya before departing, his body shined after having another vision of Ma'at, gaining new Link Monster, and finally how Hyde disappeared while referring the power Yuya had used as only belonged to Ma'at. Yuya have been thinking about it, and the only answer he could come up with was that it has something to do with Yukiya as the vision started the moment they bumped fists.

Hearing this, in return, Yukiya also explained his presence at the Temple of Ma'at. He lied, however, about his reason there, not including Zarc and his pursuit of his past life memories in his story. Instead, he explained that he wished to know more about the Supreme King Deck and Ma'at in hope of defeating Apophis, which resulted in him meeting who seemed to be the spirit of Ma'at in his mind that caused him to pass out. Yuya's story made him think that visiting the temple and dueling against Zarc perhaps awakened a fragment of the power of Ma'at from the Supreme King Deck.

"I see. That's what happened. This is just a theory, but it's possible that after visiting the Temple, Yukiya received a blessing from the remain of Ma'at's spirit. And then without you realizing, you shared that blessing to Yuya, or either the power itself went into Yuya knowing our opponents." Yuno deduced after listening to Yuya and Yukiya's story.

"You're saying, if Yukiya can share that blessing with us, we can defeat them for good like Yuya did to Hyde?" Yuto asked, feeling hopeful.

"The problem is, how can he share this blessing to us? It's not like he shared it to Yuya at his own will. How can he share something when he didn't even realize it?" Yuri voiced out the main problem.

"I can help you with that." Rio stepped in. "As a priestess, I maybe can help him to share that blessing with us."

"Really? You have that kind of power, Rio-san?" Ruri asked, astonished.

"A Priestess has the power to sense one's soul wavelength and help channeling the power of one's soul. It depends on each person though. I have received training, but this is actually my first time channeling a blessing." Rio explained as she approached Yukiya, taking his right hand into hers.

"Just relax and do as I say, okay? Follow my lead." Rio told Yukiya who became quite nervous for some reason. The boy only nodded in return.

Following Rio's instruction, Yukiya closed his eyes and relaxed. He tried to recall the feeling, the sensation he had when he came in contact with Ma'at. Rio then mumbled something that they couldn't comprehend. As she did so, hers and Yukiya's bodies were glowing in golden light. The Kuribohs made their appearance, circling her and Yukiya as they closed their eyes too and their bodies started glowing as well. The room stilled in awe and then shocked when the light filled the entire room. The glow under their skins were fading, and Yukiya looked dazed now.

"We did it. This is still not enough to defeat Apophis himself, but at least strong enough to put an end to his servants for good." Rio said, slowly letting go of Yukiya's hand as she turned to everyone who all smiled in relief and hopeful.

"Good. Now we can do the operation without worrying too much." Yuno said, standing up from his chair.

"Operation?" Serena blinked.

"We have found out where Apophis is hiding."

Kino entered the room, having overheard the whole conversation from the other side of the door for quite a while and didn't dare to interrupt until now. His arrival was welcomed by everyone who have been waiting for him, especially about the situation in ARC-V.

"I know that you're looking forward to know about your friends and family back home, but can we save this until we are finished with everything? I don't want my report to distract you all in this important mission." Kino told them. He had just returned together with Heidel and his faction, assuring Reiji he will inform him back once he returned. As much as he would like to take the Lancers to this dimension, they must wait for a few days or else Heidel would get suspicious of them. They mustn't take huge risks at a time like this.

"Right. Back to the topic, as we have found Apophis' location, I'm going to send men there now." Yuno revealed, earning a chorus of surprise from Yuya and his friends.

"You have found out where he is?!" Yuya yelled from the shock.

"Right. Now that we have Ma'at's blessing, even though it's not enough to defeat Apophis, at the very least we'll lessen the numbers of our enemies by defeating Tsukasa and his team." Jonouchi added.

"But you won't go." Yuno suddenly said, referring to Yuya, Yuzu, and their counterparts.

"Why?! This is important!" Yuya asked. If they were going to infiltrate the enemy's hideout, then shouldn't they be dispatched as well?

"You're still exhausted from the last battle. Pushing yourself too much won't do any good and in the worst scenario you'll only becoming a burden to the others. You're going to rest until I say otherwise. This is non-negotiable." Yuno said with finality, not accepting any objection. He has made it clear with the look of his eyes, and Yuya and the others knew better how serious Yuno was just from that firm gaze.

"I didn't fight, so I'll go. I want to cure Yugo as soon as possible." Yukiya requested, glancing worriedly at the Synchro user.

"I'm afraid that is not possible, Yukiya-kun." Rio said to the Link user before gesturing to Yugo.

"Look. Yugo-kun became calmer after receiving the blessing. It seems Ma'at's power is capable to pacifying the virus to a degree. I think it'll be safer if you stay here and keep Yugo in check in case the virus relapses. Junkuriboh will also help you in pacifying him." Rio told him.

Yukiya looked closer at Yugo and noticed that Yugo's expression was indeed better than before, especially after Junkuriboh sat beside him. It looked like Yugo was sleeping like a rock as usual. There was no telling when the virus might relapse and he still didn't know the extent of Ma'at's power. He didn't have much choice in regards of Yugo's well-being.

"Fine then." Yukiya relented.

"Rio and everyone, I'm sure that Celica has given her order too. We'll go in 1 hour. Prepare yourself until then. I'm almost recovered. I'll catch up to you later." Yuno informed the Imperial Guardians before taking his leave with his own guardians.

The Imperial Guardians also left the infirmary after wishing them rest, leaving only Yuya and the others in the infirmary.

"As much as I want to refute his words, we're pretty beat up." Yuri said as he leaned on the soft bed, sighing tiredly.

"I want to fight too. Really. But as Yuno-san said, if we push ourselves too much, we'll only make it difficult for them." Yuto reluctantly relented to the given instruction.

Yuya didn't reply. He could understand Yuno's concern. After continuously fighting against hordes of Duel Viruses and Servants non-stop for who knows how long, all of them were tired. Very tired. A few minutes rest won't cut it. If they pushed themselves to their limit and collapsed in the middle of infiltration, it would only hinder their comrades. This was an important mission, so they couldn't afford for something like that. Yuya understood that.

But still...it somehow felt wrong.

"All of Yuno-san's compatriots are strong. You don't need to worry." Yukiya said as he made himself busy again with his laptop, trying to find a way to help Yugo just in case.

"You guys have only been here for almost a month, so you don't know about them other than from what Yuno-san had told you. But I know their reputation enough to say that the percentage of them succeeding in this mission is 99%." Yukiya revealed his opinion, surprising the rest.

"99%?! You're seriously thinking that?" Yuya asked, taken aback by how sure Yukiya was. Yukiya was always an optimistic, but even so, there was still worry and doubt. This time, however, was different. There was not a single ounce of doubt within the Link user. There was only certainty.

"99%, that means your doubt is only 1%?" Yuri asked, gaining interest in the conversation.

"Nah, I said 99% because there's nothing 100% in science as far as I believe." Yukiya replied without turning back, but he continued.

"But I'm serious about them, especially Neah-san and Lechter-san. They are veterans who had gone through a lot of battle even before joining Yuno-san. No one in this dimension who don't know them." Yukiya said. Until he got to know Yuya, he never met the captains directly, but he had heard a lot of them and had seen their Duelings a few times in TV news. He could say with confidence that it won't be an exaggeration to say that they were ones of the strongest Duelists in this whole dimension.

"For you to say that far about them. It makes me want to test their strength." Yuri licked his lips in anticipation. His Duelist blood boiled from hearing the story.

"You'll be a dead meat. Forget it." Yukiya stated it so bluntly that Yuri almost fell from the bed.

"Can't you show some tact, Yukiya-kun? You hurt the feeling of this poor little Fusion user." Yuri feigned pouting. For Yukiya to say that much, he wanted to duel them even more.

"Poor little Fusion my butt, and don't go all 'Yukiya-kun' with me. You're worse than me when it comes to bluntness you know." Yukiya retorted.

"Anyway, let's focus in recovering our strength. We can leave this to them for the time being."

 **LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"It has been a while since we're gathering together to fight like this." Reid commented, turning to his comrades.

All the remaining Brotherhood's captains, Lechter, Reid, Kino and Neah, were present. Carl couldn't leave the palace due to his work as a prince and Lilac was not a Duelist. Not as exhausted as the others, Nash also joined them. The same could be said to the remaining Imperial Guards who were fit enough to fight: Merag and Johan. This was the second time for The Brotherhood captains and Imperial Guardians fight together. The first time was a year ago when they were joining forces to fight against a fanatical terrorist group.

Now, the seven of them were gathering in the room where the virus core originally was placed. Now, instead of the virus, there was a huge hole. It was dark and swirling, with faint flickers of light like distant lightning within. It was like a hurricane cloud, but vertical like a curtain, and not spreading forward from the space. A pressure tightened around their chests and pressed down on their shoulders as they took steps closer to the hole, making their breaths shorter and their heartbeat quicken.

"Lord Lechter, as our senior, we once again, ask for you lead." Johan told the oldest person in the group who had the most experience in battle than any of them present. No one made any objection. Lechter made an excellent leader after Yuno.

"It's a warp hole." Lechter remarked while looking at the hole.

"A warp hole?" Johan repeated in question, turning to the older man.

"A gate that connect us to another place, a teleportation gate as you could call it. If we jump down, it's possible that we'll get separated." Lechter warned them. He made it clear that this was most likely a trap to lure them in.

"This is a once in a live opportunity." Nash stated. He was trying to say that maybe they won't get another chance to get close to Apophis while he was vulnerable like this.

"We are here because we are prepared. Nothing can guarantee our survival in the battlefield." Neah reminded, narrowing his eyes at the hole. He could sense the enemies from there. They were waiting for them to come.

"Say no more. Let us go." Reid said while fixing his glasses.

Steeling their resolve, the six of them jumped into the warp hole.

 **SEWER – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Reid landed alone from the warp hole and found his surrounding was an ash-covered wasteland in perpetual overcast, and has but what it seemed to be an abandoned town or to be precise, a ghost town. There was no sigh of life or even a bug or virus. He didn't see his comrades either. He was alone, but he was not so worried. His comrades were strong, and if he goes to where Apophis was, he would meet them there since that's where they were all heading.

"Welcome to Amenti, Reid Bright."

Reid jumped a few feet behind him when he heard the voice. From behind the building, one of the lieutenants, the one that Reid recognized to be the one whom Yuto, Ruri, and Aoi fought against, walked out with his Duel Disk already activated. If he remembered it right, his name was Sting.

"Amenti?" Reid repeated while raising his Duel Disk.

"Yes. Our hideout. In the legend, Amenti is the realm of the dead. A fitting name for a hideout, do you not think so?" Sting stated. Amenti was actually a manifestation of his creator, Apophis' power that permeated this hidden server where Apophis was sealed. It was a domain created by his will. Normally, Apophis could have manipulated the domain on his whims, but Ma'at had done a too good job restricting his power that the Dragon of Calamity could only created this domain to hide and nothing more.

"In other words, for us who intruded this place, it'll be our grave?" Reid said, noticing the implication in Sting's words.

"Correct. I'll have my insects eat away your mind here, and later your real body." Sting stated, smiling politely yet the murderous intent he unleashed was saying otherwise.

Reid sighed in respond. "I have been underestimated... To think they would send a newborn weak brat who only knows how to boast to fight against me." He said casually, trying to look as condescending as possible. It worked out as he saw a vein formed on the insect user's face.

"A weak brat you say? I'll admit I'm a newborn, but I am not weak. I am the best lieutenant." Sting retorted, voice barely hiding his annoyance.

"I wouldn't call a person who doesn't trust his own comrade in a Tag Duel the best." Reid retorted back, reminding the fact that Sting refused to use Zira's monster in the Tag Duel out of arrogance.

"Trust in others? Please, that is nothing but a mummer's farce. I would appreciate it if you don't associate me with those animals." Sting shrugged, dismissing the notion that referring to the rest of the offspring.

"Calling the ones, you're born and working together with animals? You're not right in the head." Reid said. He knew it. He didn't like this guy. They would never get along or understand each other.

"I'm different from them. I am the most superior." Sting said confidently.

"You're just having a severe inferiority complex." Reid pointed out. He knew the type of person like him. It wasn't difficult to figure it out. Sting was a type of youth who attempts to outshine his own comrades simply to prove himself superior, and this was most likely because he was demeaned by them. Still, he knew that he was appointed lieutenant not just for a show. He certainly has the skill, so he must not let his guard down.

"Enough talk! Let's get this over with!" Sting demanded. Reid has pushed his button. "And just so you know, we can only do either Master Duel or Speed Duel as long as we are in His Excellency's domain. Since there's no Data Storm here, you know what that means."

"Whatever the rule is, I'm not going to lose!" Reid stated, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'll go first! When I control no monster, I can special summon Creeping Mantis (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Sting summoned Creeping Mantis in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"When I control a Level 4 or lower Insect Monster, I can special summon Lady Cocoon (ATK: 400 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3) from my hand!" He summoned Lady Cocoon in Attack Position beside Creeping Mantis.

"I tribute Creeping Mantis and Lady Cocoon to Advance Summon Insect Queen (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 2400 / LV: 7)!" He didn't waste any second thought of summoning one of his strongest Monsters in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone. He will end this Duel quickly.

"I activate Continuous Magic: Wormhole Defense! Upon activation, it Special Summons a Motor Worm Token (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)!" Sting summoned one Motor Worm Token in Defense Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"As long as there's a Motor Worm Token on my Field, Wormhole Defense cannot be targeted or destroyed by card effects." Sting revealed before taking one of his last two cards in his hand.

"Next I activate Magic Card: Motor Worm Bait! If I control an Insect Monster, I can special summon 2 Motor Worm Tokens in exchange I cannot Normal or Special Summon any Level 3 or 4 Monster the Turn I activate this card!" Sting summoned two more copies of the tokens in Defense Position before he opened the Link Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is 3 Insect Monsters! I set the three Motor Worm Tokens on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" He set all his 3 Tokens on the left, bottom-left, and bottom Link Markers of the circuit.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Motor Worm Spread Queen (ATK: 1000 / LINK: 3 / LM: Left, Bottom-Left, Bottom)!" Sting summoned his Link Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"As Spread Queen points to no monster, I can activate its effect to special summon a Motor Worm Token to its bottom-left Link Marker! Spread Queen gains 700 ATK for each Insect Monster on the Field!" Sting summoned one Token and increased Spread Queen's ATK to 3100.

"And Insect Queen gains 200 ATK for each Insect Monster on the Field!" Sting also increased Insect Queen's ATK to 2800.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Sting concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse Elemental HERO Avian with Elemental HERO Burstinatrix in my hand! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 6! Elemental HERO Flame Wingman (ATK: 2100/ DEF: 1200 / LV: 6)!" Reid summoned Flame Wingman in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"From my hand, I summon Elemental HERO Sparkman (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4)!" Reid normal summoned Sparkman in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: The Heroes' Draw! I can draw cards equal to the number of Elemental Hero monster I summoned during my Main Phase!" Since Reid has summoned 2 monsters, he drew 2 cards.

"Once more, I activate Magic Card: Fusion to fuse Elemental HERO Flame Wingman with Elemental HERO Sparkman! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! Elemental HERO Shining Flare Wingman (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2100 / LV: 8)!" Reid performed another Fusion Summon, summoning a stronger Elemental HERO Fusion Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Shining Flare Wingman's effect! This card gains 300 ATK for each Elemental Hero monsters in my Graveyard!" Reid increased Flare Wingman's ATK to 3700.

"Battle! I attack Motor Worm Spread Queen with Flare Wingman!" Reid declared attack. Flare Wingman extended its dragon arm towards the insect monster, shooting a ball of burning flame.

"I activate Wormhole Defense's effect! As an Insect monster would be destroyed by battle or card effect, I can destroy a Motor Worm Token instead!" Sting destroyed his Token, decreasing Insect Queen and Spread Queen's ATK to 2600 and 2400, but allowed the Link Monster to endure and survive the Fusion Monster's flame ball.

"But you'll still take damage!" Reid reminded as Shining Flare Wingman's attack hit the Link Monster.

 **STING LP: 4000 = 2700**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Reid concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Continuous Magic: Motor Worm Gate." Sting opened his Reverse Card, but didn't reveal its effect just yet.

"I activate Spread Queen's effect! I summon another Motor Worm Token to the zone it points to!" He summoned another Token again, increasing Spread Queen and Insect Queen's ATKs again to 3100 and 2800.

"I summon Agent Moth (ATK: 500 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3) from my hand!" Sting summoned the monster he just drew in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone, increasing Spread Queen and Insect Queen's ATK to 3800 and 3000 respectively.

"I'll be having my payback now! Battle! I attack Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman with Spread Queen!" Sting declared attack with his Link Monster. Spread Queen unleashed poisonous miasma towards the Fusion Monster in retaliation for its earlier attack. Reid quickly opened his Reverse Card.

"Trap Card: Heroic Reinforcement! I special summon a Hero Monster from my Graveyard to negate the attack!" Reid special summoned Flame Wingman in Attack Position. As one Elemental Hero Monster left the Graveyard, Shining Flare Wingman's ATK was lowered to 3400. However, Flame Wingman's appearance blocked the poisonous miasma, negating the Insect Link Monster's attack.

"I activate Agent Moth's effect! When my opponent special summon a monster on the turn it was summoned, I can summon another copy of Agent Moth from my Deck!" Sting summoned the second copy of Agent Moth, increasing Spread Queen and Insect Queen's ATK further to 4500 and 3200.

"This is the start of my terror! I activate Trap Card: Egg Laying Bed! If an Insect monster is Special Summoned to my field, I can target 1 monster in my opponent's Main Monster Zone and change it to face-up Defense Position, and then it becomes Insect-Type, also it has its effects negated! While this card is face-up on the field, that monster cannot change its battle position!" Sting targeted Reid's Elemental Hero Flame Wingman, changed it into Defense Position and it became Insect Monster. Flame Wingman's eyes turned red and veins popped on its face and several parts of its body.

"Also, once per turn, I can tribute 1 Insect monster to Special Summon up to 2 Motor Worm Tokens to my opponent's field in Defense Position!" Sting released the first copy of Agent Moth, summoning 2 Motor Worm Tokens on Reid's Field in Defense Position. This, again, increased Spread Queen and Insect Queen's ATKs again to 5200 and 3400 respectively.

"Battle! I attack Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman with Insect Queen!" Sting declared his second attack using his other queen. Insect Queen unleashed its own signature poisonous miasma, melting the Fusion Monster.

 **REID LP: 4000 = 2200**

"I activate Motor Worm Gate's effect! Once per Turn, if all monsters my opponent controls are Insect monsters, one Insect Monster I control can attack directly!" Sting motioned the remaining Agent Moth to attack, tackling the Elemental HERO user that threw him on his back.

 **REID LP: 2200 = 1700**

"Ugh...!" Reid groaned. The impact was harder than he thought. If this were real life, he would have suffered broken ribs and coughed out blood. Still, this won't be enough to take him down. He had experienced more pain than this.

"I activate Lady Cocoon's effect in Graveyard. I can banish it to randomly add a card to my hand." Sting banished Lady Cocoon, adding one random card to his hand. He looked at the card and decided to set it.

"I end my Turn." Sting grinned widely at Reid, huffing proudly.

"Now there are 6 Insect-Type monsters on the Field including the ones summoned on yours and your Flame Wingman! And due to Egg Laying Bed's effect, on my Next Turn I can summon two more tokens and increase my Queens' ATKs to 5900 and 3600! Unless you can summon a stronger monster than them, you have no chance of winning!" Sting stuck his tongue out mockingly at Reid who just got back on his feet. Whatever Reid will do on his next Turn, he has no chance of winning. Not a slightest bit. He was victorious in this Duel already. He would savor every second seeing the despaired face of the Fusion user.

"Hehehe..."

Sting blinked when he heard the soft laugh. He blinked again and checked his hear to be sure whether he was imagining what he just heard or not. But Reid then revealed his face. His expression was still that of a Duelist wanting to fight.

"Against someone like you, I must not think that I'm fighting against a human, but an animal." Reid said.

"What?"

"Time and patience are the strongest warriors in battle." Reid recited what Yuno had taught him. This sure brought back memories...

 **10 YEARS AGO – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

16 years old Reid was crossing his arms while tapping his left feet impatiently until his mentor, Neah, warned him through clearing his throat. He couldn't help it. All of a sudden, his parents and mentor told him that they were going to officially introduced him to the Oracle as the heir who will assist the Oracle in his mission. Honestly, he couldn't care less about The Brotherhood or the Oracle. He had heard about them a lot from his father who said that their families have been working together with the Oracle for generations, but he never cared about that. He wanted to take care of his family with his own hand without depending too much on The Brotherhood.

To him, his family had been working together with The Brotherhood since its first foundation was like annexation rather than alliance. They were following and depending too much on the Brotherhood and he didn't like that. He had decided that once he takes over the family, he will cut ties with The Brotherhood so that they can become independent.

"Neah-san...how long do we have to wait? He is still not coming?" Reid whined.

"He is here." Neah said as he turned to the right side of the road. Black limousine came to a stop in front of them. A man in black opened the door of the car, allowing the one sitting on the back to come out.

Reid thought it must be The Oracle. The Oracle never revealed his face to the public, so he was curious what kind of person this Oracle was. He had expected a haughty or wise-looking man, but to Reid's surprise the one coming out was a guy who was around his age and shorter than him. He rubbed his eyes to be sure, and the same guy was still there, smiling at him. He furrowed his brows, eyeing the awaiting Oracle until a light bulbed in his mind.

"Ooh! I know! This is a lie, right? Neah-san, you're joking, right?" Reid said while pointing his finger at the boy in front of him. "There's no way this tottering guy is the Oracle!"

This resulted with his ear being pinched hard by the old man, giving him a reprimanding look.

"What did I say about being rude to others, Reid? And do not judge a person only by appearance." Neah scolded the young one before bowing to the Oracle. "My apologies for his behavior, Lord Oracle. He is young and brash but has a good heart."

The Oracle shook his head gently. "It's fine. No offense taken. Young ones these days sure knows no fear. I find it refreshing." He smiled calmly before turning to Reid.

"And this is not the first time, and I know exactly how to handle this." The Oracle took out his Duel Disk and wore it, raising it at Reid.

"Reid, to prove myself, why don't we have a Duel?" The Oracle challenged.

Reid still had doubt that this person was the Oracle, so this was the perfect time to test him. Stopping at a nearby Duel Arcade, they commenced a Duel. The Duel didn't last long. Everything happened so fast, and when Reid snapped from his shock, he was already taken out in a One-Turn-Kill by the shorter guy.

"Time and patience are the strongest warriors." The Oracle crouched in front of him so they were eye to eye.

"Huh?"

"You are strong. Stronger than you yourself and I thought but you are too impatient at certain times when making your moves. You leave no room for time and your patience is numbered, this is the reason why you lost." The Oracle told him.

Reid took that as a mockery and he has turned into a full-blown glare, but the shorter guy pain him no heed.

"You may have lost now, but in the future you won't." The Oracle opened one eye at the surprised look on Reid's face. It was quite cute and it was hard for the Oracle not to laugh.

"My name is Yuno. I wish we can get to know each other from now on, Reid-kun." The Oracle finally introduced himself, snapping Reid out from his stupor.

Reid looked away, a tint of pink dusting on his cheeks. Reid was confused. Why did he tell him that? Wasn't that just the same as tipping off his opponent?

"I didn't look like one because of the curse, but I have lived for thousands of years, Reid-kun. I have children that I loved and you reminded me of one of them. I wish that you become stronger, Reid-kun. Not for the sake of The Brotherhood or mine, but for your family and your own sake. And when the time comes for me and I lose to you - I will not feel humiliation. I will be proud."

Yuno gave him one last smile before retreating to the cafetaria for a drink, leaving the dumbstruck Reid still sitting on the floor looking at retreating back.

 **PRESENT TIME – AMENTI – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"You're revealing too much of your cards already, lieutenant." Reid chuckled while patting the dust from his clothes.

"Bluffing at a time like this? How pathetic." Sting sneered.

"Do I now?" Reid said as he started his Turn.

"My Turn! I activate Heroic Reinforcement's effect! I banish it and an Elemental HERO Monster with highest ATK from my Graveyard to special summon a Level 7or lower HERO monster from my Deck and draw 2 cards!" Reid banished his Trap Card, summoning Elemental HERO Neon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone before drawing 2 cards.

"I activate Magic Card: Exchange Hero! I can return 1 Elemental HERO monster on my Field to special summon 1 Elemental HERO or Neo-Spacian monster from my Deck or Graveyard that has lower Level than the returned monster!" Reid returned Flame Wingman to Extra Deck and then special summoned Neo-Spacian Grand Mole (ATK: 900 / DEF: 300 / LV: 3) in Attack Position. As Flame Wingman has left the Field, Sting's Egg Laying Bed was destroyed.

"I fuse Elemental HERO Neos and Neo-Spacian Grand Mole! Contact Fusion! Appear! Level 7! Elemental HERO Grand Neos (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Reid summoned Grand Neos in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Grand Neos' effect! Once per Turn, I can target 1 monster my opponent controls and return it to the hand!" Reid pointed at Sting's Link Monster. As it was a Link Monster, it couldn't be added to the hand, so it was forced to return to the Extra Deck.

"What?!" Sting was completely taken aback. His Insect Queen's ATK was lowered to 3400 as the result, but then retained his composure. "But my Insect Queen still has higher ATK!"

"I activate Magic Card: HERO's Second Chance! I can target 1 HERO card I control and activate 'once per Turn' effect once again this Turn!" Reid reactivated Grand-Neos' effect, this time returning Insect Queen to the hand. Sting forced himself to remain his composure despite being left with only Agent Moth.

"I still have 2700 LP and Agent Moth on my Field! You can't finish me off this Turn! I'll wipe you out in my next Turn!" Sting exclaimed. Even if Reid attacks, his LP would still remain.

"You won't wipe me out because I'm going to end you in this Turn." Reid replied as he extended his hand at Sting's only remaining monster.

"Battle! I attack Agent Moth with Elemental HERO Grand Neos!"

Following the order, Grand Neos dashed forward, activating its drill right arm to destroy the insect monster, leaving Sting without any more monster on his Field.

 **STING LP: 2700 = 700**

"Quick-Play Spell: Fusion Cancel! I return Grand Neos to my Extra Deck to special summon its Fusion Materials to my Field!" Reid used the last card in his hand, reviving Neo-Spacian Grand Mole and Elemental HERO Neos in Attack Position from Graveyard.

"This is the end, Sting! Battle! I attack directly with Elemental HERO Neos!"

Neos' body was filled and covered in energies. It gathered all of its dormant power. Setting its sight on Sting, the Elemental HERO jumped forward to land the finishing blow. Sting finally was unable to remain compose any longer. He clenched his fists furiously as he turned to his set Trap Card that he wished he didn't need to use. And now, he was forced to open it or face a greater humiliation.

"Trap Card: Insect Shock! When I'm being targeted for direct attack while there's an Insect Monster on the Field, my opponent also takes the damage!" Sting revealed, prompting the two Tokens on Reid's Field to move to between Sting and Reid as their bodies cracked and heat up. They were going to explode.

"What?!" Reid exclaimed, didn't expect this as the explosion engulfed the entire area including himself and Sting, blowing them away.

 **STING LP: 700 = 0**

 **REID LP: 1700 = 0**

For a few minutes, the entire landscape was filled with dust and smokes from explosion. Slowly, the dust dispersed, revealing both Reid and Sting lying on the ground covered in bruises. They retained their consciousness, however, and were struggling to move, neither faring well. That last blast did them huge damage.

"Stand up…!" Sting demanded as he held onto a rubble to stand. He glared at Reid, eyes filled with deep seethed rage.

"I cannot accept this…! Stand up and fight! I won't let you go until I kill you!" Sting demanded. His wrath and desire to kill overcame his pain. He staggered, but he dueling in this condition was not a problem to him. He refused to go back without victory.

Reid also forced himself to stand. If he didn't do anything, he was as good as a deadman. While ignoring Sting and look for his friends would be the wisest choice, he knew that this wasn't the option. With his condition, it was impossible to escape from Sting. Plus, he didn't know this domain well. Randomly going while Sting was still around would be too risky. Who knows what kind of trick he could pull.

"Hmph. A Duel without clear winner is not my forte either."

The two Duelists raised their Duel Disks once more, ready for the second round.

They would fight until the last droplet of their bloods.

 **THRONE ROOM – AMENTI – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Neon looked displeased at the monitors that were showing the intruders got separated at different locations. She was disappointed that none of the owners of the Four Heavenly Dragons, especially Yugo, were there. She had expected them to come all out now that they have found their hidden server, but instead they only sent a few people to fight. She wasn't interested in fighting Duelists whom she has taken no liking to. She wanted to use her newly constructed Deck to reach the final stage of her pet project.

"If you want him to come so badly, why don't you give him a reason to come, Neon?" Geist took a stand beside the woman, watching the monitor with concealed excitement.

"But...I'm thinking again maybe the virus was too much for him. I didn't regret creating that virus and I thought he would insist to come even in his condition considering how stubborn he is. But now I'm starting to doubt it..." Neon pouted. She has been looking forward to take the final step, but yet her target was not present.

"As I said, give him a reason to come. Lure him into coming without giving him a choice." Geist suggested in a sing-along tone.

"You have an idea, dear Geist?" Neon smirked upon hearing the tone Geist was using. The idea he suggested when using that tone always worked out and she loved it.

"But let's make a deal to divide the prey, okay?" Geist set his condition.

"Fair enough." Neon accepted.

Geist leaned close to Neon's ear and whispered his idea. Whatever Geist has whispered to him, Neon was delighted.

The two Apophis Duelists smiled.

A smile that promised terror.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Treacherous Hope –** Kino and Merag are facing against Rowan. Kino and Merag seemingly manage to corner him with their teamwork. However…

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 **Writing this Duel was easier than I thought, so I could finish it earlier and uploaded it now. Starting from the next chapter, things will get rather...'quite bleak' and there'll be some explanation related to the plot. That is all I could say without spoiling much. You'll have to continue to read if you wanna know what's going to happen! Oh, and by the way, Amenti is the alternate name for Duat, the underworld in Egyptian mythology.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	44. Treacherous Hope

**Big thanks to** _ **Unknowedz, Elbarto4000, Ulrich362, Playerhood18, Big duels, jason, Ryujomaru15, dvdryms, NeoFGD, GamingGuy84, Yuka Kuroshiro, matrixnis**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

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 **3 MONTHS AGO – DUEL RING – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The audience in the stands erupted in thunderous applause as the commentator announced the winner of the Duel.

[And the champion of the regional tournament is, Akihiro Kazami!]

Rio was taking a day break to watch the final between her older brother and her close friend Akihiro. Because of her training to become a priestess, she couldn't participate in the regional Duel championship, but she didn't regret her choice. When she heard her brother and close friend reached the final and would duel against each other, she asked and received permission to skip today's training so she could watch them. She was quite in dilemma as to whom she should be rooting for.

After struggles, Akihiro emerged victorious in the end. However, Rio noticed something amiss during the Duel. Her brother didn't go all out. And on a few Turns before the last, he had set a card, but he never opened it until the end. Why? This was very different from the older brother she knew. Why was he holding back? Why didn't he struggle more to win? No, it was like he didn't want to win. Not against Akihiro.

"Wait! Ryoga!" Akihiro called out as the said person made his exit from the stage, halting him. "Why didn't you activate your Reverse Card in that last Turn?"

Rio looked at her brother who somehow had this somber face. Now that she thought about, ever since they were placed in the orphanage, her brother often made that kind of face and placed distance between them and the other children in the orphanage. She thought something was up and didn't ask because she believed he would tell her eventually, but maybe now it was about time for her to know what was bothering him so much.

"You're the light. You represent everyone's hope and dream." Shark answered as he walked down from the stage towards the awaiting Rio.

"But I'm just a shadow."

 **PRESENT TIME – AMENTI – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"You're okay, Ri– Merag?"

Merag gasped as she felt Kino's hand on her shoulder. She turned to him, and the young man was staring at her in concern. She has spaced out, recalling that time. When she went through the warp hole, she arrived at a dark forest together with Kino while their other comrades were nowhere to be seen. She didn't worry much though. Their comrades and her older brother were strong. And rather than looking for them, it would be better to focus on their mission. From the start, they were sharing the same mission, meaning they'll go to the same target and they'll eventually cross path with each other.

"Yes. I just...remembered something..." Merag assured him. She sighed. Why did she remember that now of all times? Was it some sort of premonition?

 _"Rowan...might be here..."_ Merag thought. She frowned. If her suddenly remembering this was a premonition, then that means most likely she'll meet him here. It felt a little dreadful, but that was also what she was hoping for. She wanted to set Akihiro's body free from him.

"I know that you want to save this for later, but I need to ask, have you explained everything to the Lancers?" Merag asked to change the subject so that Kino won't notice her worries.

"Yes. Yuya-kun's letter made everything easier. They'll lend their assistance, but I told them not to come here until a few days so Heidel won't be suspicious." Kino answered. He had told them to wait at least three days after Heidel returned to Cantidel and then they can come.

"Wise plan. Speaking about Heidel, how is he?" Merag asked. She hoped that he hadn't spread his influence in ARC-V. That man often works fast when it comes spreading his influence.

"He is close in convincing the political parties in ARC-V to help him. But I trust that Reiji Akaba and his friends will stall them long enough until things get under control." Kino said. While he had only got acquainted with Reiji for three days during his stay at ARC-V, he at least understood that Reiji wasn't stupid. He was far mature and intelligent for someone his age. He believed that Reiji won't let Heidel have his way so easily. All he could do was trusting him.

"I've only heard about this Lancers a few times from Ruri, but hearing it from you assured me that they are trustworthy and can hold on by themselves." Merag smiled behind her mask. If her friend trusted this Lancers, then she would place her faith in them too.

Kino suddenly narrowed his eyes and stopped, raising a hand that motioned Merag to stop. Although, even without him doing that, she could sense that someone was approaching them. Merag felt her heart was beating fast. She clutched her chest as the beating got faster along with the presence getting closer. Looks like her earlier reminiscence was a premonition after all, as the person who was standing in front of them was exactly the one she thought it was.

"Rowan!" Merag exclaimed at the Apophis Duelist.

"It's the two of you." Rowan responded. He was looking at the two intruders but leaning more towards Merag. "Long time no see. Especially you, Rio."

"I would call this too much for a coincidence. Looks like fate has brought us to meet here. And I am grateful for that." Merag replied, raising and activated her Duel Disk.

"Just like your older brother, you're going to try to take back this body from me?" Rowan questioned, following Merag's gesture to activate Duel Disk. Kino also did the same beside her.

"Do you really need to ask that? That is the body of my precious friend. I'll retrieve it and give it a proper burial." Merag stated. It was a promise.

"Only if you can put up enough fight. I'm not the same as before." Rowan dared her, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Knight of the End (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4)!" Rowan summoned Knight of the End in Attack Position.

"When this card is summoned, I can send a DARK-Attribute monster from my Deck to the Graveyard." Rowan sent Ritual Djinn Demolisher (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 600 / LV: 3) from his Deck to his Graveyard.

"I activate Ritual Magic: Ritual of Salvation to perform Ritual Summon." Rowan revealed his Ritual Spell Card, but before he performed Ritual Summon, he pressed the screen of his Duel Disk that showed Djinn Demolisher in the Graveyard.

"When I'm about to Ritual Summon, I can banish Ritual Djinn Demolisher from my Graveyard as 1 of the monsters required for the Ritual Summon." Rowan banished Djinn Demolisher, allowing its spirit to appear by Knight of the End's side as a white altar bathed in light appeared on the Field. Both monsters became flames that lit the altar.

"I use Knight of the End and Djinn Demolisher! Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 7! Beautiful Goddess of Salvation – Northwemko (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 7)!" Rowan summoned Northwemko in Attack Position.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Rowan concluded. "If you think you have what it takes to retrieve this body, then try it!"

"I'll do exactly as that! My Turn! I summon Blizzard Thunderbird (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4)!" Merag summoned Blizzard Thunderbird in Attack Position.

"Next I activate Blizzard Vision! I can target a WATER monster I control and special summon Blizzard Vision as a monster with the same Level, Attribute, and Type, with 0 ATK and 0 DEF!" Merag summoned Blizzard Vision as a Monster Card with the same stats as Blizzard Thunderbird except its ATK and DEF.

"I overlay Blizzard Thunderbird and Blizzard Vision! Xyz Summon! Number 103: Ragnazero (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 1200 / RNK: 4)!" Merag summoned Ragnazero in Attack Position.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Merag concluded. _"This is the only atonement that I can think for Akihiro. I won't let Rowan use his body to harm more people than he already has!"_

"My Turn! From my hand, I activate Magic Card: Angel's Charity!" Kino discarded 2 cards and then drew 3 cards.

"From my hand, I summon Ritua Beast (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1300 / LV: 4)!" Kino summoned Ritua Beast in Attack Position.

"I activate Ritua Beast's effect! When this card is normal summoned, I can special summon a Level 4 or lower Ritua Monster in face-up Defense Position from my Graveyard!" Kino summoned Ritua Avance (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4) in Attack Position from Graveyard after he sent it through Angel's Charity effect.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Ritua Ceremonial Water Mirror! I can summon Ritua Monster using monsters on my Field as tributes, who's Levels, are equal to the Ritual Monster I will summon!" Kino activated one of the 3 cards he just drew.

"I tribute Ritua Beast and Ritua Avance! Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 8! Eviritua Soul Ogre (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2800 / LV: 8)!" Kino summoned Soul Ogre in Attack Position.

"I activate Soul Ogre's effect! Once per Turn, I can discard a 1 Ritua Monster from my hand to target 1 face-up card my opponent controls and shuffle it back into the Deck!" Kino discarded Ritua Ariel from his hand to allow Soul Ogre to activate its effect. Soul Ogre formed water prison that imprisoned Northwemko and raised it up to the sky. Soul Ogre closed its hand into a fist, exploding the water prison together with Northwemko trapped inside it, leaving Rowan's Field empty.

"I end my Turn." Kino concluded, as they couldn't make attack on their first Turn.

"My Turn! Draw!" Rowan looked at the card he drew and then at his own Field. He didn't show any particular expression and simply ended is Turn.

 _"He is not doing anything? Is this a trap to lure us? He has two set cards, so it's possible he makes himself look vulnerable to make us attack and then make his counter."_ Merag carefully analyzed the possibilities. She didn't have any card in her hand that could destroy Magic or Trap cards or protecting her monster. And it was also possible that Rowan was simply bluffing. There was only one choice to find out.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack directly with Ragnazero!" Merag declared Battle Phase. Ragnazero held tight its ice spears in both hands as it lunged forward at Rowan, slashing its spear at him. Rowan winced from the attack, holding where he got slashed. Even though it wasn't in real life, it was still hurt.

 **ROWAN LP: 4000 = 1600**

"I activate Ritual Spell: Genie's Dark Demon Lord! When I receive direct damage, I can discard 2 Djinn cards from my Deck to Ritual Summon a Ritual Monster from my hand!" Rowan opened his first facedown card, discarding Ritual Djinn Presider and Ritual Djinn Disserere to the Graveyard and then banished them.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 7! Demon King of Destruction – Garlandolf (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 7)!" Rowan performed another Ritual Summon, summoning Garlandolf in Attack Position.

"I activate Garlandolf's effect. When this card is Ritual summoned, all face-up monsters on the Field with DEF less than or equal to this card's ATK are destroyed and this card received 100 ATK for each destroyed monster!" Rowan revealed. Garlandolf crossed its arms in front of its face as dark energies were gathering around its body. It lowered its arms to reveal its glinting eyes before finally opening its arms, unleashing the energies throughout the area. As one monster was destroyed, it gained 100 ATK. Its ATK was increased to 2600.

"I activate Rank-Up Magic: Chaos Blizzard! When an Xyz Monster I control is destroyed I can use this card the destroyed Xyz Monster to summon an Xyz Monster from Extra Deck with 1 Rank higher!" Merag opened her facedown card, opening the Overlay Network that would evolve Ragnazero.

"Rank-Up! Xyz Change! Come forth! Rank 5! C No. 103 Ragnafinity (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2400 / RNK: 5 / ORU: 2)!" Merag summoned Ragnafinity in Attack Position.

"I attack again with Ragnafinity!" Following Merag's order, Ragnafinity twirled its scyhte before flying towards the Ritual Monster.

"Monster summoned through Genie's Dark Demon Lord cannot be destroyed on the Turn it was first summoned!" Rowan revealed as Garlandolf crossed its arms, ready to block the attack.

"But you'll still take damage!" Merag reminded as Ragnafinity's spear strikes against Garlandolf, pushing it back.

 **ROWAN LP: 1600 = 1400**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Merag finished.

"My Turn! I activate Soul Ogre's effect! I discard a Ritua Monster to return your Garlandolf to your Deck!" Kino discarded another of his monster from hand to get rid of the opposing Ritual Monster. However, Rowan had already anticipated that.

"Trap Card: Ritual Carnation! When my opponent's monster activates an effect that targets a Ritual Monster I control, I can negate that effect and lower my opponent's monster's ATK equal to half of my monster's ATK!" Rowan opened his second Trap, lowering Soul Ogre's ATK to 1550.

"Tsk! Then from my hand, I summon Ritua Diviner (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 800 / LV: 3)!" Kino sumoned Ritua Diviner in Attack Position. He won't be deterred just by that move. Rowan may have already anticipated his monster's move, but he also had prepared a second plan in case he failed using Soul Ogre's effect.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Forbidden Secret Arts of the Ritua! This card can be used to Ritual Summon any Ritua Ritual Monster. I must also tribute face-up monsters from anywhere on the field, whose total Levels equal the Level of the Ritual Monster I Ritual Summon!" Kino chose his Soul Ogre and Rowan's own Garlandolf, making them materials for his Ritual Summon. It was ironic for Rowan that his monster was what allowed him to perform this summoning.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 10! Eviritua Zielgigas (ATK: 3200 / DEF: 0 / LV: 10)!" Kino summoned Zielgigas in Attack Position.

"Trap Card: Ritual Crescent! When a Ritual Monster is Ritual Summoned, I can discard a Ritual Monster from my Deck to increase my LP equal to the ATK of the opposing monster and draw until I have 3 cards!" Rowan opened his last facedown card in respond, discarding Northwemko that he was shuffled back into his Deck annd then drew more cards until he has 3 before recovering his LP.

 **ROWAN LP: 1400 = 4600**

"That won't last long! Battle! I attack directly with Eviritua Zielgigas!" Kino declared Battle Phase. The four-armed Aqua Monster launched barrage of punches at Rowan who was barely dodging him with inhuman speed. If he was an ordinary human, he wouldn't be able to dodge them let alone withstanding them. If it were not for Ritual Crescent increasing his LP, Rowan would have been finished.

 **ROWAN LP: 4600 = 1400**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Kino concluded.

"This is not real life, but I do not wish to harm the body of Merag and Nash's friend like this. Even if it was only appearance. Won't you surrender?" Kino said. He didn't know full well of what happened that led up to Rio and Shark's friend became the sacrifice for Rowan, but he would respect their wish and help them retrieving that body.

"You spoke like you have won. And even if you win, how are you going to find this body in real life? The other offspring would have disposed of it once you're finished with me." Rowan replied calmly. Despite disliking the way Kino talked to him, he retained his cool.

"We'll figure that out later. It'll be better to make you leave that body before more victims fall." Merag replied.

"How foolish. Do you think I just let you destroy my two Ritual Monsters without a plan?" Rowan questioned them both with a tinge of disappointment. He thought they were smarter than that.

"What?" Merag blinked.

"My Turn! I activate Ritual Magic: Ritual of Balance! This card can only be activated when I have Northwemko and Garlandolf in my Graveyard and I control no monster." Rowan banished his two said Ritual Monsters from the Graveyard to call forth their spirits that formed a magic circle. A huge grey grail appeared. It contained thick black substances that were moving like slime. The black substances then slowly took form.

"A monster that can only be summoned only if you have Northwemko and Garlandolf in your Graveyard?! Then that means you purposely place your Ritual Monsters in the Graveyard for this?!" Kino questioned the opposing Ritual user.

"Precisely! Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 11! God of the Unseen – Zaguine (ATK: 3800 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 11)!" Rowan summoned Zaguine in Attack Position; the monster materialized its form from that black substance.

"Well sorry to say, but we also have prepared for that! Trap Card: Ritua's Wave Strike! When my opponent special summons a monster while I control a Ritua Monster, I can decrease that monster's ATK by 1000!" Kino opened his facedown card, decreasing Zaguine's ATK to 2800. Kino turned to Merag, nodding at her. This was her time.

"As the ATK of my opponent's monster was changed, I activate Ragnafinity's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I inflict damage to my opponent equal to the value it was changed!" Merag pointed at Rowan as Ragnafinity detached its Overlay Unit. Ragnafinity swung its scythe, sending a slash wave that pushed Rowan several steps back.

 **ROWAN LP: 1400 = 400**

"Now your LP is only 400, and our monsters are stronger than yours since I have lowered its ATK. Do you still insist to continue?" Kino questioned the Djinn user. With that ATK and LP, a single attack from Merag in her next Turn would end everything.

"Yes. Because you're not including my monster effects into account." Rowan replied, which alerts Kino and Merag.

"I activate Zaguine's effect. When this card's ATK or DEF changes, I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to the lost ATK or DEF." Rowan activated its third effect, copying Ragnafinity's slash wave that forced the two to skid backwards.

 **MERAG LP: 4000 = 3000**

 **KINO LP: 4000 = 3000**

"And then I activate Zaguine's first effect. On the Turn this card is Ritual summoned, all my opponent's monsters' ATKs are reduced to 0." Rowan revealed its first effect as Zaguine bound the two opposing monsters with huge black shadow hands, crushing their bodies.

"Our monsters are–!" Merag looked helplessly at hers and Kino's monsters.

"No way!" Kino exclaimed in shock. He clearly didn't see that.

"And on the same Turn when this effect resolves, Zaguine can attack as many times as the monsters whose ATKs are reduced to 0."

"Battle! I attack Ragnafinity and Zielgigas with Zaguine!" Rowan started his counterattack. Zaguine tightened his grip on the two monsters, crushing their bodies completely before throwing their remains at Merag and Kino, hitting them down.

 **MERAG LP: 3000 = 200**

 **KINO LP: 3000 = 200**

"This is the last! Whenever Zaguine destroys a monster, it inflicts additional 500 damage to controller of the destroyed monster!" Rowan revealed its final effect as Zaquine extended his two palms, forming and shooting black blast that blew away Merag and Kino, finishing off their LPs.

 **MERAG LP: 200 = 0**

 **KINO LP: 200 = 0**

Kino crashed his back on a tree while Merag fell with her head first on the ground. Kino was barely conscious while Merag was completely out of it. Who wouldn't after they fell from considerable height and fell flat headfirst? Kino couldn't move his body. He has taken too damage. He desperately tried to move when he saw Rowan walking towards Merag, but he couldn't even lift a finger. His consciousness was also swaying. It was only a matter of time until he passed out. Now, Rowan was hovering over the unconscious Merag.

"This is as far as you can go. Don't worry, I'll send you to where your friend Akihiro is soon." Rowan said as he reached for the Xyz user.

"Rowan!"

The Ritual user stopped his motion and jumped away when Nash arrived with Silent Honor, crashing the spot where Rowan has stood. Nash got off from his monster and checked on his sister, calling for her but she didn't respond. Noticing Kino who was on the verge of darkness himself, Nash took his sister into his arms, carefully carrying her in bridal style and placed her beside Kino. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before nodding to Kino, wordlessly telling him to leave the rest to him. Relieved, Kino let his eyes closed.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Rowan." Nash glared at the Ritual user. This time, he won't let him escape.

"Coming late again aren't you, Ryoga? At the very least this time no one is dead…yet." Rowan said calmly but his words were condescending.

"I'll make you pay for everything. For Rio, Kino, and Akihiro." Nash spat out bitterly.

"Akihiro chose to give his own body to me. And the one who drove him to that choice was you. I am not to blame for what happened to him when you're the one at fault." Rowan replied, sighing at Nash's attitude directed at him. Again with misguided grudge.

"And I'm atoning that by taking back that body and give it proper burial." Nash replied, not even batting an eye.

"That's your way of atonement? How peculiar." Rowan remarked before both of them activated their Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'll go first! I activate Magic Card: Djinn's Magical Lamp! I can add a Ritual Djinn monster from my Deck to my hand." Rowan added Ritual Djinn Presider (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4) into his hand.

"I summon Ritual Djinn Enforcer (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 500 / LV: 4)!" Rowan summoned Djinn Enforce in Attack Position.

"I activate Djinn Enforcer's effect. When this card is summoned from my hand, I can add 2 Magic or Trap Cards into my hand." Rowan added one Magic and one Trap into his hand.

By discarding a Level 5 or higher monster, I can special summon Dark Grepher (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Rowan summoned Dark Grepher in Attack Position after discarding Ritual Djinn Presider from his hand.

"And then I activate Ritual Magic: Ritual of Destruction. Once again when I'm about to Ritual Summon, I can banish Ritual Djinn Monster from my Graveyard as 1 of the monsters required for the Ritual Summon." Rowan banished Djinn Presider that he has sent to the Graveyard to use it as a Material.

"I use Dark Grepher and Ritual Djinn Presider! Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 7! Demon King of Destruction – Garlandolf (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 7)!" Rowan performed another Ritual Summon, summoning Garlandolf in Attack Position.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Rowan finished.

"My Turn! I activate Rank-Up Magic: The Seventh One! I can Special Summon an Over-Hundred Number monster from my Extra Deck or Graveyard, ignoring its Summoning conditions!" Nash Special Summoned Number 101: Silent Honors Ark Knight (ATK: 2100 / DEF: 1000) in Attack Position. The Seventh One then ranked it up, Special Summoning C No. 101: Silent Honors Dark Knight (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 1500) in Attack Position.

"I activate Silent Honor Dark Knight's effect! I attach Garlandolf to it as an Overlay Unit!" Nash pointed at the Ritual Monster, changing it into his monster's Overlay Unit.

"Battle! I attack directly with Silent Honor Dark Knight!" Nash immediately declared attack. Silent Honors Dark Knight strikes Rowan with its spear, causing the Phantom Knights user to fall flat on his back from the attack.

 **ROWAN LP: 4000 = 1200**

"I activate Ritual Spell: Genie's Light Goddess! When I receive direct damage, I can discard 2 Djinn cards from my Deck to Ritual Summon a Ritual Monster from my hand!" Rowan opened his first facedown card, discarding Ritual Djinn Presider and Ritual Djinn Disserere to the Graveyard and then banished them.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 7! Beautiful Goddess of Salvation – Northwemko (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 7)!" Rowan summoned Northwemko in Attack Position.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Nash concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Djinn Ritual Crusader (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 200 / LV: 4)!" Rowan summoned Ritual Crusader in Attack Position.

"I activate Equip Spell: Ritual Necklace! I can equip this to a Level 7 or lower Ritual Monster I control and increase its ATK by 600!" Rowan increased Northwemko's ATK to 3300 as an oceanic blue-colored necklace was worn around Northwemko's neck, giving it a power boost.

"Battle! I attack Silent Honors Dark Knight with Northwemko!" Rowan declared Battle Phase. Northwemko pointed its staff at Silent Honor Dark Knight, shooting a ray of white light that struck down the Xyz Monster.

 **NASH LP: 4000 = 3500**

"I activate Dark Knight's effect! As it was destroyed when it had Overlay Units, I can special summon it and recover LP equal to its ATK!" Nash revived Dark Knight seconds after it got destroyed and recovered his LP by the same amount of its original ATK.

 **NASH LP: 3500 = 6300**

"I knew that you have that card, so I have prepared a card to counter it! I activate Quick-Play Spell: Divine Light of the Genie! My monster can attack two more times!" Rowan revealed a card from his hand, allowing Northwemko to attack two more times, destroying Dark Knight again for a second time and then followed by a direct attack that pushed back Nash.

 **NASH LP: 6300 = 2500**

"Lastly, I attack directly with Djinn Ritual Crusader!" Rowan declared his third attack with his Djinn monster. Crusader delivered a kick that thrown Nash to the ground.

 **NASH LP: 2500 = 800**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Rowan finished. "It's useless, Ryoga. I have Akihiro's memory stored within me. I know every Duel you have done with Akihiro, so I knew every card you have and the strategy you're using. You can't win against me."

"Shut up! You think you know my every card and strategy? Need I remind you that I refrained from using certain cards during those times I fought against him?" Nash yelled angrily as he struggled to stand, holding his wounded shoulder.

"And that is partly the reason why he ended up dead." Rowan reminded.

"Shut up! I'll definitely defeat you! My Turn! As my opponent controls two or more monsters and I control none, I activate Magic Card: Split Defender! I can take control of the monster my opponent controls with the highest DEF!" Nash activated the card he just drew, allowing him to take control of Northwemko.

"I activate Djinn Ritual Crusader's effect! When my opponent a Magic or Spell Card, I can special summon this card on my opponent's Field!" Rowan moved Ritual Crusader to Nash's Field, leaving his own Field empty.

"Battle! I attack directly with Northwemko!" Nash was too angry to even be surprised by Rowan's move, completely ignoring Ritual Crusader on his Field and focused on unleashing his rage towards the Ritual user using his own monster. Northwemko pointed its staff at Rowan, charging its attack and was ready to make a shot when Rowan opened his facedown card.

"Trap Card: Trick Buster! When my opponent declares attack while I control no monster, I can destroy all Attack Position Monsters my opponent controls and inflict 300 damage for each monster destroyed!" Rowan summoned two swords that stabbed Northwemko and Ritual Crusader, stopping them from attacking before destroying them. Nash was once again thrown back by the explosion, this time hitting a tree.

 **NASH LP: 800 = 200**

"As I said, it's useless. I know your cards. You don't have a chance to win against me. All this time, you've been playing in my hands, Ryoga." Rowan told the Xyz user, taking a few steps closer to him, but still kept their distance far enough.

Nash felt his vision blurred from the impact. He struggled to keep awake. However, instead of seeing Rowan in front of him, the one he was seeing was Akihiro. He was making the same face as that time. That time when he willingly became a sacrifice for Rowan...

 **A MONTH AGO – MOUNTAIN – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Akihiro!"

Shark came with his sister Rio and several members of The Brotherhood. After hearing the orphanage was attacked and Akihiro had gone missing, Shark and Rio frantically searched for him. Fortunately, there were eye witnesses as to where he was being taken. Deep in the forest at the mountain, after a few minutes running, they have finally found him, standing in front of a magic circle with someone in cloak standing at the center of the magic circle while several others were standing outside the circle. Akihiro briefly turned to Shark and Rio, but his gaze was so cold like he was looking at a stranger. He walked into the circle, as if ignoring them.

"Akihiro, what are you doing?! Stay away from him!" Shark shouted as he took a step forward, but Akihiro's cold words halted him.

"Shut up." Akihiro spat out with contempt. "Nothing you say will stop me, Ryoga. I have enough of everything."

"What? What do you mean?" Shark stared at Akihiro with confusion. Why did he say something like that?

"Best friends are supposed to be honest with each other. I can't trust you. I don't." Akihiro turned, revealing angry tears and expression full resentment for Shark.

"You never acknowledge me as an equal! Inside, you always look down on me! I cannot forgive that! Because of you, I fell into hell!" Akihiro yelled, unleashing the anger he had contained.

"That's not it! I want you to be the hero for everyone!" Shark reasoned. Akihiro had always been admired by the children and adored by everyone. Him, on the other hand, after his parents' death, he got involved into the wrong crowds and had a hard time getting out of it until later. He was the exact opposite of Akihiro who was pure and clean.

"Give me a break! You think you protected me?! You think you're better than me? That's some nerve you've got, Ryoga! And who said I want to be something like that? Have I ever said that?" Akihiro only got angrier by the answer, startling both Shark and Rio. He couldn't stop the tears from falling from his eyes anymore.

"You don't know how it feels! You don't know what I want! You don't know what I've been through!" Akihiro lashed out, holding his head with both hands and his body was trembling. His emotion erupted before his body finally slumped and his face was showing nothing but resignment.

"I have enough with this life. Goodbye, Ryoga, Rio."

Akihiro turned his back completely on them, facing the cloaked figure in front of him. The magic circle shined while the cloaked figure was chanting some bizzarre words that Shark couldn't understand.

"No! Wait! Akihiro, don't!"

Both Shark and Rio and the rest of the members of the Brotherhood tried to stop them, but the other people in cloak stood on their way, blocking them from the magic circle, from Akihiro.

"I shall grant your wish and take that body of yours."

The cloaked figure raised a knife as Akihiro closed his eyes, accepting his fate. Shark and Rio could only watch in horror as the cloaked figure slashed down the knife, helplessly reaching their hands for their precious friend.

"STOP!"

 **PRESENT TIME – AMENTI – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

It wasn't until later he found out what Akihiro had been through. Becoming the champion was not as good as it looked like. The ones who became his sponsor not only gave him lot of pressures, but also gained him dislike from several nobles as the ones whom he defeated were mostly related to them. It was then live started to feel like a living hell for Akihiro. As a result, he faced harassment and even death threats from the noble family. But he couldn't stop so easily either for the orphanage. The piling up stress eventually turned into contempt.

Shark has always blamed himself ever since. How could he not notice something was bothering Akihiro? He pushed him away and left him to take all the burden by himself without truly considering his feeling. He stayed away from Akihiro and the others not fully because he believed Akihiro was the light of hope, but because he was afraid that he will be judged due to his past, because he was afraid to be rejected by them. He was the one who drove Akihiro into despair. It was no different than killing him with his own hands.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Nash concluded, standing wobbly as he holds onto the tree for support.

"You won't last long. I'll end your pain in this Turn. I activate Djinn Ritual Crusader's effect! When it leaves the Field, I can add a Ritual Spell Card to my hand!" Rowan added Ritual of Balance into his hand and immediately activated it.

"I activate Ritual Magic: Ritual of Balance! This card can only be activated when I have Northwemko and Garlandolf in my Graveyard and I control no monster. Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 11! God of the Unseen – Zaguine (ATK: 3800 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 11)!" Rowan summoned Zaguine in Attack Position. Time to finish this Duel.

"Battle! I attack directly with Zaguine!" Rowan declared what he believed to be the final attack. Zaguine unleashed black thunderous lighting from both its hands. It raised its arms up, striking the lightning into the sky, forming circling black clouds above Nash. Black lightning then came striking down right towards Nash.

Nash was silent and didn't do anything for a few long seconds before he opened his eyes and pointed at his facedown card, opening it.

"Trap Card: Depth Gardna! During damage calculation, if I would take battle damage from a direct attack, that damage becomes 0, then I can Special Summon this card as an Effect Monster! This card's ATK and DEF become equal to the amount of battle damage I would have taken at the activation of this card!" Nash summoned Depth Gardna (ATK: 3800 / DEF: 3800 / LV: 5) who shielded Nash from the lightning strike. The aftershock was so great that even with Depth Gardna shielding him, Nash still fell on his knees.

"Persistent. Why won't you just give up? Both defeating me and taking back this body. It's not like giving him a proper burial will ever be enough to compensate for neglecting your deceased friend." Rowan told the Xyz user.

Nash began to chuckle humorlessly, confusing the Ritual user. Nash looked down, making sure Rowan won't see the pitiful face he was making.

"I know that more than anyone. What I did will never change what had happened in the past. The fact that I have left Akihiro to suffer alone would never disappear. Erasing the past was impossible." Nash admitted. He knew that he would never gain Akihiro's forgiveness doing this.

"But...someone I respect, taught me that tormenting myself won't do any good either. Just doing nothing will just make things worse..." Nash turned to his sister and Kino who were still unconscious and smiled at them.

" _You neglected your friend and left him to suffer... And you can't fix that. But...I know that if you could have had realized...you never would have left him by himself._

Yuno's words back then saved him from falling into complete darkness. It helped him to move forward.

" _You can't change what already happened. You can only keep fighting for the now. You can't run away anymore. You can't run away from the things you've done. You need to face what's happened, and you need to fight with the people who are still alive. You need to do whatever you can. This time, don't neglect the people who are still with you or you'll only repeat the same thing."_

"I won't back down from this! Draw!" Nash looked at the card he drew. This is it.

"When I control a WATER Monster, I can Special Summon Aqua Abyss (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 0 / LV: 5) from my hand!" Nash summoned Aqua Abyss in Attack Position.

"Rowan, you said that you know all of my cards from Akihiro's memories. But I bet you don't know this card that I have received from Yuno!" Nash revealed as he opened the Overlay Network.

"What?!" Rowan exclaimed.

"I overlay Depth Gardna and Aqua Abyss! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 5! No. 73: Abyss Splash, the Roaring Waterfall Deity (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 1400 / RNK: 5 / ORU: 2)!" Nash summoned Abyss Splash in Attack Position.

"What is that monster?!" Rowan never saw that monster in Akihiro's memories.

"Of course, you wouldn't know. This is the card that I received from Yuno after that incident. You'll never find it in any of Akihiro's memory!" Nash revealed as he raised his arm at Abyss Splash, making his move.

"I activate Abyss Splash's effect! I detach an Overlay Unit to double this card's ATK until the end of this Turn!" Nash doubled Abyss Splash's ATK to 4800.

"Battle! I attack Zaguine with Abyss Splash!"

The blue crystal on Abyss Splash's chest shined brightly as the Xyz Monster raised its staff up, gathering substances of water at the tip of its staff, whirling them together until Abyss Splash used them to create water twister that went towards Rowan. The Ritual user was visibly shocked by the sudden change of development. He didn't expect for the Xyz user to have another Number archetype Xyz Monster. He looked at his disk's screen, choosing the Graveyard.

 _"I don't have a choice!"_

"I activate Djinn Ritual Crusader's effect! I banish it from Graveyard to inflict damage to the both of us!" Rowan revealed, banishing Crusader. The spirit of Crusader appeared between Rowan and Nash. Its body was glowing as its body got bigger and blocked the twister. The bodies of water then got absorbed into itself until there was nothing left and the Djinn's body became gigantic before it exploded itself with a screech, blowing away both Rowan and Nash.

 **NASH LP: 200 = 0**

 **ROWAN LP: 1200 = 0**

Rowan went out cold, lying motionless on the ground with body covered in bruises and wounds. The same also goes for Nash who was unable to move, but he was still quite conscious...not for long though. He looked at Merag and Kino not too far from him.

 _"I...have to log them...out..."_

Unfortunately, Nash couldn't even crawl to them. His body has given up and so did his eyes. He closed his eyes, letting the darkness engulfed him.

 **INFIRMARY – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Ugh..."

Yugo's eyes fluttered open, which was noticed by everyone in the room. Rin held Yugo's hand tighter as she looked at him with teary eyes. The rest, except Yuri, Ruri, and Yuto who stayed still on their respective bed, surrounded the Speedroid user's bed expectantly and nervously. Yugo felt dizzy and his vision was blurry for a few seconds before he could finally see their worried faces.

"Rin...everyone..." Yugo asked weakly.

"Yugo!"

Rin bolted out and threw her arms around Yugo. The Speedroid user oofed and winced, but he tried to smile back awkwardly. If he weren't being strapped, he would have already hugged her back.

"I was so scared, I thought—I thought maybe—" Rin cried as she hugged him tighter. Thank goodness that he returned to normal.

"A-ah, watch my head...It feels like a concussion…" Yugo said while making a soothing voice to his childhood friend.

"That's right, your strap! We need to remove it now!" Rin was ready to open the clip of the strap, but Yugo held his hand tight, stopping her.

"No! Don't!" Yugo said with desperation in his voice. He winced as a headache attacked him. "I...I don't know when...I might attack you again...my head...something is..."

"Don't worry. Rio-san and the others are going to where Apophis is. They'll defeat Neon and cure you." Ruri tried to assure Yugo.

"Junkuriboh also help in lessening the effect of the virus." Yukiya added, pointing at the Kuriboh who has been sitting beside Yugo, kindly caressing Yugo's head.

"Heh. If only you're like this from the very beginning, little guy..." Yugo remarked as he leaned closer to Junkuriboh's touch who for once didn't retort to his remark and instead snuggle closer to him.

A beeping voice coming from Yukiya's laptop interrupted them. Yukiya turned to his laptop and his eyes widened in panic as his fingers almost auto pilot typed the keyboards at full speed and Yukiya's eyes fully focused on the screen.

"What's that sound?" Yuya asked.

"Someone is hacking my laptop...!" Yukiya revealed.

Yukiya tried his best to stop the hacking. However, he couldn't keep up with whoever the hacker was and his system was successfully breeched. The screen went black for a moment before it flickered and showed the last person any of them expected to show her face.

"Hello, boys and girls!"

Neon appeared on the screen, playfully waving her hand and smiled flirtatiously at them.

"Neon!" Yukiya exclaimed. The air in the room immediately went cold and tense. All eyes turned to Yukiya's laptop. Why did Neon hack into Yukiya's laptop?

"I'm extending an invitation to you." Neon told them, still smiling.

"Invitation?" Yuzu repeated warily.

"I'll open a portal for you at the coordinate I'm going to send. Go there and we'll meet. However, you're not going to tell the Oracle or anyone else about this." Neon explained her demand, earning her a voice of disagreement from her enemies as she has expected.

"Care to tell why we have to listen to you?" Serena asked sarcastically, glaring at the screen and she wanted nothing more but to smash it with her own fist.

Neon giggled at the reaction. How predictable.

"Looks like you've forgotten my position. You want to cure Yugo-kun, no? Then come to me, with Yugo-kun himself. And no, this is not negotiable. Either you come with Yugo-kun or I can worsen his virus."

She smiled wickedly, raising a hand and clenched it into fist. At that moment, Yugo started convulsing again, writhing in pain until Neon released her fist. She giggled even more at the hateful look she got from the children. She had made them angrier. That was even better.

"You really are a crazy bitch. I won't feel sorry at all if you died." Yukiya said with evident contempt. This was the first time he had ever met someone let alone a girl as sick as this woman.

"I'll give you half an hour to decide."

Neon shut down the communication with that, leaving Yuya and the others bewildered.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Bewitching Darkness –** After receiving a message from Neon who demands for their presence and discussing their moves, Yuya, Yukiya, Yugo, and Rin logged into LINK VRAINS to confront her, but got separated on the way.

* * *

 **Alright! Done! Do you expect Rowan to lose against Shark? And what will happen now that the four of them are unconscious? Hmm...I wonder...maybe something will happen to them (Hehehe XD)?The next chapter will finally the Duel against Neon again! Who will be her opponent?! Stay tune to find out! And there'll be some revelation in the next chapter too!**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	45. Bewitching Darkness

**Big thanks to** _ **Unknowedz, Elbarto4000, Ulrich362, dvdryms, matrixnis, Ryujomaru15, Yuka Kuroshiro, jason, Guest, Big duels, Playerhood18, GamingGuy84, NeoFGD**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **INFIRMARY – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuya and the others were at loss. They only have a few more minutes until Neon's set time to decide whether they go to LINK VRAINS without telling Yuno or not. If they go, they'll fall into her trap and who knows what will happen to them. If they didn't go or tell Yuno, she'll worsen the virus infecting Yugo. Either choice was not good for them. If there was one good thing from this, that would be chance to cure Yugo and get rid of Neon for once and for all.

"As much as I don't want to say this, we don't have a choice but to concede with her demand." Yukiya said as he closed his laptop after fixing the security system and reinforced it.

"Why? She is not here. How could she know we tell Yuno-san or not?" Yuzu asked. They could just tell Yuno in secret and coordinate a plan with him without telling her.

"I told you that the virus links directly with Neon. She can know things through the virus infecting Yugo." Yukiya said, pointing at Yugo. As the virus was like a part of Neon herself, it was like Neon sending a fragment of her to scout things while she was watching and listening through tapper.

"Then we really do have to go following her instruction? This is obviously a trap..." Serena didn't like where this was going. Following what the enemy said never sit well with her. Both choices would mean jeopardizing Yugo's safety the most.

"We all know and we have to steel ourselves for that. Either way, Yugo is in danger and we need to cure him as soon as possible. Thinking optimistically, this is our chance." Yuya said, shifting everyone's attention him. He didn't like this either since this also meant that he'd disobey Yuno's order again. After what happened before during instances he disobeyed him, Yuya prefer not to do it again despite his own reservation of doing nothing. But this time, they truly were not given safe options. Yugo's life was at stake.

"The question now is who will go accompanying Yugo?" Yuri voiced the second topic of discussion now that they have all agreed to follow through Neon's request.

"Rin, Yukiya, and I will go." Yuya immediately said before any of them could say anything, surprising his friends.

"Hold on a second there, Yuya. Why the three of you? I would love to participate in some action here." Yuri objected. He wanted to test this blessing he just got and his Duelist blood was boiling for a fight. He personally didn't like Neon either.

"Yugo would be more pacified if Rin is with him. Yukiya is the only one who can give the update of Yugo's condition. And I'm not as exhausted as you are." Yuya explained the reason behind his choices.

"Also, I think the five of you have more chances in keeping Yuno-san and the others' attention busy compared to the rest of us. We need the five of you to cover for us until we are done." Yuya added. When it comes about clever talk, Yuri, Yuto, and Ruri were better than them. In this case, Serena and Yuzu were also close enough to the mentors to distract them with conversation that they knew would interest them. He knew they could cover for them.

"Yuya's choice makes sense. Compared to the three of us, the five of you are more persuasive. They are sharp, especially Yuno-san and Ryo-san. Putting aside Yuno-san, you're close with Ryo-san, Yuri. You'll be able to distract him for the time being." Yukiya agreed with Yuya's choice. He was honestly surprised that Yuya managed to think this up in such a short notice. However it was, Yukiya got his back on this one.

Yuya turned to the rest who were appointed to do the distraction. None of them make any voice of objection. They were visibly surprised themselves that this was coming from Yuya. They couldn't argue much. It was the most sensible choice in this situation. And if something were to happen, then they'll go as a backup or inform Yuno and the others.

"I guess I have no choice then if you put it that way..." Yuri sighed, relenting.

"Since when you become this smarter and wiser, Yuya?" Yuzu asked. She was clearly amazed by Yuya's quick thinking.

"Since Yuno-san placed me under his spartan tutelage?" Yuya answered jokingly. Before clasping his hands together. "Everything is settled, we'll pretend that we are sleeping. The five of you, make sure they don't find out we're actually going into LINK VRAINS."

Yuya, Yukiya, and Rin lied on their respective bed, hiding their Duel Disks behind the blanket. Yukiya had modified it so they wouldn't be surrounded in data capsule once they logged in. That way, it would look like they were truly sleeping. Once they logged in, the rest was up to the ones in charge of distraction.

"Be careful, Yuya." Yuzu said, placing a hand on top of Yuya before he log in. She actually didn't like to stay and wait, but she knew the distraction was essential for them. She must trust Yuya on this one. He always returned after a life-threatening battle. This wouldn't be so different, right?

"We will come back. I promise." Yuya smiled softly at Yuzu before turning to Yukiya and Rin who were laying on the bed on his both sides. Time to go.

"Into the VRAINS."

 **SURFACE – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Phantom, Zarc, Wind Frost and Sync arrived at the coordinate where Neon told them to go in her message. They were standing at the top of a rooftop where one of the pillars that used to projected the barrier leading to the sewer of LINK VRAINS where the virus core was used to be there. Sync who was still weak from the virus almost leaned completely on Wind Frost for support. It took everything for him to even stand and Wind Frost had a strong grip on him to make sure he won't fall.

Now that they were here, they were waiting for the portal that Neon said she would open for them. Soon, a distorted looking space hole appeared in front of them. Its appearance said itself that this was a trap. It was like a gate to the underworld opened by the demon to entice them to come for their deceased loved ones. It was already too late for a second thought. Sync's condition was growing worse by a minute.

"Sync, are you sure you're okay with this?" Zarc asked. He knew there was no point in asking, but he was still worried enough to ask anyway.

Sync made a weak cocky laugh. "It's not like she's giving me a choice. And just sleeping on the bed and wait is not my thing. I'll beat that bitch to a pulp...!" He replied. He wasn't sure if he could do anything in his current condition, but he refused to go down without a fight. He'll work on something once they meet Neon.

"Hold him close, Wind Frost. Don't let him go." Phantom told the Wind Witch user who held Sync closer in respond like a lifeline.

Once they enter the portal there was no coming back until they finished their mission.

"Here goes...!"

With resolve of steel, the four of them went into the portal.

 **AMENTI – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Wind Frost walked into the portal while holding Sync close to her. His arm was on her shoulders. After they went through the portal, they were no longer at the top of the rooftop, but at a sewer. However, this was different from the sewer where the virus core was. It was darker and almost felt like they were back at the underground prison, only there were no cells this time. It still didn't make them feel better though.

"Phantom? Zarc?" Wind Frost looked around, noticing their two friends were absent.

"Where are they?" Sync asked weakly, looking for the two said people.

"Kuri! Kuri!" Junkuriboh suddenly materialized itself, floating beside Yugo. It was acting hostile like an animal feeling threatened or like a mother bear trying to protect its cub. It was hissing and seemed ready to do its signature headbutt that it usually did to Yugo.

"What's wrong, Junkuriboh?" Wind Frost asked, but Junkuriboh only hissed while its attention was at the opposite direction.

"She's here..." Sync's face paled. He could feel her coming close due to the virus.

And just as he said, a small black portal appeared, alarming the three of them. From the portal, Neon came out, blinking when she saw the three of them present.

"Hmm? Now this is unexpected. I thought Yugo-kun would end up here alone." Neon stated, staring at the unwanted guests, namely Wind Frost and Junkuriboh.

"Neon!" Wind Frost spat out bitterly at the enemy, automatically tightening her hold on Sync. It annoyed her even more when the woman waved her hand so casually.

"Hello. I only have business with Yugo-kun– Sync-kun over there, so do you mind hand him over to me?" Neon requested not so innocently, pointing at Sync with her flirtatious stares that unnerved the Speedroid user.

"In your dreams! I won't give Sync to you!" Wind Frost replied harshly. Junkuriboh also made a sound of agreement.

"Now that I remember, your reaction was also the same when I kissed him in our first meeting. Could it be you're jealous? You're his girlfriend?" Neon questioned, fully turning her attention to Wind Frost. Back then she noticed that Rin's reaction was beyond her expectation. She figured she would be angry for making a move, but the younger girl showed more anger than she originally thought.

"Shut up! Whatever your reason is, I'm not giving Sync to you! I'll defeat you and cure him!" Wind Frost declared, completely ignoring Neon's remark. She never liked Neon since their first meeting, and her hatred for her just intensified after she infected Yugo with a virus that almost killed her too. She wanted nothing more but to defeat this woman and cure Yugo.

"It doesn't matter whether you are his girlfriend or older sister or anything. I'll steal him away from you in the end." Neon replied confidently, flinging her hair behind as she prepared her Duel Disk.

"Junkuriboh, take care of Sync!" Wind Frost told the Kuriboh as she placed down Sync behind her. Not too far and not too close to her and Neon. It would be dangerous if he got involved in the crossfire once the Duel begins. But if that somehow happened, she knew that Junkuriboh could protect him at least from the impact. The monster was small but it wasn't as weak as it looked.

"W-wait...! Wind Frost...!" Sync tried to stop her. He wanted to try and insist that he could fight, but found his body was barely even moving. Neon must have done something with the virus to stop him from interfering.

"I'll be fine! Stay where you are! I'll definitely protect you!" Wind Frost told Sync before facing Neon, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I activate Magic Card: Wind-Calling Bell Chime. This card let me reveal a Level 4 or lower Wind Witch Monster in my hand to Special Summon another copy of that Monster from Deck." Wind Frost revealed Wind Witch – Ice Bell (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3) in her hand and then Special summoned another copy of it from her Deck in Attack Position.

"I Summon the Wind Witch – Ice Bell that I revealed from my hand." Wind Frost Normal summoned the Ice Bell in her hand in Attack Position

"I activate my two Ice Bells' Effect! When they are Normal or Special Summoned this Turn, I can inflict 500 damage!" The two Ice Bells pointed their wands at Neon, shooting strong cold winds that decreased her LP by 1000.

 **NEON LP: 4000 = 3000**

"As I control 2 or more Wind Witch Monsters, I can Special Summon Wind Witch – Snow Bell (ATK: 100 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1) from my hand!" Wind Frost Special Summoned Snow Bell from her hand via its own Effect in Attack Position.

"I Tune my Level 3 Ice Bells with Level 1 Snow Bell! Winds of winter, snow and ice! Become my power to blow everything away! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 7! Wind Witch - Winter Bell (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Wind Frost summoned her ace Monster in Attack Position.

"I activate Winter Bell's Effect! I can copy the Effect of a Wind Witch Monster in my Graveyard until the End Phase! I copy Ice Bell's Effect!" Wind Frost inflicted another 500 damage to Neon, almost blowing her away.

 **NEON LP: 3000 = 2500**

"I Set 1 card and end my Turn." Wind Frost concluded. Using her favorite strategy, she has dealt a considerable damage to Neon. She had heard about Neon's Deck and have prepared for it before going. She had waited for this moment to defeat her.

"1500 damage on the first Turn? Not bad. But don't think you can use the same trick from this Turn onwards." Neon said while calmly patting the dust on her clothes. She had heard that Rin's Deck focused on Burn strategy, dealing effect damages. This would be fun. If she were to troll Yugo's precious childhood friend right in front of him, what kind delectable reactions he would make? She couldn't wait!

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Demon Roar God Dyf (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1700 / LV: 3)!" Neon summoned Dyf in Attack Position.

"I activate Continuous Magic: Treasure Cards of the Guardian God. I discard 5 cards to draw 2 cards!" Neon discarded the rest of her five cards and then drew two cards.

"When this Tuner Monster is discarded to Graveyard, I can special summon it!" Neon special summoned Demon Roar God Beast Kerburel (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 400 / LV: 2) in Attack Position from Graveyard right after she discarded it through her Spell's effect.

"I activate Dyf's effect! When Demon Roar God monsters were sent from hand to Graveyard, I can tribute this card to special summon one of those monsters." Neon released Dyf to special summon Demon Roar God Dianaira (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 100 / LV: 8) in Attack Position from Graveyard.

"I tune Dianaira with Kerburel! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 10! Demon Roar God Leviathan (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 10)!" Neon summoned her strongest Synchro Monster in Attack Position.

"Battle! I attack Wind Witch – Winter Bell with Demon Roar God Leviathan!" Neon declared Battle Phase. Leviathan flapped its red wings and flew towards the dragon. Leviathan's hands were covered in deep crimson aura with the monster's hands formed into fists. It extended both its hands forward, striking down the Syncro Monster with its accumulated power blast.

 **WIND FROST LP: 4000 = 3400**

Wind Frost opened her facedown card right after her ace monster got destroyed. "Trap Card: Into the Winds! When a Synchro Monster I control is destroyed, I can special summon its Synchro Materials in Defense Position!" She revived her two Ice Bells and Snow Bell in Defense Position.

"Once again, I activate Ice Bells' effect to inflict damage to you!" Wind Frost directed her two Ice Bells to motion their wands towards the Demon Roar God user, inflicting 1000 damage again.

 **NEON LP: 2500 = 1500**

"Clever counter. I end my Turn." Neon praised. She was still calm like nothing special happened.

" _Is she underestimating me or she has a plan?"_ Wind Frost wondered warily. She inwardly shook her head. No. She must not get distracted and let her guard down. She must focus on making her next move.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse Wind Witch Ice bells! Winds of winter, snow and ice! Become one and intensify the ringing bells that blow everything away! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 5! Wind Witch – Blizzard Bell (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 900 / LV: 5)!" Wind Frost summoned her Fusion Monster in Attack Position. It has been quite a while since she summoned it. It must have itching for some action.

"I activate Blizzard Bell's effect! It can copy the effect of a Wind Witch Monster in my Graveyard!" Wind Frost has her Fusion Monster copied Ice Bell's effect, allowing it to inflict 500 damage to Neon.

 **NEON LP: 1500 = 1000**

"Battle! I attack Demon Roar God Leviathan with Blizzard Bell!" Wind Frost declared, prompting Blizzard Bell to chime, and unleashing blizzard from the snowflakes crystal towards the Synchro Monster.

"During Battle Phase, I can decrease the ATK of my opponent's monster equal to the total ATKs of its Fusion Materials!" Wind Frost lowered Leviathan's ATK from 3000 to 1000. Blizzard Bell's attack froze Leviathan's body until it became an ice statue before it shattered into pieces.

"I activate Demon Roar God Haydesh's effect in my Graveyard! I banish it to reduce the battle damage involving Demon Roar God Monster I control to 0!" Neon banished Haydesh from her Graveyard, negating the damage.

"When Leviathan is destroyed, I can add up to 3 Demon Roar God monsters from my Graveyard to my hand." Neon added Dyf, Chawa, and Dianaira to her hand following her Synchro Monster's destruction.

"I end my Turn." Wind Frost concluded.

"My Turn! Due to Treasure Cards of the Guardian God's effect, I can draw 2 cards during each of my Standby Phase as long as this card is present on the Field." Neon drew 2 cards instead of 1. Her eyes glinted when she saw the cards.

"Look here. My luck sure is strong and never disappoints me." Neon's casual smile turned menacing. Wind Frost felt the air turned cold. She tried to dismiss this Neon was merely bluffing, but her opponent's expression and the tightening air said otherwise.

"Be rejoiced that you'll be the first one to taste the power of my newest servant, Wind Frost." Neon narrowed her eyes and her murderous intent intensified that Wind Frost found her arms trembling from the force.

"Be careful, Wind Frost!" Sync shouted, also feeling the same.

"From my hand, I summon Demon Roar God Dyf." Neon summoned Dyf in Attack Position.

"I discard a Demon Roar God Monster to special summon Demon Roar God Chawa (ATK: 200 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1)!" Neon summoned her Tuner Monster in Attack Position.

"When a Demon Roar God Monster is sent from the hand to the Graveyard, I can tribute Dyf to special summon that monster!" Neon released Dyf, reviving Dianaira in Attack Position.

" _Dianaira has higher ATK than Blizzard Bell. But with Blizzard Bell's effect, I can lower it and destroy it."_ Wind Frost thought as she eyed the Demon Roar God Monster. However, Neon then picked one of the cards she has drawn in her Draw Phase.

"I activate Magic Card: Fotocopy! This card's name and stats becomes the same as one the monsters I control but it cannot attack!" Neon changed the card's name and stats to that of Demon Roar God Dianaira.

"This is the time for you to finally appear...Hyde." Neon said as she looked at her Extra Deck. A black aura was oozing out from it.

"I overlay my two Dianaira! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 8! Demon Roar God Jekyll (ATK: 4500 / DEF: 1000 / RNK: 8 / ORU: 2)!" Neon summoned her Xyz Monster in Attack Position. It was a monster with an appearance of an emaciated, rotting zombie-like corpse. It has bandages wrapped in miscellaneous areas around its body, a shredded jacket-like article of clothing. Its tongue stuck out.

"A Rank 8 Xyz Monster with 4500 ATK?!" Wind Frost exclaimed in shock. She was so easily able to summon a Rank 8 Xyz Monster in this situation? Wind Frost could hardly believe it.

"You…just called it Hyde! Isn't that…" Sync trailed off. He recognized that name. He had heard it from Yuya and Yuzu after they were back during discussion before they departed. Hyde was one of the lieutenants that they managed to defeat and vanquished through the use of Ma'at's blessing transferred to Yuya. He was dead simply put.

"Fufufu. How do you think? Isn't he wonderful? When your friends, Phantom and Flora Diva, defeated Hyde, I took the liberty to make him my personal servant. He still wants to have some fun in this world." Neon revealed. After hearing Hyde was taken down, she used that opportunity to reincarnate Hyde's soul as her Duel Monster. She didn't even need to ask for his permission because he was more than willing to work for her. She got herself a very loyal servant and a new type to booth.

"It's unfortunate, Wind Frost. In preparation to fight against Yugo-kun, I have prepared cards necessary to block his favorite strategy. And you just happened to use the same type of cards as him!" Neon told the Wind Witch user, confusing her.

"I'm using the same type as Sync? What do you mean?" Wind Frost asked. All her cards were definitely different from Sync's Speedroid Deck. Why did Neon call it the same type?

"This. I activate Continuous Magic: Deadly Poisonous Wind! As long as this card is on the Field, WIND monsters cannot be Special Summoned and all face-up WIND monsters on the Field lose 500 ATK!" Neon activated her Spell, lowering Blizzard Bell's ATK to 1500. She giggled at the look of realization that final hit Wind Frost.

" _That's right! Just like Yugo, my monsters are mostly WIND attribute! I have a few that is not WIND attribute, but they were too few and not strong enough to defeat her Xyz Monster!"_ Wind Frost realized too late at her slow thinking. She didn't see this coming at all. From the very beginning, her Wind Witch monsters limited her from summoning non-WIND monsters.

"I like that look on your face. That is a fitting face for you. Battle! I attack Wind Witch – Blizzard Bell with Demon Roar God Jekyll!" Neon declared as Jekyll dashed forward with its giant black scalpel. Wind Frost quickly used Blizzard Bell's effect to lower Jekyll's ATK to 3500. However, Neon only grinned even wider at her attempt to survive.

"I activate Jekyll's effect! During Battle Phase, by detaching an Overlay Unit, I can decrease the opposing monster's ATK by 300 for each Demon Roar God monsters in my Graveyard!" Neon furthered weakening Blizzard Bell's ATK by decreasing it to 900, far lower than her Xyz Monster.

"What?!" Wind Frost exclaimed, taking a step back unconsciously.

"Farewell, Rin-chan." Neon said in a singing tone.

Jekyll slashed Blizzard Bell from the top of its head down to the bottom, splitting the Fusion Monster's body into two. It attacked with such a strong force that the explosion from the destruction impact blew away Wind Frost, causing her to crash to the wall behind her.

 **WIND FROST LP: 3400 = 0**

"Wind Frost!" Sync tried to move towards Wind Frost who instantly lost her consciousness from the crash. He tried to force his body to move, but it could move so little. He couldn't even crawl. His effort intensified when he saw Neon went approaching her.

Junkuriboh sensed its master's will and placed itself between Wind Frost and Neon to protect the former. However, Jekyll easily slammed the little monster away from them, angering the Speedroid user further. Neon loomed over the unconscious Wind Witch user, smiling condescendingly at the younger girl.

"That's that. I'll be taking Yugo-kun now. I'll praise your effort though. If only you're not so close with Yugo-kun, then I would have already made you one of my servants."

She raised a hand, motioning Jekyll to raise its scalpel pointed at Wind Frost.

"I'll end your miserable life now. There's no need to worry. I will take care of Yugo-kun from now on in your place."

Sync didn't think or feel anything else as he saw red. Screw the pain, screw the headache, Sync's blood boiled like volcanic lava. He didn't care if his body break apart. He didn't care if he lose his mind. As long as he could save Wind Frost. As long as he could finish off the Apophis Duelist he detested so much...

He will endure anything!

"GET AWAY FROM RIN!"

 **GARDEN – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Ryo visited the garden where he usually cools off his mind and found his student was sitting on the bench leaning back with his eyes closed. He sighed and smiled softly. Even though it might be didn't look like it to others, he and his student have quite similarities. Ryo took a seat beside Yuri on the bench. Yuri noticed his presence but didn't say anything and kept his eyes closed.

"I thought you're supposed to rest, Yuri?" Ryo asked.

"I am resting. Being here makes me relaxed than in the infirmary." Yuri answered, still not opening his eyes.

"That makes the two of us." Ryo said, silently agreeing with his student. When he turned again, Yuri opened his eyes. He noticed a sense of longing in those gaze as the violet haired boy looked at the garden.

"Something on your mind?" Ryo asked again.

"Nothing. I just miss the garden back at my house that got destroyed by Shing." Yuri twitched as he remembered. He had spent a whole year to grow them all. Every single day he cared for them, treating those plants with love. Did he know how much sweat he had spent to grow them? How much effort and hard work to make his beautiful garden?

"I'll have him pay the reconstruction bill. I've spent one whole year to grow them all. I can still remember the condition of my garden when he destroyed it. And certain someone also got hurt." Yuri's mood turned quite sour from reminiscing.

"So Dennis is an afterthought? How cold of you." Ryo chuckled.

"I know he won't die so easily so I have no worries." Yuri said. It was half a lie though. He knew Dennis won't got taken down so easily, but for a moment at that time, he had this uncomfortable feeling when he saw Dennis got hurt.

"By the way, how are the others? Are they still in the infirmary?" Ryo changed the subject.

"Some decide to sleep while some decide to get a rest somewhere else. Who knows what they're doing now." Yuri replied. Again, it was half a life. He came here because he knew Ryo would come here and it was his job to distract his mentor. Yuzu stayed at the infirmary to make sure anyone who came to visit won't try to check whether Yuya, Yukiya, Yugo, and Rin were really sleeping or not while Serena, Yuto, and Ruri distract the other mentors and Yuno as long as they could.

"Why don't you just take a rest with Serena?" Ryo suggested, earning him an exasperated sigh from Yuri.

"Why do you always have to involve her into this?" Yuri sighed again.

"Because the two of you are close friends. And you haven't talk out about the last problem yet, haven't you?" Ryo reminded.

"This again. We are already fine so leave it. Why do you care so much anyway?" Yuri asked in a tone close to annoyance, which was calmed when he felt a hand on his head.

"Because I care for you, my cute little disciple." Ryo said while ruffling Yuri's hair.

"Stupid." Yuri responded simply. He didn't understand why, but this treatment from his mentor always succeeded in pacifying him.

"By the way, since when you learned Xyz Summon in this dimension? I highly doubt you learned Xyz Summon back at Academia years ago, so you must have learned it when you got here." Yuri changed the subject. He was genuinely curious how his mentor learned Xyz Summon after seeing him using it.

"Yeah. It was around a month after I joined The Brotherhood. Yuno gave me that card because he thought it would suit me. At first, I declined because I wanted to polish my skill with my own power, but Yuno made me realize that I'll never improve by myself alone." Ryo answered. After accepting the card, he asked for Shark's help to give him points in Xyz Summoning. It was not difficult once he got used to it.

"If we want to strife as a Duelist, then we will have to continuously learn new things. Use those what we have learned and corporate them to evolve without losing our own touch. If you want to protect the ones precious to you, this is necessary." Ryo added, remembering his deceased younger brother.

"Protect people…precious to you… I don't have people like that." Yuri said, but then Serena and the others' faces flashed into his mind, surprising him that he almost gasped. Almost.

"You must stop denying what your heart is telling you, Yuri. This is not you talking. This is your ego and guilt talking. You must accept it soon before it's too late. Otherwise, you'll lose them forever and you'll regret it for your entire life."

Ryo stood up from the bench, patting his student on his back without looking down at him.

"Once you lose people important to you, you can never get them back..."

"You're talking about your brother?" Yuri asked without hesitation.

"You never hesitated to ask, huh? But you're right. Because of my blunder I lost him." Ryo admitted. He felt sad, but he didn't let his sadness shown. Not in front of his student.

"Don't make the same mistake as I did, Yuri. When you lose someone very important to you, you'll got drown into despair, and in some cases, there are even those who lost the will to live." Ryo advised.

"In battlefield, isn't it common for people to lose their lives? Aren't you fighting because you have prepared for that?" Yuri stated. He thought of those people amongst Academia who prided themselves as Duel Soldiers were so easily cowered in fear when they were the ones about to be carded. They have received military education for years, so they should have prepared to lose their lives since they're going into a war. Yuri himself was confident that he'll always win, but it doesn't mean he wasn't prepared to either be carded or lose his life in the process.

"True. But still, I hadn't even try my best to protect him. If I try harder, maybe things will be different. In war sacrifices are inevitable, but still, you must protect your comrades and family to the best of your abilities."

Ryo remembered then. That moment when he lost his one and only younger brother.

"That way, at the very least, maybe you won't be hurting so much."

 **AMENTI – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Neon couldn't hide her shock when she saw Sync was standing even though she has increased the dose of her virus so that he couldn't move. Her eyes widened as she stared at Sync who was slowly walking towards her. It wasn't supposed to be possible for him to walk let alone lifting a finger. Yet, he managed to resist her control over the virus infecting him through sheer force of will alone? Neon's grin widened.

"You're much stronger than I thought, Yugo-kun." Neon stated, halting Jekyll from moving his weapon to Wind Frost.

"Don't underestimate me! I'm the one you're after, right?! Then come at me directly!" Sync glared hatefully at Neon and activated his Duel Disk, ready to fight.

"You'll Duel even in that condition?" Neon asked. Even though Sync could stand, it would still be difficult for him to remain moving.

"Enough talking! I told you not to underestimate me! Even in this condition, I can duel, and I swear I will defeat you!" Sync retorted, making Neon laughed.

"That's more like it. It's always more fun when my prey is fighting hard to no avail. The face of horror they're making when they realized how futile their attempts always brings me chills and utter ecstasy!" Neon couldn't contain her excitement any longer. She also sensed Jekyll was the same. They would have a lot of fun from this.

"It's just as Yukiya said…I won't feel sorry if you're dead." Sync said coldly. He was dead serious.

Neon flicked her fingers. Shortly after, data storm appeared, filling the way of the sewer between her and Sync. Neon was the first to jump onto her D-Board and then followed by Sync. He turned to Junkuriboh who has got ahold of itself after being thrown by Jekyll. The Kuriboh looked like it wants to go with him, but he gestured his head towards Wind Frost who was still unconscious with bruises on her body. She needed someone to look after her.

Junkuriboh realized what Sync was trying to tell it. While it wanted to fight together with him, it knew Wind Frost must not be left alone. Understanding his request, Junkuriboh stayed by Wind Frost's side, bidding its master good luck.

Sync nodded gratefully at his Kuriboh and took off, beginning the duel against his hated enemy.

 **[SPEED DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! From my hand, I activate Magic Card: Speed Draw! Each player draws until they have 5 cards in hand!" Neon activated her first card so she and Sync have five cards in their hands.

"I activate Continuous Magic: Treasure Cards of the Guardian God. I discard 5 cards to draw 2 cards!" Neon immediately activated her Continuous Magic, discarding all of her cards and then drew two new ones.

"When these Tuner Monsters are discarded to Graveyard, I can special summon them!" Neon special summoned Demon Roar God Beast Kerburel (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 400 / LV: 2) and Demon Roar God Lurrie (ATK: 200 / DEF: 400 / LV: 1) that she just discarded in Attack Position from Graveyard.

"By tributing 1 Demon Roar God monster, I can Advance Summon this card from my hand." Neon released Kerburel to special summon Demon Roar God Dianaira (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 100 / LV: 8) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I tune Dianaira with Kerburel! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 10! Demon Roar God Leviathan (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 10)!" Neon summoned Leviathan in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Neon concluded her first Turn.

"My Turn! With Scale 1 Speedroid Marble Machine and Scale 6 Speedroid Hexasaucer, I set the Pendulum Scale! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my monsters!" Sync summoned Speedroid Passing Rider (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 5) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"And then from my hand, I summon Tuner Monster Speedroid Domino Butterfly (ATK: 100 / DEF: 300 / LV: 2 / PS: 8)!" Sync summoned Domino Butterfly in Attack Position beside Passing Rider.

"I tune Speedroid Passing Rider with Speedroid Domino Butterfly! Shining wings, deliver divine speed and illuminate heaven and earth! Synchro Summon! Level 7! Clearwing Fast Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 4)!" Sync summoned his Synchro-Pendulum Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Clearwing Fast Dragon's effect! I reduce my opponent's monster's ATK to 0 and negate its effect!" Sync reduced Leviathan's ATK to 0 and sealed its effect.

"Battle! I attack Demon Roar God Leviathan with Clearwing Fast Dragon!" Sync immediately declared attack. Clearwing whirled its body like a whirlwind, covering its entire body with green-colored destructive winds.

"Trap Card: Demonic Scene! When a Demon Roar God monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can switch my opponent's attacking monster to Defense Position and add 1 Demon Roar God card from my Graveyard to my hand!" Neon opened her facedown card, switching the Syncro-Pendulum Monster into Defense Position and then she added a monster into her hand.

"I activate Marble Machine's Pendulum Effect! Once per Turn, I can switch the Defense Position monster I control into Attack Position!" Sync retaliated by using his Pendulum Monster's effect in Pendulum Zone, switching back Clearwing into Attack Position, allowing the dragon to continue its attack. Clearwing strikes through Leviathan's body, destroying it.

 **NEON LP: 4000 = 1500**

"When Leviathan is destroyed, I can add up to 3 Demon Roar God monsters from my Graveyard to my hand." Neon added Chawa, Dianaira, and Kushano into her hand following her Synchro Monster's destruction.

"I end my Turn!" Sync concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Demon Roar God Chawa's effect from my hand. I discard a card to special summon it from my hand!" Neon discarded a card and then special summoned Chawa in Attack Position.

"I tribute Chawa to Advance Summon Dianaira!" Neon summoned Dianaira, whose effect allowed Neon to summon it with only one tribute, in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Emishi.

"I activate Magic Card: Synchro Cancel! I choose 1 Synchro Monster on the Field and then return it to the Extra Deck!" Neon pointed at Clearwing, returning it to Sync's Extra Deck while its materials remained on the Graveyard.

"What?!" Sync exclaimed. Now he didn't have any monster on his Field.

"Battle! I attack directly with Dianaira!" Neon declared attack. Dianaira punched Sync hard on his abdomen. Sync flailed and was about to fall, but he kneeled and held on thight on his D-Board, prevent himself from falling.

 **SYNC LP: 4000 = 1200**

Sync groaned at the pain on his abdomen. And to make things worse, the same sensation when the virus first infected him returned in two folds. He started to feel dizzy and in pain again. It took all of his power just to remain holding his D-Board.

 _"Damn it! Now of all times?!"_ Sync cursed. He noticed a smirk curved on Neon's mouth. This must be her doing. Damn her and her dirty play.

"I'm not done yet! I activate Continuous Magic: Deadly Poisonous Wind! As long as this card is on the Field, WIND monsters cannot be Special Summoned and all face-up WIND monsters on the Field lose 500 ATK!" Neon activated her second Continuous Spell, effectively preventing Sync from special summoning WIND monsters.

"If I remember it right, not only all your Synchro Monsters, but most of your monsters are WIND Attribute, correct? Unless you can destroy my Magic Card you cannot special summon any of them!" Neon was laughing with all her heart out. She has finally put this strategy to use. She had observed and analyzed Yugo's Deck and strategies. After careful analysis, she finally found a way to completely shut down his monsters. He could only Normal Summoned WIND Monsters now. But she highly doubted he has any Normal Monster with higher ATK than her monsters.

"Urgh…!" Sync loathed to admit it, but she was right. Almost all of his monsters have WIND attribute. There was one that wasn't WIND and he could win with that monster, but he didn't have the card to summon it in his hand.

"My Turn! Draw!" Sync looked at the card in his hand and clicked his tongue.

"From my hand, I summon Speedroid Mencoat (ATK: 100 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 4)!" He summoned Mencoat in Defense Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Sync finished. He didn't have any other choice left. His vision also started to get blurry. It frustrated him. But he refused to die here for sure.

"Going on defensive now? You are in a complete bind, Yugo dear?" Neon teased.

"Don't call me that you damn wench! And the Duel is not decided yet!" Sync spat back furiously.

"Still insisting with your futile struggle? As I thought, you really are interesting, Yugo-kun. I like you even more. I want to destroy you even more than ever now…!" Neon's eyes slited. She licked her lips and her expression was positively manic.

"Now, show me your desperate face as you slowly fall into despair!"

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Demon Roar God Urstos (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 200 / LV: 4)!" Neon summoned Urstos in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Urstos' effect! When I have 2 or less cards in my hand, all face-up Demon Roar God monsters I control gains 400 ATK!" Neon increased Urstos' ATK to 1900 and Dianaira's ATK to 3200.

"Battle! I attack Speedroid Menkoat with Demon Roar God Dianaira!" Neon declared attack again at Sync's only remaining monster. Once she destroyed it she could attack directly with Urstos and it'll be her win.

"Continuous Trap: Chasing Wings! My monster cannot be destroyed by Battle, and if it is targeted for an attack by opponent's Level 5 or higher monster, I can destroy that monster and my monster gains ATK equal to the destroyed monster's ATK!" Sync opened his facedown card, destroying Dianaira and added its ATK to Mencoat, increasing its ATK to 3300.

 _"Good. Now my monster has higher ATK than Urstos. I can use Mencoat to attack it in my next Turn and turn the tide!"_ Sync thought, growing hopeful of the situation.

"I activate Magic Card: Demon Roar God's Copycat! When a Demon Roar God monster I control is destroyed during Battle Phase, I can activate this card during my Main Phase 2 to special summons the destroyed monster with its ATK and DEF reduced to 0." Neon activated her Spell, reviving Dianaira but its ATK and DEF became 0.

Neon looked one of the two cards she drew. She picked that one card and revealed it to Sync. "This is truly the end of your line, Yugo-kun."

"I tribute Urstos to Advance Summon another copy of Demon Roar God Dianaira!" Neon summoned the second copy of Dianaira in Attack Position beside the first Dianaira.

Sync's face paled. She has two Level 8 monsters now. That only meant...

"I overlay my two Dianairas! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 8! Demon Roar God Jekyll (ATK: 4500 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 8 / ORU: 2)!" Neon summoned Jekyll in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Demon Roar God Jekyll's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can destroy all Magic and Trap that my opponent controls!" Neon used the first Overlay Unit to destroy Sync's Chasing Wings. It wasn't actually necessary since Jekyll was an Xyz Monster without Level, but it won't hurt to play safe.

"Battle! I attack Speedroid Menkoat with Demon Roar God Jekyll!"

Jekyll crushed Menkoat flat with its fists, destroying the Speedroid Monster without a trace. Since it was in Defense Position, Sync didn't receive any damage. However, Neon then took out the second card she drew and activated it.

"And next I activate Quick-Play Spell: Roaring Imps! When a Demon-Type monster I control destroy a monster by Battle, I can inflict 600 damage to my opponent!"

Jekyll took out its scalpel, raising it and slashed it down, sending a wave of blade towards the defenseless Sync and inflicted 600 damage the moment the wave hit him.

 **SYNC LP: 1200 = 600**

The attack caused him to lose his grip on his D-Board, causing him to fall. Sync failed to reach the D-Board and closed his eyes tight, ready for the impact to hit him. He was sure that he was going to die or suffered severe pain. And so, he was confused when instead of a hard ground, he felt something, while it was also hard, was not painful when he hit it beneath him. He slowly opened his eyes and saw familiar shining green wings. He heard a familiar growl he knew only belong to one being.

Sync slowly shifted his eyes down to see familiar white-colored scales. He looked more and more, and his eyes widened in realization. He hoped this was real. He hoped this wasn't a dream. He hoped this was not him imagining things as he rose to the heaven.

"Clear Wing?!"

Sync exclaimed as he realized he was riding on his ace monster's back. His dragon caught him when he fell from his D-Board. He noticed a device attached on Clear Wing's neck. He looked closer and realized it was a drone with a function similar as Duel Disk. This meant that Clear Wing materialized through the use of the Duel Disk program in the drone without interfering with the Duel while someone else was controlling it from somewhere. Someone brought Clear Wing here through the drone. But who?

"Focus, Yugo!"

Sync flinched when he heard an unfamiliar voice called his real name. He turned around and one of the people in blue robes standing in the cracks of the wall, controlling the drone through his Duel Disk.

"Don't get distracted or you'll lose your life!" The drone owner said.

"Who are you?!" Sync questioned.

"We'll talk later! Just focus on defeating that creepy woman! Clear Wing went as far as risking himself for you, do you want to waste it?!" The person replied firmly.

Sync turned to Clear Wing. The Synchro dragon briefly turned to him, letting out a low growl as its head tilted at Neon. No doubt his dragon wanted him to defeat the Demon Roar God user. He didn't know who the person who brought Clear Wing to him was, but he was right. In this strong data storm, it would be difficult for the drone to last long to materialize Clear Wing. It was the same as Clear Wing risking himself and for his sake no less. Clear Wing would make sure he won't fall again, and Sync trusted his dragon with his life. Now it's his turn to answer to his expectation.

"Gotcha! Let's go, buddy!" Sync exclaimed, earning a determined howl from the dragon.

"This is a perfect timing! I'll take both you and Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! What a lucky today is for me!" Neon squealed in delight.

"You guys are really obsessed with our dragons. You want to quickly restore Apophis' power that badly?" Sync questioned. The other Apophis duelists were one thing but coming from Neon was just plain creepy.

"The four dragons were originally one of us in the first place. It's like taking back what is ours." Neon replied.

"One of you? What do you mean?" Sync asked. Weren't the four dragons originally belonged to Yuno that he passed down to his son when he they went separate ways? He used the four dragons to seal Apophis away. Sync noticed Clear Wing's body tensed upon hearing Neon.

"The Four Heavenly Dragons. They were originally offspring born from His Excellency who were reborn as Duel Monsters." Neon revealed.

"What?!" Sync yelled at the top of his lungs. The four dragons were originally offspring of Apophis who died and reborn as Duel Monsters? Was she serious?

"1,500 years ago, His Excellency produced the first four lieutenant offspring. They even had potential to become stronger than us the elder ones. But then they started thinking stupid things like questioning what they were doing were right or not or wishing for freedom. As the result, they joined the Oracle to oppose us." Neon explained. It was an unpleasant story. She and her other older offspring didn't like it when His Excellency gave birth to the four lieutenants who showed aptitude that potentially overpowered them. When His Excellency dealt them personally, they thought they have rid of them forever, only for them to be reborn as Duel Monsters and opposed them once more. Not only that, they even managed to defeat and sealed them away.

"Clear Wing…you're really were…" Sync felt Clear Wing's body grew restless. He tried to calm down the dragon by petting him, but Clear Wing won't look at him. Sync frowned. His dragon was nervous. Neon was telling the truth. They were originally the same beings as Neon.

"They were idiots. Trashes. Betraying His Excellency for something worthless like humanity's peace and their own freedom. They brought upon their own death themselves." Neon mocked, sneering at the Synchro dragon. She knew that this was the fact that the dragons never wanted their masters to know.

That did it. Sync's glare sharpened even more.

"Stop screwing around!"

Sync shouted back at her. Neon was quite taken aback that she almost fell from her D-Board by Sync's loud reaction.

"So what if they wanted freedom to live in peace?! There's nothing wrong with that! You guys are the ones who are idiots for following that sicko god of destruction or whatever!" Sync came to his dragon's defense. He would never let that slide. He didn't mind if Clear Wing used to be Apophis' offspring.

"Please. Don't apply human logic like yours to us." Neon snorted at Sync's outburst.

"Heh! You guys are beings without opinion that can't think for yourself. Compared to you guys, our dragons have grown far beyond." Sync said with a cocky sneer of his own.

"Like hell I'm just gonna stay quiet and let you mock them, especially my partner!" The dragon had always been by his side, supporting him, fighting together with him. He had fun dueling together with his dragon. Whatever he was in his past life, Clear Wing was still his sworn friend. His partner. He will always trust him and nothing could change that.

Clear Wing let out a soft howl. Sync smiled. He didn't need his dragon to voice it to know how happy the dragon was. What happened in the past before they met didn't matter to them. All that matters were the present where they were together now.

"What can you do at this situation, Yugo-kun? You should have realized yourself that there's no hope for you to win as long as I have sealed your means to Special Summon WIND monsters!" Neon pointed out, reminding him of her Continuous Magic Card.

"That works _only_ for WIND monsters, right?" Sync replied after looking at the card he just drew, confusing Neon.

"Remember the Fusion Spring that you use so that we can't summon monsters other than Fusion Monsters for three Turns that you used in our last Duel?" Sync reminded. Neon used the card because they assumed neither he nor Yuto have Fusion Monsters or didn't have the guts to summon it. They were not wrong about Yuto, but they were wrong about him.

"Yuno-san had already warned us about it, so he had given us new cards in preparation should we encounter you using that card!" Sync revealed the card he has drawn, Speedroid Fusion.

"What?" Neon remarked in pure confusion.

"I activate Magic Card: Speedroid Fusion! I can perform Fusion Summon using Speedroid Monsters I control! I fuse Speedroid Hexasaucer and Speedroid Marble Machine!" Sync opened the Fusion vortex, placing his two Speedroid Monsters into the portal together.

"A Fusion Summon?!" Neon exclaimed in shock.

"Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! High-Speedroid Axel Shooter (ATK: 3600 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8)!" Sync summoned his very first Fusion Monster. It took form of a teenager with green eyes and spiky auburn hair that sprouts outward. Its armor was black sheen featuring green accents. Its shoulder guards were pointed and its legs feature small booster-like compartments. Jutting from his upper back are two long, white retractable wings. Its resembled an upside down 'A' with a circular camera-like lens in the center.

"Unlike Yuto, I don't have any grudge or anything against Fusion Summon and Fusion Monsters. I have no problem using it! Plus, this is not a WIND Monster, so your Continuous Magic won't work!" Sync declared proudly, looking at his Fusion Monster who gave its master and Clear Wing its greeting.

"But my Jekyll is still superior in combat prowess." Neon replied.

"Not for long." Sync stated as he raised his arm towards Axel Shooter.

"I activate Axel Shooter's effect! Once per Turn, this card's ATK increased by 300 for each Speedroid Monsters I have in my Graveyard!" Sync has 5 Speedroid cards in his Graveyard, so Axel Shooter's ATK was increased to 5100.

"Battle! I attack Demon Roar God Jekyll with High-Speedroid Axel Shooter!" Sync declared battle, prompting Axel Shooter to form its right hand into a buster, charging its energies to deliver a one fatal shot.

"Have you forgotten about Jekyll's effect?! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I decrease your monster's ATK by 300 for each Demon Roar God Monsters in my Graveyard!" Neon decreased Axel Shooter's ATK to 3900.

"I activate Axel Shooter's second effect! When this card battles, the opposing monster's ATK is halved!" Sync retaliated by halving Jekyll's ATK to 2250. Neon only has 1500 LP left. This one attack was enough to inflict damage that would reduce her LP.

"Too bad. My monster has superior effects than yours. This is the end of your line, Neon!"

Neon clicked her tongue. She couldn't stay calm now. Not when she sensed Ma'at's power flowing from Sync and his Fusion Monster. It was the same power that Phantom used against Hyde. Jekyll was trembling upon sensing the same power that had killed him in his previous life. Judging from that reaction, Neon's suspicion was confirmed. Not only Phantom, but the rest of his friends have somehow received Ma'at's blessing that would be enough to kill them if they choose to. And she has no doubt that Sync would choose that looking at his determined eyes.

"Eat this! Giga Blast!"

Following Sync's declaration, Axel Shooter created static electricity and focused them on the barrel of its buster. Energy charged, Axel Shooter blast all the accumulated energy into one, exploding Jekyll who let out a howl of pain and blowing Neon away from her D-Board.

 **NEON LP: 1500 = 0**

With Neon's defeat, the data storm disappeared. Neon crashed hard to the ground while Sync landed safely with Clear Wing. Stepping down from his dragon's back, He nuzzled into the dragon's neck and Clear Wing leaned closer. It has been a long time ever since they got separated. They missed each other.

"Thanks, buddy…" Sync thanked his ace monster.

"Fufufufu...I lost. It's…sickening…but…it's also…quite…satisfying…" Neon said as her body was slowly disintegrating. As she crumbles, Neon smiled at Sync's face. There were worse ways to die than at the hands of a boy like him. She loved how cold and focused Yugo's eyes were when delivering the finishing blow.

"I...might've lost the...Duel... But...I think...I've won...the battle..." Neon said cryptically. She loved his expression as he looked down at her. She was looking forward for the day when those same eyes become clouded by suffering to come.

"You'll know what I mean...soon…Yugo...kun..."

With those parting words, her body was completely reduced to dust of data. Not a single trace of her remained anywhere.

Before Sync could react, Clear Wing moved away, flying away from Sync. He flew so quick that even Sync couldn't even try to reach him.

"Wait! Clear Wing! Where are you going!" Sync shouted, pleading at him to return when Clear Wing retreated to the person blue robes.

"I'm sorry, but Clear Wing cannot be with you at the moment." He said as he deactivated the drone, taking out Clear Wing's card and placed it back into his Deck.

"Who the heck are you?! Why are you taking Clear Wing and the other dragons?!" Sync questioned. While he was positive the person in blue robes wasn't exactly a bad guy since he went this far to save him, that didn't stop Sync from being suspicious of him.

"I can't explain anything to you. But I swear that Clear Wing and the other dragons will return."

The person in blue robes turned into particles of data, logging out from LINK VRAINS.

"Wait!" Sync shouted, but he has disappeared.

Sync frowned, looking at his hand. He still felt the feeling of his dragon's touch. It was just as Yuto said. Just like Dark Rebellion refusing to return to Yuto, Clear Wing was the same. However, he was sure of one thing. The dragons refused to return not because they didn't care anymore or anything of the sort. They have a reason they couldn't tell. It must be pretty serious that they couldn't even tell them.

But he believed that one day they would return.

Clear Wing would return to him.

"Clear Wing..."

 **OFFICE – ABERFORTH ENTERPRISE – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"This happened while I was gone?"

Heidel was calmly watching the footage of the Duel in LINK VRAINS a day ago. The Phantom Dragons, The Brotherhood, and the Imperial Guardians were working together to fight off against the viruses and Apophis servants. With GO Onizuka and Blue Angel's help, they succeeded in spreading the vaccine throughout the whole internet, completely vanquishing the virus and saved those who became the victims.

"My apologies, Supreme Commander. We have our hands full with preventing the mass panic due to the victims that got infected by the virus." Akira apologized as he showed the footage as his report.

"Not only that, the supports for the Phantom Dragons have increased. Even GO Onizuka and our Blue Angel join them." Heidel remarked. He had gone for three days and many things happened. More people, even within his own group, were starting to favor the Phantom Dragons. GO and Blue Angel who were famous Charisma Duelists joining them increased the number and influence even more.

"Supreme Commander, about my sister..." Akira started uneasily. He didn't mind about himself, but he hoped that the Supreme Commander won't do anything to Aoi. He was shocked by the stunt she pulled, but he didn't think what she was doing was wrong either.

"It is fine, Zaizen-kun. Rebellion is a quintessential, natural part of one's teenage years. I can tolerate it and you ought to be as well. Aoi-kun will eventually understand herself and return to our cause." Heidel waved his hand dismissively at Akira, smiling at him and assured he wasn't angry in the least.

A few knocks on the door interrupted them. Heidel turned off the screen, turning to the door.

"Looks like our guest has arrived." Heidel stated, his chin on his hands as the door opened, revealing Leo being escorted by two guards entering the room.

"He is?" Akira inquired.

"This is Professor Leo Akaba. He came from ARC-V to lend his assistance." Heidel introduced the former Academia leader.

"I beg your pardon, Supreme Commander, but the only reason I am here is because you're the one who force me to make this choice even though I am still considering the offer." Leo replied calmly. But it was evident that Leo wasn't pleased by this. He was still thinking about Heidel's offer and then suddenly two people claiming to be Heidel's men came and threatened him to come with them. And they chose the right time when Yusho and Reira or anyone in charge of watching over him were not present due to a reason.

"I am sorry for the roughness. However, your presence in this dimension is needed to persuade you." Heidel said as he stood up from his chair so he could face Leo properly.

"You meant about reuniting me with the person who is the most important to me? You sounded serious, but if you have investigated my background, then you should have known that is impossible." Leo said skeptically.

"What if it is possible?" Heidel interjected, surprising Leo. The Supreme Commander placed a hand on Leo's right left shoulder. His expression didn't offer a deceit or trick. Only a promise.

"I will show the proof to you."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Hidden History –** Neah duel Zira who is protecting the domain. During their Duel, they unexpectedly open a portal that causes a strange phenomenon. Knowing of it, Zira reveals an origin that only known to Apophis and Ma'at.

* * *

 **FANFIC ORIGINAL CARD MEMO:**

 _ **Speed Draw**_ **:** You and your opponent must draw until there are 5 cards in your hand. (Magic Card)

 _ **Fotocopy**_ **:** This card's name and stats become the same as one of the monsters on the Field, but it cannot attack. (Magic Card)

 _ **Demon Roar God Jekyll:**_ (DEMON / DARK / XYZ / ATK: 4500 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 8). By detaching an Overlay Unit, you can: Destroy all of your opponent's Spell or Trap on the Field. Decrease the ATK of the opposing monster by 300 for each Demon Roar God monsters in your Graveyard during Battle Phase.

 _ **Demon Roar God Copycat**_ **:** When a Demon Roar God monster you control is destroyed; this card's stats and name becomes the same as the destroyed monster. (Trap Card)

 _ **Speedroid Fusion**_ **:** You can perform Fusion Summon using Speedroid monsters you control. You can also use Speedroid monsters in your Pendulum Zones. (Magic Card)

 _ **High-Speedroid Axel Shooter**_ **:** (MACHINE / DARK / FUSION / ATK: 3600 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8). Once per Turn, this card gains 300 ATK for each Speedroid monsters in your Graveyard. During Battle Phase when this card attacks, the opposing monster's ATK is halved.

* * *

 **Rejoice! Neon is finally dead for good in this chapter! I'm sorry that Rin had to lose against her, but to make Neon even more detestable, I think it's necessary to make her win at least once. And Yugo finally used his Fusion Monster! I've been wanting to write this chapter to show him using it after it was hinted at chapter 29! Does the revelation regarding the dragons surprised you? I hope it does. The next chapter will be Neah and Zira's turn to shine and have more revelation!**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	46. Hidden History

**Big thanks to** _ **Ulrich362, Yuka Kuroshiro, Playerhood18, Unknowedz, Elbarto4000, Guest, Ryujomaru15, dvdryms, NeoFGD, ThePLOTHand, Big duels, GamingGuy84**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **CAVE – AMENTI – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Phantom and Zarc found themselves inside a cave when they passed through the portal. They couldn't find Sync and Wind Frost around them. They tried to contact them, but none of them answer. Without any option, they decided to proceed until they either found something or received answer from the Synchro pair. They have walked for quite a while, but they still haven't reached the exit. It was like a corridor without exit or dead end.

"Look. It's a message from Sync." Phantom stopped when his Duel Disk beeped and showed a message from Sync on the screen. He opened the message, reading it together with Zarc. The two's faces beamed bright when reading it. Finally there was good news.

"They did it! Sync has been cured from the virus!" Phantom exclaimed in relief.

"Way to go, Sync!" Zarc added, equally happy.

Phantom's face then frowned in worry. "But Wind Frost is not in condition to fight after she got defeated by Neon." He continued reading the message and became worried for the girl. But at least Neon has been defeated and Sync was with her.

"Tell them to go back first. We'll look around for a bit more and then we'll log out." Zarc suggested. While their plan was only to confront Neon to cure Sync and then log out once the mission was accomplished, Zarc had a feeling that if they continue a little bit more, they may find out something that could help them in the future.

Phantom wasn't sure, but decided to trust his friend's suggestion and gave their reply before they proceed with their walk. After what felt like an hour, they finally saw a light. They ran, following the light ahead of them. When they reached it, they were surprised to find a city. The area's general layout invokes an aquatic motif; many of the buildings have a shell-like appearance and the ground resembles the sea floor.

"I never thought there's something like this in LINK VRAINS..." Phantom commented, staring at the area in awe. Hard to believe this was the enemy's lair.

"Most likely this domain is created by Apophis himself. He has the power for that." Zarc deduced, also as awe as Phantom.

"Do you really think Reid-san and the others are okay?" Phantom said. Even though Yukiya had told him how strong they were, he still couldn't help but worry for them.

"I'm positive they're okay. They have fought life-threatening Duels more than any of us. They know what they're doing. We have to trust them." Zarc told Phantom without turning to him.

"I'll try..." Phantom said with uncertainty. Hearing this, Zarc turned and made Phantom looked at him. "Do you trust me, Phantom?"

"Huh? Why are you suddenly asking me that? Of course, I trust you." Phantom blinked, surprised by the sudden question. Did he really need to ask that now after fighting together for quite long?

"Then trust me that Reid-san and the rest would be fine. If you can't trust them, you can trust my words." Zarc poked at Phantom's forehead as he grinned playfully. Phantom rubbed the part where Zarc poked him and when seeing him smiling so confidently, he just knew he could trust him without question.

"Yeah! Alright!" Phantom responded, smiling back.

"Now that's the Phantom that I know!" Zarc pulled Phantom into a light headlock while scrambling his hair proudly.

"H-hey! Quit it! I'm not a little kid!" Phantom complained, kept trying to get him to quit it. But he felt warm in the chest. It was a new warmth that was different from how he felt before. It was strange but…it was fun.

"What's that?" Phantom stopped when he noticed a smoke appeared not far from where they were. Zarc looked as well and freed Phantom from the headlock.

"Dunno. Let's check out!" Zarc said and the two rushed towards the smoke.

By the time they arrived, the smoke was blown away by a strong wind, revealing two people present at the scene. Standing against each other were their comrade Neah and their enemy Zira who had fought against Canaria, Shadow, and Blue Angel during the virus extermination operation. The Altergeist user has one of her monsters beside her. She must have pulled a surprise attack against Neah. As the surprise attack failed, she resorted to Duel against him.

"Neah-san!" Phantom called out, revealing himself and Zarc.

"Phantom-kun? Zarc-kun? Why are you here?!" Neah called out in surprise. They were supposed to be resting.

"What a coincidence. His Excellency has been waiting for the two of you. You did me the favor by coming here yourself." Zira remarked calmly and started walking towards the two boys. Her step stopped when two boys' figures were blocked by Neah standing in front of them.

"You are not to touch those boys while I am facing you." Neah stated firmly, standing straight with evident protectiveness in his words and voice. Despite getting in her way, Zira didn't look perturbed in the least.

"Neah Orion, one of the strongest Duelists in The Brotherhood who bears the title White Knight. Even though you are no match for His Excellency, having you constantly in our way won't do well for us." Zira raised her Duel Disk and activated it.

"Pulling the seed of threat before it sprouts is the wisest choice." Zira stated, challenging the older man. Her eyes narrowed and cold like that of a professional assassin, but the air around her strangely still as calm as a water.

"I do not differentiate women or children in Duel to the death." Neah stated solemnly. While most honorable people believed that women and children must be treated lightly compared to men even in battlefield, Neah believed otherwise. In battle to the death, any careless move or unnecessary sentiment may lead to one's own death unless the enemy was proven otherwise. He wasn't so naive.

"That is fine. I am against such discrimination, so you dueling me without any reservation or hesitation is something I appreciate." Zira replied. She just couldn't understand why humans treated each other differently at certain moments for something like genders.

Neah briefly glanced back at the two boys, motioning them to stay back from the Duel. Phantom was about to argue to join the Duel, but Zarc raised a hand, stopping Phantom from voicing his objection. The silvernet agreed with the old man in this one.

"This would be a good opportunity for you to see Neah-san skill with your own eyes. Watch closely." Zarc told the Pendulum user, silently reminding him of what they talked about a while ago.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'll take the first Turn. From my hand, I summon Altergeist Marionetter (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1700 / LV: 4)." Zira summoned Marionetter in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"As Marionetter was Normal Summoned, I activate its effect to set an Altergeist Trap directly from my Deck." Zira set Altergeist Protocol.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Zira set another card and then finished her Turn.

"My Turn. I summon Warrior of the Dark Demon World – Dark Sword (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 4)." Neah summoned Dark Sword in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone. He then pointed at Zira.

"Battle. I attack Altergeist Marionetter with Dark Sword." Neah declared Battle Phase. The black-armored samurai-like monster swung its sword for a slash, but then Zira picked a card in her hand.

"As my opponent's monster attacked while I control an Altergeist monster, I activate the effect of Altergeist Kunquery (ATK: 0 / DEF: 2400) to special summon it, then negating the attack." Zira summoned Kunquery in Attack Position who blocked the sword with both its palms placed together, halting the sword and then threw the Dark Sword back to Neah's Field.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Neah concluded.

"My Turn. I summon Altergeist Silquitous (ATK: 800 / DEF: 1500)." Zira summoned Silquitos in Attack Position beside Marionetter.

"I activate Continuous Trap: Altergeist Protocol." Zira opened her facedown card.

"I activate Altergeist Silquitous' effect. I return an Altergeist card I control to my hand to return a card my opponent controls to his hand." She returned Altergeist Protocol to her hand and returns Dark Sword to Neah's hand, leaving Neah without any monster on his Field. Not finished with that, Zira opened the Link Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is 2 Altergeist Monsters! Circuit combined!" Zira set Altergeist Silquitos on the Bottom arrow, and Altergeist Marionetter on the Left arrow.

"Link Summon! Link 2! Altergeist Kidurga" (1000/LINK: 2/←↓)!" Zira summoned Kidurga to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position. However, immediately afterwards, she once again opened the Link Circuit, this time setting Altergeist Kunquery and Altergeist Kidurga that she just summoned to the Link Markers.

"Once more! Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Altergeist Altergeist Primebanshee (2100/LINK-3/↓↘→)!" Zira summoned Primebanshee to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

That was exactly what Neah has been waiting for.

"Trap Card: Clone Reproduction! When my opponent special summoned a monster, I can Special Summon a Clone Token with the same stats as Primebanshee in Attack Position!" Neah opened his first facedown card, summoning a clone of Primebanshee to his Field's Main Monster Zone in Attack Position.

"Be careful with your attack. If either Primebanshee or the Token is destroyed, the other is destroyed with it." Neah warned. He only has Clone Token and Zira only has Primebanshee. If she attacks, even if she destroys it, her Primebanshee would be destroyed too and she would be left defenseless in Neah's next Turn.

"So you were waiting for me to summon one of my strongest monsters and force me not to attack unless I'm taking great risk of losing Primebanshee. However, don't think you can win with just that!" Zira declared as she opened her facedown card.

"I activate Trap Card: Altergeist Materialization! I Special Summon an Altergeist monster from my Graveyard and equip Materialization to that monster. When Materialization leaves the field, that monster is destroyed." She special summoned Kidurga (1000/LINK-2/←↓) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Zira concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Dual Summon! I can perform Normal Summon twice this Turn! First, I summon Dark Sword!" Neah summoned back Dark Sword that got returned to his hand in Attack Position.

"I tribute Clone Token and Dark Sword in order to Advance Summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK: 3000/ DEF: 2500 / LV: 8)!" Neah summoned Blue-Eyes in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Here it is. One of Neah-san's signature monsters." Zarc remarked with a smile at the sight of Blue-Eyes while Phantom only stared in awe without saying a word.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Shrink! I can target 1 face-up monster on the Field to halve the ATK until the End Phase!" Neah halved Primebanshee's ATK to 1050. Just as its name suggested, the Trap Card caused the Altergeist Link Monster's size to shrink until it was enough to be grasped by hand.

"Battle! I attack Altergeist Primebanshee with Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Neah declared attack with his dragon. Blue-Eyes opened its maw and shot bluish white blast that destroyed the small Primebanshee without a trace. The backlash of the explosion pushed back Zira who crossed her arms from the blow.

 **ZIRA LP: 4000 = 2050**

Blue-Eyes' blast nearly created huge hole on the ground where Primebanshee was previously standing. For a moment, there was nothing there but thick smoke from the explosion, but then particles of shining energies came out from the hole. Phantom and Zarc gasped as they recognized those particles. Phantom remembered it from the battle against Supreme King Zarc a year ago when he and the others were nearly killed by one of his attacks. Zarc remembered it from the files sent by Linkuriboh.

"Looks like our clash has opened up the Dimension Pulse." Zira remarked as she observed the particles with interest.

"Dimension Pulse? You mean a point manifestation of mother nature's power that permeates a dimension. The center of the power of nature?" Neah said. He had heard it from Yuno before, but he never actually saw it himself. And since it was the center of nature, why would it exist in internet world like LINK VRAINS?

"Looks like that is as far as the knowledge you have about the Dimension Pulse." Zira mused.

"You're saying there's something else?" Phantom asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"Of course. This is a fact only known to His Excellency and Ma'at. And us who heard it from His Excellency." Zira answered.

"What fact? What do you mean?" Phantom asked again.

"The Dimension Pulse contains the essence of the dimension and the memories, emotions, and knowledge of all who have lived on it. Portions of the Dimension Pulse are used to create new life on the dimension, and the energy of a person returns to the dimension when they die, bringing with it the emotions, memories, and knowledge they obtained during life." Zira explained. It wasn't like she was told to keep quiet about it and there was no harm in telling these people this piece of information.

"Then that phenomenon during the battle a year ago was…" Phantom trailed off. Back then when a fragment of Zarc and the people's spirits who died in the original dimension calamity appeared, those were their essences and memories. The battle back then wrecked huge havoc that it wasn't surprising Dimension Pulse opened like that.

"Years ago, when the original dimension got split into four, almost the entire survivors lost their memories of the original world. Why do you think that is?" Zira turned to Phantom, directing the question to the boy who knew the event.

"The backlash from the splitting of Dimension Pulse. Their memories involving their original world returned to the planet as the result." Phantom stated the only theory he could come up with. After the dimension got split, Leo lost his memories and the rest were the same. And since she said everything will return eventually into Dimension Pulse, maybe it was possible those memories went to Dimension Pulse.

Zira confirmed with a nod. "Correct. But there are a few people who still retained those memories within them." She referred to Leo Akaba and Byron Arclight who managed to restore their memories from the investigation her seniors have conducted.

"Those people still have those memories because they were close to the dimension pulse at that time when the dimension got split. The closer they are to the source of the nature, the lesser they lost their memories." Zira continued.

"That's not the only thing. Dimension Pulse also acts as the realm where Duel Monster spirits lives. Certain souls remain sentient after having returned to the dimension, and gain partial control of the Dimension, becoming able to affect the physical plane from within it, and even able to communicate with those still living. Those who die and hold a resilient will and attachment to the living world in a place of negative disposition can return as Duel Monsters." She revealed more as the energies coming from the hole increased. The hole must not be left as it was. She needed to close it once she finished this.

"Duel Monster spirits…lives in the Dimension Pulse…?" Zarc wondered if he could be anymore surprise than he already had. All these information coming so suddenly was almost too much for him, and Zira didn't seem to have finished yet.

"When humanity first discovered the existence of Dimension Pulse along with the Duel Monsters living within the realm, and tried to take control of that realm. However, that resulted with the birth of His Excellency and Ma'at that nearly destroyed the whole world. To prevent that, both Monsters and humans reached a compromise."

"A compromise?" Zarc repeated in question.

"Yes. The Monsters agreed to lend their powers to the humans through a medium. And humanity agreed to fight against each other using Duel Monster spirits as representatives with set of rules to lessen body counts." Zira turned her gaze to her Duel Disk and cards.

"You don't mean…" Noticing Zira's gestures, Neah realized what she was refering to.

"Exactly as you thought. I'm talking about the game of Duel Monster. Humans had originally created and used stones as mediums for Duel Monsters, which later grew into cards as mediums. Eventually as eras passed, the real purpose and reason of Duel Monster game was forgotten and are simply known as normal game in current era. While there are still those like us using them as means for war, the majority of population in every dimension only sees this as nothing more than a game." Zira revealed. Phantom and the others were holding their breaths from hearing the revelation. Scratched what they thought before. They were positive they could still surprise more than this.

"But thanks to that too, neither Ma'at nor His Excellency could resurface to the physical plane…until a crack was formed." Zira stated. Prior the creation of artificial dimension, the conflict between the two were supposed to happen only within Dimension Pulse because people no longer remembered of their existence nor the dimension pulse so no one even thought of reaching either of them. But yet there was someone who either found out or still remembered their existence and managed to free her master.

"A crack?" Neah repeated, expecting for more answer, but Zira stopped at that.

"If you can defeat me in this Duel, I'll consider telling you. We are still in the middle of a Duel and have talked long enough, do we not?" Zira replied. She had already said much even though they were supposed to be dueling. She even confused herself why she was talking this much all of a sudden.

"Fair enough. The winner takes everything while loser lose everything." Neah stated, accepting the condition. Something like this was not unusual.

"I activate Trap Card: Altergeist Protocol. This card prevents the activation and effects of Altergeist cards on my field from being negated. When my opponent activates a monster effect, I can send another face-up Altergeist card on the field to the Graveyard to negate the activation and destroy that monster." Zira opened her Continuous Trap before allowing Neah to continue.

"I end my Turn." Neah concluded.

"My Turn. I summon Altergeist Quessel (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 700 / LV: 3)." Zira summoned Quessel in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone. She opened the Link Circuit again, setting Quessel and Kidurga into the Link Markers.

"Link Summon! Link 3! Altergeist Elhella (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 3 / Bottom, Top, Bottom-Left)!" Zira summoned Elhella in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"Altergeist Elhella's effect! On the Turn it was summoned, I can special summon an Altergeist Monster in my Graveyard to the zone it's Link Marker points to!" Zira revived Altergeist Kidurga in Attack Position.

"I activate Elhella's second effect! Once per Turn, I can activate a Magic or Trap from either player's Graveyard!" Zira pointed at Neah's Graveyard, picking his Trap Card.

"I activate Shrink's effect to halve your dragon's ATK!" Zira halved Blue-Eyes' ATK to 1500 and shrunk its size like Neah did to her Primebanshee. That was her payback for him.

"Battle! I attack Blue-Eyes White Dragon with Altergeist Elhella!" Zira declared her counterattack. Elhella summoned energy spears that stabbed through the dragon, destroying it.

 **NEAH LP: 4000 = 3500**

"As an Altergeist Monster inflicts damage to my opponent, I activate Kidurga's effect! I can special summon a monster from my opponent's Graveyard to the zone its Link Marker points to! However, it cannot attack unless Kidurga attacks at this Turn!" Zira revived Neah's Blue-Eyes in Attack Position on her Field beside Kidurga.

"She took Blue-Eyes by her side?!" Zarc exclaimed in shock. Now there were three monsters on Zira's Field while Neah has none. That would make him a perfect target for Direct Attack.

"I attack directly with Kidurga!" Zira continued with her other Altergeist monster; striking Neah that he crashed his back on the house wall behind him. Neah groaned from the pain on his back. If it was offline, he might have already suffered a broken bone or worse.

 **NEAH LP: 3500 = 2500**

"Lastly, I attack directly with Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Zira declared her third attack with Neah's own dragon for the finishing move. Blue-Eyes was ready to open fire, but Neah chose at that moment to open his second facedown card.

"Continuous Trap: Narrow Corridor! When three monsters attack during my opponent's Battle Phase, the third attack is negated! From now on, you can only attack with two monsters!" Neah declared, effectively stopping Blue-Eyes from unleashing its blast.

"I end my Turn." Zira concluded.

"Zarc, you really think we should just leave this to Neah-san?" Phantom asked. He has said he trusted Zarc, but seeing Neah cornered like this didn't sit well with him. He wanted to do something for the old man.

"It'll be fine. Neah-san can do it." Zarc assured Phantom, placing a hand on his head.

"That is true, Phantom." Neah said, removing himself from the wall. "I can do this. No need to worry, I'll protect the two of you."

He had made a promise to himself since that day. He would keep that promise even if it cost him his life.

He will follow what Yuno had taught him back then.

 **28 YEARS AGO – ORION RESIDENCE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Rapid footsteps approached him from behind and knocked him to the side, causing him to fall onto his butt. Yuno looked at the people who bumped into him without even apologizing. He then noticed that they had bumped into someone again, Neah, causing his elbow to catch the edge of one of the hastily made wooden baskets that held a bundle of apples. The baskets, apples and all tumbled to the ground, scattering over the ground.

The merchant who saw what happened approached the boy who had accidently dropped all the baskets and apples and from the way the merchant talked at the boy, he must have demanding payback. From the way the boy raised his hand in defense, Neah assumed that either he had no money or his money were not enough to pay him back.

Without any second thought, Yuno walked towards the merchant and the boy.

"I don't care you don't have enough money or not! Pay back my apples!" The tall and fat merchant said to the boy angrily.

"I already told you, I don't have enough money right now. Let me take my wallet at the hotel first then I'll pay you back." The boy said.

"Like hell I can wait that long! These apples must be put in stock in five minutes, but now that you had ruined it, I need to cover it! And since you're the one who caused it, you're the one who need to take the responsibility!" He insisted.

At this, the boy's eyes sharpened, sending shivers throughout the merchant's body, even though he didn't realize that it was from the boy. The boy opened his mouth, about to speak again.

"I-"

"I'm sorry." The boy and the merchant blinked at the polite tone as Yuno stood between them, facing the merchant. "It was my fault that he knocked your goods, so I'll be the one to pay you back."

The boy's eyes blinked as he caught sight of a twenty thousand being pressed into the man's grubby hands. The merchant himself looked floored. He then snickered, thinking that perhaps he could trick him to get more until he saw Neah's stern look.

"That should be enough to cover your loss, right?" Yuno said coldly.

The merchant nodded his head vigorously before he hastily tucked the bill away.

As they reached the takoyaki stand, Yuno found his stomach grumbled, much to his embarrassment until he heard another stomach, the boy's, grumbling from his companion who tried to hide his embarrassment. Yuno has to hold his urge to chuckle as he spotted a tint of pink on the boy's cheeks and opted to order two takoyaki to fill their stomachs.

Once it finished, he gave the takoyaki to the boy, telling him it'll be his treat. The boy, on the other hand, looked rather hesitant.

"Why were you doing that? This is my problem, so why were you helping me?" He asked again.

Yuno only smiled and replied softly. "It was my fault that I just let them get away after rudely bumping into me. If only I have stopped them that time, then you won't knock down those baskets. So, it was indirectly my fault."

The boy looked at the man incredulously. Really, it wasn't his fault and yet he feels responsible for it. He was too nice.

The boy looked away as he spoke. "So, now that you helped me, what do you want from me in return?" He asked. His voice was sharp.

Yuno noticed this. It sure hurt a lot to hear while he did it out of good will and willingly. What surprising the boy was, the man didn't look offended but instead, he smiled.

"I do not want anything from you. You were in trouble, so I had to step in. And besides," Yuno looked at the boy. His amber eyes were warm but firm. "Do you always need a logic reason to help someone?"

Neah frowned. He looked at the older boy for several seconds before mumbling, "You're naïve. People don't do that." He scowled. "Everyone helps themselves. Do things merely for their own satisfaction."

Yuno eyed the boy. And from the way he talked and looked at him, he understood. He don't know what actually happened to the boy in front of him, and he knew very well that he don't have any right to meddling with his personal life, backgrounds, and all since they've just met, but he could tell…that this boy was similar as him in a way. He could tell from his eyes that he had gone through a lot of hardship and lonely, maybe even worse than him. His intuition told him so.

"That is wrong," Yuno voiced simply. "When someone is in trouble, I believe we should help them." He took a bite of his takoyaki. "There are many kinds of people in this world. We cannot just judge people in the whole world from people that we have encountered. Compared with all people in the world, the people we knew and met were only just a few part of it."

"You have to look the world from every single angle. Even if you reached the same conclusion, there must be something can be analyzed. Sometimes, you mustn't too focus on common senses you know." Yuno added.

"Your point is? What do you want me to do?" Neah asked.

"I don't want you to do anything." He took one takoyaki from the confused man before continued.

"It is your life, and it is something precious that you need to cherish till the end. Don't bow down to others' desires if you think it is wrong. Walk your own path and do what you think is right. Do not let anyone force you into doing something you believe is wrong or else you'll regret it and you'll destroy your own life. Just like justice, good, or evil, those are something that decided individually."

"But in the end, the only thing that will stay true…is our will" Yuno kicked a bottle near his feet away to street and turned back with eyes of determination. "And if you have people who are important to you, and they also reciprocated your feelings, then I'm sure they will be there for you and help you."

Surprise and disbelieve flashed in Neah's face. He did nothing but stared blankly at the smiling Yuno in front of him. Various emotions filled him as he lowered his head so his face was covered by his bangs. When he didn't respond his call for him, he was trying to snap him out by giving a tap on his shoulder, only to have his hand brush off from him by the younger boy.

Yuno looked down, only to find Neah staring at him with undisguised triumph and amusement. He was even more surprised when he suddenly laughed.

He sighed from too much laughing as he murmured to himself that the other two teens could not hear. "…You're as astounding in many ways…"

"Did you say something?" Yuno asked.

"No, nothing. It's just that, I never once met someone like you, who will give some speech to person that you just met." He said in amused tone. Yuno flushed in embarrassment.

Neah snickered at the oler boy, raising his brows. "You're really an interesting person."

Yuno's face reddened even further but happy by the compliment. " I'm Yuno. What's your name?" He extended his hand for the boy to take.

"I'm Neah. Neah Orion." He accepted the hand.

 **PRESENT TIME – AMENTI – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"My Turn! I activate Ritual Spell: Chaos Form! I tribute Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand to Ritual Summon a new Blue-Eyes Monster!" Neah released his second copy of Blue-Eyes, sending it to Graveyard following the effect of his Ritual Spell. Spirit of Blue-Eyes appeared and started to transform.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 8! Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon (ATK: 4000 / DEF: 0 / LV: 8)!" Neah summoned the new Blue-Eyes in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone. Zira flinched at the sudden appearance of monster with 4000 ATK. Was this within his calculation too? If it were to destroy Kidurga, it would be the end for her.

"Battle! I attack Altergeist Kidurga with Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon!" Neah declared his attack. Blue-Eyes Chaos unleashed white blast spiraled by blue flames towards the lowest ATK Monster on Zira's Field: Kidurga. The Link Monster only has 1000 ATK while Zira's LP was only 2050. This one attack would be enough to finish her.

"With this…" Phantom's lips curved into a smile, as the attack was only a few ways hitting the designated Link Monster.

"Neah-san will win!" Zarc finished what Phantom was trying to say.

"No he won't." Zira interjected as she pointed at Elhella.

"I activate Altergeist Elhella's effect! Once per Turn, when an Altergeist monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can tribute a monster I control to shift the attack to itself and both players received the damage!" Zira released Blue-Eyes to change the direction of the attack to Elhella, destroying it instead of Kidurga, which barely lessened the damage she took.

 **ZIRA LP: 2050 = 50**

 **NEAH LP: 2500 = 500**

"She held on!" Phantom frowned at the close call.

"Not only that, she also inflicted the damage to Neah-san." Zarc clicked his tongue. He wasn't looking down on Shadow or Canaria, but if it were not for Blue Angel's last minute intrusion, he won't be surprised if they lost that time.

"But Neah-san's Blue-Eyes is still stronger than Kidurga. And Zira's LP is only 50. Unless she can summon a monster stronger than Blue-Eyes, she can't win." Phantom remarked, trying to remain positive.

Before Zira could start her Turn, everything went into a still as they all sensed a cold presence, followed by a cold echoing voice. They didn't see anyone around them. But they still sensed a strong pressure that sent shivers in their bodies. Just listening to the voice felt overwhelming.

 _Withdraw, Zira._

Phantom, Zarc, and Neah flinched when hearing the echoing voice again. Zira stiffened too.

"But Your Excellency..." Zira tried to object, but a growl shut her mouth.

 _Do not make me repeat again. Withdraw._

"Affirmative." Zira reluctantly relented, lowering her Duel Disk. She placed a hand on the top of her Deck, surrendering, which automatically reduced her LP into 0. She gave the win to Neah this time.

"You're surrendering?" Neah looked almost in disbelieve after Zira's struggle against him.

"You heard His Excellency's order. It's my obligation to follow it." Zira simply replied before opening a portal. Her right hand went into the portal first. She was about to fully enter until she remembered her deal and she must fulfill the end of her deal.

"The crack that I told you…" Zira started.

"Oh, right. The crack that you said help in awakening Apophis and Ma'at, right?" Phantom remembered. He got engrossed in the Duel that he almost forgot about the deal.

"I don't know how that happen the first time 1,500 years ago. However, the second crack happened a month ago because the original dimension, your dimension, got split into four." Zira revealed, turning to Phantom and Zarc in particular.

"When the Supreme King Dragon got split into four fragments through the use of the four cards of nature, the dimension also got split into four. Even though the artificial dimension and the original dimension were separated, their Dimension Pulses were still connected to each other like a thin thread. When the original dimension got split, the rift between it and the artificial dimension started to open, which became wider when you united them back into ARC-V." She explained. It was a hassle, but she was one who always kept her words.

"That is all that needed for that human to finally break the seal." She added, which caught their attentions more.

"That human? You mean, that seal was broken one purpose by someone?!" Zarc questioned. A human purposely set Apophis free? What kind of crazy person who would do something like awakening the creature who would bring calamity to the whole dimension?

"You'll know him soon..." Zira said for the last time before entering the portal, leaving the place.

Phantom sighed in disappointment. He wished to hear more. But maybe he should be more appreciative receiving this new information. This might be helpful in the future somehow. They definitely must inform everyone else of this knowledge. Zarc also thought the same. He would need to do some digging into this. And since Ma'at was involved in this, perhaps another visit to the temple will give him an answer or at least another clue.

Neah cleared his throat, catching the two boys' attentions. Both shuddered. They remembered that they weren't supposed to be here. They were supposed to be resting. Slowly turning to Neah with sheepish smile, they were met with disapproving look on Neah's face. The old man crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side a bit, gestures that meant he wanted answers.

"Now, please explain why the two of you are here." Neah demanded. He had heard of the boys' constant refusal to stay put and took action themselves, particularly Phantom. Not that he couldn't understand at all why they did it though.

Zarc stepped forward, ready to explain everything.

"Well, the first thing is–"

Suddenly, Zarc experienced a bout of weightlessness when the floor beneath his feet suddenly vanishes. He caught a glimpse of Neah and Phantom horrified faces as they get further and further away. Or rather, he's the one who was plummeting like a rock.

"Zarc!"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Forgotten Burden –** Yuya and Yukiya encounters Geist who has gained new power from Apophis. When Geist summoned his new monster and attacks, horrifying memory resurface from within Yuya.

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 **If you're disappointed with the outcome of the Duel and how the Duel went on, I'm sorry. But I still need Zira for future chapters. Finally I got to write Neah using Blue-Eyes after a long time of waiting. I wanted to include Blue-Eyes into this fanfic no matter what. If you think the revelations will end in this chapter, forget it. There is still one more revelation to be revealed in the next chapter!**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter~!**


	47. Forgotten Burden

**Big thanks to** _ **Ulrich362, Elbarto4000, Playerhood18, dvdryms, Yuka Kuroshiro, NeoFGD, GamingGuy84, Missingmoney, Unknowedz, Big duels**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

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 **MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Yuno! Open the door! Yuno!"

When Yuzu switched place with Serena in the infirmary, as she wanted to get a little bit fresh air, she noticed Jonouchi banging the door that was none other than Yuno's office. The older boy even resorted to kicking and smashing the door, but to no avail. Jonouchi shouted again so hard that the rest who were nearby: Mai, Lilac, Yuto, Ruri, and Kiryu came to check what has gotten into Jonouchi to make such noises.

"Jonouchi-san, what's wrong?" Yuzu finally asked after Jonouchi took a brief break from his attempt to charge in.

"Yuno suddenly had a vision and barricaded himself in his office! He won't let me in nor responding no matter what I say!" Jonouchi answered frantically. When he took Yuno to the office after he claimed he had seen something, the Oracle suddenly stood up from his wheelchair and kicked him out, literally, and immediately locked the room. Knowing Jonouchi has the strength to break in if the door was only locked with a key, Yuno reinforced the lockdown by barricading the door. Since then, Yuno didn't say anything else.

Everyone looked at each other. Worries etched on their faces. Just what kind of vision that was enough to make Yuno going as far as blockading himself in his office without telling anybody? What they did know, however, when Yuno was like that, usually it involved something really dangerous. It was too much of a danger that he didn't want them to get involved.

"Yuno-san? Are you okay? Yuno-san!" Yuzu also helped banging the door. She was already worried enough for Yuya and the others who were currently going to meet Neon secretly in LINK VRAINS to cure Yugo, and now Yuno has added more of her worry.

"What kind of vision that you saw, Yuno-san?! Please don't hide it from us!" Yuto demanded. When there was still no answer from Yuno, Yuto and the other guys agreed to smash the door together, slamming their bodies to the door to force it open.

Inside, Yuno was sitting on his chair, surrounded by round blue data that logged him into LINK VRAINS.

 **MOUNTAIN – AMENTI – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Nash! Merag! Kino!"

Johan shook Nash's unconscious body, trying to get a reply from him. He came here from below after seeing an explosion on the mountain, thinking his comrades were fighting here. He was right, and to his worry, he found the three of them, and also their one of their enemies, injured and passed out. If only he had arrived sooner, he could have helped them.

He heard a sound from the bushes, prompting Johan to stand in front of Nash protectively with his Duel Disk raised, ready to battle should it be enemy who came. True enough; the one who came out was the blue haired woman whom Shadow, Canaria, and Blue Angel had fought from before. If he remembered it right, her name was Zira.

"No need to be so alarmed." Zira said in respond without having to look at the Fusion user. She instead walked towards the unconscious Rowan.

"I only came to pick him up." She said as she took Rowan to her shoulder. Johan made a mental note despite her slender figure she was surprisingly strong.

"You're not going to insist to fight me when your friends are in that condition, right?" Zira gestured her head to Merag and Kino across them and then to Nash behind Johan. As she expected, the Fusion user would no way jeopardizing his comrades' safety for the sake of defeating the enemies in front of him when he could help them.

"We'll meet again. Farewell for now."

Zira excused herself politely before hers and Rowan's body turned into disintegrating particles of blue data. They have logged out. Johan sighed in relief. It wasn't like he was afraid to fight them, but he was glad that now he could focus on helping his comrades who were in no conditions to fight any longer.

"Jo...ha...n...?"

Johan gasped when he heard a faint voice behind him. He turned around and saw Nash opening his eyes weakly. His finger was shaking as he tried to move it. Johan kneeled down, holding Nash's hand.

"Nash! Hang on! I'll get you out soon!" Johan told the Xyz user, but Nash coughed and moved his head slowly to his younger sister and Kino.

"Never mind...me. Logged them out...first..." Nash told Johan.

"I understand. Hold on to me, I'm taking you to where they are." Johan took Nash to his back and carried him until they reached where Merag and Kino were sleeping. Before he log them out, he noticed his partner, Ruby, remained in its position, not following him like usual.

"Ruby? What's wrong?"

Ruby didn't acknowledge his words. All it did was stare at the darkened sky with a blank expression in its beady red eyes.

 **DESERT – AMENTI – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Oof!"

Zarc yelped, only catching a glimpse of Neah's outstretched hands and Phantom's wide red eyes before the Pendulum user slammed into his chest and knocked the wind from his lungs. The two of them tumble back in a chaotic jumble of limbs and confusion, as the unstable gravity tossed them until they finally land in an undignified heap. Groaning, Zarc tried to pick himself up once more, the task made more difficult than usual by the Pendulum user crushing his ribs.

"Zarc, are you okay?" Phantom asked as he regained himself from the fall.

"Y-yeah...but damn that hurt..." Zarc groaned again, and that was when Phantom realized that he had crushed Zarc's chest with his weight when he fell down following him.

"S-sorry!" Phantom hastily removed himself from the Link user. The two of them sat still for a minute before scrambling back to their feet. "Where are we?"

The desert was singed-brown. Scrawling sounds filled the air at nighttime. The land was flat and barren. Only the odd brittle bush broke up the emptiness of the desert. A screaming hawk flew overhead. It was a crucible of death, a bone-dry basin of vastness and death. The immensity of it burned into their brain. As far as the eye could see, everything was sautéed with the same intensity.

"A desert...?" Phantom remarked.

"From the signal, we're still in LINK VRAINS. Us falling must be Apophis' doing." Zarc said while checking his Duel Disk. There was no doubt that they were still in the same server, in Apophis' domain.

"Neah-san is not with us." Zarc added, as he didn't see any sight of the old man.

"The old man would only get in the way. Our business is only with the two of you."

A blow of wind briefly blinded their vision. They closed their eyes tight so the sand won't get into their eyes. When they didn't feel any more winds blowing, they carefully opened their eyes and gasped when they saw their enemy in front of their very eyes.

"Geist!" Phantom and Zarc exclaimed together.

Geist was still his usual self, only this time he wasn't wearing his usual orange robes usually worn by Apophis' Duelists. This time, he was wearing a choker, as well as a fur-lined, black trench that billows in length behind him when he walks, with an intricate interlace at the front with no undershirt.

"Hello. How do you do, Phantom-kun and Zarc-kun?" Geist greeted.

"We're falling into your trap, so, we're not good." Zarc replied coldly.

"I won't deny this is a trap, but you don't need to worry because at the very least we won't kill you just yet. Both of you." Geist gave them his assurance, which wasn't reassuring in the slightest for the two boys.

"I can understand Phantom, but for what reason you'd want to keep me alive?" Zarc asked. Before, Shiki, Tsukasa, and Dante were intense in killing him because he possessed Ma'at's power within the Supreme King Deck he was using. He knew they greatly resented Ma'at's power for sealing them away. And now Geist suddenly appeared and said he won't kill him? Was he joking?

"You'll have to ask His Excellency for that. However, His Excellency mostly does as he pleases most of the time. I can't guarantee that he won't kill you later. It's possible for him to have a change of heart." Geist informed him.

"Great. Thank you for your assurance." Zarc said sarcastically.

"For a moment, His Excellency has ordered me not to kill you. But it doesn't mean I'm going to hold back okay? I'll just have to make you so beat up that you can't even lift a finger by the time I defeated you." Geist's expression changed to that of a fighter, activating his Duel Disk.

"We'll make sure we vanquish your soul to the very root once we defeated you." Zarc retorted as he and Phantom activated their Duel Disks, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm taking the first Turn! With Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, I set the Pendulum Scale! With this I can simultaneously summon Level 2 to 7 monsters! Pendulum Summon! Appear! My Monsters!" Phantom summoned Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 5) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Odd-Eyes Advent! I Release Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon on my Field to Ritual Summon!" As Phantom declared, an altar appeared on the Field with two torches. The right torch has crimson-colored flame with Timegazer Magician's weapon while the left torch has blue-colored flame with Stargazer Magician's staff. There were three pendulums on the altar. On the left was red-colored round-shaped pendulum while the left was blue-colored round-shaped pendulum. Lastly but not the least, at the center between the round-shaped pendulums was a crystal diamond-shaped pendulum.

"Dragon with dual-colored eyes! Awaken from the void between spaces and shake the universe with your power! Ritual Summon! Level 7! Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 7)!" The pendulums on the altar started glowing and moved back and forth. The two bigger pendulums on each side of the altar started moving in circles, forming a magic circle. Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon emerged from the magic circle in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I end my Turn." Phantom concluded. He shuddered when he noticed Geist was glancing at him with a sinister gaze and grin that gave him a bad feeling.

"My Turn! From my hand, I special summon Magibullet Musketeer Star (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1700 / LV: 4)!" Geist summoned Star in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Magibullet – Never-Endorphin!" Geist activated his Magic Card, and at that moment, Phantom interjected.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Gravity's effect! My opponent must pay 500 LP to activate card effects!" Phantom declared.

"Very well, I'll pay 500 LP then! I double the ATK and DEF of Musketeer Star!" Geist increased Musketeer Star's ATK to 2600 and DEF to 3400 at the cost of his LP being reduced by 500. Odd-Eyes Gravity pushed Geist back with ball of heavy gravity.

 **GEIST LP: 4000 = 3500**

"When a Magic or Trap is activated in Musketeer Star's column, I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Magibullet Monster from my Deck in Defense Position." Geist summoned Magibullet Musketeer Calamity in Defense Position, once again reducing his LP by 500.

 **GEIST LP: 3500 = 3000**

"Following Calamity's effect, I activate Continuous Trap Card: Magibullet – Devil's Deal from my hand! Magibullet Monster I control cannot be destroyed by card effect." A red transparent barrier briefly appeared surrounding all of Geist's Magibullet monsters, showing they received protection in exchange his LP was lowered for the third time.

 **GEIST LP: 3000 = 2500**

Geist still didn't stop.

"As a Trap Card is activated in Musketeer Calamity's column, I activate its effect. I can special summon a Magibullet Monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position." Geist revived Caspar in Attack Position, lowering his LP for the fourth time.

 **GEIST LP: 2500 = 2000**

"I release Magibullet Musketeer Caspar to Advance Summon! Appear! Level 8! Magibullet Demon Zamiel (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 8)!" Geist summoned his ace Monster in Attack Position. Like other Magibullet monsters, it also shared the same effect, allowing Geist to activate a Magic or Trap from his hand again.

"I activate Magic Card: Bullet Power! I can increase the ATK of a Magibullet monster I control equal to the ATK of another Magibullet I control and then draw 1 card!" Geist increased Demon Zamiel's ATK equal to Star's doubled ATK, making the former's current ATK 5100. He then added a card from his Deck. And following the dragon's effect, Geist's LP was lowered for the fifth time.

 **GEIST LP: 2000 = 1500**

"Lastly, I activate Equip Spell: Magibullet's Ball Mask! Magibullet Monster I control cannot be targeted by Magic or Trap effects or destroyed by Battle." Geist equipped the card to his ace Monster, adding a golden mask that covered most of Demon Zamiel's face. Even though Geist received quite a bruise from the effect cost he had to pay, he didn't look disturbed.

 **GEIST LP: 1500 = 1000**

"You sacrificed 3000 LP just to increase Demon Zamiel's attack? Are you sure it'll be good for you when I even haven't started my Turn?" Zarc questioned. He didn't like this at all. Geist's face was clearly saying he was planning something. From the gesture he made towards Phantom earlier, his plan most likely will put Phantom in a bad situation.

"I don't think it's wise to show concern to your enemy, Zarc-kun." Geist simply replied like a child playing a simple game.

"I am not concerned. Trust me. I just don't want to defeat you so easily before I have a chance to take action." Zarc replied immediately. He didn't know what he was planning, but he and Phantom must help each other on this one.

"Then I assure you that you'll have your chance to at least conduct an attack. I set a card and end my Turn." Geist concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Supreme King Gate Enoch (ATK: 0 / DEF: 200 / LV: 4)!" Zarc summoned Gate Enoch in Attack Position. It was a monster in a form of a gate with a cross hovered by cybernetic lines and two blue eyes that resembled a pair of eyes.

"When Gate Enoch is summoned normally, I can Special Summon a Magician-Type Monster from my Deck." Zarc summoned Black Fang Magician (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 800 / LV: 4) in Attack Position.

"I overlay Gate Enoch and Black Fang Magician! The fangs of rebellion who live in the pitch-black darkness! Give in and obey me! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Supreme King Servant Dragon Dark Rebellion (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Zarc summoned Dark Rebellion in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

 _"That's Zarc's Dark Rebellion! So even that Dark Rebellion also reborn in this dimension together with the rest of the Supreme King Deck? Then that means the other three dragons are also..."_ Phantom stared at Dark Rebellion with surprise. It was the same Zarc's Dark Rebellion after his soul was pacified last year. He never thought he would see it again.

"Battle! I attack Demon Zamiel with Dark Rebellion!" Zarc didn't beat around the bush, declaring his Battle Phase. Dark Rebellion flew forward with its fangs pointed towards the Magibullet monster.

"At this moment, I activate Dark Rebellion's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can reduce the opposing monster's ATK to 0 and add the lost ATK to Dark Rebellion!" Dark Rebellion unleashed purple-colored electricity from the orbs on its wings, absorbing Demon Zamiel's ATK to its own. Following Odd-Eyes Gravity's effect, Zarc has to pay 500 LP to increase his dragon's ATK to 7600.

 **ZARC LP: 4000 = 3500**

"Continuous Trap: Zamiel's Demonic Chain! When Demon Zamiel is targeted for attack, I can target 1 Effect Monster on the Field that my opponent controls. I negate the effect of that monster while this card is on the Field and that monster cannot attack!" Geist opened his Reverse Card, paying 500 of his LP again.

 **GEIST LP: 1000 = 500**

"Wait a second there. When this card is activated, I can recover LP equal to the damage I supposed to take." Geist added as chains surrounded him in circle, healing him.

 **GEIST LP: 500 = 8100**

"I recovered more than enough LP. With this I don't think I have to worry paying 500 LP due to your dragon's effect, Phantom-kun." Geist stuck his tongue out towards Phantom; much to the latter's annoyance who could only click his tongue.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Zarc concluded. Dark Rebellion's effect ended, reverting Dark Rebellion and Demon Zamiel's ATKs to normal. He narrowed his eyes at Geist. " _So he purposely used so many effects even though he knew Odd-Eyes Gravity's effect to bait me into attacking him and gain even more LP?"_

"My Turn! Draw!" Phantom drew a card. He made an eye contact with Zarc. The two of them nodded at each other. That was the signal.

"Battle! I attack Demon Zamiel with Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon!" Phantom declared attack despite his dragon having lower ATK than Demon Zamiel.

Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon let out a loud roar that prompted Zarc and Geist to cover their ears. It used its feet to remove the sand and destroyed some parts of the ground beneath, making quite many debris. The debris from the ground was floating before it shot forward at the Magibullet Monster. At that moment, Zarc opened his first facedown card.

"I activate Magic Card: Cyber Charge! During either player's Turn, I can target 1 face-up monster on the Field and increase that monster's ATK equal to a monster I control until the End Phase!" Zarc added Dark Rebellion's ATK to the Ritual Dragon, increasing Odd-Eyes Gravity's ATK to 5300. Again, he paid 500 LP to activate the card.

 **ZARC LP: 3500 = 3000**

The debris repeatedly hit Demon Zamiel who endured it by crossing its arms in front of itself while also shielding Geist behind it. Thanks to the mask given by its master, it was not destroyed by the attack.

 **GEIST LP: 8100 = 7900**

"Next I activate Quick-Play Spell: Odd-Eyes Overblast! When an Odd-Eyes Monster I control inflicts Battle Damage, I inflict damage to my opponent equal to its original ATK!" Phantom activated another backup card, inflicting Odd-Eyes Gravity's ATK as additional damage. Odd-Eyes Gravity tackled Demon Zamiel, pushing it back together with its master.

 **GEIST LP: 7900 = 5100**

"I end my Turn." Phantom finished.

"Nice attack. My Turn! Draw!" Geist looked at the card he drew. His eyes instantly glinted and his grin widened and even more malevolent. He snickered, much to the discomfort of Phantom and Zarc who was looking at him strangely.

"I shall give you despair in this Turn, Phantom-kun." Geist licked his lips as he said so, eyes focused solely on the Pendulum user that it gave the said boy goose bumps.

"Then now I Battle! I attack Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon with Demon Zamiel!" Geist retaliated with his own attack. Demon Zamiel shot its pistols at the Ritual Dragon at a speed of match, forming dozens of holes on the dragon's body before blowing it up with a single big energy shot that finally blast it into bits.

 **PHANTOM LP: 4000 = 1700**

"When a Magibullet Monster I control destroys an opponent's monster, I can activate Quick-Play Spell: Magibullet's Extra Gun! I can special summon a Level 4 or lower monster from my hand!" Geist picked the card he just drew.

"From my hand, I special summon Parasite Fusioner (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)!" Geist summoned Parasite Fusioner in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Parasite Fusioner?!" Phantom was taken aback. The sight of the monster brought bitter taste to his mouth and his chest felt tight. He never thought he would see that monster again.

"You know that monster?" Zarc asked.

"Yeah...that monster gave me hard time in the war last year." Phantom answered with heavy voice. It was one of the bitterest memories in the war.

"When I was taking a walk in that realm to look for strong monsters, I met him by a chance." Geist referred to the Parasite Fusioner, casually petting it.

"You know what its effect is when special summoned, right?" Geist reminded the Pendulum user. His mind game started now.

"I fuse Demon Zamiel with Parasite Fusioner! The demon that masters dark magic slumbering in the darkness! Become one with the inner voice and revive with new power! Fusion Summon! Appear! The demonic insect rooted in reason! Level 10! Parasite Devil (ATK: 3600 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10)!" Geist summoned a parasite monster that resembled Parasite Queen, but it has a pair of demonic wings that were similar with Demon Zamiel's wings and it was a definitely a male.

"Don't you recognize him, Phantom – no, Yuya Sakaki? Look closely and sense its soul. You'll know who he is...he has a huge grudge against you." Geist urged the Pendulum user to look deeper into his newest monster. He couldn't wait to see the look of his face once he realized. He had been waiting for this ever since he discovered this monster.

Phantom swallowed hard as he tried to fight down the sudden wave of anxiety and dread that was threatening to wash over him. His back screamed in protest but he made it to his feet. He looked into the Parasite Monster's eyes. Those familiar sunken eyes with green pupils and the fact it was a Parasite Monster, and Geist stated the monster held a grudge against him. Placing those facts together, Phantom slowly realized with horror...

"No way... You're...the Doctor...?" Phantom paled upon realizing the Parasite Monster's identity.

He could feel his heart beating hard in his chest, feel anxiety's cold talons clawing at his chest, wrapping around his throat and squeezing. Spots dance across his vision as he gasped. He then remembered. Odd-Eyes Ragnarok Dragon destroying Parasite Legion. Its blast destroyed the entire laboratory in the process. The Doctor was engulfed in its blast and blown away. He hit the wall that was also destroyed by the blast, forming a huge hole. The Doctor's scream echoed as it fell from the building. The Doctor lied in puddle of his own blood on the ground several feet below him.

 _He_ killed him.

"You've finally remembered...that you killed him." Geist's grin widened in delight as he saw the Phantom's reaction. It was even better than he had expected! His expression was priceless!

Phantom's body started to sway that Zarc has to hold him to keep him on his feet.

"Phantom! Yuya! Calm down!" Zarc held Phantom's shoulders tight and shook his body to snap him out, but to his dismay, Phantom's state of mind was disoriented.

"That's...right...I...I did that... And until now...I forgot...about it..." Phantom was horrified as he remembered more and more. He hugged his trembling body tight as he did. He had forgotten the fact he was the one who killed the Doctor. His other self was born from him, so it was the same as he himself killed him. He hated the Doctor, and he thought it would be better if the Doctor never showed himself again.

"That's right. You acted like that never happened. So easily forgetting the life you have taken, that means you think his life is worthless, right? Just like how we think about you humans." Geist advanced his mind game further. In that state, it won't be difficult to break him. All he needed was a little more push.

"No! You're wrong! That's not it! I–"

"Didn't you smile when you managed to corner the Doctor before you killed him? That means you enjoy seeing him suffering. You are no different!"

Phantom couldn't retort. Back then, his other self took over as he was overwhelmed by his anger. He couldn't forgive the Doctor and tried his best to corner him like he did to him and his friends. And he indeed _smiled_ when he saw the desperate look on the Doctor's face. And then, after the war was over, he completely forgotten about the Doctor. He had forgotten the fact that he had killed someone so easily.

"I...I'm...!" Phantom fell on his knees, holding his head with his hands. His body was trembling even more.

"Phantom! Snap out of it! Look, I don't know what happened between you and this Doctor, but we must defeat him now!" Zarc tried to reach him, but Phantom slapped away his hand.

"No! You don't understand!" Phantom shook his head, biting his lips as his eyes started to get glassy with tears.

"You don't understand how it feels…! I killed him…and acted like it never happened…! What if…what if he is right…? I treated his life so lightly! You won't understand!" Phantom lashed out.

How could he so easily forgot that fact? He acted like he had never taken a life before and continued entertaining people even though his hand had been long tainted. Enemy or not, the point was he had taken a life and yet the fact he had forgotten about it was no different than treating an act of kill as nothing big deal…just like Apophis and his Duelists. He was no different from them after all?

"Focus here, boys. I haven't even finished my Turn." Geist reminded, but only Zarc was on guard while Phantom was still shocked.

"Parasite Devil's first effect! Once during either player's Turn, I can equip a Parasite Fusioner equipped on Parasite Devil to my opponent's monster and take control of that monster!" Geist removed Parasite Fusioner from Parasite Devil and attached it to Dark Rebellion. The dragon's eyes turned black and it moved to Geist's side of the Field.

"Dark Rebellion!" Zarc exclaimed in dismay.

"Now you have nothing on your Field! I attack directly with Parasite Devil!" Geist pointed at Phantom who still hasn't moved from his position. Zarc stepped closer to the Pendulum user and opened his second facedown card.

"You're not harming Phantom! Trap Card: Counter Gate! When an opponent's monster declares a Direct Attack, I can negate the attack and then draw 1 card! If it's a monster card, I can Normal Summon that monster once this effect resolves!" Zarc negated the attack, and then drew Supreme King Gate Arista (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 200 / LV: 3) from his Deck, and summoned it in Defense Position in the Main Monster Zone. Due to its effect, Geist's monster couldn't attack other monster on the Turn it was special summoned.

"Then I attack Supreme King Gate Arista with Dark Rebellion!" Geist declared second attack to the Supreme King monster. Dark Rebellion easily pierced through its hard body, destroying it. However, as it was in Defense Position, Zarc didn't receive any damage.

"When a monster is destroyed, I can special summon Chronograph Magician (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1700 / LV: 6) from my hand!" Zarc summoned Chronograph Magician in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I end my Turn." Geist concluded. That was quite a let down. But he tried to think optimistically, thinking this means it would give him a chance to torment the Pendulum user even more. If only Neon was still around. Double-teaming with her together would have been even more fun. Phantom would have broken even more.

Zarc kneeled down so he was on Phantom's level. He once again placed his both hands on Phantom's shoulders, holding him tight.

"Phantom, I know how you feel, but please, we must finish this Duel or it'll be the end for the both of us! We'll talk this over after the Duel!" Zarc pleaded. However, Phantom pushed his hands away from him. When he finally looked up, tears were falling.

"You don't get it, Yukiya! You don't know anything! You can't do anything! Don't say you understand when you are not! Will you carry that burden with me forever?! Will you hold the hands of a murderer?!" Phantom didn't know what to do. His hands wildly were smacking Zarc against the chest without much power behind it. This felt too much. He didn't know what else to do with this horrible feeling.

Phantom gasped when he felt strong arms on his back, pulling him into Zarc's chest. Both nearly stumbled back to the sand.

"…I understand those feelings very well…" Zarc murmured.

When he met Zarc's soul and got a touch of his glimpses of his memory, he saw it. The town destroyed, dead bodies lying on the ground, flames burning as people were screaming and crying for their lives while Supreme King Dragon Zarc continued to attack without mercy, not making even a single exception. He destroyed anything and everyone in his eyes. That memory was like a punch on the gut. But now, discovering further consequence of his past life's action in the present, it felt like his heart being crushed. He didn't want to believe that his past life done something so cruel.

"By having that knowledge, I feel I'm also carrying that burden…"

He slowly let go of Phantom, wiping the tears with the back of his hand and helped the confused Pendulum user to stand up again. He then pulled Phantom behind him while he faced Geist.

"Phantom, I don't know exactly what happened that you ended up killed this Doctor guy. But I know you. I know that you're not a type of person who finds enjoyment in one's suffering, not even the enemy you hate." Zarc – Yukiya told him. Either Phantom or Yuya Sakaki, he was not a type of person to harm someone so easily. He would rather get himself hurt. He was kind, maybe even too kind, and down to earth.

"Besides, if you killed this Doctor guy, then he must have done something horrible that cannot be forgiven that even you thought he deserved to be killed. If I think it like that, in my opinion, what you're doing is not exactly wrong, Yuya." He knew that Yuya would never harm someone out of whim. If he killed someone, he has no doubt it was because the one whom he killed must have done unforgivable actions. The one whom he killed must be someone with evil heart. Seeing what kind of Duel Monster he has became right in front of him only seemed to reinforce these facts.

Geist mockingly clapped his hands at the scene of friendship in front of him.

"Ahh…how touching. But are you sure about that, Zarc-kun? How can you be so sure that Yuya Sakaki killed him not because he carved for it?" Geist raised a brow in amusement.

"Shut up. If I even hear one more word about that coming from your mouth, I'll swear to you that would be the last to leave your mouth." Zarc spat out coldly. His restrained resentment and anger evident in his voice.

"Oh, very scary~" Geist mocked further. His smile, however, dropped when he noticed Zarc's body was starting to glow. Even Phantom went silent.

"Don't compare Yuya to the likes of you who enjoys toying with people's life."

Zarc started his Turn, drawing a card, intensifying the glow.

His heart throbbed and his body felt warm.

He then felt his mind being sucked into another place.

 **MINDSCAPE – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yukiya opened his eyes and found himself standing at the Coliseum of the Star. He realized. The feeling of his mind being sucked, it was because he was summoned to this place deep within his own mind. He smiled. He turned to the center stage where the person who summoned him was standing.

"Zarc. We meet again." Yukiya greeted.

"My sin is my sin alone, Yukiya. Even if you are my reincarnation, what I have done has nothing to do with you. You are innocent. There's nothing to be blamed against you. You don't have to feel responsible for what I did." Zarc told his reincarnation. Even though they shared the same, they were also different people at the same time. What he had done in the past has nothing to do with Yukiya who was born and still living in the present. Yukiya himself had accepted that his and Yukiya's own memories were different. There was no reason to be bound by the memories that doesn't belong to him.

To his surprise, Yukiya shook his head.

"It's not easy once you knew that your past life had caused genocide and nearly destroyed the whole world. Simply knowing that gives me this sense of guilt and I can't just brush it off so easily even if I understand what you meant." Yukiya said with a hard smile as he clutched his chest. It hurts only by knowing that. When he touched the glimpses of that memory, he could feel what Zarc felt that time. He felt everything like he had been the one doing it.

"I'm sure Yuya and the others used to be the same. They were also born from your soul. They knew what you had done and carried that burden for a while until you were freed from the hatred that chained you. By forgiving yourself, the four of them were able to let go of the sin you had committed." Yukiya added. He had no doubt his four look-alikes had felt what he was feeling right now. When they knew they used to be the same person: Zarc, And when they became Zarc again, they felt they were ones who harmed their friends and destroyed the towns despite Zarc being in complete control. They no longer felt that way once Zarc's soul was pacified. When Zarc's soul was pacified, it was like saving themselves.

"But it hasn't been a week since I knew about you. Honestly, knowing what you had done, even if I have accepted that, I feel awful. And now knowing that the first clash against Ray had caused a crack that allowed Apophis to revive made this even worse. I feel so awful that I wanted to retch or even pass out. Heck, might as well rip my heart out." Yukiya said with humorless laugh. It was sickening, but for some reason he couldn't let that sickening feeling go so easily. At the moment, he couldn't think this was not his responsibility.

"And you don't mind bearing that? It'll cause problem for you in the future." Zarc warned his main reincarnation. But Yukiya gave him a strong sincere smile.

"Maybe for the time being. But I have everyone else watching my back." Yukiya said with confidence. He wasn't alone, and he knew his friends would be there for him. He trusted them with his life, especially Yuya.

"Besides, right now, Yuya is still too soft and enemies may exploit this side of him like Geist does. That's why I have to be strong, so I can set an example for Yuya to learn and grow. This is one of my ways protecting him." Yukiya revealed. Yuya was hurting and unstable right now. He couldn't let his own insecurities took over him, not with Yuya like that when they were still facing their enemies. If he also breaks down, the both of them would be in danger. But above all, he didn't want to see Yuya like this. He preferred him being silly and smiling like the entertainer he was.

"You've got yourself a troublesome little brother." Zarc chuckled. He sighed. There was no point in talking him out at this point. And seeing Yukiya like this, it didn't seem necessary. Yukiya could overcome it one day. He believed in him.

"You mean both of us got ourselves a troublesome little brother." Yukiya corrected, causing both himself and Zarc to laugh softly.

Zarc walked to his reincarnation, extending his fist to him. Yukiya extended his own fist, bumping it with Zarc's. Their surrounding was bathed in golden light again. It was time for the younger boy to go back.

"Good luck."

 **DESERT – AMENTI – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Back to the Front! I special summon a monster from my Graveyard!" Yukiya, back as his avatar, Zarc, revived Black Fang Magician in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"From my hand, I summon Supreme King Servant Dragon Ambrosia!" Zarc summoned Ambrosia in Attack Position beside the revived Black Fang Magician in the Main Monster Zone.

Geist eyed Zarc's Field. There were Chronograph Magician, Black Fang Magician, and Ambrosia that could be treated as two monsters. That made Zarc has four monsters in his Field. Which means Zarc was planning to…

"Summoning you ace monster now? Isn't it a little bit late? Plus, you can't use its effect without having a monster pointed by its Link Marker." Geist pointed out, shrugging dismissively at the boy's attempt to turn the tide.

"No, it's not! Come forth, the circuit that will lead to the future!" Zarc extended his hand at the Link Circuit above him.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning conditions are 4 monsters! I set Chronograph Magician, Supreme King Servant Dragon Ambrosia, and Black Fang Magician on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" All Zarc's monsters then became one with three of the six arrows. Chronograph Magician went to the Left Arrow, Ambrosia to the Right and Bottom-Left Arrow, and Black Fang Magician to the Bottom-Right Arrows.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon (ATK: 2800 / LINK: 4 / LM: Left, Right, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right)!" Zarc summoned his ace monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"When I control Link Monster, I can special summon Supreme King Servant Dragon Oerba (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 5) from my hand!" Zarc summoned black and pink scaled dragon in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"With only that kind of attack, you won't be able to finish me off." Geist remarked, remembering Cyber Cosmos' effects.

"I know. That's why I'm saving my ace in the hole." Zarc grinned sneakily, raising his arm up again as the Link Circuit appeared. "Appear once more! The circuit that leads to the future!"

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is 1 Link Monster! I set Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon and Supreme King Servant Dragon Oerba on the Link Markers! Circuit Combined!" Zarc set Cyber Cosmos on the Top, Left, Bottom-Left, and Bottom Link Markers while Oerba on the Bottom-Right Link Marker.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 5! Cyber Matrix Link Dragon (ATK: 3000 / LINK: 5 / LM: Top, Left, Bottom-Left, Bottom, Bottom-Right)!" Zarc summoned his powered up Cyber Cosmos. It has white scales with deep blue circuit-like lines, and four wings. There were yellow-colored armor-like equipment on its chest, knees, and shoulders. On its biceps and torsos there were green-colored orbs.

"A Link 5 Link Monster?!" Geist exclaimed in shock. What's with the sudden turn of event?! Was this due to Ma'at's power too residing within the Supreme King Deck?

" _No. That power…it's coming from Yukiya Kanbara himself!"_ Geist remarked as he sensed Ma'at's power coming more and more from Zarc's body.

"Visiting the Temple of Ma'at seems to have given me enlightenment. I've trained and kept this monster a secret from everyone because I want to make it a surprise. I haven't had a chance to use it in real battle until now." Zarc revealed as he looked at Cyber Matrix, smiling at his first Link 5 Monster.

"And after Rio-san helps me awakening Ma'at's blessing within me, we feel even stronger." Zarc added. He didn't know how to explain it in words properly, but ever since Rio helped him with the blessing thing, he felt a power flowing in and out his body the way he wanted.

"I activate Cyber Matrix Link Dragon's effect! This card gains 1000 ATK for each monster it points to!" Zarc increased Cyber Matrix's ATK to 4000.

"And then I activate Supreme King Servant Dragon Arista's effect in the Graveyard! I banish it to add its ATK on a Supreme King Monster I control!" Zarc added Arista's ATK to Cyber Matrix, increasing its ATK to 5000.

"Battle! I attack Parasite Devil with Cyber Matrix Link Dragon!" Zarc declared attack with his new dragon. The lines on Cyber Matrix's body turned glowing green and a data-like magic circle appeared in front of it, shooting bluish white blast towards the Parasite Fusion Monster.

"As if I'll let you! I activate Parasite Devil's second effect! I release a monster equipped by Parasite Fusioner to negate destruction by Battle!" Geist released Dark Rebellion, creating a transparent barrier protecting Parasite Devil from the blast. To Geist's surprise, however, the blast managed to create a crack and blew away Parasite Devil together with himself, sending him flat on his back with Parasite Devil almost crushing him.

 **GEIST LP: 5100 = 3700**

"I activate Cyber Matrix Link Dragon's second effect! When it inflicts a battle damage, I can special summon a Link Monster from my Graveyard with its effect negated until the end of this Turn to the zone Cyber Matrix points to!" Zarc revived Cyber Cosmos to the zone pointed by Cyber Matrix's Bottom-Right arrow.

" _Cyber Cosmos' effect was negated but only until the end of this Turn. On his next Turn, if I can't summon stronger monster or bring back Parasite Devil, he can use Cyber Matrix or use Cyber Cosmos' effect to reduce my remaining LP into dust…!"_ Geist didn't want to admit it, but he was in quite a bind. He had thought the Supreme King user was as emotional as the Pendulum user. He was sure that the boy was easy to be influenced like the other, but he was more level headed than he thought.

At this rate, he was going to–

"No need to worry, Geist."

The dark sky was cloven, opening a path for a sinister dark being that unleashed hostile presence. Zarc and Phantom went frozen when hands coming out from the split sky. They gulped as the atmosphere thickened, the air went cold, and they found it hard to breath. It was almost suffocating. The hands forcefully opened the sky wider, allowing colossal black dragon to fully descend.

"Your Excellency!" Geist was so shocked that he almost lost his footing. He couldn't believe it. His very own master came to the battlefield when he was not even in his prime form.

"Apophis?!" Zarc exclaimed in disbelieve. The enemy's big boss showed himself?! Phantom was too shocked to even say anything.

The black dragon stared down at Zarc. He grinned and let out a high-pitched howl that sounded so much like a laugh.

"Aahh...I've found you... No wonder I couldn't sense you until now..."

Apophis landed behind Geist, still eyeing the Supreme King user who became tenser and the light intensified. Apophis grinned even wider. He could sense it very clearly now. His suspicion has been confirmed. He found _him._

"You have hidden your soul by reincarnating into a human, Ma'at."

Everyone beside Apophis went still. Did they just hear him right? Did they just hear what they thought he said?

"What...?" Zarc finally reacted after what it felt like a full hour silence.

Apophis' attention never left Zarc's figure. It was like there was no one else but him and Zarc in the desert. Phantom and Geist looked back and forth at the Dragon of Calamity and Supreme King user. They heard it right? It wasn't them mishearing things? Zarc really was…

"Zarc...Yukiya is...the reincarnation of...Ma'at?"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Unresolved Past –** Apophis unexpectedly appears before Phantom and Zarc after sensing Ma'at's presence within Zarc. He gives Geist direction in the Duel, giving hard times for Phantom and Zarc.

* * *

 **FANFIC ORIGINAL CARD MEMO:**

 **Magibullet's Ball Mask:** Magibullet Monster you control cannot be targeted by Magic or Trap effects or destroyed by Battle. (Equip Spell)

 **Supreme King Gate Enoch:** (MACHINE / DARK / EFFECT / ATK: 0 / DEF: 200 / LV: 4)

 **Zamiel's Demonic Chain:** When Demon Zamiel is targeted for attack, you can target 1 Effect Monster on the Field your opponent controls. You can negate the effect of that monster while this card is on the Field and that monster cannot attack. (Continuous Trap Card)

 **Cyber Charge:** During either player's Turn, you can target 1 face-up monster on the Field and increase that monster's ATK equal to a monster you control until the End Phase. (Magic Card)

 **Odd-Eyes Overblast:** When an Odd-Eyes Monster you control inflicts Battle Damage, you can inflict damage equal to the original ATK of that Odd-Eyes Monster to your opponent. (Quick-Play Spell)

 **Supreme King Gate Arista:** (MACHINE / DARK / EFFECT / ATK: 1000 / DEF: 400 / LV: 3). You can banish this card from Graveyard to increase the ATK of a Supreme King Monster you control equal to this card's ATK.

 **Parasite Devil:** (INSECT / DARK / FUSION / ATK: 3600 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10). Once during either player's Turn, you can equip a Parasite Fusioner equipped on Parasite Devil to your opponent's monster and take control of that monster. You can release a monster equipped with Parasite Fusioner to negate this card's destruction. This card gains 300 for every Parasite Monster on the Field.

 **Supreme King Servant Dragon Oearba:** (DRAGON / DARK / EFFECT / ATK: 1900 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 4). When you control a Link Monster, you can special summon this card from your hand in Defense Position.

 **Cyber Matrix Link Dragon:** (DRAGON / DARK / LINK / ATK: 3000 / LINK: 5 / LM: Top, Left, Bottom-Left, Bottom, Bottom-Right). This card gains 1000 ATK for each monster it points to. When it inflicts a battle damage, you can special summon a Link Monster from your Graveyard with its effect negated until the end of this Turn to the zone Cyber Matrix points to.

* * *

 **The Doctor is dead in** _ **Bonds of Pendulum**_ **, but I never said he wouldn't appear again, at least not as a human. About Dark Yuya, no, sorry to say to the ones who expected him to come back, but he won't be coming back. Yuya has fully accepted him so he won't make any appearance again. In case you forgot, Yuya killed Doctor not due to Zarc's influence, but mainly due to his other self (Dark Yuya).**

 **Surprised by the revelation and sudden appearance of Apophis? Don't worry it won't be the last duel or anything. I think this should be enough for many revelations for the time being. I will save the rest for later chapters. I actually wanted to give clues of Cyber Matrix's existence after Yukiya's visit to Temple of Ma'at, in previous chapters, but I got distracted that I forgot (Sorry about that)!**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	48. Unresolved Past

**Big thanks to** _ **Ulrich362, Gust, Starlight's Poet, Yuka Kuroshiro, dvdryms, Elbarto4000, Playerhood18, Big duels, NeoFGD, Above the Winter Moonlight, GamingGuy84, Unknowedz, tsukikami02**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **GHOST TOWN – AMENTI – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Reid and Sting cold be considered at a stalemate. Both of them were panting heavily and their avatars were damaged that would have been close to fatal if they were in real world. Reid's hand was empty while his Field only has Elemental HERO Neos in Attack Position without any set card. Sting's hand has one card while his Field has Agent Moth and Soldier Ant in Attack Position without any set card. Reid has just finished his Turn, so now it was Sting's Turn.

 **REID LP: 1200**

 **STING LP: 2000**

"You look sleepy. Why don't you close your eyes and sleep?" Sting said sarcastically with heavy breath. He was going to reach his limit.

"Get real. You're the one who's getting sleepy." Reid spat back with equally heavy breath. It took everything he has just to keep standing. The rest was thanks to spirit and sheer force of will.

"After I kill you that is. My Turn! I tribute Agent Moth and Soldier Ant to Advance Summon Insect Queen!" Sting released his two monsters to summon one of his strongest monsters, Insect Queen, in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Cocoon's Powder! I increase the ATK of an Insect-Type Monster I control by 800!" Sting increased Insect Queen's ATK to 3000 as yellow powders showered the monster's body, giving it a power up.

"This…is not good." Reid murmured. His face paled.

"Battle! I attack Elemental HERO Neos with Insect Queen!" Sting declared attack. Insect Queen shot its miasma, melting the Elemental HERO monster's body and blew away Reid to his back.

 **REID LP: 1200 = 700**

"Heh! Not so haughty and cocky anymore, aren't you?! You don't have any monster on your Field or any set card on the Field or in your hand! This will be my win for sure!" Sting declared victoriously. Now was the time for him to payback the humiliation he experienced in the previous Duel. It took a while, but he finally will take this guy down, proving that he was the superior one.

" _Darn it. That really hurt. I'm so doomed if I can't draw a good card…"_ Reid struggled to return to his feet. He was actually surprised he was still able to stand. He was sure that last attack would knock him out, but no, he was still awake. But it won't be long. Everything depends on this last draw.

"I–"

"My Turn!"

Reid blinked when someone stole his cue right before he could draw his card. Between him and Sting, someone jumped in. She was wearing an indigo gown with yellow wraps on her sleeves that flow down into tail-like clothing. She was also wearing black thigh-high open-toed heeled boots. Reid only knew one person who was using that kind of avatar in LINK VRAINS.

"C-Celica-sama?!" Reid exclaimed in disbelieve.

"The Imperial Adviser?!" Sting was also equally shocked.

"Why are you here?!" Reid asked, but the said woman ignored his question and instead turned to Sting while holding out a card.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Reincarnation Technique of the Nekroz. I can use cards in my hand or Field whose Level exactly equals the total Levels of those monsters." Celica used Dance Princess of the Nekroz and Nekroz Clausolas as tributes. From beneath the ground, two pillars of water came out and moved in circle, surrounding the altar. From the altar, a pearl appeared and began to shine. The pillars fell down onto the altar, forming a ball of water. The ball splashed, revealing a monster.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 7! Nekroz of Gungnir (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 1700 / LV: 7)!" Celica summoned Gungnir in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Nekroz of Gungnir's effect! During either player's Turn, I can discard a Nekroz card and then target 1 card on the Field and destroy it!" Celica discarded Nekroz of Eriel to activate the effect, targeting Sting's only card on the Field, Insect Queen. Pillar of water came out right beneath Insect Queen, imprisoning the Insect Monster and drowned it until it was destroyed.

"What?!" Sting exclaimed as he helplessly looked his monster being destroyed so easily just like that. Now he has nothing in his Field.

"Battle! I attack directly with Nekroz of Gungnir!" Celica delivered the finishing blow. Nekroz of Grungnir summoned water from beneath the ground that formed into a dragon-shaped water tornado. With Gungnir's staff pointed at Sting, the water dragon tackled the Insect user, depleting his remaining LP.

 **STING LP: 1000 = 0**

Reid sweat dropped. He was grateful that she saved him, but somehow he also felt his hard work was for naught. Reid opened his mouth to ask her presence in LINK VRAINS again, but Celica didn't give him the chance for that as she quickly grasped tight of his hand.

"The Duel is finished. We have to get out of here now before it's too late." Celica told Reid. She won't accept any objection.

"Too late for what?" Reid blinked again in confusion

Meanwhile, Sting who was still struggling to get ahold of himself, was surprised when he saw Zira behind him. She easily carried him into her shoulder, much to his protest. This was embarrassing! He has just lost and now he was being carried by his female companion right after that. How much humiliation he will receive today?

"Zira?! What are you doing?!" Sting asked in protest while trying to get himself off her, which was futile since he didn't have much energy for that.

"We're leaving. If not, we're as good as dead." Zira replied calmly while tightening her grip on Sting.

"Huh?! What are you talking about?!" Sting asked, not understanding what she meant.

"This domain soon will be no more." Zira revealed.

Just as she said so, their surrounding area has begun to flicker. The data slowly turned into particles that disappearing. Sting stopped resisting when he saw this. He still didn't like this, but he'll tolerate it for now. He turned to Reid who was helped by Celica to keep standing. He glared hatefully at the young man. The score between them hasn't finished yet. Celica's interruption was not counted. He would have won if it were not for her interruption. He would remember this, and then he'll get his revenge.

"Mark my words, I'll definitely kill you!" Sting decreed before and Zira disappeared.

"Yuno will explain everything later once we logged out." Celica told Reid after checking there was nothing wrong with his avatar that might influence his mind. She quickly logged into LINK VRAINS and followed Yuno's direction to find their comrades as quickly as possible after receiving his emergency message.

As the flickers in their surroundings worsen, Celica and Reid logged out.

 **DESERT – AMENTI – LINK VRAINS – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"I am... reincarnation of Ma'at...you say...?" Zarc remarked in question upon hearing Apophis' words. Didn't Yuno say that Ma'at has reincarnated as Supreme King Deck to help them seal Apophis away? Then how come Ma'at reincarnated as him in the present while he still has the Supreme King Deck?

"I have always thought that Ma'at had turned himself into the Supreme King Deck. But after sensing his power and received report about Yuya Sakaki from his Duel against Hyde, I started to think that wasn't the case." Apophis replied, eyeing every bit of Zarc with interest and curiosity. He could never understand his nemesis' love for humanity. He loved the humans so much that he decided to reincarnate into one? What was Ma'at thinking? Reincarnating himself into human would only made him weaker.

"And now you have proven it, Yukiya Kanbara. The Supreme King Deck, they are not the essence of Ma'at's soul himself, but only part of his power. His blessing. Ma'at, after destroying his own body following the creation of the Supreme King Deck, reincarnated as a mortal human being. In the present, as you." Apophis repeated, making it clear to everyone once and for all. Never mind the reason as to why he reincarnated into a human, all that matter was he could have his long awaited rematch against his nemesis.

"I couldn't sense his presence before because you, the human soul, hid his existence without you realized it. But you said that you visited that temple. That seemed to have awakened Ma'at slumbering inside you." Apophis added. The human souls Ma'at has reincarnated into for generations had hidden his existence for all these years, entering a state of slumber. But Yukiya, after visiting his nemesis' temple, must have made a contact with Ma'at's soul that caused him to awaken. But Ma'at hasn't fully awakened yet. He was still half-asleep inside the boy.

"Geist. You will do as I tell you to do." Apophis told his subordinate who looked up to him in question.

"Your Excellency?"

"This is a perfect opportunity. I will draw you out completely, Ma'at. Our battle will only come to an end, when either I killed you or you killed me." Apophis stated before letting out a battle howl. There was no point for him participating in this Duel if Ma'at hasn't awakened yet. He will use Geist to draw him out. Only then, they'll have their rematch.

"Phantom, stay back." Zarc placed an arm in front of the Pendulum user protectively.

"Zarc?" Phantom looked at Zarc's back worriedly. It was his Turn now, but he hasn't started because he was taken aback by Apophis' sudden appearance.

"Don't push yourself. If you can't fight, then Surrender and leave the rest to me. I'll protect you." Zarc kindly told the Pendulum user. If Phantom forced himself to fight while his emotional state was unstable it would only make it harder and more painful for the Entertainment Duelist. He didn't know how Geist's strategy would be now that Apophis will be the one directing him, but he'll manage somehow.

Phantom shook his head. His body was still trembling, but clenched his fist and took a deep breath and let it out to make it stop.

"No. I'm sorry. I'll fight too...!" Phantom said, surprising Zarc. Honestly, he was still afraid. But just letting Zarc fight alone against the enemy's big boss and protect him at the same time scared him even more. The thought of losing his friend at their hands terrified him even more.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Odd-Eyes Surprise Box! I can special summon an Odd-Eyes monster from my Graveyard with its Level lowered by 1!" Phantom summoned Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon as Level 6 monster from the Graveyard in Attack Position.

"I activate Ritual Magic: Advent of Calamity! I can Ritual Summon a Dragon-Type Ritual Monster from my Deck by Releasing 1 or more Dragon-Type Monster with Level equal or more than the Ritual Monster!"

Two dragon-shaped statues appeared from the ground together with a cup-shaped altar between the statues. Black flames surrounding the statues and altar with magic circle beneath them. As Phantom Released Odd-Eyes Gravity Dragon, the two dragons became spirits entering the statues. The statues burst out flames into the cup and started to form into a shape of a new dragon.

"Dragon with dual-colored eyes, resurrect from the purgatory and bring forth disaster to the whole world! Ritual Summon! Come forth! The Supreme King Disaster Dragon – Odd-Eyes Ragnarok Dragon (ATK: 2300 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 6)!" Phantom summoned Odd-Eyes Ragnarok in Attack Position. He used to have no qualms summoning the dragon. But now that he remembered, he was faced with difficulty to face it because the dragon was the one that he used at that time.

"Oh? Using the same monster that killed the Doctor? You're planning to repeat the same thing." Geist sneered, taking advantage to continue his mind game.

 _"Calm down. Back then I couldn't control my anger, but it's different now. Just hold this for a bit longer...at least until the Duel…is finished."_ Phantom tried to convince himself as the trembling returned again. No. Not now. He couldn't let Zarc fight alone.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Ragnarok Dragon's effect! This card gains half of the ATK of each Special Summoned Monsters on my opponent's Field!" Phantom increased Odd-Eyes Ragnarok Dragon's ATK to 4100.

"Battle! I attack Parasite Devil with Odd-Eyes Ragnarok Dragon! Twilight Doom!" Phantom declared attack.

The spiral markings on Odd-Eyes Ragnarok Dragon's body glowed bright and started to unleash lights that destroyed its surroundings, including Parasite Devil whose body started to crack after being hit by the orange light.

"At this moment, I activate Odd-Eyes Ragnarok Dragon's second effect! When it battles Fusion, Xyz, or Synchro monster, the damage is doubled! Destruction of the Age!" Phantom revealed. Odd-Eyes Ragnarok Dragon shot an orange colored blast with black flames spiralling around the orange flames, destroying the Fusion Monster.

 **GEIST LP: 3700 = 2700**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Phantom sighed as he concluded. He held his chest. His heart was beating so fast. He then saw them again in his mind, the moments when Odd-Eyes Ragnarok Dragon destroyed the lab, Parasite Legion, and the Doctor's scream as he fell from the building. He felt sick again.

A pat on his back brought him back from those horrid memories. He looked up and saw Zarc, or to be precise, Yukiya, smiling down comfortingly at him. It strangely made him a bit better. Geist, who was watching the exchange, made a displeased expression. He was having fun just a moment ago with tormenting the Pendulum user, and the Ma'at incarnate has to ruin it.

"My Turn! Draw!" Geist began his Turn and reassessed the cards in his hand. Just when he was about to pick a card, Apophis, through their telepathy, stopped him. His master directed him to use a card on his most right. Sensing his master's state of mind, Geist didn't dare to question him.

"I activate Magic Card: Parasitic Draw! I pay half of my LP to draw until I have 5 cards in my hand!" Geist paid half of his LP to draw more cards until he has 5 in his hand.

 **GEIST LP: 2700 = 1350**

When Geist looked at the cards he had drawn, he was surprised and speechless. His lips soon curved into an understanding grin. To think his master could tell the cards that he will drew. As expected, his master was truly the best.

"From my hand, I summon Magibullet Musketeer Calamity (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1300 / LV: 4)!" Geist summoned Musketeer Calamity in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Musketeer Calamity's effect! I can activate a Magibullet Spell or Trap card from my hand! I activate Magic Card: Magibullet Double Shots! I can banish a Magibullet Monster in my Graveyard to set a Trap Card that can be activated at this Turn and draw 1 card." Geist banished Star to set a Trap from his hand and drew another card.

"When a Spell or Trap is activated in Calamity's column, I can target 1 Magibullet Monster in my Graveyard and special summon it in Defense Position." Geist revived Demon Zamiel in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Parasite Reborn! I can special summon a Parasite Monster in my Graveyard on the zone it was last summoned!" Geist revived Parasite Devil in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Continuous Trap: Parasite Generator! Parasite Monsters on the Field cannot be destroyed by cards effects, also 1 Parasite Fusioner is treated as 2!" Geist activated the Trap he has just set using his earlier Magic Card's effect, multiplying the number of Parasite Fusioner.

"I activate Parasite Generator's second effect! Once per Turn, I can special summon 1 Parasite Fusioner from my Deck and as many Parasite Fusioner from any Graveyard as possible!" As there were three Parasite monsters in total, Geist increased Parasite Devil's ATK by 900, increasing Parasite Devil's ATK to 4500.

"I also activate Parasite Devil's effect! Once during either player's Turn, I can equip a Parasite Fusioner to my opponent's monster and take controls of it!" Geist targeted Phantom's Odd-Eyes Ragnarok Dragon. He'll take control of the monster that killed Doctor. It would surely bring more pain to the Pendulum user.

"I won't let that happen! I activate Continuous Trap: Pendulum Shower! As long as I have Pendulum Monsters in my Pendulum Zones, Monsters I control cannot be targeted by opponent's cards effects!" Phantom opened his facedown card, protecting his Ritual Monster from the Parasite Fusioner's attempt to attach itself to the dragon through the protection of Stargazer Magician and Timegazer Magician.

"Then Battle! I attack Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon with Parasite Devil!" Geist opted to attack the monster with the lowest ATK. Parasite Devil melted the dragon with its miasma.

 **ZARC LP: 3000 = 1300**

"I activate Continuous Magic: Parasite Nest. I can equip Parasite Fusioner to other monsters I control and then draw 1 card." Geist equipped Parasite Fusioner to Musketeer Calamity and drew one card.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Geist concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Supreme King Servant Dragon Chronoa (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 1900 / LV: 4)!" Zarc summoned Chronoa in Defense Position at the zone pointed by Cyber Matrix, thus giving the dragon another boosts of 1000 ATK, making its current ATK 5000.

"Once per Turn, Chronoa can negate an effect of an opponent's monster effect, so don't even think of trying to take control of my Cyber Matrix." Zarc warned the Magibullet and Parasite user.

"Clever." Geist whistled in respond.

"Battle! I attack Magibullet Musketeer Calamity with Cyber Matrix Link Dragon!" Zarc began his attack again. However, right at that moment, Geist opened his Reverse Trap.

"Continuous Trap: Parasite Pheromone! As long as this card is on the Field, my opponent can only attack a Parasite Monster with the highest ATK!" Geist directed Cyber Matrix's blast to Parasite Devil.

"I activate Parasite Devil's effect! By releasing a monster equipped with Parasite Fusioner, I can negate its destruction!" Geist released Calamity equipped with Parasite Fusioner to negate Parasite Devil's destruction, but Geist was not finished with just that. Thanks to his master, he was able to pull this off.

"Also, as long as Parasite Pheromone is on the Field, any damage inflicted involving Parasite Monster will be inflicted to my opponent with doubled damage instead!" Geist revealed as two portals appeared, shooting Cyber Matrix's blasts towards both Zarc and Phantom.

"What?!" Zarc and Phantom exclaimed together as they got hit by the blast.

 **PHANTOM LP: 1700 = 1300**

 **ZARC LP: 1300 = 900**

"I end my Turn." Geist concluded. He turned to his master."I thank you for your guidance, Your Excellency. They can do nothing now."

"Do not let this advantage to lower your guard, Geist. You must not underestimate Ma'at." Apophis warned, still focusing on Zarc who still hasn't shown any further sign of Ma'at's full awakening. They needed to do more than this to draw him out.

"Understood, Your Excellency. But with your guidance, I doubt they can win." Geist stated before turning to his opponents again. To be honest, he didn't understand his master's concern. As long as Parasite Pheromone is on the Field, any attack against them would be useless because it would only be inflicted back to their opponents. They have this Duel in the palm of their hands. With Ma'at not showing any sign of showing up from inside Zarc, their victory was assured.

"My Turn!"

Before Phantom could start his Turn, Lechter suddenly jumped in, appearing through a portal above. Everyone, except Apophis, was visibly surprised by his sudden appearance and intrusion.

"Lechter-san?!" Zarc called out.

"I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse Queen's Knight, King's Knight, and Jack's Knight in my hand to Fusion Summon! Legendary warrior who controls fate! Raise your sword to slash down the ones who harms your siege! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 9! Arcana Knight Joker (ATK: 3800 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 9)!" Lechter immediately summoned his Fusion Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Card of Sanctity! Each player draws until they 6 cards in their hands!" Lechter activated his Magic from his hand, prompting each of them to draw until they have 6 cards.

"I don't know how you get here, but I activate Parasite Devil's effect! I'll take control of your Fusion Monster!" Geist pointed at Arcana Knight Joker, motioning Parasite Fusioner to attach itself to the opposing Fusion Monster.

"I activate Arcana Knight Joker's effect! Once per Turn, when a Spell or Trap or Monster Effect is activated that target this face-up card, I can discard the same type of card to negate that effect!" Lechter discarded Magnet Warrior from his hand to deflect Parasite Fusioner away; Arcana Knight Joker used its sword to throw back the insect from attaching itself to it.

"I activate Equip Spell: Arcana Armor! I equip it to Arcana Knight Joker to increase its ATK by 800 and it cannot be destroyed by Battle!" Lechter further powered up his Fusion Monster, increasing its ATK to 4600.

"Battle! I attack Parasite Devil with Arcana Knight Joker!" Lechter declared attack on the opposing Fusion Monster.

"I activate Parasite Devil's effect! I negate destruction and due to Parasite Pheromone's effect, the damage is inflicted to you instead!" Geist declared by releasing Demon Zamiel equipped with Parasite Fusioner. Arcana Knight Joker's sword was blocked by a barrier protecting Parasite Devil and deflected it back to its master who received the backlash of the block.

 **LECHTER LP: 4000 = 3900**

"Exactly what I expected." Lechter remarked, confusing Geist.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Warrior's Strike! When a Warrior-Type Monster I controls conducted an attack, I can destroy one of my opponent's monster! Any Trap that prevents destruction through this card is negated!" Lechter declared, motioning his Fusion Monster to create a slash wave towards Parasite Devil.

"Stubborn fool! That still won't work! I use Parasite Fusioner equipped to Parasite Devil I control to negate destruction!" Geist sent Parasite Fusioner to the Graveyard, once again protecting Parasite Devil from destruction. However, as the result, Parasite Devil's ATK was reverted to normal.

"With this you have no monsters equipped with Parasite Fusioner. Meaning you cannot negate Parasite Devil's destruction any longer." Lechter pointed out.

"But my Parasite Devil's ATK is still higher thanks to my Trap. And thanks to my Magic, you cannot attack other Parasite monsters except Parasite Devil who has the highest ATK and the damage will be inflicted to you instead!" Geist reminded. He could just summon back another Parasite Fusioners to his Field through his Trap and Magic to increase Parasite Devil's ATK. And even if they were able to overpower Parasite Devil, the damage won't be inflicted to him.

"Then we just need to destroy those Magic and Trap."

Another portal appeared above them. This time, from the portal, Yuno came out, entering the fray the same way as Lechter did a while ago.

"Yuno-san?!" Zarc once again was taken aback. Did the others failed to distract him from finding out they logged into LINK VRAINS?

"Impossible! How do you know we are here?!" Geist questioned. Lechter was one thing since he has logged in first through their invitation, but how come the Oracle knew their location?

"Thanks to Phantom's secret track." Yuno answered simply, causing everyone to look at the said person who fidgeted by the attention he got. This didn't last long as Yuno started his Turn.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Revendead Born! I tribute monsters from my hand whose total Levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster I'm going to summon." Yuno used Vendead Hellhound, Hell Viper, and Core as his tributes.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 7! Vendead Battlelord (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 0 / LV: 7)!" Yuno summoned Battlelord in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"If Vendead Battlelord is Ritual summoned using Vendead Core as material, it cannot be targeted by card effects." Yuno revealed, meaning that it won't be affected by Parasite Devil's controlling effect.

"If Vendead Battlelord is Ritual summoned using Vendead Hellhound, I can target 1 Spell or Trap Card my opponent controls and banish it!" Yuno pointed at Parasite Generator, banishing it from Geist's Field. With this, Parasite Devil could be destroyed by effect and Geist couldn't revive a Parasite Fusioner from his Graveyard or summon it from his Deck.

"But my Parasite Devil is still stronger!" Geist reminded again.

"If Vendead Battlelord is Ritual summoned using Vendead Hell Viper, I can banish a Vendead monster in my Graveyard to force an opponent's monster to conduct a Battle Phase!" Yuno banished Vendead Hellhound before pointing at Zarc's Cyber Matrix Link Dragon. Both exchanged glances, knowing what they must do.

"Battle! I attack Parasite Devil with Cyber Matrix Link Dragon!" Zarc declared, targeting the Insect Monster. Cyber Matrix unleashed its blast, going straight towards the Parasite. Geist didn't make any reaction as his one last Trap would just inflict the damage to them, but Yuno proved him wrong.

"I activate Vendead Battlelord's effect! I discard a card and declare 1 card! During that turn, my opponent cannot activate that card's effect" Yuno discarded a card and declared Trap Card, negating Geist's Parasite Pheromone's effect, which left Parasite Devil vulnerable.

The moment the blast hit, explosion occurred, blowing the sands around them that prompted them to cover their eyes with their arms and closed them tight until the blow stopped. When the smoke and sands dispersed, Yuno and the others were surprised to see Geist and Apophis still standing, albeit the former was covered in bruises.

 **GEIST LP: 1350 = 675**

"Ugh...I activate Parasite Sacrifice from my hand. I destroy all my Parasite Fusioners and halve my LP to negate destruction and reduce the damage to 0." Geist revealed a card he activated from his hand. Ironically, if it were not for Lechter's Card of Sanctity, he would have been done by that attack.

"Phantom, you'll end this Duel quickly. Without his Magic and Trap, you can beat him." Yuno told the Pendulum user. He still has one more card to negate Parasite Pheromone's effect, so there was no need to worry for Phantom to attack without taking the damage to himself.

"Unfortunately, neither of us have the time for that." Apophis interjected.

All of a sudden, there was a strong earthquake, shaking the grounds. Their surroundings started to flicker and the data started disappearing. Yuno clicked his tongue. It has begun. Apophis has intended to abandon this domain as The Brotherhood and Imperial Guardians have found it. He didn't see any point in keeping the domain and decided to destroy it.

"W-what's happening?!" Phantom wondered.

"We shall retreat. This domain soon will collapse. I advise you to log out if you wish to live." Apophis took Geist into his hold, stopping the Duel. He flew as the sky opened again for him. Before he took his flight, he looked down one last time at Zarc – Ma'at.

"Our destinies are intertwined. We shall meet again soon, Ma'at." Apophis told him and then ascended to the sky, leaving the server.

"This is bad! If we don't log out now our consciousness will be trapped forever!" Yuno revealed, almost sending Phantom and Zarc into a round of panic.

"Everyone, log out now!" Lechter exclaimed.

Without further ado, the four Duelists logged out, a few minutes before the domain, the server collapsed completely, be gone forever.

 **INFIRMARY – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

When Yuya and Yukiya woke up in the infirmary a while after they logged out, they were greeted by not only the former's counterparts and the girls, but also the mentors and Yuno. Everyone but Rin, Kino, Rio, and Reid who were too exhausted from their Duels were wide-awake. Yuzu was so relieved that she threw herself to Yuya, hugging him tight, which he returned awkwardly, still quite dizzy. Yuno, who was sitting on his wheelchair beside him, was scolded by Jonouchi. After he logged out, he removed the barricade, but didn't give any explanation yet as he must check on Yuya and Yukiya, once again holding a conference in the infirmary.

"You worried us to death! You morons!" Jonouchi scolded. He almost got a heart attack once Yuzu finally explained everything. It wasn't difficult for him and the others to figure out that their leader went into LINK VRAINS to save their disciples.

"Yuno-san, Lechter-san, thank you for your help." Yuya thanked the two old men.

"It was nothing. If it were not for Yuno-sama's vision, we would have been in great danger." Lechter replied, turning to the Oracle.

"That reminds me. What kind of vision that you has seen, Yuno?" Jonouchi asked. Everyone was curious as to what kind of vision that was enough to push Yuno to logged in alone and even went as far as barricading his office.

"I'm sorry, but I'd rather keep that vision to myself for now. Please." Yuno pleaded. He sincerely pleaded, which worried his compatriots and guards. For Yuno to request with pleading expression and tone like that means the vision he saw was anything but good. When it was like that, Yuno needed time to collect himself until they told him. Forcing him to tell would only stressed him.

"Right now, I'm just glad that all of you are safe. Especially the two of you." Yuno smiled Yuya and Yukiya. They must have it the most rough for meeting directly with their biggest enemy themselves.

"Still...who would have thought that Yukiya is the reincarnation of Ma'at." Yugo mused, turning everyone's attention to Yukiya. While Yuya and Yukiya were still asleep after logging out, Yuno filled in what happened based on what he heard from Yuya's tracker.

"We have always thought Ma'at reincarnated into the Supreme King Deck. In reality the Supreme King Deck is just fragments of his power while his real soul reincarnated into a human. That is shocking." Yuno remarked, placing fingers under his chin in thought.

"Wait, since Yukiya is Ma'at's reincarnation, doesn't that make us reincarnations of Ma'at too?" Yugo questioned out loud, prompting the counterparts, especially Yuya, to turn at him wide eyed and quickly clamped his mouth to shut him up, much to his strong objection.

"Huh?" Yukiya voiced, but then remembered that since they were also born from Zarc's soul fragments, logically that also made them Ma'at's reincarnations.

"Yugo, did you forget that Yukiya doesn't know about Zarc?!" Yuya whispered quietly so Yukiya wouldn't hear them, still hiding the fact that he was Zarc's reincarnation.

"Oh, yeah, I forgot. My bad!" Yugo replied sheepishly in apology.

"Never mind him. It's just Yugo being the usual idiot." Yuri told Yukiya, and as expected, the said idiot was enraged by the remark.

"Who the hell is an idiot?!" Yugo was ready to fling himself to his Fusion counterpart, but got pushed back down by a smack or Yuzu's paper fan.

Yukiya still pretending not knowing about Zarc, and he decided to still keep quiet about it, so he didn't say anything else.

"Yukiya, is it possible for us to speak with Ma'at's soul inside you?" Yuno asked. If they were able to speak with Ma'at that might help them in future battles.

"I don't think so. But maybe if I go to the temple again, I may find something that can help us to contact his soul." Yukiya replied. The first and the last time he met Ma'at was when he visited the temple. If he goes there again perhaps he could awaken Ma'at's soul completely.

"You have to be careful from now on, Yukiya. As you are the reincarnation of his nemesis, it's clear that Apophis will make you his main target." Yuno warned the Supreme King user. No doubt Apophis and his men would make him his main target to be eliminated.

"I know. That's why I'm going to train more so I can properly control Ma'at's power." Yukiya said determinedly.

"Sorry everyone, but I need to have a word with them. Please leave us for a moment." Yuno told his compatriots and guardians. As Reid, Rio, and Kino were still asleep to recover, they were exceptions. Yuno only needed to give the look to get them to understand what he was going to say to the apprentices was extremely important for them all. Without question, they left Yuno with Yukiya, his descedants, and Celica's descendants.

"Relax. I'm not going to scold you for entering Amenti without telling me. In that situation, I can understand your decision. I will also do the same if I were you." Yuno assured them when he noticed their tensed gesture. He had scolded them several times before because of their stunts, so it was not surprising for them to thought that way when he asked to be left alone so he could talk to them.

"And Yuya, this time I applaud you for leaving me a tracker that only I will understand in case of emergency." Yuno praised the Pendulum user. Yuya knew Neon planned something dangerous and unable to trust her, so he secretly had instructed Kuribohder to send his handmade tracker through his Duel Disk to the Oracle once he logged into LINK VRAINS. To make sure Neon wouldn't know, he didn't tell any of his friends about it. Yuno had to admit that Yuya had gotten better in making decision and hands.

"Let's get to the main topic I want to talk about now..." Yuno turned serious, eyeing each of them. Too bad Rin was still in no condition to listen, but he could explain to her later.

"We all know that right now we are in the middle of a life and death war. In a war like this, whether we like it or not, there will always be sacrifices. We are in a situation whether we kill or to be killed." After listening through the tracker and seeing the vision, Yuno knew this talk was necessary for them if they want to proceed in this war.

"Unlike me, all of you are still young, yet you have to be involved in this war. Even if I know the importance, I know it would be too much to tell you the need to kill your enemies at certain times. But this is reality that you have to face." Yuno knew this might be cruel for them. They were still kids, they shouldn't be involved in this war, but yet they had no choice but to participate because of their connections with him and Celica.

"Even with the best strategy and best government, there will definitely be sacrifices. We have to make sacrifices not just in the enemies but also amongst our own friends. So we should be prepared for that. No one can proceed forward without sacrifices even no matter how much we don't want that. Those bearing responsibility can only minimize the sacrifices and not to forget those who were sacrificed." Yuno had killed a lot of people for various reasons, and had lost families and friends who fought alongside him or involved with him. He bears the burden of their lives, so he made sure he would never forget every single one of them as long as he still lives.

"Even if you don't kill, you'll still bear the burden of lives who have lost simply by surviving. There are times you'll wonder why you are still alive while the others not. I'm not telling you to kill. In fact, it would have been better if you somehow able to find a way to defeat your enemies without killing them. However, if you intend to continue fighting in this war, you must steel yourself for the sacrifices that will eventually come." No matter how hard they tried, people would still lose lives in a bloody war like this. This wasn't a game where they could just start over. Once the life is lost, it lost forever. For that reason, they have to prepare to be killed or losing people they knew, though it doesn't mean they fight to die.

"If you have the resolve to kill, there will be the day your hands will not tremble from the act. Always remember, you must not forget how it feels to take someone's life. Maybe the people you killed is someone who deserves it, but the sensation of how horrible it is to kill is something you must never forget."

Yuno stood from his wheelchair after that. He had said everything that needed to be said. The rest was up to them to decide. If possible, he preferred them not to soil their hands with blood. He was prepared to do it in their place if necessary.

Yuya and the others were left speechless once Yuno left the infirmary.

Each of them was thinking deeply what Yuno said.

Yuya left his bed, rushing outside to follow the Oracle.

 **BALCONY – MANSION – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Yuno-san!"

Yuya stopped once he caught up to his ancestor who was looking at the stars at the balcony. Yuno waited until Yuya regained his breath and stood in front of him. He had an idea why the boy came to him right after their talk. Listening the conversation through the tracker, he knew what kind of predicament the boy has.

"Yuno-san, how did you overcome it? How did you overcome the memories of people whom you killed?" Yuya asked. Right before he woke up after logging out from LINK VRAINS, he saw the face of the bloody Doctor cursing him. It was still fresh in his mind that Yuya didn't think he could have a good sleep tonight. He needed to know how to overcome this.

Yuno, however, shook his head. "I didn't overcome them. I often have nightmares about those whom I killed. It's painful, but I thought this is probably for the best." He told the boy.

"For the best?" Yuya repeated in confusion.

"I think it's necessary. If we killed, we need to accept what killing them meant, the weight, and to keep thinking. Doing that is the bare minimum of atonement I can do." Yuno didn't know what else he could do for the ones whose lives he had taken. Even if the others thought the ones he killed deserved it for their wrongdoings, Yuno just couldn't think it was as simple as that.

"As I already told you, we need to remember how it feels to kill someone. Otherwise, we may repeat the killing again without feeling anything. When that happens, before we know it, killing will become something as normal as breathing. If we don't want to lose our hearts, then we must never forget that feeling. That'll keep us from becoming a mere cold-blooded killer." After years Yuno no longer trembled when he killed his enemies. But it didn't mean he feel nothing. He would always remind himself the horrible wretched feeling each time he took lives. By remembering those feelings that would make an act of killing as something that cannot be enjoyed. That prevented him from thinking that killing is normal.

"Don't let Geist's words bother you, Yuya. You are different from him and the rest of them. This Doctor who revived as Parasite Devil, didn't he try to kill you and your friends?" Yuno placed both his hands on Yuya's shoulders, making the boy looked at him straight in the eyes. For a boy as young as him to already bear the burden of killing someone. Yuno couldn't imagine how hard it must be. The first time he killed, he was already an adult.

"I know that you killed him out of rage while you're not thinking right. But if you hadn't done that, he would have killed you and your friends. No, he might bring more pain to other people if you just let him be." He only needed to see Parasite Devil to know what kind of person this Doctor was in the past as human. He wouldn't say that killing him was right, but with that kind of person out of the picture; the world felt it became a better place.

"Don't punish yourself too much and learn to forgive yourself, Yuya." Yuno patted the boy's back before beckoning him to return inside. They already worked hard today and deserved a long rest. Yuno stopped when Yuya tugged his sleeve and extended some cards to him.

"These cards are?" Yuno looked at the three cards extended to him.

"Right now, I can't do what you told me. That's why I want to entrust them to you for the time being. You may use them if you want. Right now, I want to clear up this matter first. You're the one whom I can trust with them." Yuya placed the cards in Yuno's hands. With how his emotion jumbling up whenever seeing the cards, he couldn't use them ofr the time being. He didn't want to just leave them behind, so the only solution he reached was entrusting them to his wise ancestor.

Yuno was hesitant to accept them at first, but seeing Yuya's troubled face, this maybe was the best. He smiled softly and accepted the cards, patting his descendant's head.

"I'm looking forward to get to know them well." Yuno said as he sensed the spirits within the cards.

Unbeknownst to them, Yuri was standing inside near the balcony, listening to the whole thing. He looked at his hand as he remembered the time when he killed Roget and the nightmares he still experienced to this day.

"Never forget how it feels to kill... Learn to forgive yourself...huh..."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Ballroom Dance –** The Imperial Family is holding a grand party to celebrate Kurt and Carl's coming-of-age ceremony. Yuya, Yuzu, and their counterparts attend the party, but later find themselves in situation where they must confront each of their feelings.

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 **Done! Sorry that the Duel will have to be concluded like this. I don't want to spoil much about Apophis and I still need Geist around.** **Next chapter will finally show another Yu4 x Girls moments! I may write the chapter longer and take a break, so it'll take a while until the update. Please be patient. And about Celica using Nekroz Deck will be explained more in the next chapter, or you can reread the chapter when Celica first met her descendants and explain everything to them. About Ma'at reincarnated and such will also be explained in the next chapter.**

 **To** _ **Playerhood18**_ **, now that you mentioned it, it does seem similar with what happened in Kingdom Hearts. I've played the games, but really, the similarities were not intentional. Maybe while writing the story it subconsciously influenced me. (^w^)**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	49. Ballroom Dance

**Big thanks to** _ **Yuka Kuroshiro, Ulrich362, matrixnis, AntjayPhantom, Playerhood18, Jason, GamingGuy84, Unknowedz, Elbarto4000, Big duels, dvdryms, tsukikami02, NeoFGD, ThePLOThand**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **ROOM – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Four days have passed ever since their battle at Amenti. Those four days were used to rest and also to practice the upcoming ballroom dance at the princes' coming-of-age ceremony...which was tonight. Since they were so close, Yuno have Yuya and the others to practice since morning for final preparation. The practice was held in the Palace, Celica had made arrangement for them. She had appointed an instructor for this practice. The practice was done by pairing the boys and girls and have each of the pair demonstrated it.

"Oww! Yugo! Be careful!" Rin said as Yugo stepped on her foot for who knows how many times already since they started.

"Sorry! I didn't do it on purpose ya know!" Yugo retorted, struggling to keep his feet from stepping onto Rin's again.

"Before your feet can start learning these ballroom dance steps, it's important that you first learn the proper posture your body must maintain. This solid frame is what makes ballroom dancing look graceful, effortless, and elegant." The instructor had Yugo's head upright while keeping his chin parallel to the floor. He then helped Yugo lengthened his spine by lifting the chest.

"You should keep a natural curvature to the spine. Be sure not to overcompensate in either direction by tucking your hips in too far or sticking out your rear end. Stand solidly on both feet with your weight placed just forward of center. Once your posture is perfect, you will want to keep this all in your mind while you hold onto your partner and dance. Lift your arms, making sure the shoulders are high, but not raised." The instructor said as he finished helping Yugo with his posture. He looked at Yugo and Rin to check their postures. Once deeming them good enough, he nodded.

"Now that your body is ready, it's time to learn the first of the basic ballroom dance steps. Starting with your feet together, lift one foot and cross it behind the other foot. You want to aim for a 45-degree angle and place the foot about 12 inches behind the other foot. The rhythm for the rock step is "one and two, three and four." The instructor told the two, setting an example by placing only the ball of his foot down, transferring his weight to his back foot on the count of one, then immediately back to his front foot on the count of "and." Return his foot to its starting position directly beside his other foot on the beat of two.

"For counts three and four, you will follow these same steps, only reversing which foot is in the front and which foot is the one crossing behind. The rock step can also be performed by crossing the foot in front of your leg rather than behind it. Shifting your weight quickly in the rock step may make you feel off-balance at first, so start slowly and work up your speed as your body grows accustomed to the movement." The instructor demonstrated with Yuzu as his volunteer, showing the teens the dancing steps.

The instructor then had all of the pair to put what he had demonstrated into practice on their own. While they were not perfect, at least they were better than when they first practiced. They made quite a progress, so there shouldn't be any problem for tonight's ballroom dance. The practice lasted for four hours until the instructor must go to attend another practice somewhere else. The eight teens all were sitting on the floor, tired from the steps and all. Dancing could be so difficult.

"Do we really have to attend that party? I'm okay with the food, but I'm not okay with the dancing." Yugo asked. If there was one thing he was looking forward in the coming-of-age ceremony, that would be the luxurious food that definitely would be served there. For the dancing, however, he'd rather passed. What if he messed up and humiliated himself in front of the whole crowd? He'd die from embarrassment!

"The Emperor himself has invited us, remember? It would be far too rude to not come after we promised we would." Yuto reminded. To be honest, he didn't look forward for the ballroom dance that much either, but after receiving invitation straight from the Emperor directly, he didn't have the heart to say no and not coming to the party.

"But this dance is really a hassle..." Yugo whined, laying his back completely on the floor.

"Don't you want to dance with Rin?" Yuya asked.

"Not really...I can always be with Rin at any time, so this dance won't make any difference or anything..." Yugo answered while looking at Rin who was having a girl's talk with the other girls.

"Aren't you looking forward for the slow dance? You know, the romantic dance for couples." Yuri said as he sat beside Yugo. His eyes glinted as an idea came into his mind. He directed Yugo to look at the girls, to Rin to be precise.

"Try to imagine, you placed your arms around her waist, and she placed her arms around your shoulders. The two of you then can't help but then look at each other's gazes like there's no one but the two of you in the room." Yuri said, enticing the Speedroid user to use his imagination. And as he expected, in a flash, Yugo was back to his feet, looking down at them who were still sitting on the floor. His eyes seemed fired up like the fatigue from before was non-existent.

"What the hell are you guys doin' sittin' there?! Move your sorry asses and practice more already!" Yugo demanded, dragging Yuya first by his arm towards the girls, yelling at them to start practice one more time with Yuya could do nothing to stop him.

"You really know how to push Yugo's button." Yuto commented with exasperated sigh at Yuri who has that sneaky amused grin on his face.

"It's one my specialties." Yuri said, seemingly pleased by Yuto's remark that he took as a compliment.

"I'm not exactly praising you." Yuto replied, but Yuri ignored him.

"By the way, where is Yukiya? Shouldn't he be practicing?" Yuri asked, noticing the absence of their fifth look-alike. Yukiya was also invited to the party and required practice together with them. However, he didn't see the said person ever since the practice started. Was he skipping?

"He already did an early practice before us because he wanted to go to the temple. He should be there by now." Yuto answered.

Yukiya had wanted to go to the temple a day after the last battle at Amenti, but both Yuno and Celica convinced him to take a few days rest first as he had gone through a lot, and they didn't want the same thing when he first visited the temple to happen again. Yukiya relented and true to his words, after a few days' rest, he had morning practice and then left for the temple.

 **TEMPLE OF MA'AT – OUTSKIRT – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yukiya once again was standing in front of the altar within the Temple of Ma'at. Plenty of Kuribohs were there surrounding him like before. He closed his eyes and let the energies from Ma'at to flow out from him, following what Rio had instructed him. His body was glowing and flames appeared from the altar. When Yukiya opened his eyes, he was not at the stadium where he and Zarc fought, but instead was a pure white space without anything there...except Ma'at.

"Hello, Ma'at." Yukiya greeted.

"You wish to speak with me regarding what Apophis had said four days ago, I presume?" Ma'at went straight to the topic. Yukiya simply nodded at him. The boy has been curious of their connection. As Apophis himself has set his eyes on the boy, he has every right to know.

"My first reincarnation as a human was the Oracle's grandson." Ma'at started, referring to the time when Yuno left his son with his wife in the original dimension after Apophis was sealed. Yuno's son then started a family of his own, and Ma'at was reborn as his first child.

"The Oracle's father, the first person who ever used the Supreme King Deck, was a unique human in my eyes. Through him, I see humans in different light and it piqued my curiosity for humans. I thought, if I became human myself, maybe I can understand and feel more." Ma'at remembered Yuno's father whom he passed down part of his power. He was the first human who was bold enough to ask for his help while others didn't. He wasn't particularly strong or reliable but came to realize the value of others and the power of the friends and allies he made. he was a very determined person, refusing to give up on a goal once he set it. With the help of his countless friends and allies, and through sheer hard work and determination, he awakened his own power. As he never lost sight of his principles and the love he had for others, he believed love to be the key to peace.

"Once the Oracle's son got married, I reincarnated myself as his child. I deemed his bloodline would help me better understanding humanity, so I repeated this reincarnation in his family for generations. My latest reincarnation before you were Zarc." Ma'at revealed. However, while he reincarnated within the family for generations, he never made the presence of his soul known. He let the human souls to themselves while still able to experience what they did. Things changed when Zarc started succumbed into madness, however.

"So that makes Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri your reincarnations too since they were splintered fragments of Zarc's soul who was your reincarnation." Yukiya deduced, recalling what Yugo had said.

"That's not exactly wrong. But just as Zarc's soul passed on after he was pacified in the last war, my soul and power also left together with him, reincarnating into you in the present. Yuya Sakaki and the other fragments are indeed parts of my soul, but they didn't possess my power since it left with me to be reincarnated inside you." When Zarc found peace in Yuya's Dueling and passed on, Ma'at also left together with him, thinking it was for the best for the four boys.

When Zarc descended into madness due to humanity's corruption, the negative energies flowing into Zarc managed to overpower him that his soul was suppressed deeply that he couldn't interfere, and for those years, he lost faith in humanity. But after seeing Yuya dedicate his life to saving people and give them happiness, Ma'at remembered what made him love humanity.

"That means I'm the only one who possesses your power and memories? The only reason that time Yuya has the same power was because I shared it as a blessing?" Yukiya asked.

"You are correct about the power, but memories are different thing. Have you forgotten what Zarc and I told you before? Each soul always remembers each of their past life. Even if I have left them, they are still part of my souls, which means they still possesses my memories. However, they don't remember because they don't need them. The same also goes for you." Ma'at recited what he and Zarc had said before during their first meeting when Yukiya attempted to take Zarc's memories.

"Does this mean I am not allowed to speak with you like this again?" It wasn't difficult for Yukiya to notice the implication in Ma'at's words. He was the one who said himself he doesn't need memories that doesn't belong to him. He wanted to live his life as Yukiya Kanbara, his own identity, not as his past lives.

"If you want to move forward as yourself, yes. However, considering the present state against Apophis, we have to be in contact until you can master my power." Ma'at knew the direness of the situation. With the way they were now, they couldn't defeat Apophis. His power was necessary to vanquish Apophis once and for all. 1,500 years ago they failed, but he believed in human potentials. They'll grow together with his power and become stronger than Apophis. And just as Apophis said, they were the ones who started this war, so they should end it.

"I'm sorry that it must come to this." Yukiya apologized. Ma'at shook his head.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing. If I had finished off Apophis 1,500 years ago, you probably wouldn't need to go through this." Ma'at replied. If he had killed Apophis, everyone wouldn't need to live in fear of his awakening and terror.

"It's not all bad. I could meet Yuya and everyone." Yukiya replied. While it was true everything that happened after Apophis was awakened had been a mess, because of that, he was able to meet his new friends. Meeting them was one thing that he would never regret.

"How optimistic of you." Ma'at chuckled.

"I'm just saying how I truly feel." Yukiya smiled back.

 **EVENING – CHANGING ROOM – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

It was finally evening. 1 hour before the ceremony starts. Celica took the girls to their closet and changing rooms. There were racks upon racks of fabric of every color lining the walls. Between the clothing there were shelves of shoes and cases full of accessories needed for the party. At the far end were a wall of backlit mirrors for the girls to see their own reflections once they dressed up. Yuzu, Ruri, Serena, and Rin were rendered speechless for one long minute until they snapped themselves.

"W-wow! There are so many pretty dresses here!" Yuzu was beyond amazed. She never even dreamed to ever step foot in this fairy tale-like closet.

"W-which one do you think we should wear? There are so many that I don't know which one to choose!" Rin was looking at the dresses with sparkling eyes. She thought something like this only existed in fairy tales. No one could blame her, considering she was born as Commons who lived in a place that could be considered as a slum or even dump.

"I knew this would happen, so I came to help you. No need to worry, I'll make sure to make you all princesses for the whole night." Celica was enthusiastic for this. She only had sons and didn't have any female relatives, so she could only dream of picking dresses and make up with other girls...and her wish has just come true. It was like picking dresses for her daughters/granddaughters for their prom nights.

"I'm sure you'll want to look good in front of Yuya-kun, Yuto-kun, Yugo-kun, and Yuri-kun, so I have already thought up the dresses that would charm them." Celica said while picking the dresses. Her remark sent the girls into blushing mess.

"Why did you bring them up in the choice of dresses?!" Yuzu asked with her face was full red.

"Oh? Then you don't want to look pretty in their eyes?" Celica teased, giggling when she saw them even redder while confused on what to answer.

"Enough chit-chat, here, wear these dresses. Come on." Celica pushed the dresses to the girls, ushering them to put it on while she prepared the makeup. By the time she has arranged the make-up kit, the girls have finished wearing their respective dresses. Celica placed them on the chairs and started the make-up one by one.

She was satisfied with the result once she was done.

Ruri wore an entirely yellow dress that consisted of a yellow choker around her neck with a bow, a yellow dress that varied in shades from light to dark with a ruffle design around the shoulders, down the front and at the end of the sleeves, that reached her elbows and light-yellow shoes.

Rin wore a pale green colored dress adorned with a bow and that has a blue stripe pattern along the center at the front of the dress going as far as Rin's waist and appears to be duplicated on the sleeves of the dress. The dress also appears to be tied around Rin's waist with a bow, flowing down off of her rather elegantly. Celica added a jeweled hairclip to adorn her hair.

Serena wore a choker with a ribbon tied around and crescent moon-shaped brooch attached on it, as well as a red corset that at the top had a ribbon at the top of it, underneath flowed an indigo thinner dress. On her arms, she had more leather, topped with the same frilly material as her dress, covering from the tops of her shoulders down to her elbows. Serena insisted on wearing her ribbon, so Celica let her but she changed her hairstyle by tying to the side to make her more presentable in the party.

Yuzu wore a simple pink frilled dress underneath and a white overdress on top, with a bow on the back that billows out at the end while it laces up the front with white string. On her arms were detachable sleeves that are also laced up. She wore powder-pink lilies around her neck and around the waist of her dress. Yuzu didn't tie her hair into pigtails, instead letting it flow down with jeweled hairclips adorned her hair.

"Perfect! You are so pretty and cute!" Celica almost squealed when she looked at the girls.

The said girls, on the other hand, didn't know what to say as they looked at their appearances in the mirror. They could hardly believe it was them who were reflected in the mirror. And while they were pleased with how happy Celica was, they wanted to tell how beautiful Celica herself was. Celica's hair was tied back using a series of ribbons tied in a bow, having her bangs pulled back, trailing over the sides of her face and being tied with the rest of her hair at the back of her head. She wore a dark business vest underneath a floral-style overcoat which ended in black cuffs, a flowing dress and a shall tipped with a lining of fringe. She looked so beautiful.

"It's about time, let's go meet the boys and then start the party!"

 **BALLROOM – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Near the entrance of the ballroom, Yuno and the boys were waiting for Celica and the girls to come. They have finished with their change, welcoming several guests who came earlier. To hide their identities, they donned masks that Yuno and several members of The Brotherhood usually wore as their trademark in parties.

Yuto wore a black overcoat that fades into the color purple as it nears the bottom over-top of a navy-blue vest, with a white dress shirt underneath. He also wore black pants and a white ascot.

Yuri wore white skin-tight pants with a long violet and gold coat and a white ruffled blouse. He wore white gloves over his hands, and in a pair of equestrian white and black boots.

Yugo wore a white-colored ascot, as well as a blue undershirt, a long overcoat, green pants and white gloves.

Yukiya wore a collared shirt with some buckles on it, a cravat over it, a pair of white gloves, and black pants. He also has a black coat, black boots that were pointed at the tips.

Yuya wore an orange coat with hanging sleeves. Underneath, he wore a red striped vest and a belt. He wore spats and short boots on his feet and gloves on his hands. A large light red bow was wrapped around his waist.

"What's taking them so long?" Yugo said, crossing his arms and tapping his foot impatiently.

"Girls like to dress up as much as they can in this kind of occasion. Nothing will change even if you complain." Yukiya told the Speedroid user. He remembered when Sara took him for a cloth shopping, and it took hours for her to try on various clothes that he got bored waiting for her.

"Just how long do they need just to get dress up?" Yugo whined. He was actually, also nervous. Even after all that practice, he didn't have the confidence to dance. He was letting out a bit of his steam at the moment.

"Calm down, Yugo. I know you're nervous with the dance and all, but we have already practiced more than enough. We should be fine." Yuya tried to assure his Synchro counterpart.

"Here they come..." Yukiya heard footsteps that coming from where the girls were supposed to come. When he turned to them, Yukiya left his mouth hanging open, causing the boys to follow his gaze and they were as struck as him except Yuno. "Oh my..."

The girls in their dresses have become ten times cuter and prettier. The girls looked so bright and sparkling. Their beauties went straight through them. Even without makeup and dress, they were still cute, but this was on a whole different level. Yugo held the urge to just hug Rin right there right at that moment. She was so cure that he wanted to cuddle her, but he held it back, knowing they need to keep an image here. Yugo has imaginary waterfall tears of happiness. Yuya blushed almost as red as his own hair as he looked at Yuzu who has her hair down and adorned with beautiful hairclips on each side of her hair. He didn't have the word to describe how great this was. Yuto smiled at Ruri, silently praising her. Yuri and Serena looked away from each other, not knowing what to say. Yuno and Yukiya inwardly were praising Celica good job for making the girls so pretty that the boys were awe struck.

"Tada! Aren't they beautiful?" Celica said cheerfully.

"Yes. They are cute. Right, boys?" Yuno turned to his descendants.

"Y-yeah! They're cute...!" Yuya said honestly, much to his own embarrassment.

Yukiya looked at the girls from the corner of his eyes and started remembering Sara, imagining how it would be if Sara was here with them.

 _"If Sara is here...she would wear that kind of dress too... She'll be cute."_ Yukiya thought to himself.

"We have plenty of times to admire each other. It's already the time for the ball." Yuno clasped his hands, pushing the boys and girls to finally enter the ballroom.

The Palace Ballroom was 7,600 square feet with a dramatic 18' ceiling. The ballroom was beautifully appointed with crystal chandeliers and a creamy color palette that is sure to compliment your chosen color scheme or preferred décor. With the dark, wooden floor and vintage dim, canvas chandeliers emitting soft light. The room's exposed brick and grand vintage windows create a stunningly luxurious yet cool and rustic atmosphere. The flexibility of the space can accommodate groups both intimate and grand while maintaining a stylish and welcoming ambience.

The Emperor was standing with his sons on each of his sides. Celica and her guardians were greeting the oncoming surge of guests. Having them greet the guests didn't save neither the Emperor or his sons any breath, because they insisted on at least saying hello first to the Imperial family. Not only them, they also greeted Yuno and members of The Brotherhood who came to the party, being one of the most influential organization in the whole dimension.

They searched for any evil intents on the people, as well as to try to spot any weapons that they may have carelessly left revealed. It was one of security measures anyone would use. But, it never really works, because weapons were still smuggled in, or someone managed to convince them enough they were guests and not some intruders. The only thing they could hope for was that there would be no reason for a shootout to happen. They welcomed the last guests and then directed them to the ballroom.

Together with the Emperor and the two princes and Celica leading the way, the girls walked up to the stairs to the balcony which looked down into the crowds. As they climbed the steps, the crowd's talking turned to whispers, wondering who the four girls were. The Emperor stopped at the railing, absolute silence swept through them.

"To all relatives and friends who have come to my palace, I welcome you! Thank you for coming to the Imperial princes' coming-of-age-ceremony!"

Cheers and clapping erupted for three full minutes. The Emperor continued giving his speech about the empire's growth, their success, and all other matters he prepared to talk about beforehand. The crowd, which was just about to continue talking grew quieted as the Emperor started the final announcement.

"And for final announcement, we would like to introduce you to our distant relatives. They are my nieces and my sons' cousins who came for this special occasion. They are still new to this, so I hope you would treat them well as you would to all of us."

The Emperor beckoned the girls to step forward, revealing themselves to the crowd. The experience was nerve-racking with them being watched by everyone in the room. They took comfort in Yuya and the others' presence who silently were cheering for them from down there (they could see them). They were able to keep smiling politely while the Emperor were introducing them one by one.

"Now, following the tradition, Prince Kurt and Prince Carl shall start the ceremony with the opening dance. Their partners are our newly arrived relatives, Lady Rin and Lady Serena." The Emperor motioned his two sons and the two counterparts to go down for the dance. Kurt escorted Rin while Carl escorted Serena. As they were at the center of the ballroom, they could hear faint whispers from the crowds.

"Their cousins, huh..."

"That means they haven't chosen their partners yet."

"Yes. That's good news. We still have our chances."

"We're really going to do this?" Serena asked. She has agreed to play along with this, but now she didn't feel well with all the eyes on them like this.

"Don't worry. Relax, follow my lead, and enjoy." Carl winked in assurance as he positioned his and Serena's arms for the dance.

Once the music started, the two princes and counterparts started to dance. Both Kurt and Carl did well in leading the girls who were nervous and unsure. Before they knew it, the girls found themselves enjoying the dance, able to follow the flow like it was natural for them. The princes were able to avoid being stepped accidently by the girls and kept their balance when the girls seemed were going to slip. The other guests went silent before they finally clapped, impressed.

"Now! My family and friends! Let us continue to enjoy this night! Dance to your hearts' content and deepen our bonds with one another!"

One pair after another slowly joined the dance. Yugo was always the fastest to ask Rin to dance with him before other guys who have set their eyes on her did. Rin was glad at how fast Yugo was since she didn't know how it would be if she dance with someone she didn't know. Surprisingly, that allowed him to dance well with Rin. Although, he once the foods were served, the smell of the foods was enough to distract Yugo that he stepped onto Rin's foot. Fortunately, Rin has enough tolerance not to yell out in pain and acted like it was normal, saving Yugo from embarrassment.

Yuya and Yuzu were initially nervous with the dance, but when they started playing a more upbeat music and remembering the dance they have at the end of Heartland Duel Carnival, the two of them thought of themselves stupid for getting all nervous with each other and decided to just enjoy the dance, smiling and laughing as they moved and followed the music. All the nervousness from a while ago disappeared in a blink of an eye.

Yuri's words of 'dancing like there' no one else in the whole room' was the most fitting for Yuto and Ruri. Out of the eight of them, the two were clearly the ones who enjoyed the dancing the most. Ruri did well in taking the lead, dancing gracefully that anyone from nobilities would ask whose daughter from which noble family she was if she was yet to be introduced. Anyone who saw them couldn't help but be amazed, sincerely or begrudgingly. Plus, the way Ruri was looking at Yuto (whose face was still covered by mask) was the proof enough of their relationship that anyone who attempted to get close to her back down.

There were also those who just stayed and watched. One of them was Yukiya who secretly was taking pictures of his friends dancing, saving the expressions they made. This would be good teasing material. Serena has enough with just one dance and immediately retreated. Yuri made sure he slipped away so Yuno or any of his counterparts won't force him to dance. Once the foods were served, several people started eating either before or after the dance. The party soon became festive with all the guests enjoying themselves.

Mai just finished eating her cake when she saw Serena seemed troubled by a group of boys surrounding her, clearly trying to strike up a conversation with her in hope of getting close to the Imperial Family. Serena looked like she hoped for them to just leave her alone. Mai couldn't blame her for that. Those kinds of boys were just so annoying. They were like those she had encountered back when she was still working at the casino. Time for her to interfere.

"Serena, here you are. Lady Celica is calling for you. Please excuse us, boys." Mai told the boys in a flirtatious tone with a wink at them, causing the boys to blush and couldn't say anything to object as Mai pulled Serena away from them.

"Thanks." Serena said to her mentor. Finally, she could be freed from them. She then noticed at the outer balcony where moonlight shined over. Yuri was standing there alone, away from the crowd, staring at the sky, possibly at the full moon. Mai followed her student's gaze and smirked when she saw Yuri.

"This is your chance to talk to him, Serena. Come on, go girl!" Mai pushed Serena gently towards the balcony. She'll make sure no one would interrupt the two. The atmosphere, the scenery, and all were far too perfect for the two Fusion users to bond.

"Remember Serena, whatever the situation is, women always win at night!" Mai told her. Serena honestly didn't understand what Mai was trying to say, but she nodded nevertheless.

"That's your scheming face. What kind of evil plan you have in mind?" Jonouchi asked as he approached her.

"How rude. I'm just helping two lovebirds to be together." Mai retorted while flinging her hair behind. Jonouchi blinked before following where Mai was pointing at and looked in disbelieve at Serena and Yuri together.

"Yuri and Serena? Seriously? Are you nuts? In what way those two are lovebirds?" Jonouchi stared at Mai, raising an eyebrow like Mai has grown another head.

"I can't blame you for being too stupid to understand young love or a maiden's heart. You're always like that. No wonder you never get a girlfriend. Even Ryo-kun is more sensitive." Mai sighed in disappointment at the Oracle's closest aide.

"Hey! I'll have you know I can be sensitive when I want to!" Jonouchi defended himself.

"Like what?" Mai asked, skeptical.

"Like...I-I noticed about Yuya and Yuzu!" Jonouchi answered proudly.

"Those two are like an open book, anybody would know. Everyone already knows." Mai pointed out, sneering at Jonouchi's crestfallen face.

"Well you're the one to talk! You don't have a boyfriend either! Maybe you're already too old to their liking?" Jonouchi retorted with his own mockery. That hit Mai.

"Oh, now you've done it!" Mai retaliated by stepping hard on Jonouchi's foot, causing the guy to crouch down, holding his pained foot, not letting his cry to be heard as to not cause ruckus.

 **BALCONY – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Enjoying the view?"

Yuri turned behind and faced Serena. He felt his heart throbbing when he looked at her. The moonlight was like a spotlight focusing on her. She looked pretty. Very pretty even. But he'll never say it out loud right in front of her face or in front of anybody else.

"Oh, it's you. For a girl who uses beasts who can dance as a Deck you are pretty suck at dancing." Yuri remarked sarcastically, referring to her Moonlight Dancers Fusion Monsters.

"S-shut up! My Deck has nothing to do with it! Besides I have practiced a lot and getting better!" Serena defended. Why must sarcastic remarks come out from his mouth whenever they speak?

"Oh, please. It looked good only because Prince Carl was leading you. After that one dance with Prince Carl, all you do was standing back there watching everyone dancing." Yuri shrugged, his arms making a dismissive wave.

"But it doesn't mean I can't dance! Also, you did the same!" Serena hotly denied, pointing out the fact Yuri didn't even dance despite all the training.

"I'm not fond of this kind of event." Yuri answered simply and calmly.

"Well so do I. All these people coming to talk me asking about Imperial family and all, it's a pain." Serena sighed in exasperation.

"They're trying to get closer to the Imperial Family through you." Yuri told her. He knew what kind of people those boys were. Most of them approached her only because she was introduced as the relatives of the Empire, making them indirectly lined to the Imperial family. While they were boys who were genuinely interested in her as a person, most were just trying to get close to the imperial family either by their own will or ordered by their parents.

"I know. Celica-san has already warned us. That's why it's a pain." Serena had taken Celica's advice and lesson deep into her heart. Thanks to that, she was able to tell which one approach her out of genuine curiosity or only to get close to the imperial family. Those people grit on her nerve, saying things that they didn't mean.

As if on cue, Yuri saw behind Serena, in the room, a few boys noticed them at the balcony. No doubt their eyes locked on Serena. Vines formed on Yuri's face behind his mask as he realized what they were trying to do when those people started walking towards the balcony. Without saying anything, Yuri pulled Serena to him, holding one of her hands with his while his other arm was on her waist. This sudden move obviously shocked the indigo haired girl.

"H-hey! What are you doing?" Serena almost yelled while blushing at how close Yuri was to her.

"Quiet and follow my lead. Those people you mentioned have their eyes on us now. If you don't want them to approach, act like we're dancing and they'll steer clear. But be careful not to step on my feet." Yuri whispered and tilted his head to the room, to the boys who stopped in their tracks when they saw their postures. Serena meekly turned her eyes into the room and caught the said boys in her view. She didn't have a choice.

"I'm not going to! I told you I'm getting better! Just watch!" Serena retorted only loud enough for Yuri to hear as she was the one who started making the first step.

Serena step side with the right foot and then step forward with the left foot. She replaced weight on the right foot before did a triple step in place – left, right, left. She then stepped back with the right foot, replacing weight on the left foot before repeated the triple step in place but reversed. Yuri followed each of her steps properly. He steps side with the left foot and back with the right foot during the first move. He then replaced weight on the left foot and did a triple step in place – right, left, right. He repeated the next process but with his other feet opposite from before. However, the dance felt awkward. They were dancing so close and it felt tensed. It was like the music was not playing. Serena couldn't even face him. Seeing this, Yuri remembered how fun Serena has when she danced with Carl, and it irked him.

"When you danced with Prince Carl, you looked so happy and all." Yuri pouted, causing Serena to look at him and was welcomed with the annoyed face he was making.

"Can't you smile just a little bit? You tasteless Gorilla Girl."

Something cracked inside Serena the moment he said so.

"What was that you fox face bastard?!" Serena yelled angrily.

She froze when she realized how loud she was. She noticed a few people who were near the balcony were looking at them in surprise by her outburst. She quieted and started moving again like nothing had happened. Fortunately, the people were quick to dismiss them and returned to whatever they were doing. That, however, didn't make Serena back down without a fight, as the two resorted to quiet verbal war.

"Plant freak."

"Stupid gorilla."

"Idiot."

"Super idiot."

"Thick eyebrows shortie."

"Over muscles girl."

Strangely, the tension between them, started disappearing after Serena's outburst. She felt there was nothing she should be worrying about. What happened earlier felt stupid now. Her mood lifted up and everything returned to normal. That's right, when was the last time she was like this with Yuri again? She couldn't remember. It was like it happened long time ago.

"What's so funny?" Yuri asked as Serena started smiling and chuckling.

"It's been a while since the last time we're like this..." Serena said as she and Yuri finished dancing. "By the way, hold out your hand. Don't ask. Just hold out your hand. I'm not going to do anything weird to you."

"Won't that mean you're exactly going to do something weird to me?" Yuri said while removing his hand away from her.

"I'm not! Just hold out your hand! Five seconds!" Serena demanded.

Yuri was still hesitant but relented when Winged Kuriboh materialized and motioned him to extend his right hand to her. Winged Kuriboh won't do something that would harm her in any way, so he'll do as she said. Extending his hand and opening his palm, Serena took out something from her sleeves and placed it on Yuri's palm. It was a pendant. The pendant has enthralling design he would say. It has violet-colored petal-shaped crystal circled with moon-shaped silver and small yellow-colored stars decorating them. Despite its graceful design, the chain used as a small loop didn't make it look feminine.

"This is?" Yuri asked while looking at the pendant on his palm.

"You gave me a new ribbon, so I thought I should give you something too. Winged Kuriboh also helped me with that. We made it together." Serena said proudly with Winged Kuriboh beside her. She actually wanted to buy something with her allowance, but Celica had suggested for her to make one herself, introducing her to various books for present that she could make herself. She didn't know why, but she thought pendant would suit Yuri. Even Winged Kuriboh, when found out about it, was more than eager to help. With Celica's help, it wasn't difficult to gather things needed to make the necklace. What was difficult was making it. It was hard and long, but they succeeded.

"Like you told me in the letter, don't be picky and just accept it." Serena used Yuri's words written in his message when he gave her the ribbon against him.

"Kurikuri!" Winged Kuriboh also supported Serena.

Getting a gift from them was the least thing he ever thought. Come to think of it, this was the first time he ever received a handmade gift. In fact, it has been a long time since he received a gift or present. He couldn't remember when the last time was he ever received it. Seeing Serena and Winged Kuriboh were looking expectantly at him, Yuri sighed. He had to admit that seeing them waiting for his reaction was amusing though.

"It's common courtesy to say thank you when receiving gift, so I give you my thanks." Yuri said as he wore the pendant immediately.

"Look, about last time we argued...I'm not going to ask anymore what's troubling you. But it's just...I have to admit you're definitely handful to deal with, and you get on my nerves a lot. And while sometimes you mean well, it ends up backfiring... But in the end, it's proof that you're always looking out for me and the others." Serena suddenly went into that topic they supposed to have forgotten weeks ago. Before Yuri could say anything, Serena placed a finger on his lips.

"I know I understand, really...much better than you think I do. So please... Will you have a little more faith in us?" Serena smiled a little before removing her finger from him. Mai told her to make Yuri spit everything out, but she decided she will wait until he was ready. He seemed to have many things to worry about, and she didn't want her pestering to add more to him.

Serena patted Winged Kuriboh before walking back into the ballroom. She already said what she wanted to say and gave what she wanted to give. There was no reason to be there anymore.

"Are you ready to kill if necessary?" Yuri suddenly asked, stopping her. The question certainly surprised her, but she answered anyway, turning to him.

"We were trained to become Duel Soldiers for years, remember? Yes, this is not the same as carding people who can still be restored, but we who had been taught a way of soldiers for battlefield should have the mental to be prepared for that." Serena answered. Like it or not, she could still remember Academia's military teaching. While she didn't like it, those teachings were helpful in this war. Those teachings helped her steeled her mind.

"That means you're ready?" Yuri repeated.

"I'll try so that it doesn't have to come to that. But against someone like Shing and the rest, I don't think there's other option." Serena could tell that Apophis and his men were always ready to kill when dueling, except against the ones they were ordered to keep alive. Besides that, she could tell that they were not the types who could change like her and Academia students who were simply misled. Even if she defeated them without killing them, what then? They'll just start rampaging again, next time.

Serena wondered why Yuri asked her of this. She thought he of all people would have already prepared. She knew he wasn't naïve. And then it hit her of what happened between Yuya and the Doctor. Not only that, a year ago Yuri had carded so many people, making them suffered, and even if they have been restored, he was still carrying the burden of those sins he had committed. All of Academia who had been sent to the battlefield all carried them, as much as she was. She had carded Hokuto too.

"You're not alone in shouldering those burden, Yuri..."

 **GARDEN – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuya sat on the bench at the garden. The dance was fun and all but being approached by people who wanted to know more about The Brotherhood was tiring. The same also goes for Yuzu who was approached by people who wanted to get closer to the imperial family. After a struggle and help from Johan, they were able to sneak out into the garden nearby, not far but at least away from those people. They could relax a bit now. And honestly, while was having fun, he couldn't fully put aside his worries for days.

"You're not enjoying the party?" Yuzu asked as she handed a glass of orange juice to Yuya.

"That's not it. It's just…I'm…wondering about what Yuno-san said…" Yuya said as he accepted the juice, taking a gulp. No matter how hard he tried, his problem kept popping in his head. He couldn't stop thinking about Parasite Devil and the need to kill in this war.

"You mean about bearing the burden when you killed someone? You're talking about what you did to the Doctor?" Yuzu asked. She had heard about it from Yuya himself, but she never thought it would bother him this far. Maybe she couldn't understand because she never experienced what he did. She never killed someone like he did.

"Yeah. Even now, I feel horrible. Lately, whenever I sleep, I keep seeing that moment when I killed him. If I didn't kill him back then, he wouldn't have been reborn as Parasite Devil…" Yuya covered his eyes with his hand. That one scene kept repeating itself like a videotape. Once it ended, it rewinds back to the beginning. He even had a nightmare of the Doctor's bloody face cursing him. It was terrifying.

"But maybe you, Gongenzaka, and Tsukikage might have been killed instead that time. And even if you left him alive and imprisoned him, didn't Kino-san say that Apophis recruited the criminals of Academia when they attacked ARC-V? If the Doctor is alive, he must have already joined Apophis by now." Yuzu defended. She couldn't let Yuya like this. Yuya mustn't do this to himself. While an act of kill was something he didn't like whatever the reason was, there was no crime in defending yourself. And it didn't change the fact that the Doctor was a horrible person that no one would miss. No one, as far as she knew, felt sorry for the man's death.

"But…"

"You're blaming yourself for the Doctor to be reborn as Parasite Devil. You're trying to punish yourself. I won't say that that's wrong." Yuzu placed her hands on the top of Yuya's hand that was on his lap, making him look at her.

"But at the same time, you have the right to think about the lives you have saved. You have the right to think about them and forgive yourself. I'm sure if Gongenzaka and Tsukikage are here, they'll agree with me." Yuzu has no doubt when saying this. She guessed that at that time, Gongenzaka and Tsukikage must have been shocked and perhaps horrified by Yuya's action. But if they saw Yuya now and thought back of what happened, they would understand.

"Even if what you have done is a sin, I still want to be by your side. I will support you. I want to bear that burden with you." Yuzu leaned closer to Yuya, putting the glass beside her and Yuya did too.

"Yuzu…"

"If I'm going to be punished for supporting you, then that's fine. I want to stay by your side." Yuzu smiled sincerely. Sin could be atoned. Yuya was one of the kindest person she ever met. She knew he will pull through it. She will help him until he atoned everything.

Yuya's cheeks reddened after hearing Yuzu's words and feeling her so close to him, her hands still on his. If only they were not in the middle of a party, he wouldn't mind staying like this for a few more hours or maybe even a whole night. Feeling her so close to him by his side made him feel completely at ease.

"Hey, Yuzu, remember about what we talked last time after we escaped from the underground prison? You know, the one that got interrupted by Yukiya…" Yuya reminded his accidental confession at the hotel. They didn't get to continue that.

"Y-yes…" Yuzu said shyly, getting all nervous. She wasn't prepared for this, but she was curious.

"A-after this is over and we go back to ARC-V…do you…umm…" Yuya was struggling with his words. This was a perfect timing for them. No one was here to interrupt them this time for sure. Who knows when they will get a chance like this ever again?

"Do you…want to go out…somewhere with…just the…the two…of us…?" Yuya called himself stupid in his mind. What kind of love confession was that? No, that was a date invitation! Does she would even understand what he meant by asking that? He had faced stronger and scarier enemies in the past, so why simply confessing to one girl who was also his childhood friend was as even more complicated?

"Idiot. Why can't you realize it sooner?" Yuzu replied, looking away from him and looked down at her lap.

"Huh?" Yuya blinked.

"For years, my feelings for you have always been special you know…" Yuzu's cheeks turned pink like the color of her hair. She had done and reacted to many things that made people realized she thinks of Yuya as more than a friend since she was a child, but Yuya himself was the only one oblivious. And even now, he really needed to ask her even though she had already showed the signs since days ago in lots of occasions before?

"Then…that means…" Yuya's eyes glinted, looking hopeful.

"Dummy. Of course, my answer is 'yes'." Yuzu said, standing up from the bench in response. She was so happy that she couldn't sit still.

Yuya stood up too from the bench. His face was all read. He wondered if he was dreaming or imagining things.

"Kuri!"

Kuribohder suddenly materialized itself behind Yuya and pushed him closer towards Yuzu, urging not to just stand there doing nothing. It was jumping excitedly for its master.

"Please take care of me...from now on..."

Yuzu held up her hands like she was asking for another dance. Yuya softly took a deep breath and breathe it out before smiling at Yuzu and placed his hands on hers.

"Me too..."

 **HALLWAY – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

After having enough food in their bellies and people approaching them, Yugo and Rin sneaked out from the ballroom. They knew their presences were needed, they're just going to take a little break and then they'll return to the ballroom. Formalities like this just didn't suit them after all. They much prefer a party where they could do things casually without needing to be polite or learning noble courtesy. At least the dance was still fun and the foods were top class.

"You're as clumsy as always, Yugo." Rin finally said, referring to the time when Yugo accidently stepped on her foot while dancing.

"Enough about that! I don't wanna hear it anymore! I'm suck at dancing, okay?!" Yugo yelled back in annoyance, leaning his back onto the wall.

"What is bothering you?" Rin asked. She realized that for the past few days ever since their battle at Amenti, Yugo was acting strange. There were times he would seemed out of it and even times when he looked like he was seeing a ghost. He might be able to hide this from the others by acting cheerful as usual, but not to her.

"Nothing." Yugo looked away immediately. Bullseye.

"Liar. We have known each other like forever, Yugo. I know there's something bothering you ever since you defeated Neon." Rin moved so that she was looking at Yugo face-to face and moved again when Yugo tried to look away. She was not going to lose in term of stubbornness and persistence this time. She held Yugo on the sides of his face, forcing him to face her. Looking straight into her determined eyes, Yugo gave in.

"She's…dead. She's not here anymore. But yet, I feel she's closer to me than ever, following me around." Yugo revealed, slowly sliding down to the floor with Rin following him.

"When I got infected by the virus, I felt that she's with me. I thought if I defeat her and cured she would be out of the picture for good. But after I killed her, I feel she was still haunting me. I feel even worse than before." Yugo could see Neon everyday everywhere he goes. He would see her reflection in the mirror but when he turned around she wasn't there. He could hear her voices taunting him when he was having a problem. He could feel her touches when he was alone. She was supposed to be dead but her presence felt so real like she was still alive. Even though she was supposed to be dead, even though he was cured, why does it feel he was tied by her strings like a puppet?

"I wonder if this is what Yuno-san told us about. Bearing the burden of a life and understanding what it meant to kill someone. When she died, I felt nothing at all. In fact, I was relieved. Does this make me cold-hearted? Sensing her like this is my punishment?" Yugo curled up, closing his eyes tight and placed his hands on his head. Even now, that woman was with him. It scared him to death.

"Idiot. You are far from cold-hearted, Yugo." Rin frowned. She heard what Neon's last words to Yugo. Is this what she meant? She died but she was still lingering within Yugo. The torture and torment she gave him through the virus etched deeply into his heart, traumatizing him to the point she left behind her shadow in his heart and continued to haunt him. Even when dead, she was still trying to send Yugo into despair.

 _"I won't let things go her ways! I won't let her have what she wants! Not with Yugo!"_ Rin thought determinedly. She failed to protect Yugo. This time, she will help him. She will save him from Neon's shadow. She won't fail this time.

"This is the first time you killed someone. Of course you're shocked. An act of killing is not something to be taken lightly and is not something we can easily brush off. But Yugo, I don't think you did anything wrong. To me, what you did is a self-defense. There's no crime in protecting yourself when someone tried to kill you. There's no need for you to feel guilty about it." Rin said gently. She carefully placed her hands on Yugo's, rubbing his knuckles to sooth him.

"I tried to think that way, but I can't get her out from my mind. To be honest, it scares me. It's like she's watching over me wherever and whenever." Yugo curled further into the corner.

"I don't think neither you nor I can ever fully forget about her. Just as Yuno-san said, we must never forget how it feels if we take someone's life. Still, it doesn't mean we can let her control your life through her death. If we just let this be, you'll ruin your own life like she wanted you to be." Rin removed Yugo's hands from his head and put a hand beside his face, tilting his head so she could see his face.

"We can't change or forgetting the fact you've killed her, but it's not wrong to put behind the past so you can move forward. There's no point to continue clinging to what had already happened." Rin told him, patting his head like a mother trying to comfort her child.

"Come on, cheer up! Remember that you're not alone! I'm here with you! And also everyone else! You're bad at giving up, right? Then try your best to put Neon behind until you move forward!" Rin smiled brightly, showing her white clean teeth. She held arms open, knowing exactly what Yugo needed. On cue, Yugo threw his arms around her, hugging her.

"You're really the best, Rin!" Yugo said.

 _"...I see now..."_ Rin's cheeks became hot and her heart was beating fast. Yugo's hug felt warmer and his words brought this different feeling into her chest. Before, she couldn't understand, but now she got it. She understood what this feeling was.

Rin returned Yugo's hug, pulling him closer, which surprised the boy.

"Can we...stay like this for a bit longer?" Rin asked. Just for one more minute, she wanted to savor this warmth.

"S-sure…!" Yugo answered shyly, but was still happy. He didn't mind at all staying longer like this…if it were not for one thing.

"Kuri!"

Junkuriboh manifested itself and came between Yugo and Rin, banging its body to Yugo's chin, almost sending him unconscious. It didn't do it without a reason though. There were people coming towards them, so it must separate them before they were seen. However, playing nice was not its thing, it always prefer rough way with Yugo.

"You damn stupid ball...! Can't you read the mood?!" Yugo complained. They were having a rare loving moment and this little Duel Monster must interrupt them again. Why his Kuriboh partner must be like this?

"Kurikuri!" Junkuriboh responded by smacking itself again against its master.

"Argh! That's it! I take back what I said before! You are so not cute!" Yugo started a brawl with his Kuriboh again.

Rin giggled at their exchange and decided to let them be for now. They were having fun in their own way. She looked at Yugo, her cheeks turned pink as she acknowledged this new feeling she has.

 _"I may have...fallen for him...for a long time already..."_

 **OUTER BALL – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Here."

Yuto gave Ruri a drink as they were watching the crowd in the inner ball. After all the dancing and talking, fresh night air was the best for them. They appreciated it that there was an outer ball in the Palace. Not many people were there, so they could relax.

"Thank you, Yuto." Ruri accepted the drink, which was an ice lemon tea. "You enjoyed the ball?"

"I got to dance with you so yes, I enjoyed the ball." Yuto replied honestly. The last time they danced was at the end of Heartland Duel Carnival last year.

"Me too... After what we had been through days ago, this is a good breather." Ruri agreed. It wasn't bad participating in an event like this for once in a while in the middle of this war.

"It would be more fun if everyone is here..." She added, remembering Sayaka, Allen, Kaito, and everyone back home. And of course, her brother. She was started to feeling homesick. She missed her friends and family at Heartland. She wanted to go back as soon they can.

"Then, let's hold a party after this is over. Let's invite everyone. Sayaka, Allen, Kaito, Chris...and of course, Shun will be there. All of us." Yuto proposed. It has been a month since they last saw their friends and family back home. They were worried when they heard Heartland was attacked again, but they were glad too when they heard their friends and family were okay. There was no telling when the enemies will attack again, but for once Yuto wanted to be optimistic. He wanted to believe they would still be alive and able to hang out together again after this war is over.

"Yuto, what do you think about what Yuno-san said? Do you...have what it takes to kill? I...I don't want that. Even if technically our enemies are not humans, I don't think we can just use that as a reason to kill." Ruri said. Yuno's words have been in her mind. She didn't want to see anyone suffer and die, but she didn't want to kill her enemy either. Imagining her hands tainted by her enemies' blood was terrifying, what about Yuya and Yugo who had killed their enemies? It must have been harder for them even if they didn't show it.

"To be honest, I still don't know. I don't want to hurt anyone anymore, but knowing what kind of group Apophis and his men are, I don't think we can permanently stop them without killing them. They are far too dangerous..." Yuto understood that his thinking was naïve, but he couldn't take it. The war last year was enough. Even if his enemies this time intends to kill him and his friends, he still didn't want to kill them. He actually didn't want to hurt anyone anymore, human or not.

"One thing for sure, I'll protect you and everyone with everything I have." Yuto vowed. For now, he wouldn't think of killing his enemies. He didn't want to, and he hoped there was a way not to. Apophis perhaps was the exception to this, as simply sealing him away would most likely only repeat the same thing in the future.

"I'll protect you too." Ruri vowed as well. She also still didn't know whether she will steeled her resolve to kill or not, but she won't let people whom she loved to be harmed.

"That's why, I think it's about time for us to stop running away." Yuto took out Phantom Fusion from his pocket that he brought with him. He had considered Shark's suggestion to converse with his Fusion Monster, but he was still afraid despite understanding the necessities. This has to be stopped. He couldn't run away forever. He must speak with his Fusion Monster soon.

"We must face this and overcome it before it's too late." Yuto stated, turning to Ruri who also took out her Fusion card.

"We'll do this together." Ruri smiled, intertwining her fingers with Yuto's and leaned closer to him.

"Kuri!"

Rainbow Kuriboh has materialized itself without them knowing until it came with a plate of chocolate cake with 'Yuto & Ruri' written with heart shaped chocolate sauce above the words on the plate. Yuto and Ruri blushed at the blunt present from the Kuriboh.

"Rainbow Kuriboh!" Yuto scolded shyly. He never thought his Kuriboh would tease them like this.

Still, they nevertheless grateful for the present they received and ate the cake together.

 **LONG GALLERY – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Celica was staring at a small painting hanged on the wall of the gallery. It was the smallest painting in the room. The rest were showing houses, sceneries, and various places or historical figures, but only this one painting was special to her. It was a painting of herself as eating ice cream with her older brother holding her souvenirs and Yuno bringing more foods for them.

"This painting brings back memories."

Celica was almost startled to find Yuno already beside her. She was so engrossed in her reminiscence that she didn't realize Yuno entering the gallery. Yuno was smiling at the painting. He must be reminiscing that time like she did.

"Yes. Uncle painted this when we celebrated Brother's 16th birthday." Celica recalled. While she was having fun with her older brother and Yuno, her uncle was paining them from afar.

"We used to like to hang out in that amusement park." Yuno remarked. The amusement park was the biggest one in their country that time. It got destroyed when Apophis awakened. Recently, the amusement park was rebuilt, but on smaller scale. The current amusement park was still good enough though.

"That's also where we went when we hung out just the two of us for the first time. Our first date." Celica smiled. She and Yuno were 17 years old at that time. She finally had the courage to confess her feeling and she was overjoyed when he returned her feeling. He then invited her to go to the amusement park for their first date.

"It almost gave me a heart attack when I saw your brother. I was sure he was going to kill me if he saw us together like that." Yuno chuckled. Celica's brother was quite overprotective of her. He would beat up any man who was as much as staring at her in the wrong way. He remembered there was a thug trying to hit on her, and, let's just say that the thug was left stranded on street afterwards. Yuno had no courage to reveal his feeling for Celica to her brother until a few days later since they started dating.

"Right. That time we haven't told Brother of our relationship. It took a while until he accepted." Celica giggled, remembering how Yuno tried to hide himself when he spotted her older brother nearby during their date. It was hard at first even if they were close friends, but he eventually approved their relationship.

"You're not blaming yourself anymore about what happened 1,500 years ago, right?" Celica's eyes saddened.

"To be honest, I don't know myself. I can't fully understand these feelings I'm having whenever I remember those days." Yuno placed a hand on his chest. Bittersweet feeling swelled up in his chest when he remembered those days when he lost them.

"Anyway, I want to say thank you for helping last time. Thank you for saving Reid." Yuno expressed his gratitude to Celica.

"It's fine. You don't need to hesitate to ask for my help." Celica replied.

"I heard that you used Grungir. How come? I thought you gave Grungir, Clausolas, Nekroz of Sophia, and five other Nekroz cards to your son you left behind in ARC-V?" Yuno asked. When Celica decided to stay in the artificial dimension, she left behind the Sephira Deck and several of her Nekroz cards to her son who stayed in the original dimension. So those cards weren't supposed to be in her possession.

"It happened 15 years ago, actually. All the Nekroz cards I've given up reappeared in my room. I think this has something to do with Ray reincarnating into Yukiya-kun's friend, Sara. Just like you have sensed Supreme King Deck's presence when Yukiya-kun was born, I also sensed the presence of Nekroz and Sephira Deck when Sara-chan was born. The Sephira Deck stayed with Sara-chan, but the Nekroz cards for some reason decided to return to me." Celica explained her theory.

"You have used Sephira and Nekroz Decks passed down in the imperial family, but your specialty is Nekroz Deck, Ritual Summoning like me. Maybe Ray or Sara's specialty leans more towards Sephira Deck. That's why the Nekroz cards decided to return to you once they were reborn in this dimension." Yuno deduced.

"Yes. That's the only explanation I could think of." Celica agreed. Sephira Deck was not bad in any way, but she preferred using the summoning and strategy that she had polished since she was a child, which was Ritual Summoning. And Nekroz Deck was perfect for her.

"Anyway, there's still more isn't it? Your vision. It's not just Reid-kun being in danger. There's more that you have to logged into LINK VRAINS yourself and barricaded your office." Celica changed the topic. She only needed to listen to Yuno's voice to know that the vision he had scared him when he called for her help. The paled face Yuno has now was the proof.

"Yuno. What have you seen that's making you so afraid?" Celica held his hand tight. She didn't want him to run away and not telling her anything this time. He must let it out before it stresses him.

"Not yet."

"About what?"

"When I saw that vision, I thought it would happen there at that time, but it seems I was wrong. The event as I saw in my vision has yet to come." Yuno frowned deeper. He wished this wasn't a vision. He wished it were only a dream. He wished this vision wouldn't come true.

"What did you see, Yuno?" Celica asked again. Yuno started to tremble. What vision did he saw to make him like this?

Before Yuno could answer, they heard footsteps scrabbling on the ground, then, and they all looked up at the young person who skidded to a stop outside the door. Yuno didn't know his name, but he recognized him as one of the message runners for the intermediary council.

"Ah, there you are," he gasped. "Please excuse my interruption, but Lord Oracle, your presence is needed in the ballroom."

"Me?" Yuno said, blinking. "What is it? I don't think there's any problem or event involving The Brotherhood in this party."

"I know, my lord, but there's...been a development. And he's asking to see you."

"Who's asking?" Celica said, eyes narrowing.

The young messenger paled slightly, eyes shifting.

"The Supreme Commander Heidel Aberforth." He revealed.

The room dropped almost three degrees, and Yuno suddenly felt dizzy.

"The Supreme Commander...attend this party?""

 **BALLROOM – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuno left Celica at the gallery, assuring her he would be fine alone. Back to the ballroom, Yuno saw Heidel speaking with Carl and Kurt before the two princes excused themselves, being called by their father. Heidel then noticed him walking towards him, giving him a wave, which Yuno returned. He had heard that the Emperor also extended invitation to Heidel, but Yuno never thought he would come. He thought he would focus on the current affair.

"It has been a while, Lord Oracle. I'm overjoyed to see you well." Heidel greeted politely, offering a handshake.

"It has been a while, Supreme Commander Aberforth." Yuno greeted back, accepting the handshake.

"Clearly the gods have bestowed their blessings upon us."

"Thank you."

"I'd like to assure you that we're starting nationwide hunt for Apophis and his men. I even have recruited help from ARC-V. He is one of the most excellent scientists in that dimension." Heidel informed the Oracle. The part of a scientist from ARC-V helping Heidel caught Yuno's attention.

"My, my. Nothing get past you, isn't it? I suppose that means you have made alliance with the whole ARC-V?" Yuno asked, feigning ignorance of his meeting with the ruling figures of ARC-V.

"Not yet. But it's underway. Their dimension is as much in danger as ours. Two groups join hands to fight against the same enemy is a common thing, no?" Heidel responded so certainly. He was confident that they would agree to form alliance with him.

"Unfortunately, that cannot be said to our situation. The nobles and commoners in our world are still opposing one another. Phantom Dragons have helped, but the hostilities are still there. Even with all those threat, they're still refusing to work together." Yuno reminded the present state of their people. Even though the Phantom Dragons have demonstrated and brought unity for the two factions, there were still sides refusing, mainly from nobilities, to work together over their difference in social status.

"Please do not worry, Lord Oracle. I have a plan to persuade them all to work together. Of course, this would require His Majesty and your assistance." Heidel smiled in assurance, gesturing to him and the Emperor not too far from them.

"A plan?" Yuno remarked in question.

From afar, Serena noticed Yuno talking with Heidel. She only heard about Heidel from Mai, Yuno, and Aoi, so she didn't know what to think about him. However, seeing Yuno's gestures gave her a bad feeling. What were they talking about? Out of curiosity, Serena intended to approach Heidel, but was stopped when a young man wearing a black mask came into her view, bowing gentlemanly before her.

"Would you give me the pleasure of dancing with you, Milady?" He asked politely.

"Sorry, but I'm not that good at dancing." Serena tried to decline and brush him off, but he then held her arm and whispered into her ear.

"It's all right. I will guide you step by step…Serena-chan."

Serena tensed as she finally recognized his voice. She slowly turned to him warily. The man opened his mask a little bit, revealing his full face. Hiss grip on her arm tightened as she realized who he was, keeping her in place.

" _Shiki…!"_

"You don't want to cause a ruckus that might…harm people around you, won't you?" Shiki threatened, glancing at guests around them. If they fought right there right now, Shiki could be captured, but he would make sure to make some casualties in return. That won't happen for now though since he knew Serena was not a type who would sacrifice people easily like that. Shiki took her hand to his and placed his arm on her waist.

"Let's have a dance, Milady Serena."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Humans Who Sides with Apophis –** Shiki and some of Apophis Servants have infiltrated the party by disguising as guests and servants, carefully separate the counterparts from the rest of their comrades.

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 **I never thought this chapter ended up longer than I had expected. While writing I suddenly decided to make more additions and it ended up like this. How is it? Are the Yu4 x Bracelet girls moments to your liking? I said this chapter will be a breather, but in the end, I still added some serious stuff. Sorry about that. And the next chapter will not be a breather either. I'm not familiar with ballroom dancing and this was something I took from reading about ballroom dances in google. Sorry if it wasn't good. If you understand the title of the next chapter, then be prepared!**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter.**


	50. Humans Who Sides with Apophis

**Big thanks to** _ **Unknowedz, Yuka Kuroshiro, Big duels, Ulrich362, Elbarto4000, Playerhood18, dvdryms, NeoFGD, Jason, GamingGuy84, D3lph0xL0v3r, UST Colbalt Diamond, tsukikami02**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **BALCONY – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"I don't think you're the type of a lone wolf."

Yuri turned and was greeted by his mentor, Ryo, together with Jonouchi, the rest of his counterparts, the girls (minus Serena), and Yukiya. From their faces, Yuri could tell they, his counterparts and the girls, didn't come willingly, being pushed by Jonouchi who now has Yuya in a headlock. Yuri's guess was that Jonouchi spotted them in secluded place and urged them to blend in when they were having a moment that they'd rather no one would interrupt. He has no doubt that his mentor also realized this and got pulled in.

"It's you guys. How rare." Yuri referred to the fact they were all together.

"I don't think we should be alone in this party. It's more enjoyable to spend it together!" Jonouchi stated with an excited huff. He was always the one kept the team together while Yuno was absent. In this kind of party, people should spend times with each other socializing to get to know one another and understand more of higher-class society for education purpose.

"Jonouchi, you didn't get the hint, didn't you?" Kurt came in, having left his brother and his father's side after spotting them gathering together.

"Prince Kurt! Congratulations on your coming-of-age." Jonouchi congratulated the first-born prince, shaking his hand. The others also congratulated the prince in their own way.

"And what do you mean by hint?" Jonouchi asked. Had he done something wrong?

"You're interrupting these lovebirds. Let them separate and enjoy their times, just the two of them." Kurt revealed, glancing teasingly at the teens who were blushing mad at the implication.

"W-what?! No! You get it wrong! Rin and I are not really..." Yugo trailed off while glancing meekly at Rin who was also blushing while looking away from Yugo.

"It's okay, boys and girls. You can disperse once more. In fact, I know just the place so each of you pair can be alone together. Just make sure not to do something overboard, okay?" Kurt said as he placed himself between the boys and girls, placing his arms on Yuya and Yuzu while giggling as the said teens' face reddened.

"P-Prince Kurt! Please stop with the tease!" Yuzu pleaded.

"Off you go. Jonouchi, I recall Johan was looking for you. He should be at the hallway." Kurt ushered Jonouchi back into the ballroom. More like kicking him out from interrupting the so-called lovebirds. Yukiya decided to stick with Jonouchi since unlike Yuya and the others; he has no 'date' to accompany him.

"Unfortunately for Yuri-kun, Serena has been stolen by someone else. Ryo-kun, you make sure comfort your student from his heartbreak." Kurt told the Cyber Dragon user, giving the violet haired boy what seemed to a sympathizing gaze.

"I'm not having a heartbreak and it's not like Serena and I am going out." Yuri denied. His tone was close to being annoyed.

"Still, it's not good to be alone. Accompany him well, Ryo-kun." Kurt said before leaving the mentor-student pair, going back inside and approach Celica who just returned from the long gallery.

Ryo glanced down at his student who noticed his glance.

"What? You're going to try to tease me too?" Yuri asked, frowning.

Ryo chuckled before ruffling his student's hair as usual.

"How about we take a walk outside? You're also having enough with these crowds, aren't you?" Ryo suggested, pointing his thumb outside the balcony.

For once, Yuri agreed. He disliked being surrounded by these people who said insincere things just t get closer to the Oracle. Were they took him for an idiot to fall for such a pathetic sweet talk?

"That is very much appreciated."

 **BALLROOM – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Supreme Commander. Lord Oracle."

The Emperor approached Heidel and Yuno after he and Carl spoke with some guests. When he noticed Heidel and Yuno together, he had wanted to speak with them, but the guests insisted on speaking with him and it would be too impolite to abruptly leave them. Fortunately, Carl covered for his father and Heidel's men delivering Heidel's message allowed the Emperor to excuse himself. He knew that those nobles would try to stop him from getting closer to Heidel whom they view as a threat, but his second son did well in distracting them.

"Good evening, Your Highness. I am pleased to see you well." Heidel greeted the Emperor.

"Thank you. I have heard from your men that you required my presence. They said you have a plan that can convince the two factions to work together?" The Emperor asked with hopeful tone. For the sake of peace between the two factions, he would gladly lend a hand. Their world was in a dire situation, but the people were at conflict with each other over trivial things such as social status. They should concern with that problem later after Apophis is defeated. Even as an Emperor, his words were not enough to sway his people. But perhaps, if he, Heidel, and the Oracle work together, they could make more impact.

"Yes. To do that, I need Your Highness and Lord Oracle's help. This is something that only the three of us can do." Heidel confirmed, looking at both the Emperor and the Oracle.

Before the Emperor respond, he blinked as he noticed an unexpected thing happened in the ball.

"Is something the matter, Your Highness?" Yuno asked, noticing his gaze turned to something else.

"No. I'm just a little bit surprised." The Emperor gestured to Serena who was dancing with another guest. This also, surprised Yuno. They had thought that after Serena's dance with Carl, she won't accept any dance invitation with another person. They had thought Serena would immediately retreated to somewhere no one would bother her. But here she was, dancing with someone.

Meanwhile, Serena was not enjoying this dance at all. She probably would have enjoyed it if only her dance partner was not an enemy she was supposed to defeat. Plus, she was still holding a grudge against this guy who inadvertently pushed her and Yuri into the river that almost killed them. That time when she drowned, she was positive she saw the other side for a moment and nearly crossed to that side. Fortunately, whoever was hiding the four dragons saved them.

"If you're here...that means your comrades are here too?" Serena asked, glaring at the guy while trying to 'accidently' step on his feet, which unfortunately the guy was able to evade. As much as she hated to admit it, the guy was a good dancer.

"Do you need to ask the obvious?" Shiki raised a brow while still keeping his smile.

"If you're going to wreck a havoc in this place, why don't you just do it now?" Serena questioned again. What was he trying to do by asking her to dance with him while he could just crash the party?

"I'm waiting for the signal. You don't need to worry; our purpose here is not to kill any of these plebeians or anything. But if you say anything now, I can't promise that." Shiki threatened, emphasizing it by tightening his hold on Serena. If he made a ruckus now, it's possible he will be captured. But it won't be difficult to make some casualties before that.

"You're still planning to capture Yuri, Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo to lure out the four dragons?" Serena intensified her glare and her attempt to step on the Orichalcos user.

"That was the plan. However, to be honest, I'm not sure myself that will work since whoever is hiding them clearly make sure they won't go near any of their masters unless absolutely necessary." Shiki answered honestly. It was quite frustrating that whoever this new group who stole the dragons from them during the transfer did a job well done in hiding their tracks. Furthermore, the group had made it clear they were avoiding meeting the dragons' respective masters for some reason. Even if they managed to lure the group out, they'll most likely send representative who won't use the dragons.

"I don't know what you are planning, but I'm not going to let you do as you please. I won't hand over my friends to you." Serena stated. It wasn't a threat. It was a promise.

"Humans are such feisty creatures. Going this far simply for friends and all." Shiki had to agree with Kamui. He just couldn't understand human's way of thinking. Why would they go so far for someone else? They were unpredictable. Why can't they be simple?

"I won't expect a puppet like you who only listen to his master's order to understand." Serena replied bitterly.

"A puppet? Now that's rude, you know." Shiki felt offended.

"But isn't that the truth? All of you follow Apophis' order without a question or even have a passing thought. Doesn't that show that you can't neither think for yourself or making your own decision?" Serena pointed out.

That hit Shiki hard. He couldn't retort. Ever since he was born, he had only been following this creator's order. He never stopped for even a second to think the order given to him. He never questioned why he must do this. He never thought what he wants to do for himself. Everything until now, for some reason, he only thought of fulfilling his master's wish.

"Never mind about me." Shiki dismissed the thought. He was in the middle of a mission. He mustn't get distracted. "I'm sure you have heard about humans who worked with us."

Shiki leaned down closer to Serena's face, facing right at her left ear and breathed into it that it tickled Serena. She tried to push him away, but Shiki's grip on her was strong.

"Those two humans are here. Amongst you."

Shiki whispered before abruptly letting go of her to jump onto the chandelier, startling Serena and the rest of the guests. Shiki was hanging onto the chandelier with one hand while the other discarded his mask, revealing his face to everyone. He eyed the entire room and grinned as everything has been put into motion. Serena tried to look around her for any suspicious people, but instead she realized that she didn't see Yuri or any other counterparts, not in the room or even at the balcony or outer ball.

"Let the real party begins."

Shiki raised a hand and flicked his fingers as he announced. Soon, the entire room shook and followed by Apophis Servants, Obelisk Forces, and former Securities crashed the windows, throwing off grenades above that destroyed the ceilings and walls. Screams and cries filled the destroyed ballroom. The guests started running out for their lives. The ones who stayed behind were the Palace guards, the Brotherhood members, Imeprial Guardians, Heidel's Duelists, technically everyone who can fight.

The party was over.

"Damn! Yuri...! Everyone...!" Serena looked around, running to the places where she thought her friends would be. She was an idiot for not realizing it. Shiki was separating her and her friends from one another and their other comrades so it would be easier for him and his goons to capture them. While she was confident Yuri and the others could take care of themselves, Shiki's warning worried her.

 _"The humans who are working with them are amongst us. Who? Who are they?"_

 **OUTSIDE – PALACE GROUND – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

When the surprise attack occurred, Yuno and Heidel immediately placed themselves in front of the Emperor to protect him. While Yuno didn't trust Heidel, he at least understood that Heidel won't let the Emperor die. He knew that whatever Heidel's plan was, the Emperor's role was crucial. And regardless of his plan, having the most important person in the whole dimension dead would cause unrest amongst the citizens, and with the conflicting factions, it might end up with them destroying themselves. That would put Heidel in difficult position too. At the very least, he could entrust the Emperor's safety to him while he fights off the incoming enemies.

"Your Highness! Over here!" Heidel escorted the Emperor with his men away from the enemies, defeating them one after another. They circled the Emperor.

"Keep His Highness safe! Don't let any of them get close to His Highness!" Heidel ordered his men as they raised their Duel Disks.

After making sure that the Emperor was well-protected by Heidel and his men, Yuno faced the incoming group of three Obelisk Forces coming at him. He recognized them from the description given by Kino and confirmed by Yuri. They have told him how their Decks work as well. He had studied their Decks and strategies in case he encountered them. This was the perfect opportunity to put his study into action. He didn't mean to be smug or arrogant, but if his descendants could defeat these guys, then he certainly able to.

"You must be the Obelisk Force." Yuno said while removing a glove he was wearing with his teeth before then removing the other one with his other hand, throwing them to the ground.

"So what if we are?" Obelisk Red asked, not liking the attitude given by the brat (They didn't know his real age).

"I'll take the three of you on. I'm alone is enough." Yuno stated, raising his Duel Disk.

"Know your place, filth." Obelisk Yellow was clearly offended.

"Let's give him a lesson." Obelisk Green said.

The four of them activated their Duel Disks, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm taking the first Turn! I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse my two Antique Gear Hound Dogs in my hand! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 6! Antique Gear Double-Bite Hound Dog (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 6)!" Obelisk Yellow summoned Double-Bite Hound Dog in Attack Position.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Obelisk Yellow concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Ritual Spell: Undead Dragon Offering! I can tribute monsters from my hand or Field with to Ritual Summon Dragon-Type Ritual Monster from my hand with Level equals to the total Levels of the tributed monsters!" Yuno sent his two copies of Vendead Revenants to his Graveyard, beginning the ritual as the altar emerged from the ground.

"Awake from your slumber and drag your enemies into deepest bowels of the earth! Ritual Summon! Appear! Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8)!" Yuno summoned his ace monster in Attack Position.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Yuno concluded. He eyed Obelisk Yellow's set card. He originally intended to attack the Fusion Monster, but he didn't know what kind of card his Reverse Card was, so Yuno decided to against it.

"As a monster was Special Summoned, I activate the effect of Double-Bite Hound Dog to put a Gear Acid Counter on that monster!" Obelisk Yellow declared, placing a gear above the Ritual Dragon that seemed harmless.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Gear Attraction! A Monster with Gear Acid Counter must attack a monster I control!" Obelisk Yellow activated the last remaining card in his hand. The gear above Mad Abyss started to roll. The ritual dragon growled and then ran forward at the Double-Bite Hound Dog, ready to use its skeletons to destroy the Fusion Mosnter.

"As a monster with Gear Acid Counter is battling, I activate the effect of Double-Bite Hound Dog to destroy that monster without applying damage calculation!" Obelisk Yellow revealed. The gear above Mad Abyss exploded, destroying the Ritual Monster.

"Quick-Play Spell: Undead Mad Party! When a Ritual Monster I control is destroyed during Battle Phase, I can discard a card from my hand to Special Summon a higher-Level Ritual Monster from my Deck ignoring its summoning condition!" Yuno opened his first Reverse Card, discarding Vendead Mummy from his hand to summon back new altar.

"Dragon born from the purgatory, ascend to the surface and bring forth the end to the corrupted souls! Ritual Summon! Level 10! Rave Abyss Ritual Dragon (ATK: 3200 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10)!" Yuno summoned Rave Abyss in Attack Position.

"I end my Turn." Obelisk Yellow clicked his tongue. He thought he could destroy Yuno's monster and then let his teammates to attack him directly that would have finished the brat off.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse my three copies of Antique Gear Hound Dogs from my hand! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 7! Antique Gear Triple-Bite Hound Dog (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 7)!" Obelisk Red summoned Triple-Bite Hound Dog in Attack Position.

"From my hand, I summon Antique Gear Hound Dog (1000/1000)!" Obelisk Red normal summoned Hound Dog in Attack Position. Due to its effect, it can inflict 600 damage to Yuno while he controls a monster once per Turn. Hound Dog shot crimson flame, pushing back Yuno who took the damage.

 **YUNO LP: 4000 = 3400**

"I activate Hound Dog's effect! When I control another Antique Gear Monster, I can Fusion Summon 1 Antique Gear Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck! Come forth! Level 9! Antique Gear Ultimate Hound Dog (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 9)!" Obelisk Red proceeded with summoning a stronger Fusion Monster, summoning Ultimate Hound Dog in Attack Position. Due to its effect, the moment it was Fusion Summoned, the Fusion Monster shot a bigger flame that halved Yuno's LP.

 **YUNO LP: 3400 = 1700**

"Battle! I attack Rave Abyss Ritual Dragon with Ultimate Hound Dog!" Obelisk Red declared attack despite his monster having lower ATK. He turned to Yellow who nodded and opened his facedown card.

"Quick-Play Spell: Antique Gear Machination! When an Antique Gear Monster battles, its ATK is increased by 1000!" Yellow increased Red's Ultimate Hound Dog's ATK to 3800 as the Fusion Monster launched itself at the Ritual Monster.

"I activate Rave Abyss Ritual Dragon's effect! Once per Turn, I can change the position of my opponent's monster" Yuno revealed, jumping onto his dragon's back as it jumped to the side, dodging the tackle. Ultimate Hound Dog then sat there, unable to attack as it was forced into defensive.

"I end my Turn." Obelisk Red concluded. At this moment, Antique Gear Machination's effect ended, reverting Ultimate Hound Dog's ATK to normal.

"My Turn! I summon Antique Gear Hound Dog!" Obelisk Green summoned another Hound Dog and used its effect to inflict another 600 damage to Yuno.

 **YUNO LP: 1700 = 1100**

"I activate Magic Card: Antique Gear Scrap Fusion! I can Fusion Summon an Antique Gear monster using Fusion Materials from the Graveyard, but that monster's effects are negated." Obelisk Green fused his teammates' Triple-Bite Hound Dog and Hound Dog to Fusion Summon another Ultimate Hound Dog in Attack Position. Fortunately for Yuno, since its effects were negated, his LP was not halved.

"I activate Magic Card: Antique Gear Double Imitate to Special Summon Double-Bite Hound Dog and Triple-Bite Hound Dog!" Green summoned the two monsters from Yellow's Graveyard and Red's Graveyard in Attack Position.

"I activate Hound Dog's effect to Fusion Summon an Antique Gear Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck using monsters from my hand or my Field as Fusion Materials, as I control another Antique Gear monster besides Hound Dog!" Green fused his Ultimate Hound Dog, Triple-Bite Hound Dog, Double-Bite Hound Dog, and Hound Dog on his Field.

"Mechanized hound dogs that inherit the ancient soul! Merge those ten heads unleash chaos and become tremendous strength! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 10! Antique Gear Chaos Giant! (ATK: 4500 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10)!" Green summoned his strongest Monster in Attack Position. The giant Fusion Monster, destroyed some part of the Palace as it appeared, placing its hand on the building that was too fragile to handle the monster's hands.

"That would make the construction workers busy." Yuno commented while sweat dropping at the half-destroyed palace.

"Is this really the time for you to worry for the palace? I'm going to send you to oblivion now." Obelisk Green sneered before extending his hand at the Ritual Monster.

"Battle! I attack Rave Abyss Ritual Dragon with Antique Gear Chaos Giant! Crush of the Darkness" Obelisk Green declared his Battle Phase.

Chaos Giant raised its hand and delivered a punch at Rave Abyss below it.

"I activate Vendead Mummy's effect! I banish a Vendead Monster in my Graveyard to special summon it in Defense Position and reduce the damage to 0!" Yuno special summoned Vendead Mummy (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 500 / LV: 4) in Defense Position from his Graveyard in Defense Position seconds before Rave Abyss was destroyed, creating a force field that protected him from the explosion caused by his dragon's destruction.

Yuno smirked at the Obelisk Green.

"When Rave Abyss Ritual Dragon leaves the Field, I can destroy my opponent's monster with the highest ATK and inflict damage equal to the destroyed monster's ATK!" Yuno revealed, pointing at Chaos Giant. Chaos Giant could not be targeted only by Magic or Trap, meaning Monster effect would still work on it. And since it has finished attacking and Rave Abyss left the Field, it couldn't negate Rave Abyss' effect.

"What?!" Obelisk Green and his teammates exclaimed in disbelieve.

From beneath Chaos Giant, dozens of Rave Abyss' skeleton protrusions emerged, stabbing its body and ripped it to pieces, destroying the Fusion Monster (and several parts of the palace as the pieces fell down to the building). Obelisk Green was thrown back from the backlash, falling unconscious.

 **OBELISK GREEN LP: 4000 = 0**

"Ironic isn't it? Your very monster has helped me defeated you. Now all that left are two of you." Yuno turned to the remaining Obelisk Forces, Yellow and Red.

"Why you! My Turn! Battle! I attack Vendead Mummy with Double-Bite Hound Dog!" Obelisk Yellow declared attack without a second thought, destroying Yuno's last remaining monster on his Field. Since it was in Defense Position, Yuno didn't receive any damage.

Obelisk Yellow really wanted to do more than just destroying Vended Mummy, but he didn't have any card that could make any attack or inflicting damage to the damn brat. But since now the brat's Field was empty, at the very least he has given his remaining teammate a chance to deliver the finishing blow once the brat ended his Turn.

"I end my Turn." Obelisk Yellow concluded.

"My Turn! Draw!" Yuno looked at the card he drew. It was one of the cards that Yuya has entrusted to him. He included them into his Deck to respect Yuya's wishes and he also wished to know Yuya's monsters more. They're lending him their help.

"I activate Ritual Magic: Advancing Spirit! I can Ritual Summon a Ritual Monster from my Deck by banishing a Monster with Level equal or more than and the same type as the Ritual Monster!"

Two dragon-shaped statues appeared from the ground together with a cup-shaped altar between the statues. Black flames surrounding the statues and altar with magic circle beneath them. Yuno banished Mad Abyss from his Graveyard, and the spirit of the dragon entered the cup. The statues burst out flames into the cup and started to form into a shape of a new dragon.

"Dragon with dual-colored eyes, resurrect from the purgatory and bring forth disaster to the whole world! Ritual Summon! Come forth! The Supreme King Disaster Dragon – Odd-Eyes Ragnarok Dragon (ATK: 2300 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 6)!" Yuno summoned Yuya's Ritual Dragon in Attack Position.

"Odd-Eyes Ragnarok Dragon gains half of the ATK of each Special Summoned Monsters on my opponent's Field!" Yuno increased Odd-Eyes Ragnarok Dragon's ATK by combining the half of Yellow's Double-Bite Hound Dog and Red's Ultimate Hound Dog's ATKs, making the dragon's ATK increased to 4400.

"But there are the two of us. Even if one of us falls, the other one will finish you in the next Turn! Besides, with your dragon's ATK, you can't deplete either of our LPs!" Obelisk Red reminded that he and his teammate still have full LPs.

"Battle Phase!" Yuno didn't pay any attention to whatever Red was saying. He already knew that so listening it was only a waste of time.

"I activate Vendead Mummy's effect! I banish it from Graveyard to allow a Ritual Monster I control attack twice!" Yuno revealed, banishing the Vendead Monster.

The spiral markings on Odd-Eyes Ragnarok Dragon's body glowed bright and started to unleash lights that destroyed its surroundings, including Double-Bite Hound Dog and Ultimate Hound Dog whose body started to crack after being hit by the orange light.

"When Odd-Eyes Ragnarok Dragon battles Fusion, Xyz, or Synchro Monster, the damage is doubled!" Yuno revealed the second effect of the dragon, shocking his two targets who were rendered speechless.

"Battle! I attack with Odd-Eyes Ragnarok Dragon! Twiling Doom!" Yuno declared.

Odd-Eyes Ragnarok Dragon shot an orange colored blast with black flames spiraling around the orange flames, destroying both Fusion Monsters together with their masters who took the full brunt of the attack, almost burning them to crisp.

 **OBELISK YELLOW LP: 4000 = 0**

 **OBELISK RED LP: 4000 = 0**

Yuno gazed down at the Obelisk Forces who slowly disappeared into particles of data. He must thank Kino and Yuri for informing him of the Obelisk Force.

"Well done, Lord Oracle."

Yuno turned around to face the Supreme Commander, only to be surrounded by his men and their monsters pointing their weapons at him. When he tried to activate his Duel Disk to duke it out, he found his Duel Disk unable to function. He then spotted drones surrounding him, unleashing waves. He was too preoccupied fighting the Obelisk Forces that he didn't notice them slipping in.

"My apologies. Please do not try to resist, Lord Oracle. We have stopped the function of your Duel Disk so you can't use it. Even if you are capable of self-defense, it's only a matter of time before losing your stamina with these men." Heidel told the Oracle before raising a hand, motioning two men behind to come, revealing the Emperor being held at gunpoint as well.

"I ask of you again, please come quietly with me. You do not wish something unfavorable to happen to His Highness, do you not?" Heidel asked gently, but the underlying threat was clear. Heidel won't kill the Emperor but harming him while keeping him alive was easy. The same threat was also given to the Emperor should he refuse to come with him, the Oracle will be harmed.

Yuno reluctantly raised his hands up and let himself being handcuffed by Heidel's men. He never thought Heidel would make his move in this situation. True, this was perfect since everybody was too busy fighting the enemies but using this opportunity itself was risky.

"When you said your plan requires me and the Emperor, this is part of the plan?" Yuno questioned the Supreme Commander.

"I know you won't cooperate willingly. You leave me no choice." Heidel answered.

"You're working with Apophis after all? The timing was simply too perfect. That time too when you went to ARC-V. It was at the same time as when Apophis sent his armies to attack." Yuno accused. He had suspicion of Heidel's involvement with the Dragon of Calamity. Now this seemed to confirm his suspicion.

Heidel blinked at the accusation directed at him before calmly shaking his head.

"You misunderstood, Lord Oracle. I came to this party simply to please Prince Kurt who had invited me." Heidel denied his involvement with the Dragon of Calamity. He came because he thought this was the perfect time to speak with the Oracle and the Emperor after Kurt personally handed him the invitation letter.

"As for the arrival of ARC-V, it was only thanks to you foreseen the timing of the invasion that I was able to seize the opportunity to win over the people of ARC-V." Heidel explained. When he heard that the Oracle had a vision of Apophis attacking ARC-V, even the detail of the attack, Heidel quickly made arrangement to send his own armies to the dimension to win over the citizens as their saviour.

This time, it was Yuno's turn to blink. He looked up at Heidel. Confused.

"Me foreseen the attack? What are you talking about?" Yuno asked, raising a brow. What was he saying? He indeed had a vision that ARC-V would be attacked, but he never knew the exact timing of when it would be attacked. He chose that day specifically because Carl suggested him after having a discussion with his older twin, Kurt.

"Exactly as I said. Prince Kurt told me that you had a vision of Apophis' armies marching into ARC-V and you have prepared your men to go warn the people. I simply made use of that information to conduct my own plan." Heidel revealed. It was a few days before their departure, he was having an audience with the Emperor. Kurt then invited him to have some tea and that was when Kurt brought up the topic. The first-born prince thought it would be good to tell Heidel.

"What...?" Yuno trailed off.

Yuno told Carl and Kurt that he had a vision of the attack, but he couldn't see when the attack would happen. Carl then said he would try to discuss it with his brother and father while also coordinating a plan. But Kurt told Heidel that he had a vision with the exact timing when the attack would occur? And then Kurt suggested to Carl to tell him when he should be going to ARC-V.

Kurt knew when the invasion will start.

He was the one who invited Heidel to this party.

The Emperor invited them following Kurt's suggestion.

 _"Could it be..."_

 **ROOFTOP – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuri and Ryo just defeated the third group of former Securities who mainly going after Yuri while they taking a walk. When the ambush started, Ryo suggested to bring the fight where there was less crowd, so they went to the rooftop, riding on their monsters to reach the roof. The enemies were also doing the same with their monsters. They were no match for the both of them though.

"You did well, Yuri. As much as I want to regroup with the others, it would be better to lure the enemies in an open space with no one around like this. We can move more freely. And our comrades are strong. We shouldn't be too worried." Ryo told his student while seeing the view from the rooftop. Even in the middle of the battlefield, the scenery was still beautiful to look at.

There was answer from his student. He thought Yuri needed to catch his breath after fighting nonstop. But Yuri's next words dropped the air around them.

"This is the time, isn't it? Why don't you just drop the act, Ryo-san?"

Ryo turned to Yuri to see that his student has raised his Duel Disk against him. He wasn't playing around. His student was serious. His eyes narrowed coldly at him. His gestures clearly looking for a fight.

"What are you talking about?" Ryo asked calmly, which made his student sneer.

"Remember when I mentioned about Shing destroyed my garden? Before, I have mentioned that Shing destroyed my garden and someone was injured. However, I never mentioned that the one who got injured was Dennis." Yuri reminded their conversation four days ago when he was tasked to distract Ryo from finding out Yuya, Yukiya, Yugo, and Rin went to Amenti. He had told about Dennis, of course, but never once he mentioned that Dennis got injured when Shing attacked them.

"The only ones who knew about this are myself, Serena, and Shing who attacked. Now, how do you know that it was Dennis who got injured? I never mentioned him in our conversation. I doubt Serena told you because we rarely met and spoke with her until recently. That only leaves one answer: Shing who attacked Dennis has told you and the rest of Apophis offspring when he reports back." Yuri looked into Ryo's eyes, and he caught a miniscule movement from his pupil. That answered everything.

"Of course, that is not the only thing that rouse my suspicion. Shing and his comrades infiltrated the underground prison 'coincidently' on the same day we decided to rescue Aoi Zaizen after you informed us about the underground waterway. You're the one who tipped us off and convinced Katsuya Jonouchi to leave the town to meet Yuno while you stayed...to keep an eye on us. Not on the behalf of The Brotherhood but on the behalf of Apophis." Yuri continued. He had a slight suspicion when Ryo and Achille exchanged the words 'Semper fi' but brushed it off. Only until Ryo mentioned Dennis' name everything became clear to him.

"Unfortunately, it didn't go as planned because Yuno figured out we'll rescue Aoi ourselves and Shun Kurosaki also found out about our little secret rescue operation." Yuri finished. He crossed his arms, staring at Ryo, waiting for his mentor to react.

For a few seconds, none of them saying anything. Everything was quiet. Then, there was a stifle of chuckle that slowly echoed into a laugh while Ryo covered his face with one hand. When he removed his hand, he had an impressed expression. He removed his white clothes, revealing his Hell Kaiser outfit beneath.

"You're sharp. I should have expected that from my disciple. Although, it was also my fault for letting that slip. I got caught up in our conversation. Tell me one thing, if you're suspicious of me, why didn't you say anything?" Ryo asked. If Yuri was suspicious of him, then why didn't he say anything to the others? Why he waited until now to speak up when there were only the two of them here even though he knew he was being targeted?

"Even with your slip, it's still only assumptions without definite proof. And honestly, I do like you as a person, Ryo-san. I wished I was wrong and it was just me overthinking things..." Yuri was genuine when he said this. At first it was a little bit annoying, but his mentor gradually grew on him. He respected him and might be even admired him. It pained him when he started to notice the hint.

"I can say the same. I do wish that we could meet under different circumstances. If only you're not involved in this. You're a very cute disciple, Yuri." Ryo replied as sincere as his student was.

Yuri closed his eyes for a moment before activating his Duel Disk.

"We can talk about your reason joining Apophis after I apprehend you. Let's duke it out." Yuri stated.

"Are you sure? How many times you have lost against me? Have you ever won even once?" Ryo reminded. Throughout their trainings together, never Yuri won against him. Not even once.

"Let's make it the first time in this Duel, Teacher." Yuri replied, prompting Ryo to activate his Duel Disk.

 **[DUEL!]**

"With Scale 1 Predator Plants Genlisea Toad (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 300 / LV: 4 / PS: 1) and Scale 7 Predator Plants Brocchinia Salamander (ATK: 300 / DEF: 400 / LV: 2 / PS: 7), I Set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuri placed his Predator Plants Pendulum Monsters in the Pendulum Zone, forming the Pendulum Scale.

"With this I can simultaneously Summon Level 2 to 6 Monsters. Pendulum Summon! Come forth!" Yuri summoned two Monsters to his Field: Predator Plants Fly Hell (ATK: 400 / DEF: 800 / LV: 2) and Predator Plants Spino Dionea (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 0 / LV: 4), both in Attack Position.

"I activate Genlisea Toad's Pendulum Effect. Once per Turn I can Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck using Monsters on my Field as Materials ignoring its Summoning condition. I Fuse Fly Hell and Spino Dionea!" Yuri began his summoning chant as his Monsters entered the Fusion Vortex.

"Beautiful flowers with insect-alluring fragrance, become a new power and destroy those who oppose you with your dripping venom until your hunger is satisfied! Fusion Summon! Level 7! Starve Venemy Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 1)!" Yuri summoned his Fusion-Pendulum Monster in Attack Position.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuri concluded. "Come on, Ryo-san. I have no intention to lose!"

"As you wish! I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse my two Cyber Dragons! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! Cyber Twin Dragon (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2100 / LV: 8)!" Ryo summoned Cyber Twin Dragon in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack Starve Venemy Dragon with Cyber Twin Dragon!" Ryo declared attack. The head on the right of the two-headed dragon opened its mouth and shot a ball of purple lightning towards the Fusion-Pendulum dragon, striking the dragon.

 **YURI LP: 4000 = 3700**

"When Starve Venemy is destroyed, I can place it in my Pendulum Zone." Yuri destroyed his Right Zone to place Starve Venemy.

"Quick-Play Spell: Fusion Cancel! I return Cyber Twin Dragon to the Extra Deck and special summon two Cyber Dragons from my Graveyard!" Ryo revived his Cyber Dragons in Attack Position.

"I attack directly with the first Cyber Dragon!" Ryo declared his second attack with his first copy of Cyber Dragon. The dragon shot a blast at Yuri.

"I activate Starve Venemy's Pendulum Effect! Once per Turn, I can reduce damage to 0!" Yuri negated the damage by having Starve Venemy created a barrier that protected him from the blast. He knew that this only barely let him survive this Turn though as Ryo still has one more copy.

"I attack again with the second Cyber Dragon!" Ryo made his third attack. The second Cyber Dragon shot its blast, this time throwing Yuri onto his back, partially burning his cloak.

 **YURI LP: 3700 = 1600**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Ryo concluded. "I admit that you became stronger every each after our trainings, but you are still nowhere near my skill. You haven't even once made me go with full power."

"Mimicking what Yuya always said, the fun starts now!" Yuri exclaimed in respond. "With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Appear!" He summoned Predator Plants – Basilisk Rose (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 5) in Defense Position from his hand.

"Next I activate Magic Card: Pendulum Fusion! I use monsters in my Pendulum Zone as Fusion Materials to Fusion Summon!" Yuri fused Starve Venemy with Brocchinia Salamander, forming the Fusion Vortex.

"Poisonous dragon with hungry fangs! Sweet smelling flower that invites the abyss! Now become one and indulges all as you desire! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 10! Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon (ATK: 3300 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 10)!" Yuri summoned Greedy Venom in Attack Position.

"I activate Greedy Venom's effect! Once per Turn I can target 1 monster on the Field. Until the end of this Turn, that monster's effect is negated and its ATK becomes 0!" Yuri targeted the first copy of Cyber Dragon. Greedy Venom used its protrusions to bite and hold on tight to the machine dragon, reducing its ATK to nothing and sealed its effect.

"Battle! I attack Cyber Dragon with Greedy Venom!" Yuri declared attack. Greedy Venom opened the mouth on its abdomen, shooting a green blast at the immobilized Cyber Dragon.

"Trap Card: Attack Reflector Unit! I release a Cyber Dragon to special summon Cyber Barrier Dragon (ATK: 800 / DEF: 2800 / LV: 6)!" Ryo released the second copy of Cyber Dragon, special summoning Cyber Barrier Dragon in Attack Position in its place.

"I activate Cyber Barrier Dragon's effect! Once per Turn, when this card is in Attack Position on the Field, I can negate the attack!" Ryo declared as Cyber Barrier Dragon moved to in front of Cyber Dragon, covering it from the blast as it created a force field, deflecting the blast and freed Cyber Dragon from Greedy Venom's hold.

"Heh! I've been waiting for that!" Yuri stated as he pointed at Basilisk Rose. "I activate Basilisk Rose's effect! Once per Turn, when an attack of a DARK Monster I control is negated, I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to its ATK!"

Basilisk Rose opened its petaled maw, shooting poisonous pink dust that showered Ryo's Field. Ryo winced as the dust felt paralyzing.

 **RYO LP: 4000 = 2200**

"I end my Turn." Yuri concluded.

"Not bad. My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Cyber Draw! I discard a card to draw until I have 5 cards in my hand." Ryo discarded a card from his hand and then drew four more cards to make it 5 cards in his hand.

"I activate Magic Card: Cyber Crossroad! I can add two Level 5 or lower Cyber Monsters into my hand!" Ryo added the third copy of Cyber Dragon and Cyber Vary from his Deck into his hand.

"I activate Magic Card: Dual Summon! I can perform two Normal Summons this Turn!" Ryo summoned the third copy of Cyber Dragon and Cyber Vary (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) in Attack Position.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Photon Generator Unit. I tribute 2 Cyber Dragons to Special Summon Cyber Laser Dragon (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 7) from my Deck!" Ryo released his first and third Cyber Dragon, summoning Cyber Laser Dragon in Attack Position.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Ryo concluded.

While the two of them were dueling, below the rooftop, Celica came out from the building and fought against Apophis Servants in a group of three Duelists. It didn't take so long for Celica to defeat them. They were not weak, but she was stronger than any of them. She looked her surrounding for any possible sign of her comrades. She last saw the Emperor with Yuno, so she was sure the two of them would be okay considering how strong Yuno was. Carl and the rest were fighting in the ballroom. After much looking while fighting, she was able to find Yuya, Yuzu, Yugo, and Rin after Serena told her about Shiki's plan. Deeming it dangerous for them to be alone, she had instructed Yuya and Yugo to fight together at the ballroom while she and Carl continued to look for the ones remaining.

 _"I hope they are okay. At least the guests have been evacuated. That only leaves defeating the intruders."_ Celica thought while preparing herself in case of an ambush against her.

"Celica!"

Celica heard her name being called from the bushes and was on alert. She was relieved when it turned out to be Kurt who came out from the bushes. He was in a mess. Must be from all the fighting before coming here. At least he was unharmed.

"Are you okay, Kurt?" Celica asked her descendant worriedly.

"Yes. This is no big deal. How about the others?" Kurt asked as she was alone.

"Still in the ballroom. It's better not to get separated too far. But I still can't find Yuri-kun, Yuto-kun, and Ruri-chan." Celica sighed. She was starting to get tired.

"Isn't that Yuri-kun?" Kurt pointed above, specifically at the rooftop. Following his finger, he was right, Celica spotted Yuri dueling against...Ryo?

"Yuri-kun! Ryo-kun! What are you doing?!" Celica shouted at the two Fusion users. Why the two of them were dueling against each other at this time?

"Our dear Ryo-san here is the traitor, Imperial Adviser." Yuri revealed without looking at Celica, eyes focused solely on Ryo.

"What...? Traitor? What are you saying, Yuri-kun?" Celica couldn't believe what she heard. Ryo was the traitor? He was spying them under Apophis' order? That has to be a lie, right? This was just another one of Yuri's jokes, right?

Celica stared pleadingly at the Cyber Dragon user. As if sensing her stares, Ryo briefly looked down at Celica, their eyes met. Ryo didn't need Celica to speak what she was thinking. He gave her his answer by simply looking away from her pleading look. Without the need for words, he has made it clear to her. He made his affiliation clear.

"Ryo...kun..." Celica was dejected. She didn't know much about Ryo as she didn't meet him so often. But Yuno liked him. He trusted Ryo completely. If not, he wouldn't have appointed him to become a member of his personal squad.

"Why...Ryo-kun...?" Celica asked. Why Ryo betrayed them? How would Yuno and everyone else feels once they find out?

Kurt placed a hand on Celica's shoulder, making her look at him.

"Let's calm down and see first how this is going. We'll do something if it comes to worse." Kurt softly calmed down his ancestor from further panicking, patting her back.

Celica only nodded in respond before turning back to Yuri and Ryo. She had watched Ryo dueled several times, and she knew how strong Ryo was. He wasn't called one of the strongest Duelists in the whole Brotherhood and earned the title Kaiser for nothing. Once, Yuno dueled against him, and Yuno even had a hard time against him. Ryo was not someone to be taken lightly. She didn't know how strong Yuri was, but she was worried. Even more of the fact that Yuri was Ryo's disciple.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack Cyber Vary with Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon!" Yuri declared attack at the weakest monster on Ryo's Field. As Greedy Venom was charging its energy blast, Ryo opened his Reverse Card.

"Trap Card: Cybernetic Hidden Technology! I tribute Cyber Laser Dragon to destroy Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon and end the Battle Phase!" Ryo released Cyber Laser Dragon right away. The body parts or Cyber Laser Dragon that remained attached itself to Greedy Venom and conducted self-destruct, exploding together with Greedy Venom.

"You still have much to learn, Yuri!" Ryo exclaimed.

"I have prepared for this too!" Yuri retorted.

"Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon's effect! When it leaves the Field, all my opponent's monsters are destroyed!" Yuri revealed. The moment Greedy Venom was destroyed, purple swamp appeared underneath and formed pillars that unleashed miasma that destroyed Ryo's Cyber Vary. Since its ATK was 0, Ryo didn't receive any damage. However,

"Also, due to Basilisk Rose's effect, I can inflict another damage equal to its ATK to you!" Yuri stated. As Greedy Venom's attack failed, Basilisk Rose unleashed another poisonous dust, lowering Ryo's LP to red.

 **RYO LP: 2200 = 400**

"If Greedy Venom is destroyed, I can banish its Fusion Material from Graveyard to special summon it back to the Field!" Yuri banished Genlisea Toad to revive Greedy Venom in Attack Position.

"So not only you inflicted damage to me after I stopped your attack, but you also able to revive your dragon immediately by banishing its Fusion Material. You have banished one, that means you can revive it again one more time if I destroy it." Ryo remarked. Despite the situation, he was still proud of his student – maybe former student. If it were not for the circumstances, should Yuri defeat him, he would be even prouder. However, he couldn't afford to lose. He must win for the sake of his goal.

"I end my Turn." Yuri didn't react much. Even though he seemed to have cornered his former mentor, he won't let his guard down. Throughout their training, his mentor always shows a way to surprise him and countered his attack with relative ease.

 _"He hasn't shown all his cards yet to me. He must have more in his sleeve..."_ Yuri was actually nervous. Usually this was the time his teacher would always surprise him.

"You did well, Yuri. I'm sorry to say that you are still not strong enough to defeat me, however. But at the very least, you have grown to the point of pushing me using this card." Ryo picked one card in his hand, revealing it before activating it. All his dragons were now in his Graveyard. The conditions have been met.

"I activate Magic Card: Overload Fusion! I banish Cyber Dragons, Cyber Laser Dragon, and Cyber Barrier Dragon from my Graveyard to Fusion Summon!" Ryo revealed, banishing most of his dragons from his cemetery, opening a dark Fusion Vortex that almost in resemblance with Yuri's Super Fusion.

"It's coming! That monster!" Celica exclaimed. She paled and clenched her hands tight. Ryo using that card meant he was summoning _that_ dragon.

"Appear! Level 8! Chimeratech Fortress Dragon (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 8)!" Ryo summoned his Level 8 Fusion Monster in Attack Position. Yuri gasped when the dragon appeared. He only heard of it mentioned during one of the classes, it was one of the three legendary monsters that was said only Ryo managed to use in Academia history. He didn't even know what kind of power the dragon possesses and Ryo never used it in their training.

 _"No one in Academia even knew those three monsters' powers. Kaiser rarely used them and those monsters disappeared together with the Kaiser and eventually only their names were left known."_ Yuri recalled the history subject the teacher once explained.

"I activate Chimeratech Fortress Dragon's effect! It gains one attack for each Fusion Material Monster used for its Fusion Summon. I used five monsters for Chimeratech Fortress Dragon's Fusion Summon, so it can five times." Ryo revealed.

 _"Even if he is able to attack five times, Chimeratech Fortress Dragon has 0 ATK. Is he going to increase its ATK using its monster effect or Magic or Trap? Or it has an effect that will somehow destroy my Greedy Venom without harming him?"_ Yuri carefully assessed the dragon and possibilities of its effect.

"Damage calculation is not applied during any of the attacks. Each time this card attacks, my opponent will receive 400 damage!" Ryo revealed. Since it could attack five times, the total damage would be 2000.

"What?!" Yuri was shocked. His LP was only at 1600. If it was an effect that increase or lower ATK he could still survive. And if Chimeratech Fortress attacked only once, he could still negate it, but even if he negates the first attack, Ryo still has four more ATKs that would result with the total of 1600 damage, and his LP was exactly at 1600.

 _"There was no escaping from this...!"_ Yuri was frustrated. He was helpless even more than when they were training.

"Battle! I attack Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon with Chimeratech Fortress Dragon!" Ryo declared the last attack.

All three heads of Chimeratech Fortress Dragon opened their maws, charging bluish green energies into one point. All three were directed at Yuri's Greedy Venom. Energy charged, Chimeratech Fortress shot three energy blasts at the same time towards Greedy Venom. Everything went so fast like a gust of wind. Yuri couldn't even hold his breath in preparation for the impact. When he snapped, he was already thrown into the air by the explosion.

 **YURI LP: 1600 = 0**

The backlash threw him up high before the gravity pushed him down. The trees slowed down his fall, preventing fatal injuries once he reached the ground. But still, the fall broke his ribs and he got lots of scratches from the tree branches when he fell. His body hurt all over. He couldn't move at all. His vision was blurry and he was positive he was going to lose consciousness soon. Despite his blurry vision, he could tell that Ryo has landed in front of him.

 _"The strongest Duelist in Academia history is certainly extraordinary...if one of the three dragons are this strong, how about...the other two I wonder? Dammit...I messed up big time..."_

Yuri went out cold. The pain was too much to keep him awake. Ryo looked down at his unconscious former student before kneeling beside him, brushing off the leaves that got on his face.

"I'm sorry, Yuri." Ryo apologized before scooping Yuri up into his arms.

"Yuri-kun!"

Celica came from the bushes, rushing as fast as she could the moment Yuri fell from the rooftop. Unfortunately, Ryo has beaten her to it. Kurt was following behind her. She raised a hand, stopping Kurt on his track. She then raised her Duel Disk against Ryo. She has plenty of questions to ask to Ryo, but she will put that question for later. Her top priority was to stop him from taking Yuri.

"Kurt, inform the others! I'll stop Ryo-kun!" Celica instructed her descendant. Something important like this must not be delayed. Everyone needed to know about Ryo as soon as possible.

"I'm sorry, Celica."

Celica felt a sharp pain on her neck. Something was injected into her. Her pupils dilated. All her strength suddenly left her body. Her head became dizzy. Her vision darkened. Her body fell to the ground. With the last of her strength, she struggled to look up to see Kurt holding what looked like a syringe. From her body's reaction, it was a sedates. He drugged her. Does this mean...

"Ku...rt...you're...also..." Celica didn't get to finish her words as the sedates worked fast. She was out cold in a minute. As she has completely fallen asleep, Kurt slipped his arms beneath Celica's thighs and back, carrying her bridal style.

"You guys are done?" Tsukasa arrived with several men behind him.

"As you can see. How about Yuno and the Emperor?" Ryo asked.

"I'm sure Heidel has taken them to his custody. That is the very reason why I invited him to this party. Once the chance shows itself, he won't let it come to pass for his own ends. You'll know his next moves and plan once you grasped what kind of person he is." Kurt answered in Tsukasa's stead.

He had spent many of his times with the Supreme Commander, getting close to him to get to know the older man. He presented himself as friendly prince who was interested in forming political relation for the sake of peace in front of the Supreme Commander, all for the purpose of studying him while leading the man into his play. It was easy once understanding the Supreme Commander's way of thinking.

"If he is so useful, why not trick him to join our side?" Ryo asked.

"He is far too ambitious. No doubt he would backstab us if he joins. Having him on our side would only hinder our plan." Kurt answered. Heidel's cunning mind and intellect would be useful for them, but it would also make him dangerous if they kept him too close. The man has ambition that he would fulfil no matter what the cost. Even though Kurt found it easy to make the Supreme Commander take actions accordingly, he was still wary of him and must be extra careful not to make the commander suspicious of him.

"But are you sure Yuri is enough? Didn't your master say to capture all the masters of the four dragons? And why do you need Celica?" Ryo asked again. Yuri was needed to lure out the dragon, but what do they need Celica for?

"Yuri alone is enough. I have already talked with Apophis about this. As for Celica, we need her for something else." Kurt answered, dismissing any further questions for later.

"Don't speak of His Excellency so familiarly, human." Tsukasa said hatefully while pointing the tip of his Duel Disk at Kurt's neck, ready to slit his throat.

"You really detest me, huh? And who do you think was the one who freed you? I think the one who needs to watch his mouth is you." Kurt replied calmly but there was firmness in his tone and his eyes narrowed coldly at the Apophis Duelist.

Before any argument or further tension could occur, Ryo placed himself between them. They have to move fast.

"Enough. Let's go."

 **BALLROOM – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Serena and the rest of the Brotherhood and Imperial Guardians continued to defeat the enemies. It was almost similar as when they were fighting in LINK VRAINS against horde of viruses and servants, but unlike that time, their numbers were limited. They have slowly pushed back the enemies, lessening their numbers. Even if the enemies called for reinforcement, their own reinforcement will come soon as well. However, there were two things that worried them: First, Yuno hasn't come back yet after escorting the Emperor with Heidel to safety. Second, Yuri and Ryo were nowhere to be seen either.

"I wonder where they are." Yuya added, not seeing any sight of his Fusion counterpart and his mentor. He was pretty sure that they would be here fighting against the enemies more than any of them.

"Maybe they're taking on the enemies outside?" Yuzu guessed. There were still enemies outside the ballroom, outside the palace.

"But we already agreed to leave those enemies to the Imperial guards while we're handling the ones here." Yukiya reminded.

Just as another round of enemies appeared, Shiki crashed down while holding a rope that came from an airship above the ballroom. He stood between his subordinates and the joint forces of the Brotherhood, Phantom Dragons, and Imperial Guards, turning to his subordinates.

"Buy us some time, everyone. We already got what we needed." Shiki ordered them, which they all replied with a salute.

From the destroyed wall, Ryo, Kurt, and Tsukasa came in, carrying Yuri and Celica with them. They ignored the stares given by Yuya and the others, standing beside Shiki as more ropes came down from the airship together with a few more men who held Yuri and Celica, careful not to drop them.

"Ryo-san? Prince Kurt?" Yuya blinked in confusion. Why were they on the enemies' side. And not only that...

"That's Celica and Yuri!" Rio exclaimed, gazing at the two who were unconscious.

"Kurt! Ryo! What's the meaning of this?!" Carl questioned. He actually knew from the looks of it, but he refused to believe it. He refused to believe that he just saw what he thought it was. Not only him, everyone else was also the same. Ryo and Kurt holding Yuri and Celica unconscious beside Apophis' group. That only meant one thing...and they wished that was wrong. They wished this was just a bad dream or some sort of hallucination. Because if it wasn't then...

"The one who freed Apophis was me, Carl." Kurt admitted, focusing on his younger twin brother.

It was like a lightning has struck them. It took them seconds that felt like a full long hour to react.

"What?" Carl stared at his twin brother straight into his eyes. That was the first time he couldn't tell what his brother was thinking. However, there were no lies. He could tell as much in that gaze. Carl almost couldn't feel the world around him. They were swirling and everything didn't seem to make sense to him. He almost fell from the shock if it were not for Lechter and Neah holding him, snapping him out from his shock.

"And let's be clear, Ryo-kun here has nothing to do with the breaking of the seal. I recruited him after I freed Apophis." Kurt said passively, not showing any particular emotion.

Jonouchi gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He stepped forward, pointing his finger at Kurt and Ryo.

"You betrayed us?! Why?! Answer us, Ryo! Kurt!" Jonouchi questioned angrily. He couldn't believe this. Putting aside the prince whom he didn't know much, he couldn't believe one of his close friends whom he trusted with his life has betrayed them. Not only that, Ryo was supposed to be their leader's right-hand man. Yuno trusted him fully. All of them did. But why did he betray their trust?

"We have nothing else to say now. If you wish to know, then continue to pursue us. All of you are good at that." Ryo answered coldly before pulling the rope, motioning the ones at the airship to pull them up. Ryo didn't spare them even a glance as he went up with Yuri and Celica.

Kurt also pulled his rope, asking to be pulled up. Carl chose at that moment to call out to him again.

"Wait! Kurt! Is it my fault?!" Carl asked.

The second born prince was dejected, close to break down even. For the first time in his life he couldn't understand his brother. They were always together ever since they were born. He knew the day will come where they would take different path from one another, but he never imagined this was how they were going to part ways.

"No. It's not yours or Father's fault. It's mine." Kurt's passive expression turned into sad smile for a brief moment before he looked away up, his rope being pulled.

"Wait! Yuri! Celica-san!" Serena quickly rushed forward in attempt to reach them, raising her hand up as Yuri and Celica getting far away. She couldn't even reach close as they were being pulled into the airship.

"Get out of the way! We don't have times with you!" Serena demanded furiously. She tried to forcefully made her way out by beating them up, but there was too many of them to handle alone. She kept staring at the airship that was holding Yuri and Celica until the airship flew away. She tried to reach helplessly until it couldn't be seen.

"No...they took them...!" Yuya remarked in dismay. They couldn't stop them.

However, that was the least of their worries as the enemies' reinforcement have arrived, joining the fight. They knew these Duelists were tasked to slow them down until the airship reached far away enough. But if they were able to finish them off, they might be able to catch up to the airship in time. That was extremely difficult though, with these many enemies while their reinforcement has yet to come to help.

"Darn it! They're not here, yet?! We have to catch up to that airship!" Yugo cursed. The enemies' reinforcement has arrived, but theirs were not. They needed them any minute, any second now.

"We are here now."

A voice was heard from the sky. Another airship arrived above them, hovering the hole of the ceiling right above Yuya and his group. Someone – some people jumped down from the airship. Yuya and his counterparts and the girls instantly recognized from the monsters who were carrying their masters. Hell Armageddon with Reiji, Susano-O with Gongenzaka, Scissor Bear with Sora, Funky Comedian with Sawatari, Trapeze Magician with Dennis and Allen, Fairy Cheer Girl with Sayaka, Idaten with Kachidoki and Battle Beast, and Amazoness Pet Liger with the Tyler Sisters. They all landed right in front of the enemies' reinforcement, facing them with very intent to defeat them until there was no one left standing strong enough to fight.

"Reiji! Everyone!" Yuya exclaimed happily in relief. When Kino said reinforcement will come, he had thought it would be from the Brotherhood of the Imperial guards. He never thought he would see his friends again like this. He missed them so much after a whole month being separated.

"Finally. It's about time." Kino sighed, glancing at the Leo Corporation President.

"Sorry. We have a problem to take care of first." Reiji replied, fixing his glasses as usual.

As much as they wanted to enjoy the moment of their touching reunion, they must save that until after their enemies were no more. While Carl and the others still have their worries, Yuya and his friends were more at ease. They didn't feel so worried anymore. They felt better even. They could do this. With this group, they knew they would be okay now and later.

Because the Lancers have arrived to help.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Reunited Allies! –** The Lancers arrives during the skirmish, assisting Yuya and the others in fending off Shiki and the rest of the intruders. With Yuri, Yuno, and Celica kidnapped as well as Kurt and Ryo's betrayal that would cause panic if revealed to the public, they must form a plan to get them back.

* * *

 **Surprise? Some of you suspected Heidel allied with Apophis, but sorry, I have other role and background prepared for Heidel so having him working under Apophis is a No. Sorry to have kept you all waiting, but the Lancers have finally arrived (with additional members too)! Before, I said this fanfic most likely will end with 80 chapters, but now, who knows? There are still more that I'm going to show in this story, so maybe I'll extend it maybe not. I'm not going to confirm this now. Don't wanna spoil more than this. Maybe later. (^w^)**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	51. Reunited Allies!

**Big thanks to** _ **Elbarto4000, tsukikami02, Playerhood18, Ulrich362, Yuka Kuroshiro, jason, Unknowedz, Starlight's Poet, dvdryms, NeoFGD, Big duels, GamingGuy84**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **GARDEN – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The Lancers' arrival has helped Yuya and the others defeating the rest of their enemies and their reinforcement. Unfortunately, the enemy's airship has gone too far for them to catch up and the Palace was at disorder. To make things worse, one of the guests witnessed Yuno and the Emperor being secretly taken by Heidel while everyone was too preoccupied by Apophis' men. Almost everything was in chaos. Words quickly spread amongst the remaining guests who were still in the palace of Kurt and Ryo's betrayal and the Emperor, Imperial Adviser, and the Oracle got kidnapped. Carl, the only remaining Imperial Family member in the Palace, quickly took action to prevent further words from being spread.

With the Emperor and their friends kidnapped and people in the palace at unrest, Lechter deemed it too dangerous for them to immediately go after either Apophis or Heidel and ordered for them to take a rest for the whole night. Reiji agreed to this and rejected any objection, reminding the fragility of their situation. One wrong move, and it may end up with civil war. Although reluctant, the rest agreed to put everything on hold and discuss their next plan the next day.

After the battle, Yuya slept for the whole night, but he couldn't say he was fully feeling well as he was worried for his ancestor, counterpart, and the Emperor who got kidnapped. And while he didn't know them so close, he was hurt by Kurt and Ryo's betrayal, especially the latter who was none other than Yuri's mentor. Even though he only knew Ryo for a month and they were not as close as Ryo did with Yuri, Yuya had trusted Ryo as his comrade. His betrayal hit him hard.

But what concerned him the most was how they're going to treat Yuri, Yuno, and Celica. They have more experience in this kind of situation, so they might be able to hold up just fine until he and the others rescue them. Still, Yuya has this sense of foreboding that something bad will happen if they didn't act fast.

The only comfort Yuya has when he woke up this morning was the fact after a whole month away from his homeland, he finally got to reunite with his friends who came to help them.

"YUYA! YUZU! I, THE MAN GONGENZAKA, IS SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" Gongenzaka bawled almost like a baby while hugging Yuya and Yuzu tight in his embrace. For once, Yuya and Yuzu didn't protest, though Yuya never really protested with Gongenzaka hugging him since he will repeat it no matter what he said. And for this time, he welcomed the hug even if it suffocating him because he missed his childhood friend so much.

"What an affectionate big guy." Yukiya commented with a sweat drop at Gongenzaka's expression of affection. For a guy who was their age but looked like an older guy, Gongenzaka was unexpectedly a softie. Seeing him like this almost urged Yukiya to comment he was like a big baby.

Letting go of Yuya and Yuzu who assured him they were okay and how they missed him, Gongenzaka then turned to Yukiya. The sudden attention from the big guy made Yukiya flinched from surprise. He wasn't prepared when the big guy rushed to him with his arms opened wide.

"And you must be Yukiya! Thank you for taking care of Yuya and Yuzu!" Gongenzaka expressed his gratitude with another hug, pulling the Supreme King user into his tight embrace like he did to Yuya and Yuzu. He only heard a bit about Yukiya from Kino and Yuya's letter, but since Yuya wrote well of him, it didn't take long for Gongenzaka to view the silvernet as his friend.

"Y-yeah...but...c-can't...breath...!" Yukiya struggled while awkwardly patting Gongenzaka's back. While he was happy to gain another new friend, it would take a while for him until he got used to this hug. He wasn't even sure he could get used to it though.

"It has been a month, so don't be too hard on Gon-chan being all overly dramatic." Sora remarked after Gongenzaka let go of Yukiya.

"Yeah. I get that. He is a good guy." Yukiya said while catching his breath from the suffocating hug.

"Yuya! I miss you so much!" Grace suddenly came in (with her older sister in tow), surprising them. Like Gongenzaka, she opened her arms wide while making her way towards Yuya to hug him. She missed him so much and wanted nothing more but to touch him.

However, to everyone's surprise, Yuya dodged the hug, almost causing Grace to fall into the bushes. While Yuya usually objected being hugged by Grace too much, he still couldn't stop or avoid being hugged by her. But now, he was able to do the opposite and kept his distance from Grace while leaning closer to Yuzu.

"Sorry Grace, but...I uh...umm..." Yuya scratched the back of his head while glancing at Yuzu with his cheeks turned into a tinge of pink. Noticing this, Yuzu also blushing and looked down, fiddling her fingers as she remembered their conversation last night before the chaos.

They haven't made it official, but it was clear to the both of them their feelings were reciprocated. Yukiya and the others blinked while staring at Yuya and Yuzu's embarrassed expressions back and forth before it finally hit them what Yuya was trying to say.

"Wait, don't tell me the two of you are..." Yukiya's eyes widened while pointing his finger from Yuya to Yuzu.

"Uh...well...kinda...?" Yuzu answered with a low voice, but that was all they needed to understand the underlying message.

"CONGRATULATIONS! I'M SO HAPPY FOR THE BOTH OF YOU!" Gongenzaka once again hugged his two childhood friends who have (unofficially) became a couple, crying even more.

"You finally become a man and make a move, Yuya." Yukiya nudged Yuya, smirking teasingly at the Pendulum user who became as red as a tomato like his hair.

"Took you long enough!" Sora smacked Yuya's back as his way on congratulating him.

Gloria looked at her younger sister's back who went still after understanding what happened between Yuya and Yuzu. A month away and Yuzu has already won over Yuya's heart. Gloria raised a hand, attempting to touch her sister's shoulder and console her, but she was taken aback when Grace voiced her reaction.

"It doesn't matter to me!" Grace stated.

"Huh?" Yuya and Yuzu said, turning to her who looked determined.

"I'm not going to give up with just that! I'm not gonna lose!" Grace declared, pointing at Yuzu who was her rival in love. Just because she has been indirectly rejected once, it doesn't mean she will stop pursuing. She will continue until her very last flame.

"What?!" Yuya and Yuzu exclaimed in shock.

"You'll see what I am capable of!" Grace said before she took off while yelling she will do her best and all. Gloria sighed in exasperation by her sister's persistence and optimism.

"She's a tough girl. Anything you said will be pointless at this point." Gloria told Yuya and Yuzu before chasing after her sister.

"I-I'll do my best too!" Yuzu declared even though Grace was not around anymore. She finally knew Yuya's feeling for her and reciprocated it, though they decided not to make their relationship official until the war was over as that partially gave them motivation, she has no intention to back down.

"Way to go, Yuzu!" Sora cheered.

"As expected from Strong Yuzu!" Yukiya cheered as well, calling her the nickname he had heard from Yuya.

"Quit with that nickname! And since when you adopt it, Yukiya?!" Yuzu protested, not missing the nickname Yukiya used for her.

They all laughed. They missed this moment where they were laughing together like this. It felt like years since the last time they laughed. However, this didn't last long, as Yuya's smile faded. He was happy, but only for a moment, and this caught everyone's attention, worrying them.

"Sorry. I'm really happy to meet you guys again. Really. But we have to think for a way to rescue Yuri, Yuno-san, and Celica-san soon..." Yuya said. He didn't want to ruin their happy reunion, but he couldn't contain his worry for the three of them. Apophis and Heidel needed them alive, at least for now, but who knows what if something changes their minds?

"Yuno-san and Celica-san, they are your ancestors, right? I'm looking forward to meet them." Sora stated. When he heard Yuno and Celica were kidnapped, he was disappointed because he had been curious to know what kind people Yuya and Yuzu's ancestors were. How strong they were. From Yuya and Yuzu's story written in the letter, they were supposed to be strong, so if they got kidnapped by some lowlifes, they must have used underhanded tricks. Aside from his curiosity, since Yuya and Yuzu looked worried so much for them, he'll do his best to help.

"I, the man Gongenzaka, will help you save them!" Gongenzaka gave his words. Yuri aside, he didn't know well about Yuno and Celica, but since they were Yuya and Yuzu's ancestor and Yuno was the one who sent Kino to warn them, they must be good people.

"We have your backs. Don't stress out too much, okay?" Yukiya told Yuya, patting his back. Celica was one thing, he could tell that both Yuno and Yuri have grown on Yuya, most likely due to their familial ties. Yuya perhaps, amongst them the youngest ones, was the most worried for them.

"That would be difficult because our situation is not good." Yuya said, looking down.

"Why would you think that?" Sora asked. It wasn't like Yuya to be so...pessimistic. Usually this should be enough to cheer him up.

"The Emperor, Yuno-san, and Celica-san, they are powerful figures in this dimension. With their absence, even if Carl-san or the others temporarily takes leadership of their respective factions, I don't think it will go smoothly. And Heidel won't keep quiet either. I have a hunch he will do something soon using Yuno-san and the Emperor." Yuya voiced his concern. If it were not the lesson or 'expensive and extensive education' as Yuya would call it that he received from Yuno, this wouldn't even pass his mind. Honestly though, he dislikes politics.

"True. Apophis is not our only concern. We have to do something about Heidel too." Yukiya began to wonder.

"All of us will work together. The Imperial Guardians, The Brotherhood, and us, Lancers. If we work together, we can save them." Yuzu said. That was the reason why they were gathering in the first place. If they worked together, they could do it. Everything will work out.

"I wonder about that…" Yuya surprisingly said, not sounding a slightest bit energetic.

"Fighting against Apophis would be understandable, but if we also work together going against Heidel, won't that make people think we have join forces with the Noble Faction? Lancers are one thing, if words spread that The Brotherhood who advocates peace for both sides are fighting together with the Noble Faction, don't you think people will lose trust on The Brotherhood's standing as neutral force?" Yuya pointed out the problem. Everyone couldn't retort that. They didn't forget after the attack last night, both sides were growing restless and near panic. Even though Carl had prevented the facts of Kurt and Ryo being traitors and the Emperor, Imperial Adviser, and the Oracle being kidnapped by Apophis and Heidel from being spread to the public, they still haven't solved the fundamental problem. Both Imperial Guardians and the Brotherhood still must remedy their people.

"To make it more difficult, if we do something together that would not be in favor of the reformist, Heidel may do something to Yuno-san and the Emperor." Yukiya deduced. Remembering Heidel's iron fist rule, the possibility was high.

"Do you think he's going to use them as leverages to force us into working with his faction? No, actually what should we do first? Rescuing Celica-san and Yuri or rescuing the Emperor and Yuno-san?" Yuzu wondered. Their comrades were captured by two separate enemies who both were not someone to be taken lightly.

"To be honest, in this situation, whichever side we choose doesn't seem to be a good idea." Sora voiced his opinion. This was one of the reason why he disliked politics. Choosing to ally with Heidel or the Noble Faction were out of question, but they can't do anything staying with the Brotherhood either.

" _Yuno-san…if you're here…what you're going to do? We need you."_ Yuya didn't know what to think or what to do. He was sure everyone was as confused as he was. Out of everyone, Yuno has the most experience in war and politics and such. His ancestor would know what the good course of action is to take.

WAAAAAAANK

The loud sound of the train horn nearby the palace startled them who were deep in thought. That almost gave them a heart attack.

"What kind of Empire building railway road near the Palace? I'm surprised they were not annoyed by the loud noise." Sora remarked while rubbing his ear.

"I was confused too at first. Celica-san said they formed a division that patrolling Cantidel using railways. Of course, as one of the most important places in the Empire, the palace is included. You'll actually got used to it later." Yuzu explained. She and the others initially had a hard time every time the trains passed near the palace since the sound was so noisy, but after a while, they finally got used to it. The sound just now surprised her because she was so deep in thought.

"Railway..." Yuya looked at where the train was passing. He stared and his mind slowly rewound back to one of the lessons his ancestor gave to him.

" _Yuya, let's say there's a train car that's out of control, up ahead the railroad splits, and there are workers on both ends. Five workers will die if you let the train run its course, but only one if you switch rails. Which option you think is better?"_

 _"Neither. I will find a way so I can save all of them. I don't think sacrificing the other to save another is right."_

" _Do you understand the point of the question?"_

" _The point?"_

" _Don't get bogged down in the problem. Life has many possibilities, Yuya. Reality is never so clear cut. Don't simplify the problem. If you have the time to ponder some idle logic puzzle, think about every angle."_

" _The world's problems are not so simple enough to solve on two rails. We can always search for another solution. Alone, that would be impossible, but together, we can. Combining strengths to complement one another."_

Yuya gripped his pendant as he thought deep of what Yuno had taught him. He was not experienced in this. He wasn't even sure 100% this was the right way. And that's why he must discuss it with the others. He can't always depend on others to think a way out of their problem. They must think this through together.

"This third way..."

 **THE NEXT DAY – BALCONY – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Serena's eyes were staring at the blue sky, but her thoughts were elsewhere. It was at this place. It was at this balcony she danced with Yuri last night. She gave Yuri the pendant she and Winged Kuriboh made together as token of appreciation. Last night, they were still here together, throwing mockeries at each other and all. But now, Yuri was not here. Not anywhere near her. For the first time in her entire life she felt this so much frustration. She let them took Yuri right in front of her. She couldn't reach him or Celica.

 _"I should have known the moment I met Shiki that Yuri will be targeted! I shouldn't have left his side!"_ Serena closed her eyes tight, scolding herself. She regretted for leaving Yuri alone.

"Thinking about Yuri?"

Dennis came in, giving her a wave before standing beside her at the balcony. They didn't get a chance to talk properly last night with all the hectic. When he woke up this morning and went to her room, she was not there, already waking up earlier, which lead him to look for her and found her here after hearing she was last seen with Yuri at this balcony.

"Aren't you the same?" Serena replied, not looking at him.

"Yeah. I never thought he of all people would be captured. Kinda ironic last year he did a kidnapping, only to be kidnapped now." Dennis said, trying to make it sound like a joke, though Serena could sense the concern in his tone.

"He has changed. It's only been a year, but what he did last year no longer matters to me." Serena said. She had almost forgotten what Yuri had done during the last war. All she felt afterwards was enjoying the times she spent with him and Dennis together.

"I also feel the same. Not sure about the others though." Dennis agreed. He also never thought about Yuri's crimes in the last war anymore. However, he wasn't sure the others felt the same. He and Serena were close friends with him, so it was understandable they of all people could forgive him so easily. The others, particularly those who suffered because of him, might still hold a huge grudge against him or not fully yet forgiven him. Not that it matters much to them. Regardless what people thinks of Yuri, he and Serena will stay by his side.

"Just when I finally made up my mind, he was taken away..." Serena mumbled, loud enough for Dennis to hear.

"Made up your mind?" Dennis repeated in question.

"After the war, I had always wanted for him to return to the way when we were children. I tried my best every single day since then to make him remember. But..."

"But?"

"I then realized that he has changed. He can never return to the way he was like when we were children. I realized that all those times I tried my best, I haven't seen who he is now at all. I have been only seeing him who he was. That's...not right..." When Serena made the promise to Yuri after she defeated him, she intended to remind him of their past together in hope he will return to when they were children. She missed the old him. However, day after day she spent times with him and he still didn't show any sign of returning to the way he was, she realized that she wasn't paying attention to the current Yuri. She had been chasing after a shadow of her childhood, clinging to it instead of trying to understand him in the present.

"My objective then changed. I will see him, understanding him for who he is now while fulfilling my promise. I thought it would be hard, but strangely instead I feel more refreshed." Serena was ready for any internal struggle she would face after steeling her determination. However, when she woke up at the hospital and saw Yuri never letting go of her hand, her worries felt unfounded. At that moment, she didn't see the old Yuri, but the current Yuri that she came to know for a whole year.

"Yuri that we both knew won't come back, but the current Yuri is not bad at all. The past doesn't matter anymore. I like the way he is now." Serena felt warmer whenever she was around Yuri recently. This feeling was stronger than when they were playing as children. This was intensified after she received the new ribbon from him. Unlike her old ribbon, she would always cherish this ribbon.

Dennis blinked at the hint in Serena's words that she didn't realize herself. It wasn't that surprising. He had a hunch this would happen ever since they were children. And now, even after being separated and they have changed, that feeling sprout inside her again. Under normal circumstances, he would tease her, but for this one time, he won't. Didn't want to ruin the moment.

"We'll get him back for sure."

They will rescue Yuri. Afterwards, the three of them will have a tour around this dimension, and then return home together.

 **LONG GALLERY – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Woooooow! This is superb! You guys are staying in this palace for a whole month?!"

Sawatari was admiring the paintings decorating the whole long gallery with sparkling face with Yugo and Rin watching him. When he happened to pass by Yugo and Rin after breakfast, he immediately asked Rin for a tour around the whole palace despite several places were destroyed after the attack last night. Yugo also came along as he has nothing to do while waiting for the meeting later.

"No. We only stayed once in a while since we're moving to Den City." Rin answered while amused by Sawatari's display of amazement. He was like a child. Almost like Yugo in a way when he was impressed by something.

"But this is great! I'm so jealous!" Sawatari exclaimed, looking at every single painting. While Rin was looking at one of the paintings with Yugo secretly glancing at her, Sawatari pulled Yugo to the corner, rounding his arm around him.

"By the way, how is it?" Sawatari whispered with a grin.

"About what?" Yugo asked.

"Didn't you dance with Rin yesterday? So? Did you two make any progress?" Sawatari asked. He only heard a bit, but it didn't his attention the fact that Yugo and Rin danced during the ball. He wondered if this means that Yugo has made a move.

"I guess…we did…" Yugo's face turned pink for second before it faded as quick as it appeared.

"Man, don't tell me you're still hesitating! Go strike out already!" Sawatari told him. It has been a year since their last conversation about Yugo making his move towards Rin, but he didn't hear any news of the two of them going beyond friends. And now, even after the dance he was still friendzoned?

"Hey! A lot of happened, you know! I still haven't gotten rid of that bitch!" Yugo insisted, referring to Neon who instantly popped out as a devil in his mind, laughing all devilishly.

"What do you mean? I thought she's not around anymore." Sawatari raised a brow. Sherry told him that Yugo has defeated – killed Neon in fact, so she wasn't around anymore. But why Yugo spoke as if she was still alive and still bothering him?

"I feel like…she's haunting me, to be honest. I'm still trying to put it behind me." Yugo got uneasy by the change of topic. But it was the truth. Even now, he sensed Neon beside him, taunting him.

"Then, there's only one solution." Sawatari stated, raising his point finger.

"You have a solution?" Yugo looked at Sawatari skeptically. The Abyss Actor user's solution was often – mostly hardly helpful.

"Yeah. Get all lovey-dovey with Rin and that Neon girl will be no more in no time." Sawatari suggested while pointing at Rin who was still admiring a painting. Yugo almost fell down from the so-called solution.

"I'm being serious here!" Yugo said louder but still in wishper so Rin won't hear him.

"Let me ask you this, do you like that Neon woman?" Sawatari suddenly asked, pointing his finger at between Yugo's brows.

"I hate her!" Yugo answered immediately without hesitation. That was the truth.

Sawatari pulled Yugo closer to him. "Then why are you wasting your times filling your head with her while you can think more about Rin, your true love? If you hate her so much, then stop thinking about her! Think more about Rin or the best things that have ever happened to you! For example, like when you dueled against me!" He told the Speedroid user who was clearly looking at him with a look that saying 'as if it was that easy'. Sawatari ignored this. If there was one thing that he knew about forgetting bad experience would be doing something fun every day and that fun memories will overpower the bad ones.

"Actually, better yet, it would be easier to just stop hating. It'll be load off your back!" Sawatari added. Before Yugo could protested as there was no way he would forgive Neon, Sawatari interrupted him again.

"From what you said about Neon's last words, don't you think this is exactly what she wants? She wants you to hate her so much so that she can continue living in you, making you suffer. I'm not telling you to forgive her or anything, but if you continue that would be what she wants! You're losing the battle here!" Sawatari pointed out.

Yugo stopped opening his mouth and thought carefully of what Sawatari said, remembering Neon's last words before she died. Sawatari actually has a point. Maybe that was what Neon was aiming for. She taunted him, tortured him, carving her existence into his body and mind all so that she could continue to haunt him even after she died. Considering Neon's personality, that was the only plausible explanation behind her last words.

"Getting all sulky and controlled by a dead enemy…it's so not like you, Yugo." Sawatari gently lay a fist bump on Yugo's chest, revealing his point.

"Sawatari…" Everything became clear now. He still has difficulties, but he felt a whole lot better now that he was aware. He was stupid for letting Neon got into her head when she was already gone.

"That's why! Once this is over! I, Shingo Sawatari, shall set a perfect date for you and Rin! You'll get a romantic moment and magic words that will make every girl say 'yes' to you!" Sawatari exclaimed too loud than he intended, which caught Rin's attention when she heard her name being mentioned.

"What was that about me?" Rin asked, approaching them.

"Sshhh! Not so loud!" Yugo protested.

 **TRAINING FIELD – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Ruri and Sayaka were hugging each other while Yuto clasped hands with Allen. This was a perfect timing for Yuto and Ruri. Just last night they started feeling homesick, and now their two close friends were here in flesh to help them. Meeting them like this was already more than enough.

"I miss you so much Sayaka, Allen." Ruri said, wiping a tear from her eye. She was so happy that she couldn't hide it.

"Us too! We can't wait for you guys to return, so we decided to join Lancers and come along!" Allen said. When they heard Reiji was forming a new group of Lancers, Allen and Sayaka decided to join this time. In the last war, they only stayed and waited back at Heartland. Not this time. They won't let Yuto and Ruri to do the fighting by themselves.

"Have you found Shun yet?" Sayaka asked. She didn't have any big expectation so she was actually reluctant to ask.

"We met him, but…" Ruri trailed off. She trusted her brother, but she didn't know how to explain their first and last encounter to Sayaka and Allen. But she couldn't hide it from them either.

Yuto stepped forward, smiling in assurance at Sayaka and Allen.

"But I'm sure Shun will come back. He can't right now, but he'll come back home with us once everything is over." Yuto told them. Ruri stared hard at Yuto before nodding in agreement.

"Yes. And then let's have a big party with everyone. We'll have fun together again." Ruri smiled brightly. This might be not the right time to talk about this, but this can be motivation for them to fight too, right?

Allen and Sayaka looked at each other before smiling back. They didn't know what happened with Shun, but if Yuto and Ruri could still say that, everything will turn out okay. Shun will be back to their side. They all believed in him.

Sayaka noticed a card falling from Yuto's pocket just as they were going back inside.

"Yuto, you drop your card." Sayaka picked the card. When she turned the card around to take a look of the card, she stilled. Curious, Allen took a peek at the card and was as surprised as her.

"This is…" Allen blinked once to make sure if he was seeing it right. The card Sayaka was holding was Phantom Fusion, a card for Fusion Summoning.

"It's a Fusion card given by Yuno-san to fight against Apophis. Ruri also got one too form Celica-san." Yuto revealed as he took the card back from Sayaka.

"You didn't refuse it? You didn't tell him what we have gone through last year?" Allen asked in disbelieve. What they had experienced with Fusion Summon was close to hell. And then this Yuno and Celica who were supposed to be Yuto and Ruri's ancestors gave them the very card that would only brought back bad memories?

"We have. That's why they gave it to us." Ruri said, taking out her Fusion Card given by Celica.

"What do you mean?" Sayaka asked. If they already knew, why did they give it to them?

"Ruri and I have been thinking about this, but we can't continue looking away from Fusion Summon and Fusion Monsters. Not just us, both of you and everyone in Heartland, we have to face them." Yuto told them. He and Ruri were not the only ones who must move forward and got over their fear and hatred for Fusion Summoning. Everyone in Heartland must.

"Fusion Summon and Fusion Monsters are not bad itself. The ones who used them to destroy our city and harmed us were the ones responsible. That is the fact, but our fear and hate make us fail to understand it." Ruri explained further. They were so caught in their own fear and haterd that they failed to see the bigger picture.

"I think we need to open up more to Fusion Summoning and Fusion Monsters. Academia or Fusion Dimension is not our enemy anymore. If we truly have forgiven them, living together in peace with them, shouldn't we be more open up to the summoning method they use, just like they did to us?" Yuto continued.

They knew it won't be easy for their friends. They needed time and they'll give it to them. There was no need for them to rush.

Yuto and Ruri, however, have made their decision.

 **CONFERENCE ROOM – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

All remaining Imperial Guardians and The Brotherhood members who were invited to the party were gathering at the conference room in the palace that was fortunately one of places that wasn't destroyed. Everyone except Carl, who must take control of the situation within the Palace being the prince, was present. While Carl, being the second prince despite also a member of the Brotherhood, took control of the situation in the Noble Faction with the help of Imperial Guardians, Lechter took command of The Brotherhood, being appointed as second-in-command in case Yuno was absent.

To be frank, they were all felt horrible. No one could blame them with many 'misfortunes' as they preferred to call it that happened in one night. They couldn't believe they could be as careless as taking their eyes off from their respective leaders. They couldn't foresee Kurt and Ryo's betrayal or Heidel's move, but if they didn't take their eyes off their leaders, maybe it won't turn out like this. This was the greatest mistake they have ever made.

"How are things now?" Lechter asked.

"Carl has handled the situation. He has ordered the witnesses who saw the Emperor and Yuno being kidnapped and Kurt and Ryo's betrayal to keep silent for the time being. We don't want to cause a mass panic and all." Johan informed.

"Good then. How is Carl?" Reid asked. While he was concerned about a possible mass panic, he was more concerned with Carl's well-being. Out of all of them, he must be the one who got affected the most by this incident.

"He is able to remedy the situation, but we all know that he is crushed. He found out his own twin brother was the one who freed Apophis and his father and ancestor were kidnapped by Heidel and Apophis. That makes him the only member of the Imperial Family present that can quell the situation amongst the nobles and citizens. He has a lot in his plates." Mai explained. She didn't show it clearly, but she was worried for Carl. Losing his families and then pressures from others due to his responsibilities as prince was a dangerous combination for Carl's psyche. His sadness being betrayed by his own brother was more than his anger. He was suppressing his feelings right now. They have to make sure he doesn't overdo it.

"Us, Imperial Guardians, will do our best to give him our support." Rio promised.

"How about The Brotherhood? Don't forget you also have your leader got kidnapped." Kiryu reminded. The Brotherhood's situation wasn't any better than them.

"Lechter is taking command of The Brotherhood until we rescue Yuno. But there are limits on what we can do in this condition…with Ryo's betrayal and all." Sherry answered. Her face went grim as she remembered Ryo last night.

"Why are they doing this?" Lilac asked no one in particular. She kept thinking and thinking and nothing came up.

"I don't know about Prince Kurt, but do you think Ryo's betrayal has something to do with Sho?" Kino wondered, his tone somewhat timid. "He looks okay and got over the incident, but maybe he is actually still not?"

The Brotherhood members frowned further. This was never an easy topic for them all.

"But if that's the case, that's all the more reason why he shouldn't be working with Apophis!" Sherry argued.

"It doesn't matter." Jonouchi said in cold tone, surprising them.

"Jonouchi?"

"He betrayed Yuno and all of us. That's all there is to it. If what Prince Kurt said was right, that means he has been deceiving us for a long time already. How many people do you think that have been hurt and even died because of Apophis?" Jonouchi absolutely didn't like this at all. Ryo, who was supposed to be Yuno's right-hand man, betrayed them. Yuno trusted him with his life, treasured him as his friend, and this was how Ryo repaid him? He couldn't accept that.

"Jonouchi, you're not the only one hurt by this, but letting our emotions gets the better of us won't help Yuno, Celica, or Yuri." Shark told the Red-Eyes user. He was actually barely able to contain his anger too.

A knock halted their conversation. Lechter gave the permission to the one behind the door.

"Reiji. Kachidoki. Battle Beast." Kino addressed the three young men when he came in.

"Reiji Akaba, leader of the Lancers. And also Isao Kachidoki and Battle Beast. We have heard about you from Kino. We thank you for your help." Lechter stood from the chair, thanking the DDD user.

"You have helped our comrades ever since their arrival in this dimension. Think of it as us returning the favor." Reiji politely replied before eyeing everyone in the room.

"My apologies for interrupting. But I believe that we have a lot of things to discuss about. Our time is short, so decision must be made soon." The Leo Corporation President said.

"Yes. However, I do not think Carl can participate in this discussion. Please understand as the prince of this country, he is in a difficult position." Rio informed Carl's absence in the meeting.

"Understood. Everyone has gathered at the airship. Let us discuss everything through there." Reiji informed them.

"I know that we have to make decision soon, but I didn't think we're going to hold a meeting sooner so early in the day while the young ones are still recovering." Neah remarked. While he knew the importance of the situation, he was worried that rushing things would stress the young ones, namely Yuya and his friends. They were too young to be involved in this war from the very beginning.

"As a matter of fact, it was Yuya who requested this meeting." Reiji revealed while fixing his glasses.

"Yuya did?" Jonouchi blinked, surprised that his student of all people asked for the meeting to be held so early.

 **LANCERS AIRSHIP – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

It was near afternoon. As requested by Yuya through Reiji, they have now gathered at the Lancers' airship, finding it saver for them to hold a conference instead of inside the palace. All members of Lancers, The Brotherhood, and Imperial Guardians were present. They decided to fill Carl everything later after he finished his job. The airship was big, so it was enough for everyone to get in, but they were limited on chairs and all as the Lancers haven't prepared much before coming since they were in a hurry. This left some of them have to stand up, which they didn't mind at all.

Being the one who asked for the meeting to be held early, all eyes were on Yuya. He shifted, twisting his hands briefly under the table. The entire room was waiting on him now, it seemed. He swallowed. If Yuno was here, he would have scolded for being unnecessarily nervous.

"I've thought long and hard about it, and I think we need to find another way. A path of our own, separate from the Noble, Military, and neutral factions are taking." Yuya finally voiced his opinion. As expected, there were mixed reactions from everyone in the room.

"I can understand it wouldn't feel right for us to directly support either the nobles or the reformists, but The Brotherhood – the neutral faction, why do we have to work separately with them? Wouldn't it be better if we work together with The Brotherhood?" Sawatari asked. Didn't the very reason they come here was to make alliance with them?

"No. That won't do because Yuno-san is in Heidel's custody." Yuya replied.

"Yeah, and that's precisely why we must work together so we can rescue Yuno-san and the Emperor. Not only them, but Yuri and Celica-san too. Wouldn't this be a perfect opportunity for all factions to work together?" Dennis was also equally curious as to why Yuya proposed to work separately with The Brotherhood.

"It's not that simple. Putting aside Apophis, at the moment Heidel is the one who gains benefit in this situation." Yukiya answered in Yuya's stead.

"Huh? Why's that?" Sawatari asked again.

"First is the fact that Prince Kurt and Ryo-san are traitors. Prince Kurt is, like all Imperial Family, an important figure in the Noble Faction. He is also the first line on the throne. Worse, he was the one who broke Apophis' seal. And Ryo-san was a core member of The Brotherhood, I doubt no one doesn't know him. Think about it, if people found out important figures from Noble Faction and The Brotherhood are working with Apophis, what do you think will happen?" Yuya continued, pointing out their main problems.

That made those who were confused finally understood what Yuya meant. If the public found out that the heir to throne of Cantidel who was supposed to be their future leader and a core member of The Brotherhood who was supposed to be the Oracle's right-hand man were working with Apophis, they would start to lose trust in both organizations. Heidel, on the other hand, has done nothing that may stain his reputation. Yes, he had conducted human experiments in the underground prison, but he successfully covered his tracks so, they didn't have any definite proof. People would lean to Heidel and view him as their last hope should that information was exposed.

"Heidel not only has Lord Oracle in his custody, but also the most important person in this country, the Emperor himself. They are practically political hostages. If we work together with the other two factions and Heidel caught a wind on this, he will use the fact that Prince Kurt and Ryo are traitors, revealing them to the public, which will cause people to start to lose trust on the Imperial Family and Guardians and The Brotherhood. The people's support will then lean to Heidel's faction." Lechter voiced the point Yuya meant.

"Can't we just announce Heidel kidnapped them?" Yugo suggested. If people found out Heidel kidnapped their Emperor and Oracle to force them to work for him, no one would follow him, right?

"That would worsen the conflict between the factions and may even start a civil war. That will give Apophis opportunity to finish all of us. Worse, we may destroy ourselves." Reid interjected. Civil war was the last thing they wanted to happen. Apophis attacking was already difficult enough. If the factions started a war amongst themselves, Apophis didn't even need to do anything and just let themselves to destroy each other.

"I'm sure Yuno and the Emperor are aware of this. They'll have no choice but to stay low and listen to Heidel to prevent that from happening. Since Heidel has them, he might as well use them to convince the people that he has their support and still gain more favor from the citizens. Yuno and the Emperor could do nothing to object for the sake of preventing mass panic." Shark said with barely concealed rage. He never liked the Supreme Commander, and this has just worsened his dislike – hate for the man.

"Simply put, we are playing in Heidel's hand." Sora sighed. This was worse than he thought.

"However, that doesn't work for us, who came from another dimension. Of course, we're still going to need to be careful on how we proceed. As an outsider, we can't just carelessly involve ourselves into another dimension's civil conflict." Reiji stated. They needed a few people from Cantidel to help them. If they have a few join their group, they won't be considered as outsiders that much.

"Phantom Dragons already made a name in this dimension with Blue Angel and GO Onizuka's support. I don't think that will be much of a problem." Yuya revealed. With their teamwork together with Blue Angel and GO in LINK VRAINS five days ago during the virus extermination, people's support for them and their influence have expanded. Furthermore, neither Blue Angel nor GO belonged to either factions. Blue Angel has announced her defection and GO was never belonged to any faction in Cantidel.

"Regardless, conflict with Apophis and Heidel is all but inevitable since we want to rescue Yuri, Yuno, Celica, and the Emperor. Resolving to find a third way is a start, but that's it, only a start. It also leaves us with plenty of questions that need to be answered on top of it all." Gloria said. They have other problems and have yet to think for a way to handle it.

"Then let's figure out right now where we will have our base of operations. We certainly cannot use the places connected to the Imperial Guardians or The Brotherhood." Yuya proposed. Since they were going to work separately, it won't be good to be seen near the places where Imperial Guardians and The Brotherhood were working.

"We're also as limited on where we can go otherwise. We haven't exactly been the subtlest group around. Who's to say we could even operate elsewhere?" Grace said. They were not residents of this dimension. One wrong move and they would stand out.

"Both Apophis and Heidel will no doubt even more wary of us than before." Gongenzaka reminded. The subordinates they have defeated and managed to escape from custody must have reported the Lancers' arrival in this dimension.

"Doesn't that mean in the end we are on the losing side here?" Sawatari didn't like the sound of this conversation. It was like whatever they would do, they would end up losing.

"Even if we agree on not siding with either of the factions, I'm pretty sure it doesn't mean you can easily leave your respective factions. You have your own things you want to do and things you have to do." Reiji addressed the Imperial Guardians and The Brotherhood. He understood they wanted to help, but they have obligations to be fulfilled while their respective leaders were absent. Leaving their positions for the sake of rescuing their leaders would leave their organizations vulnerable. Not forgetting they have their own supporters who were counting on them. They couldn't just let them down.

"We can help you with that."

Everybody tensed up when someone opened the door. There shouldn't be anyone else who knew about this airship. Carl was still working so it wasn't him. They were on alert until the intruder revealed himself. Yuto stood from his chair so fast that it fell down the moment his eyes met with his. Ruri's eyes hardened at the figure. Sayaka and Allen gasped as they instantly recognized who he was.

"Shun!"

 **GUEST ROOM – RAMSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuno and the Emperor were sitting on the sofa within the guest room provided by Heidel. They didn't exactly do any activities that was physically exerting, but they felt tired. They were imprisoned together so Heidel could use them to suppress potential rebellion in areas occupied by his faction by having them address the people and calm them down. They have no choice but to follow his request. They couldn't risk worsening the conflict and gave Apophis the opportunity to attack. Heidel knew this and exploit it.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you, Your Highness. If I hadn't been so careless this wouldn't have happened to you." Yuno apologized to the emperor, bowing. He was a fool for entrusting his safety to Heidel even though he knew something was not right when Heidel proposed a plan.

"Please lift your head. You are as much in difficult situation as I am. In that chaos, I can't blame you for this to happen. Neither of us thought Supreme Commander would do something like this. And you have protected me by defeating the enemies, Lord Oracle. I should be thanking you." The Emperor stood from the sofa to approach Yuno, placing a hand on his shoulder that made the Oracle looked up to see him smiling gently.

"Your Highness..."

"To be honest, what I'm concerned the most are my sons and Lady Celica. Carl must have had it hard right now with us being imprisoned here and Kurt betrayed us. I can't even fathom my oldest son's thoughts. I am a failure as a father." The Emperor slumped back to the sofa, covering his eyes with his hand while his head turned down. After his wife's death, he was busy and rarely spent his times with his sons. Whenever there was opportunity, he would take it to spend times with his sons together whatever it was. However, even that wasn't enough. He thought he understood both of them, but Kurt's betrayal has proven how wrong he was. Carl must be feeling worse than him. He was the closest to Kurt more than anybody. And since he was absent, that only leaves Carl to handle everything in the castle.

"Please don't be too hard on yourself, Your Highness. I understand your feelings, but we must find a way out of this situation. This may sound harsh but thinking about why Prince Kurt betrayed us won't help anyone." Yuno gently told the Emperor. As much as he was worried for Yuri and Celica and hurt by Ryo's betrayal, they needed to think a way out of this. If they were being held too long, people would get suspicious and misunderstood.

"Thank you, Lord Oracle. The task itself is not difficult. People across Cantidel are uneasy about this conflict, and as people who holds the most support in this country, we should do what's within our power to help calm their nerves, even if this means we're following what Heidel wants." The Emperor replied.

"I don't like the fact we are being used to deceive the people like this. But if we don't, there will be civil unrest. The downside would be if we continue doing this, it would be only a matter of time people's support will gradually go to Heidel." Yuno remarked, which was why they must formulate a plan to either escape or contact his comrades.

"You said all that, but you don't look depress at all, Lord Oracle." The Emperor noted. Yuno remained composed throughout the situation.

"I am sure my descendants and comrades will do something. I have faith in them. I know they would find a way out." Yuno would still think a plan, but he knew Yuya and the others will do something too. He trusted them. They have been through worse than this. He was sure they would make a solution. That's why they were his pride and joy.

Someone knocked the door and came in without waiting for permission. The one who came was a middle-aged tan-skinned bald man with light blue eyes, who wore a purple colored militaristic outfit with several black buttons, a purple cape with a black ending, and a pair of grey boots. He also has a black belt with a red line which both end in a button on the front, and what appear to be red circular strings across his chest with a pair of black gloves on his hands. His most noticeable traits were the armored plate at the left side of his head with what appears to be a red circular lens and pronounced blood vessels on the top of his head.

Yuno blinked. He remembered this man. He had seen him in the photo within the files Reiji gave to Kino to understand better about ARC-V.

"You're...Leo Akaba."

 **LANCERS AIRSHIP – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Brother!" Ruri stood up from her chair but didn't make a move towards her brother.

"Kurosaki! Where the hell have you been, man?!" Sawatari asked. Relief surged into him at the sight of the Raid Raptors user in flesh and alive.

"We were really worried about you!" Gongenzaka exclaimed.

However, Shun didn't respond to any of them. Instead, he made his way to the table, ignoring the stares he got, even from Allen and Sayaka. His coldness clearly worried Allen and Sayaka but assuring gesture from Yuno and Ruri prompted them not to say anything. They will trust Shun just as they always have.

"We'll talk about that later. We're discussing on what course of actions we're going to take, right?" Shun addressed everyone in the room before taking out a small round drone and placed it on the table. The drone projected a holographic screen. At first it was flickering but slowly the image was visible, revealing Ray on screen.

"Ray– Sara!" This time it was Yukiya who stood from his chair, walking closer to the screen. It was definitely her in her avatar.

Yuya sighed in relieved when no one in Lancers let slip about Ray. It would have caused questions from Yukiya as to how they knew Ray when he hasn't told them about her. But more importantly, Yukiya's guess was right after all. The one responsible intercepting their dragons before Apophis get them and instructing the people in blue robes together with Shun was her.

"Hello. It has been a while, Yukiya." Ray greeted with a guilty smile.

"It's been a while? It's already more than a month! And I was right; your consciousness really is still in LINK VRAINS! Why didn't you tell me anything?! Do you know how worried I was?!" Yukiya yelled between relief and anger. Relieved that her consciousness was unharmed, and angry for her not showing up or telling him anything even though she could.

"Let's save that explanation for later talk. I'm here to inform you about where Yuri and Lady Celica are taken." Ray revealed, turning everyone's attention to her.

"You know where they are now?!" Serena asked.

"Not their present location, but we know to where they are going." Ray corrected.

"They are going to the Temple of Calamity." Shun answered in her stead, leaning on the nearby wall while crossing his arms. The mention of the temple was enough to make Jonouchi and the others made a grim expression.

"The Temple of Calamity?! If they're taken there, they will be as good as dead!" Johan exclaimed.

"Is this temple belonging to Apophis?" Reiji asked.

"It's Apophis' main temple. That temple is where Apophis and his fanatical followers conducted most of their rituals. I thought that temple was already destroyed." Neah explained. The history lesson had told them that the temple was destroyed following Apophis' seal.

"It was, but Apophis' followers had secretly rebuilt it. It was difficult for us to find its location since it was well hidden by camouflage system. But we have finally located the temple." Ray explained. After many trials and errors, she has finally created a camouflage radar system. This way, they could pick up a reaction if there was a camouflage system used to cover up something.

"You mentioned about rituals, what kind of rituals they're doing there?" Yuto asked, though he pretty much had a guess what it was, remembering what he was being told back at Underground Prison.

"Many. But the ritual that has been done the most in that temple is the ritual to create Duel Monster." Ray revealed.

"You mean like, killing them first and then Apophis revive them as Duel Monsters?" Yugo repeated. He wished he was wrong. He didn't want to remember that kind of thing after what he had seen in the underground prison. The condition of the people who was forcefully turned into Duel Monsters were just too cruel.

"Yes. That ritual. I think not only they're trying to lure the four dragons out, but they're also planning to make Yuri and Lady Celica his Duel Monsters." Ray deduced.

"Then we have to rescue them right away!" Serena slammed the table upon hearing that. Dread filled her chest. Dead was one thing, being enslaved into Apophis' Duel Monsters were far worse!

"I understand your concern, Serena, but going all hasty without preparation would only lead to our demise. Entering the temple itself is not easy. There are many traps and fanatical followers guarding the temple. Not to mention Apophis' personal Duelists must be there too." Ray revealed more, trying to calm down the indigo haired girl.

"Wait a second. How do we know we can trust you guys? You took Yuya and the others' dragons and won't even give them back." Sawatari questioned skeptically.

"We, including the dragons, have our reasons. We can't return the dragons now, but we will eventually. Even if you try to take them back by force from us, the dragons won't leave of their own accord." Ray answered simply and refused to tell more than that.

Sawatari was ready make his objection, but Yuto pushed him back to his chair as he walked closer to face Ray.

"Yuto?" Ruri looked at Yuto in concern. What was he going to do?

"To be honest, even if you are Yukiya's friend, I can't trust you. You're hiding our dragons and won't even tell us why, using excuse it's not the time yet." Yuto said, causing the atmosphere to turn tense. Some were nervous, but none of them say anything yet. They knew that Yuto hasn't finished. They were waiting for what Yuto was going to say next, holding their breath. It wasn't necessary though.

"But, I trust Shun and Dark Rebellion. If they are in this, then I have no qualms working with you." Yuto said, briefly glancing at Shun who didn't say anything in return or react in any particular way.

"I still don't like it that you're not telling us anything, but I trust Clear Wing." Yugo said, supporting Yuto. While he didn't like it that the guy in blue robe was keeping Clear Wing from him, he at least was nice enough to let Clear Wing saved him back when he fought Neon.

"A friend of Yukiya is a friend of mine. Odd-Eyes is also helping you out with something, right? I trust you." Yuya smiled without an inch of doubt. He understood how much Sara means to Yukiya. If Yukiya cherished her as far as hacking into The Brotherhood's mother computer, she must be as kind as the Ray that he knew. And Shun was also working with her. He trusted Shun like Yuto does.

Ray blinked twice, visibly surprised by the unexpected support she got. She turned to Yukiya who shrugged while grinning wide. Ray giggled. While she was gone, Yukiya had made himself reliable friends. She was glad. Other than her, Yukiya didn't have that much of a close friend. Now, he has not just one, but a bunch of them.

"Thank you. I promise I won't let you down."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Reminiscence Resonance –** Yuri and Celica are held captive in separate rooms within the enemy's air fortress that also serves as their means of transportation while on their way to the temple. They try to find out more about their enemies while think of a way to contact their comrades.

* * *

 **Yuya and the others' (except Yuri) reunions with Lancers are done! Again, this chapter became longer than I originally thought it would be. Sorry if this is boring since there's no Duel and quite focused on politics. I actually don't really want to, but I thought it was important for the story so I have to write it. The next chapter won't have a Duel either; I'm planning to focus the next chapter on our two traitors, Kurt and Ryo. Also, I thought I should give at least do two non-Duel chapters before going into action again. But I don't mind adding a Duel for the next chapter if you want to. I have saved one Duel for the next chapter in case you all want it. I'll be waiting. The deadline would be this Sunday.**

 **By the way, I'm thinking of giving the Lancers' airship a name, but I'm having difficulty coming up with a good one, so if you have any suggestion, please do tell me.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	52. Reminiscence Resonance

**Big thanks to** _ **Playerhood18, tsukikami02, Yuka Kuroshiro, Unknowedz, Ulrich362, dvdryms, Elbarto4000, NeoFGD, GamingGuy84, Guest Starshine, Hunter13hawkie, jason, ThePLOThand**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **LANCERS AIRSHIP – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuya raised a hand once more to gain everyone's attention. While he was sure there were so many things they wanted to ask to Ray or Sara, but they first must finish this discussion first.

"Back to the topic, not all of us can go. Imperial Guardians, I understand all of you want to rescue Celica, but your position, as Imperial Guardians requires you to be present at the Palace and noble society to calm them considering the absence of your leader and the Emperor. I don't think Carl alone would suffice to handle this." Yuya reminded Johan, Kiryu, Mai, and Rio who were members of Imperial Guardians. Even though Imperial Guardians have no place in diplomatic discussion or such, but they still held certain extent of authority and the majority viewed them as their protectors. Their very presence could calm the panic.

"The Brotherhood too. Your leader's absence will also cause unrest within the organization, and there's no telling that Apophis will take this opportunity to attack or not. And compared to the nobles and reformists, you have been helping the citizens the most. The other members and the people need you." This time Yuya turned to Lechter and the rest who were Yuno's compatriots and sworn friends. Similarly, as majority within the nobles, The Brotherhood was viewed as heroes and protectors. Furthermore, they have one big territory filled with civilians who knew about their identities and swore secrecy. They couldn't ignore them even for Yuno's sake.

"You're telling us to leave everything to you, Lancers?" Kiryu asked.

Yuya quickly shook his head before anyone could say anything.

"No. You have known Celica and Yuno more than any of us. Not as the members of your respective groups, but as their close friends. You have every right to save them more than us. It's unreasonable to just fully leave the rescue operation to a group that you only knew for a short time." Yuya answered. If he were in their shoes, he wouldn't want to just stay and let someone else rescue his friends and family. He wanted to go and save them with his own hands. Yuya knew that and he wanted nothing more but to allow all of them to work together and save them if it was possible.

"But at the same time, it won't be right for all of you to just leave your post. People would find out if all core members of Imperial Guardians and The Brotherhood are missing and gathering at one place. The battle to stop the spreading of the virus is one thing, this time our opponent is not only Apophis, but also, Heidel." Reiji continued Yuya's explanation. They mustn't make a move together that would be too stand out for Heidel to notice. That man has the turf to control the current situation if he wishes so.

"After considering all of this, I have a proposition, a way so either of you can come with us to rescue them." Yuya continued. Both Imperial Guardians and The Brotherhood's attentions became curious and expecting. If there was truly a way for them to participate in rescue operation without neglecting their duties, they would take any chances.

"One from each of you will leave your position as Imperial Guardian and The Brotherhood member and join Lancers." Yuya proposed. He was actually nervous about this. He felt he was basically telling one of them to quit their current jobs and join the Lancers as representatives. But this way, at the very least the remaining members could stay and control the situation.

"I agree. If all of you quit, it won't make things better. But if only one from each of you join us, it won't cause a stir. You'll be more at ease if one of you go to save them directly. And this won't actually, be permanent. You can always rejoin your respective organization once your leaders are rescued." Reiji explained in detail, supporting Yuya's proposition. He ignored Yuya's surprised look given to him. He knew that whoever will choose to leave their position, it was only temporary. He didn't know what kind of person Yuno and Celica personally, but Yuya was sure that they would welcome their members who quite their positions to rescue them.

Both the Imperial Guardians and The Brotherhood members looked at each other. They were contemplating whether they should accept the proposition or not. It was a bad proposition. In fact, that sounded to be the best possible action for them. It wasn't like they didn't trust Yuya and his friends but having at least one of them accompanying the Lancers as their representatives would be more assuring.

"Then I'll go." Kiryu offered, placing his Imperial Guardian badge on the table as his resignation.

"Kiryu!" Mai exclaimed in surprise, so did Johan and Rio.

"Heh. I don't think the nobles will have any problem with a lowly criminal like myself resigning as Imperial Guardian." Kiryu said. Compared to the others, he was the least popular amongst the nobles due to his background as not only a commoner but also a former underground criminal. Above all, he has a score to settle with Heidel.

"Then as for us, Jonouchi, you'll go." Sherry suggested, placing a hand on Jonouchi's shoulder to emphasize it.

"Me?" Jonouchi pointed at himself while blinking. He didn't expect that coming from Sherry of all people. He thought she would argue to be the one who will go.

"Of course, it has to be you. You know Yuno like forever. We trust you the most even if you are not the smartest of all." Sherry said with a sigh like Jonouchi has asked something with the answer that was so obvious.

"Hey! Are you praising me or making fun of me?!" Jonouchi protested. Did they just basically say he was stupid or something?

"Admit it, you're worried the most about Yuno and Ryo. We can't have you got distracted so it's better if you're the one to leave and go." Shark said, pushing Jonouchi forward while snatching his Brotherhood ID.

"Are you sure, Shark? How about Rowan?" Jonouchi asked. He was also surprise that Shark didn't argue to be the one to go. He has yet to finish his Duel with Rowan and retrieve his friend's body. Even if by a chance he encounters and defeat Rowan and retrieve his friend's body, it wouldn't be right for Shark. In order for Shark to settle his past, he must properly confront and defeat Rowan himself.

"I'm positive I will meet him again eventually. And this isn't about me, but about Yuno, Celica, Yuri, and the Emperor. Stop being indecisive and go already." Shark smacked Jonouchi from behind again with stronger force enough to fall flat on his face on the table.

Jonouchi recovered, staring at Sherry and Shark whose eyes urged him to go. It was just as they said, he was worried sick for their kidnapped comrades, especially Yuno whom he has accompanied since ages ago. Besides, he also wants to give Ryo a piece of his mind.

"Alright! I'll join then!" Jonouchi agreed.

"Now with that settled, let's start forming a plan." Ray showed the rough map of the Temple of Calamity. She circled certain areas with numbers of people icon.

"The temple is guarded by around 8 to 10 followers. And then there are also several followers guarding the perimeter, around the same number or maybe a bit more. As for inside the temple, there are around three people guarding it." Ray explained it. It was not only difficult to break through their camouflage system; it was also difficult and risky to check the area either personally or with drones. After days observing carefully, they finally gathered everything they need to know about the layout of the temple.

"Only three people inside the temple?" Yuto asked. He thought the temple would have more guards since it was the most important.

"Most of Apophis' core members are still within the network. Don't forget that Apophis doesn't have enough power to form physical body yet and that's why he is staying within the network, LINK VRAINS. And after what happened last time when you encountered him, they are increasing their security." Shun explained. After creating a new domain, he has most of his Duelists to guard inside the domain. A wise choice since their enemies now knew he was in LINK VRAINS, they will seek him there.

"Then we'll have to split up." Yugo suggested while inspecting the map with the rest.

From the corner of their eyes, Reiji and Lechter were staring at Yuya who was not looking at the map. He seemed busy thinking of something deeply.

"What do you think, Yuya?" Reiji asked, startling the Pendulum user.

"What I think?" Yuya blinked. He didn't expect Reiji to ask him of all people in the room.

"You seem to have something in your mind." Reiji said.

"But I'm not sure..." Yuya mumbled, looking down.

"It is all right, Yuya-kun. Let us hear your thoughts. Everyone's opinion is welcomed in this meeting. We maybe won't participate in this rescue operation, but we still wish to listen to the whole plan." Lechter told the boy. He rarely could meet Yuno's descendants due to his job and only heard of them from the Oracle. That's he was interested to get to know the descendants personally. They have learned things from Yuno for a whole month; this would be the perfect time to see how far they have learned.

"Well...we'll have to split into four groups. The first group will stay guarding the airship. The second group will handle the followers guarding the perimeters. The third group will handle the ones guarding the entrance of the temple. The fourth group will be in LINK VRAINS." Yuya finally voiced his opinion.

His experience last year at Heartland taught him to never leave their main base without protection no matter what. Edo's ambush was the perfect example. If they were not there at the time, the civilians won't be able to evacuate far and would have been carded. And they were able to do so with Gongenzaka and the others facing against the group from the front, buying them times to sneak out. And from what he heard from his father, they used almost the same strategy when infiltrating Academia. Yuno, , taught him that before allowing a large number of people coming in at once, it would be better for a few to come in first and then open the path for the rest to come in if necessary. That would minimize the damage and lessen the risk of all of them being annihilated all at once. Furthermore, there were security layers operated from LINK VRAINS. In case the temple also applied the same programs, the group within LINK VRAINS could deactivate it.

"Even with our own camouflage system, there's no guarantee the airship will stay hidden so it'll be safer to have people guarding the ship. The second and third group will provide distraction for a few to enter the temple. The fourth group will observe activities online in case Apophis make his move through there. A good judgment." Lechter rubbed his chin, impressed. It might be not the greatest of strategies, but it was good nonetheless. Yuno had taught his descendant well.

"You can leave the observation in LINK VRAINS to me and my group. I can't log out anyway." Ray offered, placing her team's name in the map that signed LINK VRAINS. She has spent for more than a month in LINK VRAINS and grew accustomed to it. The same could be said to her comrades. They were better there.

"That leaves the first, second, and third group. How we will choose the members?" Rin asked.

"With Jonouchi-san and Kiryu-san joining us, we have 21 people in total. The ones going into the temple should be small in numbers. The lesser the numbers, the lesser the enemies will notice us. That means the rest who will be handling the perimeters and gatekeepers will act as distractions." Reiji suggested. This was actually not so different when they were infiltrating Academia, though at that time they were bigger in numbers, which made it easy for the enemy to change the structure of the building and separated them.

"For distractions, you'll need an element of surprise that will break their formations and strategies focusing on aggressive moves." Jonouchi stated. An ambush was always the perfect way to confuse the enemies, making it easier for them to attack.

"Then…Yugo, Rin, Grace, Gloria, Sora, Kachidoki, Battle Beast, Sawatari, and Kiryu-san will do." Yuto suggested the names. Yugo and Rin riding on their D-Wheels (Reiji brought it for them) would definitely distract the opponents, as they were moving around. Kiryu, Kachidoki and the Academia Duelists were experienced in front line battles. Sawatari's flashy Entertainment Dueling was also good for distracting the enemies. Yuto and the others turned to the said people who made no objection.

"And then for the ones guarding the ship must have reliable defensive moves while also capable of counterattacking the enemies should they come. At the very least strong enough to hold on until the rest of the groups are back into the ship."

"Gongenzaka is no doubt suit for that role. But alone won't be enough. Yuto, Ruri, Sayaka, Allen, Yuzu, and Jonouchi-san would be good." Yuya suggested. Gongenzaka's specialty was defensive strategy so there was no need to question him in this group. Yuto used many protective cards and cards that restrain the opponent. Yuzu, Ruri, Sayaka, Allen have experience in defense line. Gongenzaka was more than happy to accept the task, and the rest have no objection either.

"Then the rest who will infiltrate into the temple will be me, Reiji, Yukiya, Dennis, and Serena." Yuya concluded the group members.

"Hold on a minute. Won't Dennis and Serena more fitting as distractions? And Yuya, you'll do a good job in doing flash Entertainment Duel to distract the followers!" Sawatari asked, pointing at them.

"After me, Yuya has the most control with Ma'at's blessing compared to any of us. He'll do better against Apophis' personal Duelists than against some small fry followers." Yukiya defended the decision. After receiving the blessing, everyone learned to properly control it. Out of the counterparts, Yuya made the most progress, though it doesn't mean the rest were unable to control it.

"And both of you want to save Yuri, right? I'm sure Yuri will be happy to see the two of you together." Yuya turned to Serena and Dennis. If there were people who worried for Yuri the most, that would be his two childhood friends. They have the right to save Yuri the most compared to the rest of them.

"Thank you, Yuya." Dennis deeply thanked the Pendulum user, so did Serena.

"We all agreed with this group?" Reiji turned to everyone in the room to confirm. No one voice any objection. That settled it.

"This meeting is over then. Let us prepared everything that we need. We will depart tonight." Ray said before turning off the screen.

Everyone started to leave the airship for their preparation. Yuya yanked Reiji by his shirt, stopping him from leaving.

"I'm the one who suggested it, but are you sure this will be okay, Reiji?" Yuya asked worriedly.

"I think you're right in forming our own faction. The same also goes for your decision to split us into four different groups to infiltrate the temple and choices of the members for each group. To be honest even I was surprised you came up with the idea. No offense." Reiji replied. Underlying them was praise for the Pendulum user.

"I'm only applying what Yuno-san had taught me." Yuya said meekly. He was still quite unsure. It wasn't because he doubted his friends' skill and strength; he doubted his own plan. He didn't want it to be turned out he placed them in danger instead.

"You made that decision based on your own judgment and understanding. The fact that war veteran like Lechter-san and Neah-san didn't make any objection means you've made the right decision. You should be more confident in yourself." Reiji patted Yuya's shoulder and smiled a little, giving an air of assurance to Yuya.

"Thank you, Reiji." Yuya still has a little insecurity, but he felt better.

"We're counting on you from now on, Leader." Reiji patted Yuya's shoulder one last time before leaving the room.

"Okay." Yuya replied, calming himself.

A few seconds later, Yuya was blinking as Reiji's last words sunk into him. He repeated what Reiji said to him just earlier and wondered if he misheard it. When he realized Reiji was gone, he rushed after him outside.

"Wait, what? Reiji!"

 **YURI'S ROOM – APEP – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuri opened slowly his eyes and looked around blearily. The first thing Yuri was aware of when he woke up was a stinging pain on his ribs while he tried to sit up. He felt dizzy for a moment before trying to clear up his head, massaging his temple. He was at the party, attending Kurt and Carl's coming-of-age ceremony. But then the enemies, Apophis' men, attacked. He and Ryo were fighting a few of them before…

"Ugh…that's right…I lost against Ryo-san. That means…I'm at the enemy's base." Yuri inspected the room he was in. It was large room equal to a suite in a five stars hotel. There was a bed, sofa, dining table, bathroom, and others. Judging from how warm the bed was, he has been here for a long time.

As if to answer his question, the door opened to reveal his mentor, or perhaps former mentor, entering the room carrying a basket of food on his right and a bag on his left.

"You're awake. I suggest you not to move so much. You have broken ribs from the fall and several scratches. I'm sorry for that." Ryo apologized, placing the basket on the table before standing beside Yuri's bed.

"Before you ask, you're at Apep, our airship. We're still on our way to our destination. We're at a few hundreds feet up in the sky. Besides, we have removed the Real Solid Vision program from your Duel Disk. Any monster you'll summon would only have a holographic body." Ryo explained while also warning his student not to even think of escaping. Yuri clicked his tongue at that.

"You're uncomfortable in those clothes, right? Put this on. I also bring lunch if you think you can stomach it." Ryo placed the bag containing new clothes for Yuri to wear. While the current clothes Yuri was wearing wasn't exactly bad, it was already torn up and dirty and not suited for battlefield.

"Thank you. That is very much appreciated." Yuri immediately took off his party clothes, carefully changing it to the new one. He now wore a lined pattern long-sleeve shirt with the sleeves folded. Overtop is a dark violet belted vest where his black trousers were overlayed with pants sleeves chained to his belt.

"Where are we heading? How long I have been asleep?" Yuri asked while starting to eat his sandwich with Ryo across the sofa. The sandwich was at least tasty.

"You and Celica were unconscious for the whole night and the whole morning. We made a brief stop at one of Apophis' fanatical followers' base before we continue on our way again to the Temple of Calamity, Apophis' main temple." Ryo answered while also enjoying his handmade sandwich.

Yuri blinked. Celica was here too? Did Ryo defeat her and then captured her as well? Yuri inwardly shook his head. He would ask that later. What's important now was to find out the reason they were captured and on the way to be taken to the temple.

"What are you planning to do with us? My intuition is telling me you didn't capture us just to lure out Starve Venom and the others." Yuri asked. Their initial plan was to capture all of them to lure out the dragons. But this time, Ryo and the others instead only took him and even Celica who was not mentioned before. There must be a change of plan in their part.

"Other than luring out the Four Heavenly Dragons, I don't know what Apophis and Prince Kurt planning to do with the two of you. That is the truth." Ryo answered.

"Prince Kurt was behind this too?" Yuri's face was neutral, but inside he was surprised that the first-born prince was involved – allied with Apophis even.

"It would be a lie if I say I'm not curious as to why you're siding with Apophis. It has something to do with your younger brother?" Yuri asked again without beating around the bush. He wanted answers now and has little to no room for small talks. He noticed that whenever Ryo spoke of his younger brother, Sho, there was something hidden in his feeling. Judging from Ryo's expression, he was right.

"You're sharp." Ryo replied. Bullseye.

"Speak up. I'm listening. It interests me." Yuri demanded.

"It's just as you said. I want to find him, who has been reborn as Duel Monster within the Dimension Pulse." Ryo admitted. He leaned his back on the sofa as he began his story.

"How do you know your younger brother has been reborn as Duel Monster? And I thought it's impossible to enter Dimension Pulse unless, I don't know, we're dead?" Yuri only heard about Dimension Pulse from what Samejima had explained a year ago and also from what Yukiya and Yuya heard from Zira. It was impossible for humans to enter dimension pulse. It wasn't their world. The ones who went there were either dead or being in some sort of out-of-body experience.

"Prince Kurt has found a way to merge that realm with our realm. I don't know exactly how, but he is telling the truth." Ryo revealed.

"Even if that means working with the very enemy of mankind who sees us as nothing more than a livestock?" Yuri asked sharply, narrowing his eyes briefly at his senior.

"All of you are seeing me as a traitor working with Apophis. I won't blame you for thinking that way. But I never make any pledge to serve for him or any of the sorts. The one I'm working with is Prince Kurt alone. Prince Kurt has another plan of his own that even I don't know. Regardless, I am still a traitor though." Ryo retorted. He didn't know what kind of plan Kurt has came up with to avoid working under Apophis as his servant, but he trusted the prince. He had proven to him when the prince first asked him to join him.

"How did your brother die in the first place?" Yuri asked again for more detail.

"That's right. I never told you the whole story." Ryo shrugged.

"It happened a few months after we joined The Brotherhood. Sho and I and a few men under my command were sent on a mission to apprehend another group of Apophis' fanatical followers. However, our plan got leaked, and we were ambushed by them instead." At that time, he, Sho, and around ten Duelists went to the said location. When they got there, however, they didn't find any single trace of follower. They continued to look deeper and then all of a sudden, they were surprised by pitfalls and hidden mines, injuring most of them. Only then the enemies made themselves known and attacked.

"Our fierce battle damaged and opened a dimension pulse that was happened to be at the area. It was like an earthquake had happened." Ryo was shocked when in the middle of the battle, the ground was shaking and formed a large cracked where glowing particles came out. It shocked him that he made a huge mistake of looking away from his enemy.

"I took my eyes away from my enemy for a second, and that was what all he needed to attack me. But my brother instead took the attack. His body then fell into the Dimension Pulse, beyond my reach despite my best effort to reach him." Ryo could still remember that it hurts. The deep gash wound that let the blood flows from his brother's body, the sudden shake separated him from his brother, his outstretched hand tried to reach for Sho who was falling into the crack yet he failed to catch his hand and could only watch his brother disappeared.

"It's impossible for humans to survive after falling into dimension pulse. Either they died or reborn as Duel Monster. I know for sure that my brother had died but he then was reborn as Duel Monster. I need to find him." Ryo didn't have any proof or maybe this was just his wishful thinking. But even so, he wanted to hold onto that last hope.

Yuri didn't say anything or making any particular reaction. No pity or compassion. Only acceptance.

"I never have a family or ever losing someone other than Starve Venom. I can't say I understand how you feel." Yuri responded while taking a sip of his coffee. This statement made Ryo raised a brow.

"You're still thinking no one cares for you or you don't care for anybody other than your monsters? What did I tell you about forgiving yourself?" Ryo reminded. He knew that Yuri's inner turmoil was deep, but he never thought Yuri was still stuck in that problem until now. Yuri didn't say anything, looking away. He was clearly trying to avoid this conversation, like before.

Sighing, Ryo gabbed Yuri by his arm tight that Yuri winced, making the boy looked at him.

"Even if you stop considering me as your teacher, to me you're still my disciple, Yuri." Ryo said sternly, tightening his grip.

"Are you sure you can say that to me, Ryo-san? You said before you'll stand by my side yet you're the one who turned me in to Apophis." Yuri retorted with a tinge of bitterness in his tongue. But could anyone blame him? This was his first taste of betrayal. He wondered if this was how Yuto and the others felt when Chris betrayed them. It certainly didn't feel good. There was anger building in his stomach, but more than that, his chest felt so hurt that he thought his heart would be ripped out at any second.

Ryo let go of Yuri when the door opened, revealing Geist, Kamui, and Shiki. Geist was having this disgusting look in Yuri's view that he felt wanted to retch at that moment. He wanted to deliver a punch on that face until it broke if possible. Kamui was expressionless as usual. Shiki waved nonchalantly at Yuri, which he ignored.

"Sorry to interrupt Fusion buddies. But I need to check on our dear guest over here." Geist said, staring at Yuri sinisterly.

"What you want to do with him, Geist?" Ryo stood from the sofa, moving closer to Yuri.

"He received Ma'at's blessing, right? We can't afford to let that power staying inside him. I'll need to perform some experiments, some tests to find a way to get rid of it just in case." Geist made a move towards Yuri, his hand reaching for the Predator Plants user.

However, he didn't even get to touch the boy as his wrist was grasped tightly by Ryo who was glaring coldly at the Parasite user.

"As long as I am here, don't even think of touching him. Perhaps you wish to go against your own master's order? Do I need to remind you what he had ordered all of us to do?" Ryo reminded. Apophis has specifically said that until they arrived at the temple, Yuri must not be harmed in anyway (save the broken ribs from the Duel last night). Also, Ryo knew that when Geist said experiment and test, it would never end well for the ones who became the subject (Guinea pig).

"This is for His Excellency's own sake. We can't risk Ma'at's power harming His Excellency." Geist defended his decision while still trying to reach for Yuri ignoring the pain around his wrist.

"Oh? You don't think your master can defeat a young boy like you did, Geist? I recall you need your master's assistance to handle Yuya and Yukiya alone. Useless." Ryo sneered, smirking so condescendingly that he thought he was returning to his old way when he was Hell Kaiser years ago.

The reminder was not taken well by the Parasite user who immediately slapped Ryo's hand away from him. The two glared face to face at each other. They were ready to kill at any given moment if necessary.

"You got a big mouth for a mere human." Geist spat back with his hand itching to activate his Duel Disk.

"I have skill and luck to back it up." Ryo retorted. His hand was also reaching for his Duel Disk.

Before it could go any further, Shiki came between the two, pulling them away from each other.

"I knew it'll come to this so, I came." Shiki said with a sigh. If he and Kamui didn't tag along, maybe there would be a bloodbath. "Leave him be, Lord Geist. That is the direct order from His Excellency. We don't want to cause ruckus inside this airship while it's still flying."

Kamui supported Shiki by placing a hand on Geist's shoulder while shaking his head at him, indicating that he should stop or this will be reported to His Excellency. Geist knew all too well not to quell their master's wrath, especially after his near defeat five days ago. He would remember this.

"Hmph. Fine. Enjoy your moment together while it lasts." Geist relented. Giving one last sharp look at Ryo, he slammed the door shut as he left the room.

"Sorry about that. He is in a good mood that it's creepy." Shiki apologized on Geist's behalf. They were maybe on the same side, but truthfully, he never liked Geist, especially when he teamed up with Neon and Hyde (good riddance that both of them were dead).

"Considering the Doctor reincarnated as his Duel Monster, I can pretty much guess the kind of good mood you spoke of. They are like two pieces from the same cloth. No, actually, you lot, offspring are the same." Yuri said, referring to not only Geist, but also Shiki and Kamui.

"I beg your pardon, but I am not as creepy as he is." Shiki replied, feeling offended to be compared with Geist.

"I'm talking about the fact that all of you have no free will of your own, following his orders since the day you're born without question, never think for yourself. Compared to all of you our dragons had grown and learned. All of you, on the other hand, are no different than puppets." Yuri said with a smile close to smirk. Yuri didn't think he was mocking them. He thought he was simply pointing out a fact.

Shiki and Kamui stiffened without making any noise. That caught them off guard, which fortunately Yuri didn't notice as he was busy drinking his coffee.

"Serena-chan also said the same thing to me when I danced with her last night." Shiki replied as he regained his composure. This time, it was Yuri who got caught off guard, though he was able to hide it (except from Ryo).

"You...danced with her?" Yuri asked slowly while his grip on his coffee cup tightened.

"Yeah. We talked a little bit before I signal the attack. She had no room to refuse since either she agreed or a few guests will die. But I'm kinda surprised. For a tomboy, she's a pretty good dancer. And she's cute when wearing that dress." Even though they were enemies, Shiki liked Serena as a person. In fact, he didn't hate humans nor looking down on them like the others. He found the dance with Serena as an enjoyable experience.

"Is...that so..." Yuri's grip on his cup was so tight that it cracked and the hold eventually broke up from the cup. He didn't know why but imagining Serena and Shiki dancing together infuriated him so much that he wanted to card this guy in front of him.

Ryo sweat dropped at the dark face Yuri was making and furious murderous intent seeping out from him. His denial has made Yuri so thick-headed of his feeling for the Fusion girl. It was both a pity and exasperating on Ryo's part. Kamui, who didn't notice this, walked to Ryo.

"Ryo Marufuji, we came here to inform you that once our business at the main temple is over, you'll go to the west temple with Shing." Kamui told the Cyber Dragon user. That was the only reason why he followed Shiki and Geist (though partly was also because Shiki dragged him).

"Understood." Ryo replied.

"Excuse us then." Kamui said back before dragging Shiki. Their business here was over. There was no reason for them to stay here any longer. Not even Shiki's protests stopped him from walking.

"West temple?" Yuri asked once the two were gone.

"Apophis have five temples in total. Aside from the main temple, the other four temples' location follows the four cardinal directions; east, west, south, and north. Each of those temples are guarded and maintained by fanatical followers of Apophis." Ryo explained without a second thought while tidying up the basket and plates after they finished their sandwiches and coffee.

"That is a very kind of you to explain. Are you sure, it's okay? Even if you claimed you're not really working for Apophis, aren't you on the same side for the time being at the very least?" Yuri pointed out.

"You don't have any way to escape from the airship while it's still flying and even if we land, you'll have to go through all of us. You also don't have the means to contact with anyone outside." Ryo reminded of the facts that Yuri would fall to his death if he jumped off from the airship with his monsters unable to form corporeal body since there was no Real Solid Vision program in his Duel Disk. Also, Yuri should be wise enough that facing against them head on was out of question in his current condition. And lastly, he was far away from his comrades and his communication program has been removed as well from his Duel Disk.

Yuri snorted before leaning his back completely to the sofa. "You really got me, Ryo-san. You've successfully tricked all of us for a whole month. Strangely, I can't resent you, even after knowing all those times were simply an act." He said. It wasn't as bitter as before. Yuri couldn't put what he felt into words. When he thought all those times they spent together was a lie, he didn't feel like facing Ryo like this.

"You were wrong there. When I said I like you as my disciple and as a person, I truly meant it. The whole month I spent with you is truly enjoyable. It would have been better if you're not the owner of Starve Venom or being targeted by Apophis." Ryo corrected his student. He wasn't lying. If Yuri was not the owner of one of the Four Heavenly Dragons, perhaps things won't come to this between them.

"At this point, it's meaningless for us to wish something that cannot happen. We are on the opposing side. Honestly, I'm surprised that someone as smart as you joined Apophis for such a petty reason." Yuri said while looking out at the window.

Ryo flinched, but he didn't make any retort. He knew Yuri was not in a good mood. "Maybe you think this is petty, but to me finding Sho is–"

"Can't you get it into that thick skull of yours? Your younger brother is dead forever, even if he is reborn." Yuri interrupted sharply, sighing tiredly.

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Ryo asked in a tone that was close to anger.

"They may have been reborn as Duel Monsters, but they are not the same ones as they were humans. Your younger brother has reborn as Duel Monster, but he is not the same younger brother you had when he was a human. They have the same soul, but they are different. Even if you find him, he is no longer your brother." Yuri quoted what Yuno had told to him and his counterparts and Yukiya. He agreed completely with his ancestor. He had warned Yuya of the same thing even before that. Ryo was in similar situation as Yuya right now.

"We don't know about that yet. If he forgot about me, I'll just make him remember." Ryo sighed, containing the anger that was almost erupted. As long as there was still a slightest bit of hope, he would take it regardless of what Yuri or anyone said.

"Back to the topic earlier, Yuri. Actually, what you need is not forgiveness from others or yourself." Ryo changed the topic immediately. He didn't know what he will do if they kept talking about this.

"Each action we take, will have a reaction and a result. It's the same for all of us. You do not need forgiveness. You need acceptance. Accept what happened. Understand who you are is human. What actions are, they are choices. And you are the same kind of human just like any other. Accept it. Let it be. Love your Life to honor the life that was taken from this time. Let the it be in the past, where and when it happened. Let the time, be now. Let the experience end." Ryo stood from his sofa again, walking to Yuri who was still refusing to look at Ryo. The Cyber Dragon user frowned by the cold shoulder, but he won't complain. It was his own fault and he will accept it.

"I really mean every word what I said before. I'm not telling you this to deceive you or to gain your sympathy. I don't want you to make our decision based on my reason. But Yuri, you really need to let it go." Ryo ruffled Yuri's hair. He was surprised when Yuri just stayed quiet. He had thought Yuri would slapped his hand away after what he did.

"This would be my last advice as your teacher." Ryo said one last time before leaving the room for good, allowing Yuri to have a time for himself. He needed that after their conversation.

Yuri slumped onto the sofa on his back, looking at the ceiling, closing his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.

"He is worse than Yuya." Yuri murmured.

"Kurikuri!"

Yuri blinked when he heard the familiar voice. He turned to his Deck on the table and saw Winged Kuriboh materialized itself. That's right! Even if his other monsters needed Real Solid Vision to materialize with corporeal body, Winged Kuriboh was different! It could form its own body just fine.

"Looks like everybody forgot about you." Yuri stated as Winged Kuriboh latched itself to Yuri's chest, rubbing its face to its beloved master. Yuri chuckled by the affection given by his partner, ruffling its fur. A light bulb then lights on in his mind. Pulling the monster closer, Yuri whispered into its hidden ear. Whatever it was saying, Winged Kuriboh made an obedient gesture.

"I'm counting on you then." Yuri smiled at his partner.

Outside the room, when Ryo made his exit, Kurt was standing across the door with his arms crossed and back leaning to the wall, waiting for Ryo to come out.

"Do you need something, Your Majesty?" Ryo asked politely.

"Nothing I just came to check on you while on my way to Celica. But as I thought, you're still not over with it. The fact you're being nice to Yuri even in this condition is the proof itself." Kurt said as he removed himself from the wall, placing both hands into his pocket pants.

"He is still my student. I have told you before that I like him as my cute junior. But still, I'm not forgetting my objective. Our objective." Ryo reaffirmed himself. He had come this far and he had no intention to stop.

"If I may ask, why did you ask me to make him stronger, Your Majesty? What are you planning to do with him?" Ryo asked. When Ryo informed he was appointed as Yuri's mentor, Kurt told him to make Yuri stronger, train him until the boy was stronger even than himself if necessary. Why would he want that? For what purpose?

"I'm afraid I can't tell you now. You'll have to wait until we arrive at the temple. Also, I'm not like you, Ryo-kun. I always see people as they are." Kurt replied, confusing Ryo.

"What do you mean?" Ryo asked.

"You're being nice to Yuri-kun not because for who he is. To you he is just a temporary replacement for your dead brother. To you, Yuri-kun is just a way to fill the gaping hole left by the death of your younger brother."

Kurt placed an arm on Ryo's shoulder as he looked at Ryo from the side. The Fusion user couldn't say anything back to him, as expected. His eyes widened and his body flinched.

"We are not so similar as you thought we are, Ryo-kun." Kurt said before leaving Ryo standing alone in the hall to his own thought.

 **CELICA'S ROOM – APEP – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

When Celica was awake, she was at a huge five stars hotel room that was close to her room at the palace. She opened the curtain to have a look outside and was surprised to see the clouds so close and realized she was inside an airship. Her Duel Disk and Deck was on the table beside her bed. When she checked for any error, she realized the Real Solid Vision and communication programs have been removed, which means she couldn't escape using her monsters or contacting anyone outside.

The door opened, alerting her, but she lowered her guard when the person who came was none other than her descendant, Kurt...who was also the one responsible for kidnapping her. He was carrying a basket of food for her lunch and bag of new clothes.

"Rise and shine, Celica." Kurt greeted.

"Explain yourself, Kurt." Celica replied sharply, demanding answer immediately.

Kurt chuckled. "Straight to the point huh, Grandmother? I can't blame you or everyone else wanting to know the reason behind my treachery." He said casually like they were having a daily conversation. Kurt sat on the sofa, pointing at the other sofa across him for Celica to sit.

"To be honest I'm so tired and worried that I can't even get mad at you." Celica sighed as she sat on the sofa across her traitorous descendant.

"We won't kill you. I can assure you that." Kurt told his ancestor.

"I'm talking about the Emperor and Carl. They knew about this, right?" Celica replied. She was hurt by his betrayal, but she has no doubt that the one who would be hurting the most must be Carl and the Emperor, the twin brother and father of Kurt.

"I have properly faced Carl. Father, however, was captured by Heidel together with the Oracle during the attack." Kurt revealed while staying as neutral as he looked.

"The Emperor and Yuno got captured by Heidel?!" Celica exclaimed. Not only she and Yuri got captured by them, but Yuno and the Emperor himself got captured by Heidel? This won't be good for everyone from Imperial Guardians and The Brotherhood. If words leaked out, civil war may erupt. The cold war was already severe enough.

"You need not worry. The Brotherhood and the rest won't stay quiet. They'll think of something to save them. You know what they are capable of. Now, we're talking about my goal, aren't we?" Kurt changed the subject while serving tea and borscht for his ancestor, urging her to eat while he talks. Celica wanted to say she wasn't hungry, but her stomach was empty and before it made any embarrassing sound, Celica relented to eat it while listening.

"I wish to merge the Dimension Pulse with our world." Kurt revealed like it was something so simple to do. Celica almost dropped her spoon at such an idea that sounded ridiculous.

"Merging the Dimension Pulse with our world? What do you mean? Is that even possible?" Celica asked skeptically. She had heard that ARC-V was merged using a reactor that used people's live energies to merge dimensions but merging Dimension Pulse with the physical plane was different matter altogether.

"Exactly as I mean. Using Apophis' power, I will lift the Dimension Pulse into physical plane. That way, all Duel Monsters can exist physically in this world without the use of Real Solid Vision or bound by cards to move freely." Kurt reaffirmed his goal. While there were monsters who were able to move around in the physical plane, only the small ones were able to do it. The bigger and stronger ones were unable to without cards as their medium.

"But do Apophis agree to this while he seeks to destroy the world?" Celica asked.

"Nonsense. Apophis is deeply bound to all dimensions. He desires not its destruction." Kurt took a sip of his own tea and then looked at his own reflection on the tea.

"Do you think Apophis will work with me, a mere human, just because I freed him? We are able to work together like this because we have reached a compromise. Also, Apophis does not wish to destroy humanity, but to enslave them." Kurt corrected Celica's assumption. Yes, Apophis was the embodiment of chaos, but it doesn't mean he wishes for destruction.

"And you're fine with that? If Apophis has his way, everyone will be enslaved. Including the Emperor, Carl, and yourself." Celica questioned with a frown.

"That won't happen. I have already figured out a way to prevent that." Kurt said confidently. When Celica gave him a look for an explanation, Kurt placed a finger on his lips, keeping the plan to himself. Celica knew he wouldn't talk no matter how many times she asked, so she changed the question.

"Then why do you wish to merge the Dimension Pulse with our worlds? I doubt it's for the sake of coexistence since you're willing to let Apophis enslave humans. What is your real reason wanting to merge them together?" She asked. What would he gain from merging the two realms together?

Kurt went silent at the question. He closed his eyes and slumped his back to the sofa. He was quiet for what felt like an hour before he finally spoke again.

"I want to see them again." When Kurt opened his eyes and looked at his ancestor again, his smile was sad. "I can't explain it, but I know they have been reborn as Duel Monsters."

Celica's eyes hardened at Kurt. "You're...talking about your mother and grandfather?" She said, her expression softened. Her heart ached remembering what happened to them.

"I am aware that if they are here, they would stop me like you do. I know that. But even so...I can't bear it. I can't contain this pain of longing." Kurt clenched his chest as he remembered his mother and grandfather. He remembered the moment when they died. It never left him. It always haunted him.

"This is not yours, Carl's, or Father's fault. This is mine alone. This is my own selfishness." Kurt stood up from the sofa, intending to leave. He smiled at his ancestor with hardened eyes. "After all, I am only human. And for humans the world is nothing but our own selves. I went this far for the sake of my own world."

Celica couldn't say anything. She understood what Kurt meant. She wanted to stop him, but she knew words alone won't be enough to reach him.

"Another thing, one more reason why we're working together is because we also wish to stop Heidel's goal from coming into fruition." Kurt added before walking to the door. As he was about to open it, Celica voiced one more question.

"What is Heidel's goal that makes the two of you agreed to work together?" Celica asked. If Heidel's goal managed to convince both Kurt and Apophis to work together, it must be a goal that won't be good for either of them. However, Kurt didn't provide the answer she wished to hear.

"You'll find out soon enough." Kurt simply said and left the room.

"Kurt..." Celica covered her face. How come it became like this? She thought she knew her descendant. She knew that both Kurt and Carl were affected heavily by the incident, but she never thought that Kurt's heart was hurting so much. Maybe she was the one who wanted to believe he was okay.

"Kuri!"

Celica almost shriek when Winged Kuriboh suddenly popped right in front of her face.

"W-Winged Kuriboh?!" Celica exclaimed while trying to keep her voice as low as possible. She then remembered that Yuri was captured with her and was in another room. Winged Kuriboh was one of a few Duel Monsters able to manifest itself even without the help of Real Solid Vision program. Yuri must have asked it to sneak out into her room.

"I'm so glad to see you." Celica hugged Winged Kuriboh. She then noticed it was holding something. It was piece of paper containing message from Yuri.

Reading the message carefully, Celica quickly looked for any pen and paper in the room. Finding what she needed, she wrote down everything she knew what she needed to write, just as Yuri has written his. When she was done, she gave the paper to Winged Kuriboh.

"We're counting on you. You're the only one who can help us."

 **LINK VRAINS – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Ray was standing on a rooftop. Her hands was on the fence while she was enjoying the view of LINK VRAINS that was in the middle of repair after Apophis' viruses' rampage. The online world without the viruses and bugs was beautiful enough. Once the repair was done, it would be even prettier. Ray removed her hands from the fence when she heard a thud behind her. She turned around and smiled at the person standing in front of her.

"Hello." Ray meekly greeted Zarc, waving her hand a bit at him.

Zarc was frowning. He looked angry both on his face and the gestures of his body. She was ready for a yell or shout, but instead what she got was a firm hug. Zarc pulled her into his embrace so tightly. He buried his face on her head while his arms pulled her closer and tightened his grip.

"Idiot." Zarc said while holding his tears. He missed her so much.

"I know. I'm sorry. Really." Ray carefully hugged him back, patting his back in apology. She missed him too. She wanted to meet him as soon as she could if it were not for her job. She knew how worried he was for her and she felt guilty for not telling him anything until now.

"Do you mind telling me now why you didn't tell me anything? And why you're keeping Yuya's and the other dragons with you? And who are these people in blue robes?" Zarc asked as he pulled away from her but still holding her shoulders.

"Yes. I understand. I will tell you. But in exchange, you have to promise me not to tell the others at least until we rescued Yuri and Celica-san." Ray requested her condition. She didn't want more people to know about this before they were heading to an important mission.

"Fair enough." Zarc agreed to the terms.

"We're trying to close the rift that has opened due to Apophis' seal has been broken." Ray revealed.

"The rift?"

"You have heard about Dimension Pulse, right? When Ray split the original dimension into four dimensions, it created a crack in Dimension Pulse, which allows Prince Kurt to break Apophis' seal." Ray repeated what Zira had revealed before.

"Wait…you know about Ray and Zarc? Everything that happened in ARC-V?" Zarc asked, surprised. Does this mean Sara has recovered her past life memories?

"I have contacted Ray's soul inside me like you did. The four dragons also told me the rest." Ray revealed. After she used the last of her strength to log into LINK VRAINS to save her consciousness, she was asleep while in hiding and then dreamt of Ray. She at first thought it was only a dream, but then it repeated and she finally believed it was real when she found Shun wandering around LINK VRAINS and mistook her for the past life Ray.

"Anyway, when the crack happened, it caused the portal leading to the realm of Duel Monsters to open. At first it was only a little, but after Prince Kurt broke the seal, it became bigger." Ray directed back to the current topic. She was following her Link Sense when she found the rift. She saw several Duel Monsters coming out from the portal and then materialized in her world. It was then she realized that this portal was what causing the incidents of Duel Monsters lost in the physical plane that lead to the creation of Spirit Farm.

"Why do you think there are monsters who managed to materialize completely in the physical plane? That's because there's nothing separating the two realms anymore. At the moment, we have only slowed down the progress, but if this continue it will completely open and the Duel Monsters will roam free in the physical plane." Ray pointed out the problem. Small and benevolent Duel Monsters like Kuribohs were one thing, if violent and savage Duel Monsters came into their world, the conflict between Duel Monsters and humans that happened ages ago would repeat again. She won't let that happen.

"Why do you have to hide about this? We could have done something together." Zarc asked in disbelieve. This was a huge problem. She should have told them instead of trying to solve the problem herself.

"If Yuya and the others lend their powers together with the four dragons, we can close the portal with no problem. However, closing the portal requires huge amount of energies from them. It will cost them their lifespans." Ray answered in sharp tone. Zarc didn't say anything at that. He knew what Ray was trying to say. If Yuya and the others knew of this, they won't hesitate to help, even if it means lowering their own lifespans. It won't kill them, but losing half of their lifespan was not a good thing. That was just the same as speeding up their deaths. No one wanted that to happen to them. He would have forbid it.

"Not only that. You have also heard the four dragons were used to be Apophis' offspring, right? Ever since Apophis awakened, Apophis' power that was sealed within them became stronger, and we feared it will affect them, infecting them." Ray added, referring to the Awakening state the four boys had experienced before. The power that the Supreme King Dragon Zarc didn't just come from humanity's negative energies, those negativities have awakened fragments of Apophis' power inside them that gave Zarc even more inhuman power that time. It wasn't just Zarc's anger and hatred that pushed the boys, but also fragments of Apophis' power.

"But for you to finally reveal yourself means that won't be a problem anymore?" Zarc asked. Even if this was an emergency, he didn't think Ray would reveal herself like this if not for a good reason.

"When I found out you are Ma'at's reincarnation and has awakened part of his power, I know there's nothing to worry as Ma'at's blessing will protect them from Apophis' power. But still, we haven't found a way to close the rift for good." Ray stated. While there was no need to worry for Apophis' power to affect Yuya and the others anymore, they still don't know how to close the rift, and if Yuya and the others find out, they would volunteer to use their lifespans. But with Yuri kidnapped, they have no choice.

"This rift is located within the network? Within LINK VRAINS?" Zarc asked. He knew there was a dimension pulse LINK VRAINS, but he never thought the rift was here online instead of real world. How it was possible would be for another talk.

"Yes. Not only we are slowing down the opening of the rift, we're also guarding it, making sure no one would find the rift. The lesser people know, the better." Ray looked down. She actually didn't want to hide this from everyone. But knowing them, she couldn't tell them, especially Yuya and his counterparts.

"That explains the cold shoulders given by the dragons and Kurosaki." Zarc now understood why Shun and the dragons were so cold towards Yuya and the others. They knew if Yuya and the others knew, they would be willing to endanger themselves more than they already have. They were reckless and selfless in their own ways that they would worry people around them.

"Trust me. This is not easy for them either. They want nothing more but to return to their friends. Just as much as I want to be with you." Ray felt guilty for having to separate the dragons and Kurosaki from their friends and family. They understood and agreed wholeheartedly with this plan because they didn't want to lose Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, and Yuri. They determined not to approach them unless it was absolutely necessary until they either close the rift or find a way to close it. Aside from that, Ray wanted to return to the real world again. She wanted to meet her parents and Yukiya again in flesh.

Zarc once again pulled her into a hug. This time his embrace was gentler as he ruffled her hair.

"I understand. We'll figure out a way together, okay?"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Temple of Calamity –** With the team they have formed, Yuya and the others arrived at the Temple of Calamity, just as Yuri is taken into the temple. Before they can enter the temple, they first must face against the fanatical followers of Apophis who are guarding it.

* * *

 **Sorry for the late update. I was busy with certain things over here. I've decided not to include the Duel because it would take longer times, and the Duel isn't exactly that important either so I decided to save it for later. I'm sorry if the reason behind Ryo and Kurt's betrayal is cliché. For Ryo, I think this is the best way for him in regards with Yuri. For Kurt, actually he hasn't fully revealed his reason yet. There's one more. You'll know later. But I thought it would be good to make a bit parallel with Leo's reason behind his action in** _ **Bonds of Pendulum**_ **. And to clarify things so you won't misunderstand: In the previous fanfic, Zarc was not corrupted by Apophis' power or any sort. The reason behind his madness was still the same as what I had explained in the previous series and anime. Apophis' power awakened** _ **after**_ **Zarc went mad and became the Supreme King Dragon and that power didn't control Yuya and the others in any way.**

 **And answering to** _ **Guest Starshine**_ **: No. Zarc and Ray are dead; so they won't duel in physical form whatsoever because they have been reincarnated. If they are going to Duel it would be borrowing Yukiya and Sara's bodies.**

 **To _Hunter13hawkie:_ I like long reviews, and yours makes me happy :D**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter.**


	53. Temple of Calamity

**Big thanks to** _ **Jason, Ulrich362, tsukikami02, Elbarto4000, Big duels, NeoFGD, Playerhood18, dvdryms, Hunter13hawkie, Unknowedz, VioletStarVN, Yuka Kuroshiro, GamingGuy84**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **ENTRANCE – TEMPLE OF CALAMITY – FOREST – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Oh? So this is the Temple of Calamity? Its appearance lives up to its name."

Yuri was staring at the so-called Temple of Calamity right in front of its entrance. The temple was a large structure made of stone. A long staircase led to the one major opening—a doorway flanked by pillars and topped with an overbearing stone sculpture of an avian creature. Several other full-sized statues of similar looking creatures adorned it. Not only the design, the atmosphere around the temple and the aura it gave off was clearly what would you say 'evil', in every way. It was clearly a temple to conduct a ritual that would bring calamity to the world. The fanatical followers, all wearing eerie black robes, were on standby in front of the temple to protect it.

"We part ways here. We'll call you once our job over here is over." Tsukasa told Kamui, Shiki, and Ryo who have been tasked to go to the West Temple while Tsukasa, together with Achille and Geist, will stay to guard temple until Kurt and their master were done with Yuri and Celica.

"Yes. We will also call if we arrive earlier at the West Temple." Kamui replied back, gesturing Ryo and Shiki to follow him back to the airship.

Yuri and Ryo made a brief eye contact for one last time before looking away from each other as Ryo left following Kamui and Shiki who were ahead of him.

"Come on. His Excellency won't wait forever. Get inside." Tsukasa pushed both Yuri and Celica. Just in case they were trying to escape, they had the two of them handcuffed their hands on their back.

When Geist and Achille were ready to go inside as well, their Duel Disks let out beeping sound. It was their alarm. They turned towards the forest. It looked as though there was nothing at all in there, but a brief signal from their Duel Disks were enough to confirm their suspicion.

"Looks like we're going to have guests." Geist said with an excited smirk.

"Please rest assured, Lord Geist. We shall not let anyone pass this door. We will guard it with our lives." A male devotee said to the Parasite user, vowing to protect the temple at all cost, even if it means their death. They have prepared for this since the moment they have sworn to serve Apophis.

"Do not let us down. You know the consequence if you were to fail, I presume?" Achille reminded them. The warning was crystal clear.

All the devotees kneeled before the two Apophis offspring, swearing not to let them down. They couldn't careless with being punished with death. As long as their god achieved his goal, then they would willingly give him everything.

 **EVOLUTION – FOREST – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Once they arrived at their destination, Reiji did a briefing about their plan once more and also the new rule programmed into the Lancers Duel Disk that has been adjusted with both Link Summon and Action Duel. The Extra Monster Zone has been changed into Link Monster Zone, which means that Zone was only available for Link Monsters. Monsters that are summoned from Extra Deck, other than Link Monsters, can now be summoned in the Main Zone that used to be only available for monsters summoned from hand, Main Deck, or Graveyard, or pointed by Link Monster's arrows. However, Link Monster can still be summoned in the Main Zone as long as a Link Monster on the zone points it. And then, Action Field has been programmed into it, which means the new Action Duel rule was also applied when the Duel commence.

"Have you understood the new program in our Duel Disks?" Reiji asked once he finished briefing the whole thing. Receiving a nod as his reply, that means everything has been settled.

"This is just a gut feeling, but I think the enemies have realized we are here, nearby the temple." Sora said while looking outside the window towards the path that would lead to the said temple.

"That means they have developed the same radar as ours to pick up signal of camouflage system." Yukiya deduced. Sara mentioned that they closed the portal that summoned dozens of Servants and Duel Viruses back during the Duel in LINK VRAINS to exterminate the virus. They used camouflage program to hide themselves from the enemies and closed the portal unnoticed. The enemies most likely have learned from that and developed the counter program.

"Calm down. The enemies may have realized we are nearby, but they don't know our exact location yet. We can still go through with the plan." Reiji told them, quieting the whole room.

"It's too late to turn back anyway." Sawatari shrugged. Regardless the enemies have found out about them or not, they have no intention to back out in the first place.

Everyone did a double check to make sure they have everything they needed for the battle. While everyone was busy, Yuya ushered Reiji to the corner. They haven't finished their last conversation. Reiji made a quick exit and Yuya didn't get a chance to speak with him again as each of them were busy preparing things before departure.

"Reiji, about what you said before...are you serious? You're more capable than me when it comes to leadership! I-I'm just not cut out for this!" Yuya insisted. For most of his life, he never led anybody let alone a group in anything, especially in a war. A slightest bit mistake may prove fatal, and he would be the one to shoulder that responsibilities. He wasn't sure he was ready for this role.

Reiji placed both of his hands on Yuya's shoulders, making the Pendulum user flinched and focused on the Leo Corporation President.

"You have what it takes to be a leader. All you need to develop it is through practical learning. What you did yesterday was the first step. You'll never grow if you only keep watching. You have to use what you learn in action to achieve it." Reiji told Yuya. He truly believed so. Yuya has the quality of a leader. He just hasn't gotten used of it. He must experience it himself. Of course, with a supervision from him.

"But..." Yuya was still unsure. This was all too sudden for him.

"I'll assist you. Don't worry so much. I know you can do it." Reiji gave a pat on the back. He would make sure to draw out Yuya's potential as a leader in this war.

Once the preparation was done, the first and second group, as planned, will be the ones to ambush the temple. The third group will stay and guard the ship in case of enemies attacking, and the fourth group was already in LINK VRAINS, observing any suspicious activity within the vicinity.

"We leave the ship to you guys. Protect it until we come back!" Yuya told Gongenzaka and the others who were in charge of the airship.

"Yeah! You can count on us! We'll protect it with our lives!" Gongenzaka said with firm resolve. The rest in the third group also promised the same. They won't let anyone touch their airship.

Yuya turned to the rest of the group whom he will be going with. They were all waiting for him to give the word. Yuya inwardly sighed. He was already a leader in their eyes. And looking at their faces, he couldn't deny the position now. But maybe Reiji was right. This would be good for him too in the future.

"Let's go!"

 **ENTRANCE – TEMPLE OF CALAMITY – FOREST – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

From behind the bushes and trees, the second group that consisted of Yugo, Rin, Sawatari, Sora, Gloria, Grace, Kachidoki, Battle Beast, and Kiryu, were watching the enemies, assessing their surroundings first. They climbed up the trees and used monocle to watch them from afar. There were 10 devotees in total who were guarding in front of the temple. All lined up while keeping their eyes sharp. There was no backdoor or entrance, so there was no one guarding the back.

Yugo, Rin, and Kiryu looked at each other, giving their signal. Jumping down from the trees, they deactivated the camouflage program coating their D-Wheels. The three Riding Duelists then ride on their respective motorcycles. Yugo and Rin felt good to touch their D-Wheels, as it has been a month since they left them. They were so happy and grateful to Reiji for his consideration bringing their D-Wheels for them to use. They spent hours tuning their D-Wheels before departing. While Action Duel and Speed Duel were fun, Speed Duel was still the best for them.

"Let's rock'n roll!" Yugo declared as he turned on the engine and took off, followed by Rin and Kiryu.

Yugo, Rin, and Kiryu drove their D-Wheels, making a high jump as they emerged from the forest, startling the devotees who were on guard. The Synchro users charged in the midst of the devotees' formation, riding their D-Wheels that forced the fanatical followers to scatter to prevent being hit or flattened by the motorcycles.

"Their formation is broken! Commence the attack now!" Sora declared to the rest as the devotees were in shambles. He and the others made their presence known, making their entrance by rushing out from the forest; Duel Disks activated in their wrists and faced the scattered enemies.

Sawatari made a stop when a Duelist got in his way. She was wearing a pale female Roman clothes and instantly recognized her as one of the former Academia Duelists who defected to Apophis' side after the prisonbreak. Ruri has also told everyone about her as she had fought before in the last war. Furthermore, she was in charge of guarding the West Tower where Ruri was being held captive at that time.

"You're Diana, right? Another former Academia Duelist." Sawatari addressed the woman in front of him.

"Yes. You have heard of me. Just as I was ordered to guard the West Tower before, this time I will guard the temple! I won't let you get in the way of our god!" Diana stated, activating her Duel Disk.

"Your god? Sheesh, that Apophis sure gets into your head pretty quick. I don't know what kind of weird things he planted into your head, but if you're gonna stand in my way then I'm gonna beat you!" Sawatari activated the Action Field.

{FIELD SPELL: DEMON'S DEN PANDEMONIUM}

Sawatari and Diana were enveloped in a dome. Their surroundings within the dome changed. Following the new Action Field system, neither of them could get out from the dome until the Duel is finished and neither could get into the sphere-like dome. Action Cards were scattered everywhere. As the new Action Duel rule has stated, each player can only obtain one Action Card per Turn.

 **[ACTION DUEL!]**

"I'll start things off. From my hand, I activate the Magic Card: Fusion! I'm fusing Guardian Baou and Penumbral Soldier Lady from my hand! When the full moon's brilliance is reflected on the evil-crushing flamberge, the two warriors shall become one! Fusion Summon! Moon Protector (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7), descend!" Diana summoned her ace monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

While Diana summoned her Fusion Monster, Sawatari jumped to one of the floating ground, snatching the Action Card.

"Then, I activate Moon Protector's Monster Effect! I can Special Summon one Protector's Shield Token (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1). As long as this Token is around, Moon Protector cannot be targeted for an attack." Diana summoned one Token in Defense Position in the Main Zone.

"I set one card facedown and end my turn." Diana concluded.

"Be honored that you're going to see Shingo Sawatari-sama's marvelous entertainment show! My Turn! Using the Scale 1 Abyss Actor - Devil Heel and the Scale 8 Abyss Actor - Funky Comedian, I set the Pendulum Scales! With this, I can simultaneously summon Monsters between Level 2 and 7! Pendulum Summon! Come forth!" Sawatari summoned three Monsters to his Field that consisted of Abyss Actor – Big Star, (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 7 / PS: 3) Sassy Rookie (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4 / PS: 2), and finally, Pretty Heroine (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4 / PS: 2). All of them were summoned in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"This is just the beginning! Now, I will summon the main actor of today's show! Come forth! My circuit!" Sawatari opened the Link Summoning Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 1 Abyss Actor Monster! I set Big Star, Sassy Rookie, and Pretty Heroine on the Link Markers! Circuit combined!" Sawatari set Big Star on the Top-Arrow, Sassy Rookie on the Left-Arrow, and Pretty Heroine on the Bottom-Left Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Abyss Actor – Cool Hero (ATK: 2300 / LINK: 3 / LM: Top, Left, Bottom-Left)!" Sawatari summoned a monster with green skin like Pretty Heroine cladded in silver armor with black cape decorated by bat-shaped patterns. It carried black claymore as its weapon. Noticing an Action Card above, Cool Hero picked it and gave the card to Sawatari.

"I activate Continuous Trap: Protector Adoration! It negates the Monster Effect of Abyss Actor – Cool Hero, and Special Summon two Protector's Shield Tokens to my Field!" Diana summoned two more copies of the Token in Defense Position. Cool Hero was showered by blue light that sealed its power.

"Your monster can attack all the Protector's Shield Tokens. However, if you don't attack, your monster will be destroyed. Now then, which one you will choose?" Diana warned Sawatari.

"I don't even have to think about it! I attack Protector's Shield Token with Abyss Actor – Cool Hero!" Sawatari attacked without hesitation. Cool Hero slashed the first Token into two, destroying it.

"At this moment, Moon Protector's Monster Effect activates! The ATK of the monster that destroyed a Protector's Shield Token will be reduced by 800 points! I will also gain 800 Life!" Diana revealed as Cool Hero once again was showered by the same light, weakening its ATK to 1500 while increasing Diana's LP.

 **DIANA LP: 4000 = 4800**

"Fufufu. As you keep destroying my Tokens, your monster's ATK will be reduced, and my Life will be increased. Even so, are you going to keep attacking, I wonder?" Diana mockingly challenged the Abyss Actor user. Even if Sawatari destroyed all the Tokens, by the time all of them were destroyed, Sawatari's monster's ATK was already far lower than her Moon Protector. Even if he managed to increase its ATK, she has advantage in LP.

"No matter what trick you're going to pull, I'm going to take that one course of action!" Sawatari stated determinedly.

"Battle! I attack the second and then the third Protector's Shield Token with Abyss Actor – Cool Hero!" Sawatari continued his attack again. Repeating the same effect, Moon Protector lowered Cool Hero's ATK until it only has 700 ATK and Diana's LP was increased by 1600.

 **DIANA LP: 4800 = 6400**

"Ahaha! Even though I gained Life Point, your ace monster still remains, huh? But its ATK is merely 700. Is there even a point in keeping it around? It won't stand a chance against my Moon Protector." Diana snickered, sneering at Sawatari and his weakened monster.

"I'm gonna wipe out both your monster and your LP this Turn!" Sawatari exclaimed, confusing Diana.

"With this, Moon Protector has lost all of its shields! I activate Action Magic: Trap Eraser! I destroy your Protector Adoration!" Sawatari activated his first Action Card, destroying the Continuous Trap. This confused Diana. If he has that kind of card, then why didn't he activate it from the very beginning? If he had, her LP won't be increased and his monster won't lose so many ATKs.

"At this moment, I activate Cool Hero's effect! When its ATK changed, I can lower one of the opponent's monsters' ATK and inflict damage equal to the amount of ATK changed!" Sawatari revealed as Cool Hero thrust its sword repeatedly against Moon Protector, reducing its ATK zero.

 **DIANA LP: 6400 = 4000**

"Tsk. Even if you lowered Moon Protector's ATK, you can't attack anymore! And even if you attack, my LP will still remain!" Diana reminded as Sawatari has finished attacking all of the Tokens and Cool Hero's ATK was only 2300 while her LP was still full.

"I already thought about that! I activate Cool Hero's second effect! When this card points to a monster, it can make a second attack!" Sawatari revealed. As Cool Hero's Top Arrow pointed to Diana's Moon Protector, Cool Hero can attack again.

"Next, Action Magic: Wonder Chance! My Monster can attack one more time! Which means, I can attack two more times!" Sawatari activated his second Action Card.

Diana took a step back. Her face paled. Moon Protector's ATK has been reduced to nothing, so she would receive the full brunt of Cool Hero's ATK. And once Moon Protector was destroyed, she has nothing that could protect her.

"Battle! I attack Moon Protector with Cool Hero!" Sawatari declared. Cool Hero slashed down the Fusion Monster into two, exploding it and pushed back Diana. Now her Field was wide open.

 **DIANA LP: 4000 = 1700**

"This is the finale, Cool Hero! Attack directly!" Sawatari declared the last Battle Phase. Cool Hero raised its sword and swung it down, unleashing a purple sword energy wave that threw Diana several feet back as she screamed.

 **DIANA LP: 1700 = 0**

"Alright! My first win with my first Link Monster!" Sawatari cheered for his victory, jumping happily. He thanked Reiji for developing a Link Monster befitting for him.

His victory cheers were short-lived as he noticed another group of enemies approaching him. However, this didn't scare him in the slightest. Sawatari cockily faced the devotees who were confronting him, making a challenging gesture.

"Bring it on!"

At the other side of the area near the river, Sora was facing against a tall big man wearing Romanian-style red robes with white sleeve tied from the left side. He also wore shoulder orange-colored paddlers, bracers decorated with golden trims, and helmet completed with sun-themed golden necklace.

"If I remember it right, you're Apollo. The one who was supposed to guard the East Tower before being appointed to the front line and replaced by Chronos." Sora recognized the man. He was supposed to guard the tower where Rin was being held. The Professor deemed his skill necessary in the front-line battles, so his position as tower keeper was replaced by Chronos who was defeated by Sawatari.

"Yes. Just as you know me, I also know you, Sora Shiun'in. I have nothing against you, but now I have sworn my loyalty for His Excellency who has opened my eyes of this world's folly! I shall obliterate you here and now!" Apollo activated his Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

"If you think you can, then try! You're no match for me!" Sora replied, activating the Action Field. Both he and Apollo soon were trapped within a dome as new environment formed around them within the dome. Until the Duel is over, no one can into nor get out from the sphere-like Field.

{FIELD SPELL: OLYMPUS PEAK}

Their surrounding changed into that of a round coliseum-like arena with volcanic rocks throughout the audience seats and magma beneath them. Action Cards were spread around the Field. Following the newest rule of Action Duel, only one Action Card can be obtained per Turn.

 **[ACTION DUEL!]**

"I'll start things off. From my hand, I activate the Magic Card: Fusion! I'm fusing Guardian Tryce and Luminous Soldier from my hand! When the radiant twin blades are bathed in the sun's brilliance, the two warriors shall become one! Fusion Summon! Sun Protector (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2100 / LV: 7), descend!" Apollo summoned his ace monster in Attack Position.

While Apollo performed his Fusion Summon, Sora picked the first Action Card.

"I activate Sun Protector's Monster Effect! I can Special Summon one Protector's Shield Token (ATK: 0 /DEF: 0 / LV: 1). As long as this Token is around, Sun Protector cannot be targeted for an attack." Apollo summoned one Token in Defense Position in the Main Zone.

"I set one card facedown and end my turn." Apollo concluded.

"My Turn! With Scale 1 Death-Toy Claw Pirate and Scale 8 Death-Toy Bone Diver, I set the Pendulum Scale! With this I can simultaneously summon Level 2 to 7 monsters! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my monsters!" Sora summoned Patchwork Furnimal (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) and Furnimal Sheep (ATK: 400 / DEF: 800 / LV: 2) in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Appear! The circuit of the amalgamations of haunted toys!" Sora opened the Link Summoning Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is two Furnimal or Edge Imp monsters! I set Patchwork Furnimal and Furnimal Sheep on the Link Markers! Circuit combined!" Sora set Patchwork Furnimal in the Top-Arrow and Furnimal Sheep in Bottom-Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Death-Toy Chainsaw Jaguar (ATK: 2100 / LINK: 3 / LM: Bottom, Top)!" Sora summoned a monster resembling stuffed jaguar with demonic eyes on its sewed mouth with chainsaws around its stomach ad arms in the Link Monster Zone.

"I activate Continuous Trap: Protector Adoration! It negates the Monster Effect of Death-Toy Chainsaw Jaguar, and Special Summon two Protector's Shield Tokens to my Field!" Apollo opened his Reverse Card, showering Death-Toy Chainsaw Jaguar with red light that sealed its power.

"Your monster can attack all the Protector's Shield Tokens. However, if you don't attack, your monster will be destroyed." Apollo warned Sora, sneering at the blue-haired boy. "Now then, what will you do? Are you going to attack my Protector's Shield Tokens? Or… Are you going to not attack and lose your ace monster?

"Do you really need to ask that? Battle! I attack Protector's Shield Token with Chainsaw Jaguar!" Sora declared attack using his new Link Monster. The chainsaws around Chainsaw Jaguar's arms activated and the Death-Toy Monster leaped, launching against the Fusion Monster.

"At this moment, Sun Protector's Monster Effect activates! The ATK of the monster that destroyed a Protector's Shield Token will be reduced by 800 points! The opposing player also takes 800 damage!" Apollo declared. Just as Sora's Chainsaw Jaguar's arms strikes down the first Token, the same light showering Chainsaw Jaguar showered Sora and his Link Monster, lowering his LP by 800 and decreased Chainsaw Jaguar's ATK to 1200.

 **SORA LP: 4000 = 3200**

"As you keep destroying my Tokens, your monster's ATK will be reduced, and your Life will be cut down. Even so, are you going to keep attacking?" Apollo questioned mockingly. He was confident he has this Duel in the palm of his hand.

"So that's how it'll be, huh?" Sora sighed without making any particular reaction.

"If you don't like seeing your Life gets cut down, you can end your turn now. But in exchange, you will lose Death-Toy Chainsaw Jaguar." Apollo reminded. If Sora ended his Turn, he could attack the boy directly. Even if Sora didn't choose to do so, his LP will be reduced and even though his Monster survived, only 800 ATK would remain by the time the next Turn start.

"There's no way I'll allow that! Battle! I attack the second and then the third Protector's Shield Token with Death-Toy Chainsaw Jaguar!"

Sora continued his attack against the remaining two tokens. Apollo retaliated by repeating the same move; lowering Chainsaw Jaguar's ATK by 800 and inflicts the same amount of damage to the Death-Toy user, repeating it twice. Chainsaw Jaguar destroyed all of the remaining tokens, leaving its ATK at only 400 while inflicting 1600 damage in total to Sora.

 **SORA LP: 3200 = 1600**

"Even though your Life Point is cut down, your monster still remains. But its ATK is merely 400. Is there even a point in keeping it around?" Apollo questioned in condescending tone.

"There is! With this, Sun Protector has lost all of its shields!" Sora pointed out at Apollo's Field that only has Sun Protector left standing.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Chimeric Fusion! I pay 1000 LP and tribute a Death-Toy Monster I control to Special Summon a Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck! However, that monster cannot attack and it will be destroyed at the end of Turn!" Sora released Chainsaw Jaguar and lowered 1000 of his LP to perform Fusion Summon.

 **SORA LP: 1600 = 600**

"Show yourself! Wild ghost-cave beast that bares fangs at all! Death-Toy Sabre Tiger (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8)!" Sora summoned Sabre Tiger in Attack Position in the Main Zone. Since Protector Adoration has lost its targeted monster, it was destroyed.

"To think that he can summon a higher-level ace monster in this situation… But you cannot defeat me with just that!" Apollo warned.

"What are you saying? My turn isn't over yet! When Death-Toy Saber Tiger is Fusion Summoned, I can Special Summon 1 Death-Toy Monster from my Graveyard ignoring its summoning condition! Revive, Chainsaw Jaguar!" Sora revived Chainsaw Jaguar in Attack Position in the Main Zone beside Saber Tiger.

"I activate Chainsaw Jaguar's effect! Once per Turn it gains 400 ATK for each Furnimal Monsters and Edge Imp Monsters in the Graveyard!" Sora increased Chainsaw Jaguar's ATK to 2500.

"Next I activate Sabre Tiger's effect! All Death-Toy Monsters gains 400 ATK for each Death-Toy Monsters on the Field!" Sora increased both Sabre Tiger and Chainsaw Jaguar's ATK to 3200 and 3300 respectively.

"Battle! I attack Sun Protector with Death-Toy Chainsaw Jaguar!" Sora declared his attack. Chainsaw Jaguar rushed forward. Its menacing eyes focused solely on the opposing Fusion Monster.

"Sun Protector might be destroyed, but on the next turn–"

"That's not all! I activate Action Magic: Bi-Attack! I double the ATK of Chainsaw Jaguar!" Sora activated his Action Card, doubling Chainsaw Jaguar's ATK to 6600. Apollo paled. That was enough to take him down in one attack. He has no chance to win.

Chainsaw Jaguar strikes down the opposing Fusion Monster with its wheeled saw arms, shredding Sun Protector's body into pieces until nothing of its remain. The backlash threw back Apollo with a cry, rendering him unconscious.

 **APOLLO LP: 4000 = 0**

"Hmm…as I thought. I'm still not too good with this Link Monster. I have to think up a new combo and strategy." Sora mumbled while staring at his Link Monster in his hand. The Link Monster itself was not bad. He just hasn't got used to it.

Sora placed back his Link Monster into his Extra Deck as another enemy confronted him, thirsting for his blood. The Death-Toy user took out a lollipop and eat it, narrowing his eyes at his enemy.

"Maybe the next Duel will help me figure this out."

Near the entrance of the temple, Gloria and Grace were greeted by two devotees; one man and one woman, standing protectively in front of the entrance. The two sisters secretly glanced at the first group that consisted of Yuya, Reiji, Yukiya, Serena, and Dennis hiding on the side, waiting for the opportunity to enter the temple.

"Since there are the four of us, let's do a Tag Duel, shall we? It's our specialty anyway." Gloria proposed to the two devotees, making sure their attentions were directed to her.

"Fine by us. Tag Duel is our specialty too." The male devotee stated.

"Then let's use this opportunity to figure out who is the stronger duo." Grace dared the two devotees as she and her sister activated their Duel Disks. Following the activation of their Duel Disks, they also activated the Action Field.

{FIELD SPELL: CALM MEADOW}

The four Tag Duelists were trapped inside the dome. Their surrounding changed into that of a plain meadow in the evening. Action Cards were scattered above or beneath hidden by the grass. The two devotees activated their Duel Disks in respond, beginning the Duel.

 **[TAG DUEL!]**

"I'll take the first Turn! From my hand, I summon Phantom Butterfly Assassin Swallowtail (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4)!" The female devotee summoned Swallowtail in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"When I Normal Summoned a Warrior-Type Monster, I can Special Summon Phantom Butterfly Assassin Ulysses (ATK: 0 / DEF: 1700 / LV: 4)!" She summoned Ulyssess in Attack Position beside Swallowtail.

"I overlay Swallowtail and Ulysses! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Photon Butterfly Assassin (ATK: 2100 / DEF: 1800 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" She summoned Butterfly Assassin in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn!" She finished the first Turn.

"My turn! When there are Amazoness cards in my hand, I can Special Summon Amazoness Spy (ATK: 800 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 3)!" Gloria summoned Amazoness Spy in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Then, I summon Amazoness Trainee (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1300 / LV: 4)!" Gloria summoned Amazoness Trainee in Attack Position beside Amazoness Spy.

"Now it's time to put this new Summoning into use in real battle! Appear! The Circuit of the amazons!" Gloria opened the Link Summoning Circuit above her.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is two Amazoness monsters! I set Amazoness Spy and Amazoness Trainee on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Gloria set Spy on the Right-Arrow and Trainee on the Borrom-Right Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Amazoness Smyrna (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / LM: Right, Bottom-Right)!" Gloria summoned Smyrna in Attack Position in the Link Zone.

"I activate Amazoness Smyrna's effect! Once during either player's Turn I can banish an Amazoness monster in my Graveyard to add its ATK to Smyrna and until the end of this Turn Amazoness monsters cannot be destroyed!" Gloria increased Smyrna's ATK to 2800.

"Battle! I attack Photon Butterfly Assassin with Amazoness Smyrna!" Amazoness Smyrna whirled its chained blade before throwing it straight towards the Xyz Monster. The female devotee chose at that moment to activate her first Reverse Card.

"Trap Card: Cocoon Explosion! When a Butterfly Monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can increase its ATK by 1000! However, in exchange, at the End Phase, it loses 2000 ATK!" She raised Butterfly Assassin's ATK to 3100, overpowering Gloria's Smyrna.

"Due to Amazoness Smyrna's effect, it cannot be destroyed until the end of this Turn!" Gloria reminded as Smyrna's chain was deflected by Butterfly Assassin, reflecting the attack back to the Link Monster who managed to endure the pierce of its own chained blade.

 **TYLER SISTERS LP: 4000 = 3700**

"And I also open Trap Card: Butterfly Berserker! When a Butterfly monster I control inflicts damage during opponent's Turn, that Butterfly monster can make an attack and the damage inflicted is doubled!" She revealed, prompting Butterfly Assassin to flew forward and strikes the Amazoness Link Monster, throwing back with a doubled force.

 **TYLER SISTERS LP: 3700 = 3100**

"Not bad. I set a card and end my Turn." Gloria concluded, wiping the dust from her cheek.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Bouncer's Might! I can Special Summon Level 5 or higher Effect Monster from my hand!" The male devotee summoned Hammer-Rush Bouncer (ATK: 2300 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 6) in Attack Position in the Main Zone. Gloria chose that moment to activate her Reverse Card in retaliation of the previous Trap.

"Continuous Trap: Amazoness Fortress! When my opponent special summoned a monster, I can activate this card. Once per Turn, I can special summon Level 4 or lower Amazoness Monster from my hand and then inflict damage to my opponent equal to its ATK!" Gloria summoned Amazoness Fighting Warrior (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1300 / LV: 4) in Attack Position in the Main Zone and then inflicted 1500 damage to the two devotees.

 **APOPHIS DEVOTEES LP: 4000 = 2500**

"I tribute Photon Butterfly Assassin to Advance Summon Phantom Bouncer (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 6)!" The male devotee continued, releasing his partner's Xyz Monster to summon Phantom Bouncer in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I overlay Hammer-Rush Bouncer and Phantom Bouncer! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 6! Photon Streak Bouncer (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 6 / ORU: 2)!" He summoned Streak Bouncer in Attack Position in the Main Zone, replacing the two Bouncer monsters.

"I activate Amazoness Smyrna's effect! I banish Amazoness Trainee to increase Amazoness Smyrna's ATK!" Gloria banished Trainee from the Graveyard, increasing Smyrna's ATK to 3500.

"I activate Photon Streak Bouncer's effect! When a monster effect is activated on my opponent's Field, I can detach an Overlay Unit to negate the effect and inflict 1000 damage to my opponent!" He detached an Overlay Unit, negating Smyrna's effect, which not only reverted its ATK back to 2000 but also inflicting 1000 damage to the sisters. The shockwave nearly caused the sisters to lose their footing.

 **TYLER SISTERS LP: 3700 = 2700**

"Battle! I attack Amazoness Fighting Warrior with Photon Streak Bouncer!" The male devotee pointed at the weaker Amazoness monster. Streak Bouncer sent barrack of sonic fists against Fighting Warrior who had crossed its arms to block and endure the punches.

"I activate Amazoness Smyrna's effect! When this card points to a monster, all Amazoness Monsters I control cannot be destroyed by Battle!" Gloria stated as Fighting Warrior continued to endure and remain standing on the Field.

"I activate Photon Streak Bouncer's effect to negate and inflict 1000 damage to you!" He detached the last Overlay Unit, inflicting 1000 damage to the sisters while also allowing Streak Bouncer to strike through Fighting Warrior's abdomen, destroying it.

 **TYLER SISTERS LP: 2700 = 1700**

Gloria smiled calmly. "Too bad, but we take no battle damage from attacks involving Amazoness Fighting Warrior." She revealed. They still received damage from Streak Bouncer's effect, but they were saved from the finishing blow through the battle.

"I end my Turn." He concluded.

"My Turn! I summon Amazoness Blowgun Soldier (ATK: 800 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 3)!" Grace summoned Blowgun Soldier in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"When an Amazoness Monster is Normal or Special Summoned, I can Special Summon Amazoness Pet Baby Tiger (ATK: 500 / DEF: 500 / LV: 2)!" Grace summoned Pet Baby Tiger in Attack Position in the Main Zone beside Blowgun Soldier.

"You made a huge mistake by not targeting Amazoness Smyrna." Grace told the male devotee.

"What?" He said in question.

"Now it's my Turn to summon my Link Monster! Appear! Circuit of the amazons!" Grace opened the Link Summoning Circuit which was similar to her sisters'.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 2 Amazoness Monsters! I set Amazoness Smyrna, Amazoness Blowgun Soldier, and Amazoness Pet Baby Tiger on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" She set Smyrna on the Left-Arrow, Blowgun Soldier on the Top-Arrow, and Pet Baby Tiget on the Bottom and Right-Arrows.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Amazoness Pantariste (ATK: 3000 / LINK: 4 / LM: Left, Top, Bottom, Right)!" Grace summoned Pantariste in Attack Position in the Link Zone replacing Smyrna.

"I activate Amazoness Pantariste's effect! When this card is summoned using an Amazoness Link Monster as material, it gains that monster's ATK!" Grace added Smyrna's 2000 ATK, increasing Pantarise's ATK to 5000.

"I won't let you have your next Turn! I activate Amazoness Fortress' effect! I can special summon Level 4 or lower Amazoness Monster from my hand and inflict damage to my opponent equal to its ATK!" Grace summoned another copy of Amazoness Spy in Attack Position on the Main Zone, inflicting 800 damage to the devotees.

 **APOPHIS DEVOTEES LP: 2500 = 1700**

"This is the end for the both of you! Battle! I attack Photon Streak Bouncer with Amazoness Pantarise!" Grace declared attack. Pantarise first threw its shield like a boomerang, striking the Xyz Monster on the front and its back. The Link Monster then leaped forward, delivering the finishing blow with a single stab on the Xyz Monster's chest, right at where the hear normally was, creating enough explosion to blew away and knock out the two devotees.

 **APOPHIS DEVOTEES LP: 1700 = 0**

"Fufufufu, these Link Monsters are great, aren't they, Sis?" Grace squealed as she gave her Link card a peck, adoring it.

"You're right. Our Decks are stronger than before after we added them." Gloria agreed while looking at her Deck. Learning other Summoning Methods was not a bad idea after all.

The two sisters turned to the spot where Yuya and the others were last seen. They were not there anymore, meaning they have entered the temple. Good. Now all they need to do was to do a cleanup. Gloria and Grace turned to the remaining devotees who were going to intrude Kiryu's Duel. That won't happen.

"Now then, let's play with our next prey." Grace stated.

Across the sisters, Kachidoki and Battle Beast activated the Action Field, trapping themselves and their two opponents, two male devotees, inside a dome. Their surroundings changed into a middle of a wood with Action Cards scattered around the Field.

"BB, I know it's late asking this, but are you sure you're okay participating in this war?" Kachidoki asked. They have been hanging around together, almost inseparable, ever since the last war, so he thought that Battle Beast went with him because he felt indebted. But with Sanders' appearance, Kachidoki wasn't sure it would be good for Battle Beast to join.

"Yeah. I have to settle things with Sanders. I don't want to run away anymore. I will severe our ties for good this time." Battle Beast answered determinedly. In order for him be completely freed, he must face and defeat Sanders himself.

"Is this the time to talk amongst yourselves? Let's get this over with!" The devotee yelled as he and his partner activated their Duel Disks.

{FIELD SPELL: WILD WOOD}

 **[TAG DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! I summon Gladial Beast Laqueri (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 400 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Battle Beast summoned Laqueri in Atttack Position in the Main Zone. He jumped to a tree, picking the Action Card at the edge of a branch.

"I set three cards facedown and end my turn!" Battle Beast concluded.

"My Turn! When I control no monster while my opponent does, I can special summon Frozen Knight (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4)!" The first devotee summoned Frozen Knight in Attack Position in the Main Zone. Meanwhile, Kachidoki snatched this Turn's Action Card.

"When Frozen Knight is special summoned through its effect, I can special summon a Water-Type Monster from my hand!" He summoned Ice Knight (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4) in Attack Position in the Main Zone beside Frozen Knight.

"Ice Knight gains 400 ATK for each Water-Type Monster on the Field!" He increased Ice Knight's ATK to 2100.

"I release Frozen Knight to Advance Summon Mobius the Ice Monarch (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 6)!" He summoned Mobius in Attack Position beside Frozen Knight in the Main Zone, replacing Frozen Knight.

"When Mobius is Advance Summoned, I can target 2 Spell or Trap Cards on the Field and destroy it!" He pointed at Battle Beast's three facedown cards. He destroyed the one on the left and the center, leaving Battle Beast with only one left.

"Battle! I attack Gladial Beast Lagueri with Mobius!" The devotee declared attack. Mobius unleashed storm of ice, slowly freezing Laqueri's body.

"Continuous Trap: Medallion of Gladial Beast! Gladial Beast Monster cannot be destroyed, but in exchange, the damage is doubled!" Battle Beast opened his Reverse Card, preventing Laqueri from being destroyed but in exchange he and Kachidoki received stronger damage. The ice freezing Laqueri's feet broke as Laqueri forcefully moved its feet.

 **KACHIDOKI & BB LP: 4000 = 2800**

"As Laquari battled, I activate its effect, returning it to the Deck to Special Summon a Gladial Beast monster with a different name from my Deck!" Battle Beast Special Summoned Gladiator Beast Secutor (ATK: 400 / DEF: 300 / LV: 4) in Defense Position in the Main Zone.

"Next I attack Gladial Beast Secutor with Ice Knight!" The devotee continued his second attack. Ice Knight repeatedly thrust its swords against Secutor.

"Action Magic: Attack Force! When a monster I control battles an opponent's monster with higher ATK, my monster gains 600 ATK during damage calculation!" Battle Beast activated his Action Card, increasing Secutor's ATK to 1000, lessening the damage that he and Kachidoki would have taken.

 **KACHIDOKI LP & BB LP: 2800 = 600**

"As Secutor battled, I activate its effect to Special Summon two Gladial Beast monsters from my Deck, except Secutor!" Battle Beast Special Summoned Gladial Beast Augustus (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 8) and Gladial Beast Murmillo (ATK: 800 / DEF: 400 / LV: 3) in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"As Agustus was Special Summoned by the effect of a Gladial Beast monster, I activate its effect, letting me Special Summon a Gladial Beast monster from my hand in Defense Position, but it will be returned to the Deck at the End Phase!" Battle Beast Special Summoned another copy of Murmillo in Defense Position in the Main Zone.

"As both copies of Murmillo were Special Summoned by the effects of Gladial Beast monsters, their effects activate, allowing me to destroy a face-up monster on the field!" Battle Beast used his two Murmillo's effects to destroy both Mobius and Ice Knight, leaving the devotees without any monster on their Field.

"I set a card and end my Turn." The devotee clicked his tongue as he reluctantly ended his Turn.

"My Turn! When I control a WIND Monster, I can special summon Kazane the Wind Soaring Star (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 5)!" Kachidoki summoned Kazane in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Appear! The Circuit of the stars!" Kachidoki opened the Link Summoning Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is 1 WIND Monster! I set Kazane the Wind Soaring Star, Gladial Beast Secutor, and Gladial Beast Murmillo on the Link Markers! Circuit combined!" Kachidoki set Kazane on the Bottom-Right Arrow, Secutor on the Left Arrow, and Murmillo on the Top Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Vayu the Storm Conqueror Star (ATK: 2300 / LINK: 3 / LM: Bottom-Right, Left, Top)!" Kachidoki summoned Vayu in Attack Position in the Link Zone.

"I activate Vayu's effect! Once per Turn, I can recover LP equal to the ATK of a monster pointed by its Link Arrow!" Kachidoki revealed. As Vayu's bottom-right arrow pointed to Battle Beast's Augustus, Kachidoki and Battle Beast acquired LP equal to its ATK.

 **KACHIDOKI & BB LP: 600 = 3200**

"Battle! I attack directly with Vayu the Storm Conqueror Star!" Kachidoki declared attack, pointing at the two defenseless devotees. Vayu twirled its spear, creating a twister that blew away the devotees to the trees and bushes.

 **APOPHIS DEVOTEES LP: 4000 = 1700**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Kachidoki concluded.

"My Turn! When I control no monster while my opponent does, I can special summon Lightning Knight (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1300 / LV: 4)!" The devotee summoned Lightning Knight in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I tribute Lightning Knight to Advance Summon Zaborg the Thunder Monarch (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 5)!" He summoned Zaborg in Attack Position in the Main Zone replacing Lightning Knight.

"I activate Zaborg's effect! When this card is Advance Summoned, I can destroy 1 monster on the Field!" He chose Battle Beast's Augustus, destroying the Gladial Beast Monster. As there were no longer any Gladial Beast Monster, Medallion of Gladial Beast was destroyed and Kachidoki and Battle Beast can't recover their LP anymore through Vayu's effect.

"I activate Magic Card: Energy Drain! I select 1 face-up monster my opponent controls to reduce its ATK to 0 and then draw 1 card!" The devotee targeted Kachidoki's Vayu, reducing its ATK to 0 and then drew a single card.

"Battle! I attack Vayu with Zaborg!" He declared attack. Zaborg sent a lightning strike towards the Link Monster, electrocuting Vayu until it exploded. Some of the lightning sparks also hit Kachidoki and Battle Beast, paralyzing them for a moment.

 **KACHIDOKI & BB LP: 3200 = 800**

"Not yet! I activate Quick-Play Spell: Thunderous Strike! When a Thunder-Type Monster I control inflicted damage, I can make a second attack!" The devotee continued, attacking for the second time. Zaborg was ready with unleashing another lightning strike.

"Action Magic: Evasion! I negate the attack!" Kachidoki activated his Action Card. However, the other devotee has picked the Action Card this Turn and activated it.

"Action Magic: No Action! I negate the activation of Action Card!" The partner declared, negating Kachidoki's Evasion.

Just as the lightning has been charged and ready to strike, Battle Beast activated his second Action Card.

"Action Magic: Encore! I activate the Action Card in my Graveyard!" Battle Beast activated Kachidoki's Evasion, allowing him and Kachidoki to avoid the lightning strike by jumping to the opposite side.

"I end my Turn." The devotee concluded.

"I leave this to you, BB. Finish them this Turn." Kachidoki told his partner who only nodded in return.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Gladial Beast Bestrouli (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 800 / LV: 4)!" Battle Beast summoned Bestrouli in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Resurrection of the Dead! I special summon a monster from my Graveyard!" Battle Beast summoned Augustus in Attack Position in the Main Zone from the Graveyard.

"Appear! Circuit of the gladiators!" Battle Beast opened the Link Summoning Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is two Gladial Beast Monsters! I set Gladial Beast Bestrouli and Gladial Beast Augustus on the Link Markers! Circuit Combined!" Battle Beast set Bestrouli on the Bottom-Left arrow and Augustus on the Bottom-Right arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Gladial Beast Dragacius (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / LM: Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right)!" Battle Beast summoned Bestrouli in Attack Position in the Link Zone.

Battle Beast jumped from one tree to another, until he snatched the Action Card this Turn. Seeing the card, he immediately activated it.

"Action Magic: Bi-Attack! I double Dragacius' ATK!" Battle Beast doubled Dragacius' ATK to 4000, overpowering the devotee's Zaborg.

"Battle! I attack Zaborg the Thunder Monarch with Dragacius!" Battle Beast declared attack. Dragacius howled before, flying up before dashing down towards the Lightning Monster.

"Not going to happen! Trap Card: Freezing Curse! When a monster I control is targeted for attack while I have WATER Monster in my Graveyard, I can reduce the opposing monster's ATK to 0!" The first devotee activated his Reverse Card, creating pillars of ice from the ground that going up to pierce the Gladial Beast Monster.

"Dragacius' effect! If Gladial Beast Monster attacks, it cannot be destroyed by that Battle and my opponent's cards and effects cannot be activated until the end of the Damage Step!" Battle Beast revealed. Dragacius break through the ice pillar, continuing its descend against Zaborg with increased speed.

"What?!" The devotees exclaimed in shock as the Link Monster was closing in.

"That's not all! I activate Trap Card: Warrior's Blood! When a monster I control battles, I can discard a Warrior-Type Monster from my hand to add its ATK to that monster until the end of Battle Phase!" Kachidoki opened his Reverse card, discarding Yama the Punisher Star from his hand to increase Dragacius' ATK to 7500.

Dragacius grasped Zaborg by its head and crushed its entire body to the ground, creating cracks and shook the ground like an earthquake has happened. The impact of the fall blew away the devotees just as their monster was destroyed.

 **APOPHIS DEVOTEES LP: 1700 = 0**

Kachidoki and Battle Beast took a deep breath and then let it out in relieved. They looked at their surroundings. Most of the enemies guarding the entrance have been defeated. Group 1 was nowhere to be seen. They must have succeeded in getting into the temple without notice.

"The next one is coming, BB." Kachidoki said, narrowing his eyes at a devotee who was fiddling his Duel Disk. He was calling for reinforcement.

"I know. I'm ready. All of us are." Battle Beast stated.

 **SECOND FLOOR – TEMPLE OF CALAMITY – FOREST – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"The battle has started outside."

Tsukasa stated as he and the others made a brief stop. His hand was still holding Yuri's arm to stop him from making any ruckus, though he doubted the boy could do that. Achille was only looking absentmindedly downstairs where the sound came from. Geist whistled while rubbing his chin. Yuri and Celica tried their best not to show any reaction.

"Aren't you happy that your friends have come all the way here to save you." Geist turned to Yuri and Celica standing behind between the two of them with his hands on their shoulders. If their hands were free, Yuri and Celica would have slug him.

"Unfortunately, the both of you won't get the chance to see them for the last time. As long as we're here, we won't let them reach to either of you." Geist whispered to the two, tightening his grip on Celica and separated her from Yuri.

"Keep an eye on her here. His Excellency has asked for him first. We need a strong Duel Monster." Tsukasa told Geist and Achille who now were holding Celica between them.

Celica made an eye contact with Yuri. Their stern gazes said everything. They mustn't make a scene. It wasn't like they could escape anyway.

"That's your plan? You're going to turn me into Duel Monster?" Yuri questioned Tsukasa as they walked upstairs.

"But of course. At the moment, the fastest way for His Excellency to regain his power at least until we get the dragons, is by feeding off energies from a strong Duel Monster. You are unfortunately the best candidate we have. Just accept your fate to become His Excellency's new Duel Monster servant." Tsukasa told Yuri, emphasizing what he meant by tightening his grip on Yuri's arm, strong enough to make Yuri wince and close one eye from the pain.

Celica looked at Yuri's back with worry that she tried to conceal from her two captors. She clenched her fists behind her as her worry grew. She gazed her surroundings, trying to find the familiar small Duel Monster that she and Yuri have tasked to help them.

 _"Please hurry, Winged Kuriboh!"_

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Familiar Irises –** Yuya, Yukiya, Reiji, Serena, and Dennis managed to enter the temple, but got caught in Achille's trap. Dennis, however, avoids it at the last second. To free the others, Dennis challenge Achille to a Duel. Sensing something wrong, Sara decided to send one of her comrades to assist the Lancers at the temple.

* * *

 **Yugo, Rin, and Kiryu already have enough duels before, so this chapter is dedicated for the Lancers who had only dueled once when they were still back at ARC-V. I hope you like their Link Monsters! And I know some of you dislike Action Cards, but in my opinion, Action Duel is still an important element of ARC-V so I can't just ignore it. The next chapter will feature Dennis vs. Achille, and the appearance of one of the people in blue robes! Stay tune if you want to know!**

 **Sorry that there are no descriptions for Smyrna, Pantariste, and Vayu. I'm having difficulty describing their designs, so please wait patiently along with the Fanfic Original Card Memo.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	54. Familiar Irises

**Big thanks to** _ **Playerhood18, Ulrich362, Elbarto4000, NeoFGD, dvdryms, tsukikami02, Gentyman, VioletStarVN, matrixnis, Yuka Kuroshiro, Big duels, GamingGuy84, Jason**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **I hope you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **APOPHIS' DOMAIN – LINK VRAINS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Ray was standing at the top of a fence with her eyes staring at the mountainous landscape and dark purple sky filled with black clouds. She has finally found and entered Apophis' new domain together with Shun, and their one comrade while the rest were guarding the rift. Even though they have entered the domain, Ray's Link Sense has yet to pick up any sign of Apophis or his offspring's whereabouts. Aside from that, she was worried for Yukiya and the others in the real world. They were fighting at the temple right now while she couldn't do anything but to look for the ones responsible yet her ability was almost useless.

She then saw a shadow hovering her. Looking up, Rise Falcon was flying above with Hayabusa on its back before he jumped down.

"Have you found Apophis' location yet, Ray?" Hayabusa asked. To his disappointment, Ray shook her head.

"Not yet. I can sense that he is nearby, but I can't find his exact location. How about you guys? Any clue?" Ray asked back. However, Hayabusa responded the same as she did.

"Unfortunately, no. We don't see any of the lieutenants around." Hayabusa said, referring to himself and their comrade who was leaning on the fence while looking at the sky with the sulking Starve Venom, whimpering softly.

"Don't worry, Starve Venom. We'll save Yuri together." Their comrade said while patting the dragon's head to ease the dragon's worry. Starve Venom responded by nuzzling into the crook of the Duelist's neck.

"Shouldn't you have sent Starve Venom instead of Odd-Eyes? Starve Venom is the one who is the most worried for Yuri." Hayabusa asked. Before they entered the domain, Ray has decided to send at least one person to assist the Lancers to retrieve Yuri and Celica at the temple. Shun had thought she would choose Starve Venom since the Fusion Dragon was the one who was the most eager amongst them in this rescue operation, but instead Ray sent Odd-Eyes to help. He didn't get to ask why before.

"No. If Apophis is going to do what I think he will, then it'll be the best for Starve Venom to remain here." Ray answered but didn't explain more than that. Her face paled thinking of the worst-case scenario she has in mind. She hoped she was wrong about this.

"I have told everything to Yukiya about us." Ray revealed, changing the subject. Hayabusa stiffened, hardening his eyes to the girl. Seeing she still has more to say, he kept his mouth shut and let her continue.

"After this is over, I think it's the time to tell everyone. We'll just skip the part about closing the rift using the combined powers of the dragons and their masters. We will look for other way to close it. That way, there's no need for us to work separately." Ray explained. There were limits for them to work alone and not to mention lack of resources. By working together with organizations like Lancers who has more resources and information network, they may find their solution faster.

"But are you sure that Yuno and the others will be okay if they find out about them?" Hayabusa asked again, this time referring to their comrades in blue robes.

"It'll be hard, but I'm sure everything will work out somehow." Ray replied, though she wasn't really sure herself. She returned to her position, trying to concentrate again to find any sign of their enemies. If Apophis was planning the worst-case scenario, they must find and stop him at all cost.

She blinked when she noticed something round and small at far in front of her. She squinted her eyes, trying to see and figure out what the small thing was. Hayabusa, curious what she was seeing, also looked at the same direction and saw the small thing. However, that small thing then became bigger and bigger. That's because it was moving towards them with considerable speed. The closer it was, the clearer it became. And then that small thing felt familiar. Those brown fur, yellow eyes with black pupils, and tiny wings...

"Kurikuri!"

Winged Kuriboh latched itself on Ray's face, almost causing the girl to fall flat on her back had she didn't balance herself. Winged Kuriboh kept holding Ray's face until the girl forcefully removed it from her face. Winged Kuriboh's cry also startled Starve Venom and their blue robed comrade who approached them.

"That's Yuri's Winged Kuriboh!" Hayabusa exclaimed in shock. Winged Kuriboh was supposed to be captured along with Yuri since the monster was included in his Deck. How come it was able to get here? Hayabusa then remembered that Winged Kuriboh was not like other monsters, it can freely materialize itself either in corporeal body or spirit. Since it was small, it won't be weird if no one notice it. But that still didn't explain how it was able to logged into LINK VRAINS.

"What are you doing here?! No, how did you get here?! I thought you're with Yuri!" Ray asked after removing the monster from her face. She wiped the tears streaming down from its eyes, waiting for the monster to calm itself.

"Kuri!" Winged Kuriboh brought out the letter written by both Yuri and Celica, ushering them to read it quickly.

Ray quickly opened the letter. Hayabusa and the rest leaned down so they could read the letter too. The first part was written by Yuri and the second one written by Celica. Slowly reading the letter from top to bottom, the three of them gradually felt calmer and their expression filled with newfound hope.

"Let's do this quick…!"

 **FIRST FLOOR – TEMPLE OF CALAMITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The moment Yuya and the others stepped foot inside the temple, they were greeted by a labyrinth of thick stone walls and winding passages sprung up between them and the stairs leading to floors above. According to the map given by Ray, the temple consisted of three floors. They were now still on the first floor, trying to get out from the labyrinth. To make it trickier, the labyrinth changed its passage for every few minutes, making it harder for them to reach the stairs. Serena tried to forcefully break through the labyrinth with her monster, but it quickly reconstructed back in a matter of seconds.

"Argh! We don't have time for this! Show yourself and fight us, bastard!" Serena shouted out loud enough for her voice to echo.

Dennis scratched his head when hearing the girl's yell. No one could blame her. She was the most worried, especially for Yuri. While the labyrinth was confusing and frustrating, it didn't seem to be dangerous at the very least. They were able to walk through without any incident.

CLICK

Or so Dennis thought until he felt one of the tiles suddenly sinks beneath his feet with an ominous click.

"Everyone, watch out–" Dennis yelled, but it was too late.

The labyrinth sprung down into the floor as pillars sprung up beneath them instead. When they realized what happened, the pillar formed into a cage, trapping Yuya, Yukiya, Reiji, and Serena. Yuya then noticed his Duel Disk was making a sound and flickering image before it shut down. Yuya tried to activate it again, but it didn't work. He turned to the others who were checking too, but the result was the same. This cage has a program that disrupt the function of the Duel Disk.

"What is this?!" Yuya exclaimed while holding the cage.

"So you activated the trap I've set." Achille descended from the stairs, eyeing the Lancers who got trapped with passive gaze.

"Achille!" Yukiya exclaimed, recognizing the Gimmick Puppet user.

"I knew that you'll come, so I have set my own trap to stop you. Having you coming at me all at once would be a pain and won't buy much time, but trapping you like this and then challenge you one by one will give Tsukasa enough time until everything is finished." Achille raised his Duel Disk while his finger moving to pick who will be his first opponent.

"Hold on! I am still here!"

From amongst the debris, Dennis emerged, swiping the dusts from his clothes and face. Since he was the one who stepped onto the trap, he was the quickest to realize them. Good thing he managed to dodge the pillar at the last second by jumping to the side. Making sure not to get trapped amongst the debris, however, was the harder one. For a moment he thought he was going to be buried alive.

"I will be your opponent!" Dennis said, jabbing his finger to his chest.

"Dennis!" Yuya sighed in relief. At least Dennis was save. They have a chance to be free from the cage and proceed with their mission.

"One rat survive. Then I'll start with you first." Achille jumped down from the stairs, landing at top of the debris across Dennis, activating his Duel Disk.

"Rat? That's rude. I am a first-class, entertainer, Dennis Macfield! I shall make you remember my name! Don't worry, guys! I'll get you out of that cage soon! For the time being, enjoy my show, okay?" Dennis said to his friends as he activated his Duel Disk, activating the Action Field.

{FIELD SPELL: MAGE'S TENT}

The first-floor temple changed into a circus tent. You could find various things used in circus attractions around. Yuya's eyes opened in awe. It was almost similar with Entertainment Coliseum. Action Cards were present, scattered throughout the Field.

 **[ACTION DUEL!]**

"I'm going first. From my hand, I summon Gimmick Puppet Humpty Dumpty (ATK: 0 / DEF: 100 / LV: 4)." As it was Normal Summoned, Achille activated its effect, letting him Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Gimmick Puppet monster from his hand. He Special Summoned Gimmick Puppet Gear Changer (ATK: 100 / DEF: 0 / LV: 4) in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Level Doubler. I send a card in my hand to the Graveyard to double the Level of a monster I control." Achille discarded Gimmick Puppet Shadow Feeler to double the Level of Humpty Dumpty to 8.

"I activate the effect of Gear Changer to change its Level to that of another Gimmick Puppet monster I control." Achille targeted Humpty Dumpty, so Gear Charger became Level 8.

"I overlay my two Level 8 monsters! Xyz Summon! No. 15: Gimmick Puppet - Giant Killer (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 2500 / RNK: 8 / ORU: 2)!" Achille summoned Giant Killer in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Equip Spell: Gimmick Shield. This card can only be equipped to a Gimmick Puppet Xyz Monster I control." Achille switched Giant Killer's ATK and DEF, blocking Giant Killer with a transparent black and green shield.

"I activate Gimmick Shield's effect. I can inflict 300 damage to my opponent for each Overlay Unit the equipped monster has." Achille revealed. The shield shot two lightning that strikes the Entermage user, inflicting 600 damage in total.

 **DENNIS LP: 4000 = 3400**

"I end my Turn." Achille finished.

"My Turn! I activate Continuous Magic: Burn Gift! It Special Summons a Level 4 or below FIRE monster from my hand to my opponent's field!" Dennis Special Summoned Entermage Higurumi (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4) to Achille's Main Zone Field.

"And when my opponent is the only one controlling any monsters, I can Special Summon Entermage Wind Sucker (ATK: 2100 / DEF: 0 / LV: 5) from my hand!" Dennis summoned Entermage Wind Sucker in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"All right! It is time for me, the Hero, to bring down the hammer of justice upon you! I activate the Magic Card: Entermage Hurricane! When there is an Entermage on the field, it returns all Magic and Trap cards to their owners' hands!" Dennis returned his Burn Gift and Achille's Gimmick Shield back to their respective hands.

"When Burn Gift leaves the field, I can destroy the monster Special Summoned by its effect and inflict 400 damage to my opponent! Take that, you Fire Demon!" Dennis destroyed Higurumi that he has summoned on Achille's Field, inflicting the damage to him. Higurumi's body burst in flames and hit Achille, causing him to stumble to the floor. His sleeves were burned from the strike.

 **ACHILLE LP: 4000 = 3600**

"Next, Continuous Magic: Magician's Fortress! When there is a Magician monster on my field, my opponent cannot attack!" Dennis activated his Spell, forming a castle-like fortress. Dennis jumped went into the cannon and let it shot him up so he could pick an Action Card at a trapeze before landing above the fortress, staring Achille before him.

Yuya smiled softly. It brought back memory. It reminded him when he used the same cannon to get an Action Card during his Duel against Reiji last year.

"I set a card and end my Turn. Now, demon, can you break through this defense?" Dennis concluded proudly.

"As long as Magician's Fortress is active while Dennis controls his Magician-Type Monster, Achille can't attack." Yuya stated. Most monsters in Dennis' Deck consisted of Magician-Type Monster, so Dennis could summon plenty of them if necessary to reinforce his defense further.

"But be careful! He has monster that can inflict effect damage!" Yukiya warned Dennis. He and the others have already heard about Achille from Yuri and Ryo who dueled him during the virus extermination mission. Since Ryo turned out to be working for them, it was possible that Achille didn't use the best of his skill yet.

"My Turn. I activate Rank-Up Magic: Argent Chaos Force. I can target a Rank 5 or higher Xyz Monster I control to summon Chaos Number Monster that is 1 Rank higher than the monster I control. Rank-Up! Xyz Change! Appear! Rank 9! Chaos No. 15: Gimmick Puppet – Serial Killer (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 1500 / RNK: 9 / ORU: 2)" Achille ranked up Giant Killer, summoning Serial Killer in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Serial Killer's effect. By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can destroy a monster my opponent controls and inflict damage to the opponent equal to its ATK." Achille targeted Dennis' Wind Sucker with a crush of its hand, destroying it and inflicted 2100 damage.

 **DENNIS LP: 3400 = 1300**

"Trap Card: Entermage Reincarnation Magic! When an Entermage Monster I control is destroyed, I can special summon up to 2 face-up Pendulum Entermage Monsters from my Extra Deck!" Dennis revived Wind Sucker and Higurumi in Attack Position, retaining his fortress.

"I end my Turn." Achille concluded.

"My Turn! It's show time! Appear! The circuit that hype up the performance!" Dennis opened the Link Summoning Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is two Entermage monsters! I set Entermage Wind Sucker and Entermage Higurumi on the Link Markers! Circuit combined!" Dennis set Wind Sucker on the Bottom-Arrow and Higurumi on the Bottom-Right Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Entermage Rhythmic Magician (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / LM: Bottom, Bottom-Right)!" Dennis summoned a monster resembling Force Witch but it resembled more as a gymnast with its red cloth with black fiery design and carrying ribbon in both hands. As it was a Link Monster, it was summoned in Attack Position in the Link Zone.

"Wow! So that's Dennis' Link Monster!" Yuya stared at the first Entermage Link Monster with amazement and astonishment.

"You really made Link Monsters for everyone in Lancers?" Serena asked Reiji whose cage was beside her.

"Yes. I have received enough materials and data from Kuramoto to do a research and make one. It took us a few days to finally complete it and we could finally come to this dimension." Reiji explained. It was similar as in when he created Pendulum cards based on the ones belonged to Yuya. The difference was, since Kino also helped in the research and creation, they were able to complete it earlier, less than a month. He figured it would be important to have a Link Monster if they were to go to this dimension, so he made plenty of them.

"That explained why you came late. But you made the right decision to create Link Monsters. In normal Master Duel and Speed Duel, having Link Monster is necessary." Yukiya said, praising Reiji's sharp mind.

"If there are 2 monsters on the Field, I can special summon Entermage Hat Tricker (ATK: 1100 / DEF: 1100 / LV: 4)!" Dennis summoned Hat Tricker in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"And then I summon Entermage Flame Eater (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 4)!" Dennis normal summoned Flame Eater in Attack Position beside Hat Tricker.

"There are two Monsters with the same Levels on the Field. You know what that means, right?" Dennis questioned Achille like he was giving a quiz while raising two fingers in victory sign. As he expected, Achille didn't answer, but he knew that he understood.

"I overlay Entermage Flame Eater and Entermage Hat Tricker! Show must go on! Artisan of the air, swing across the stage with grace! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 4! Entermage Trapeze Magician (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Dennis summoned his ace monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Trapeze Magician's effect! I detach its Overlay Units to allow Trapeze Magician to attack twice this Turn!" Dennis detached the first Overlay Unit, allowing his ace monster to attack twice in this battle. Achille didn't have any Reverse Card set, so it might be fine to attack now. Even if he was hiding, at the very least, he will decrease as many LP as he could from him.

"Battle! I attack Gimmick Puppet – Serial Killer with Entermage Trapeze Magician!" Dennis declared his first attack with his ace monster. Trapeze Magician threw its trapeze and then used it to flung towards Serial Killer, its feet ready to give the opposing Xyz Monster kicks.

"At this moment, Rhythmic Magician's effect activates! When Entermage Monster attacks, it gains 300 ATK!" Dennis increased Trapeze Magician's ATK to 2800. Rhythmic Magician whirled its ribbon around Trapeze Magician as it descended, showering the Xyz Monster with a power up. Trapeze Magician delivered the first kick, destroying Serial Killer.

 **ACHILLE LP: 3600 = 3300**

"Alright! He has no monster left! Trapeze Magician can still attack one more time!" Yuya cheered.

"And Rhythmic Magician can attack too afterwards!" Serena added.

Trapeze Magician then turned to Achille, ready to deliver a kick at him. If the kick connects, Achille would only have 500 LP remains, and then Rhythmic Magician can do the honor to land the finishing blows. Just when everything felt the way they thought, Achille pressed the touch screen of his Duel Disk.

"I activate Gimmick Puppet Shadow Feeler's effect in the Graveyard. As my opponent declared a direct attack, I can special summon it in face-up Attack Position and changing the attack target to it and it will not be destroyed by battle." Achille summoned Shadow Feeler in Attack Position, blocking Trapeze Magician's kick from reaching its master. Due to its effect, it couldn't be destroyed.

 **ACHILLE LP: 3300 = 1500**

"It's the Monster Card that he sent to the Graveyard on the first Turn!" Yukiya exclaimed.

"So you sent that monster in preparation for this to happen? Fine by me! Don't think that I can be stopped with that! Go, Rhythmic Magician!" Dennis continued the third attack with his new Link Monster. Rhythmic Magician tied Serial Killer with its ribbons, raising it up and then slamming it down as Rhythmic Magician poured pink colored dusks with flowers.

"Hehe. He came up with new tricks now that he has Link Monster." Yuya laughed softly as he admired Dennis' magic tricks combined with his monsters. It has been a while since he watched Entertainment Duel.

 **ACHILLE LP: 1500 = 500**

"I end my Turn. How is it? What do you think of the second act of my show? Do you enjoy it?" Dennis concluded, questioning Achille.

"Your show ends now." Achille replied, surprising Dennis and the others.

"I activate Equip Spell: Overlay Satellite. Monster equipped with this card is treated as two monsters when it is used as an Overlay Unit. It will also be attached to the Summoned Xyz Monster as an Overlay Unit, but the Summoned monster will be unable to attack this turn." Achille called forth a satellite that lightened Shadow Feeler. Now, Shadow Feeler was treated as two monsters.

"I overlay my Shadow Feeler treated as 2 monsters! Xyz Summon! Appear! No. 40: Gimmick Puppet - Heaven's String (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 8 / ORU: 3)!" Achille summoned Heaven's String in Attack Position in the Main Zone. The moment the monster was summoned, the temperature seemed to have dropped, cold and damp radiating from the aged stone which adds another layer of unwanted realism to Dennis and the others' predicament.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." Dennis muttered with a drop of cold sweat falling from his face.

"I activate Heaven's String effect. By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can place a String Counter on my opponent's Monsters." Achille placed a string-like counter on Trapeze Magician and Rhythmic Magician. Since Shadow Feeler was used as an Overlay Unit and was sent to the Graveyard, it was instead banished via its own effect.

"As a card in my possession was banished, I activate Quick-Play Spell: Banish Reactor, letting me add a Spell Card from my Graveyard to my hand." Achille added his Rank-Up Magic Card and immediately activate it.

"I activate Rank-Up Magic: Argent Chaos Force to Rank-Up Heaven's String! I target Heaven's Strings to summon one higher Rank Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Appear! CN. 40: Gimmick Puppet - Devil's Strings (ATK: 3300 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 9 / ORU: 2)!" Achille summoned Devil's String in Attack Position in the Main Zone. The monster's devilish appearance coupled with the cold temperature made the atmosphere even worse.

"Devil's String ATK is higher than both Trapeze Magician and Rhythmic Magician!" Serena stared worriedly at Dennis.

"But as long as Dennis still has Magician's Fortress, Achille cannot attack his monsters!" Yuya reminded, trying to assure his friends.

"Just because I cannot attack, it will guarantee that he is safe." Achille stated, responding to Yuya's words of assurance. His eyes narrowed at Dennis, causing the latter to flinch against his cold gaze.

"I activate Devil's String's effect. By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can destroy all monsters on the field with String Counters and inflict damage to the controller equal to the combined original ATK of each of their destroyed monsters!" Achille revealed as he removed the first Overlay Unit. Devil's String spread its sharp wings and raised its blade. The monster let out a howl that shook the entire dome.

"What?!" Dennis exclaimed in dismay. He took one of the Action Cards he had picked and about to activate it, however, he then spotted Achille jumped and took an Action Card himself and activated it.

"Also, Action Magic: Crush Action! All Action Cards added to both players' hands cannot be activated and destroyed!" Achille declared, destroying all the Action Cards Dennis have picked.

Devil's String flew towards the two magicians who placed themselves in front of their master to protect him. However, Devil's String then flapped its wings, blowing a wind that was strong enough to give a distance between the two monsters and Dennis, leaving Dennis open. Devil's String swung its blade, slashing the two magicians and Dennis himself. The blade cut slashed his from his chest and abdomen, causing the Entermage user to bleed out.

 **DENNIS LP: 2400 = 0**

"Dennis!" Yuya and Serena shouted out in panic, horrified by the sight of their blood friend.

Dennis plummeted to the ground, deactivating the Action Field. Dennis tried to close the slash wound, but blood continue to flow, starting to make a puddle of blood. It started to become difficult to breath and his vision was fading. This was a true war. The war last year felt nothing compared to this. He was seriously going to bleed to death at this rate.

"You're still alive. The attack didn't fully hit you. But no matter. You'll die soon from blood loss with that wound." Achille said indifferently while staring at Dennis before turning to Yuya and the others.

"Now, which one who will be my opponent next..." Achille contemplated while rubbing his chin.

"I will."

"You're still alive. The attack didn't fully hit you. But no matter. You'll die soon from blood loss with that wound." Achille said indifferently while staring at Dennis before turning to Yuya and the others.

"Now, which one who will be my opponent next..." Achille contemplated while rubbing his chin.

"I will."

Hearing the unfamiliar voice, Achille quickly turned around to where Dennis was bleeding out. To his surprise, someone in covered in blue robe was standing there while carrying Dennis. How did he get here? Since when? He didn't notice his presence at all. Yuya, Serena, Yukiya, and Reiji were equally shocked as well by the sudden appearance of the blue robed figure. The person didn't care with their reaction and instead placed Dennis to the side. He opened a medical kit he brought with him, cleaning the blood and started to give first aid to close the wound for the time being. Once he made sure the bandage was done, the blue robed person returned to the Field again.

"That blue robe. You're one of those people who stole the dragons from us." Achille finally recognized him. The description was fitting from the information left behind by Neon before her death.

"Stole? We simply take back what is ours. The dragons never belonged to you." He retorted. He then took out a detonator in his hand and pressed it, exploding the below part of the pillar. The cage fell down and broke apart without harming Yuya and the others.

The blue robed guy gestured his head to Dennis when Yuya and the others faced him. Realizing Dennis still need to be watched, they all rushed to him. Serena was the fastest to check on his condition with Reiji carefully make sure that Dennis was in comfortable position. Yukiya checked the bandage again just in case, having learned a bit how to tend wounds through self-learning after knowing his opponent was Apophis when Sara fell comatose. Yuya, on the other hand, was still facing the guy.

"Did Ray send you to help us?" Yuya asked. He didn't know why, but somehow this person felt familiar.

"Yeah. I'll handle this." He replied, ushering Yuya to wait with the others. Facing Achille, he activated his Duel Disk.

"Whoever you are, His Excellency has ordered me to eliminate you." Achille said, activating his Duel Disk again, beginning his second Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'll start first! With Scale 5 Wisdom-Eye Magician and Scale 10 Entermate Core, I set the Pendulum Scale! With this I can simultaneously summon Level 6 to 9 monsters! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my monster!" He summoned Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 5) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"It's Odd-Eyes!" Yuya exclaimed both in surprise and relief. He was finally able to see his ace monster again after a whole month being separated. But then this relief soon turned into confusion the moment he saw Odd-Eyes standing next to the guy in blue robe. He blinked when the strange feeling came back again.

 _"Why do they feel alike? I never met him before, so why does he feels like Odd-Eyes?"_ Yuya wondered, clutching his pendulum. He never met the guy blue robe, so how come he felt he knew him like forever?

"Not only that, he also has Pendulum cards. Pendulum cards were not supposed to exist in this dimension until Yuya came. How did he get it?" Reiji eyed the guy in blue robe with suspicion. Remembering Shun was working with Ray, it was possible he told them about it, but he shouldn't have what needed to make them.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." He concluded.

"My Turn. I activate Magic Card: Foolish Burial. I send 1 Monster from my Deck to my Graveyard." Achille sent Gimmick Humpty Dumpty to his Graveyard.

"When I have exactly 1 Machine-Type Monster in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon Gimmick Puppet Clockwork (ATK: 100 / DEF: 100 / LV: 8) from my hand." Achille summoned Clockwork in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Gimmick Puppet Clockwork's effect. Once per Turn, I can target one face-up monster my opponent controls and change its ATK to 0." Achille obviously chose Odd-Eyes, reducing its ATK to nothing. The dragon was tied by invisible strings that weakened it.

"Also, when my opponent controls a monster and all monsters I control is a Gimmick Puppet Monster, I can Special Summon Gimmick Puppet Magne Doll (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 8)." Achille summoned Magne Doll in Attack Position beside Clockwork in the Main Monster Zone.

"I overlay Puppet Clockwork and Magne Doll! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 8! Gimmick Puppet – Heaven's Strings!" Achille summoned Heaven's String in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Equip Spell: Stoic Challenge. Xyz Monster with Xyz Materials equipped with this card gains 600 ATK for each Xyz Material attached to a monster I control and any battle damage involving this monster is doubled, but it cannot activate its effect." As it has 2 Overlay Units, the total ATK the Xyz Monster gained was 1200 in total, meaning Achille increased Heaven's String's ATK to 4200.

"An ATK of 4200?! But Odd-Eyes' ATK has been reduced to 0!" Yukiya pointed out the far difference between the two monsters' current ATK. He was 100% positive now that Achille hadn't shown his true power yet when he dueled Yuri and Ryo. The strategy he was using was far aggressive now.

"If this continues it's going to be a One-Turn-Kill!" Reiji remarked. His face looked calm, but he was as much as uneasy like the rest. The strength of a lieutenant was far beyond his expectation.

"No. He won't let that happen." Yuya said with confidence that he didn't even understand, surprising his three friends. "I don't know why, but...I feel he can do this."

"Battle! I attack Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon with Gimmick Puppet – Heaven's String!" Achille declared attack. Heaven's String flew towards the dragon. Its hands were ready to swing its blade and slash the Pendulum dragon.

"Trap Card: Odd-Eyes Arc Force! When I control exactly 1 Odd-Eyes Monster on the Field and it is targeted for an attack with no cards in my hand, I can halve the damage and add 2 Odd-Eyes Monsters from my Deck to my hand!" He opened his first Reverse Card, allowing Odd-Eyes to unleash energy wave that partially blocked Heaven's Strings blade.

 **UNKNOWN LP: 4000 = 1900**

"I set 1 card and end my Turn." Achille concluded. Following the end of Turn, Clockwork's effect finished, reverting Odd-Eyes' ATK to normal.

"He survived. But how is he going to overpower Heaven's String?" Serena wondered.

"My Turn. I activate Wisdom-Eye Magician's effect. When there's a Magician or Entermate Monster on the other Pendulum Zone, I can destroy this card and replace it with a Magician Pendulum Monster from my Deck." He destroyed Wisdom-Eye Magician and then added a new Magician in its place in the Pendulum Zone.

"With Scale 3 Grape Magician and Scale 10 Entermate Core, I Pendulum Summon! Appear!" He summoned Odd-Eyes Black Magician (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4) and Entermate Odd-Eyes Clown (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 600 / LV: 4) both in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone from his hand.

"A Magician and another Entermate. Yuya, looks like this guy used the same type of Deck as you do." Yukiya remarked, turning to Yuya whose eyes solely were staring at the said blue robed guy.

"Yeah..." Yuya responded simply. His grip on his pendulum tightened. The familiar feeling became stronger and stronger.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Black Magician's effect. Once per Turn, I can lower all of my opponent's monsters equal to its ATK!" He targeted Achille's Heaven's String. Odd-Eyes Black Magician twirled its staff before the green crystal of the magic staff unleashed green lightning strike towards the Xyz Monster.

"As a face-up Xyz Monster I control is targeted by the opponent's card effect, I activate Trap Card: Panic Shuffle! I change all Attack Position monsters to Defense Position and shuffling all Spell and Trap Cards in both players' Graveyards into their Decks. The battle positions of the affected monsters may not be changed until the End Phase!" Achille opened his Trap, changing their monsters' position into defensive and returned shuffled the Pendulum Monsters back into the blue robed guy's Deck.

"I end my Turn." He finished.

"My Turn. I activate Continuous Magic: Gimmick Puppet Stage. All Gimmick Puppet monsters I control can now inflict piercing damage." Achille activated the card he just drew and then changed his monster into Attack Position, ready for Battle Phase.

"Battle! I attack Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon with Gimmick Puppet – Heaven's String!" Achille declared his attack again, this time making sure his monster used more power and force. Heaven's String flew to the dragon again once more.

"I activate Entermate Odd-Eyes Clown's effect! Once per Turn, when there are two or more Odd-Eyes monsters on the Field, I can reduce the damage that I will take to 0!" He declared. Odd-Eyes Clown leaped forward in front of Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Odd-Eyes Black Magician. It blew out huge balloon that blocked the blade, popping out the balloon instead. The clown laughed at the seemingly bewildered look that the Xyz Monster was making when it once again failed to slash the dragon.

"Then I activate Quick-Play Spell: String Cage! When a Gimmick Puppet Monster I control fails to inflict damage, I can inflict 1000 damage to my opponent!" Achille used his backup. Heaven's String, seemingly angry at the clown Entermate Monster, retaliated by sending a wave of sword slash, narrowly hitting the clown's master.

 **UNKNOWN LP: 1900 = 900**

The wave of the attack ripped off a part of his robe, mainly his hood. The hood fell down, revealing the guy's face. He was around Yuya's age with unusual red spiky hair. However, what made them speechless were his eyes. Those beautiful dichromatic eyes of red and green that was identical to Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's eyes. Upon seeing his face, Achille's indifferent face instantly turned into pure disbelieve as if he was seeing a ghost.

"Impossible! You're…!" Achille was nearly lost at words for the red-haired teen.

Yuya walked closer to the red-haired Duelist. He finally understood now. Why he felt so familiar about him. Why he felt he and Odd-Eyes were alike. Why he felt he wanted to cry with his chest filled with feelings of nostalgia and longing. They were different, but at the same time, they were also one and the same.

"Odd-Eyes..." Yuya uttered.

"His eyes do resemble Odd-Eyes…" Yukiya remarked, breaking out from his stupor after hearing Yuya.

"No. That's not it! He is also Odd-Eyes!" Yuya corrected, confusing his friends.

"What do you mean?" Reiji asked.

"This is impossible! You're supposed to be dead! That dragon is the proof of it!" Achille suddenly stated, pointing at Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. "1,500 years ago, you were killed and reborn as Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"

"Wait, what?!" Serena yelled in question. Yukiya and Reiji also shared the same incredulous look.

"Are you saying that he and Odd-Eyes are one and the same?" Reiji questioned, referring to the dragon and the red-haired Duelist.

"The Four Heavenly Dragons were originally the offspring of Apophis who betrayed him and were killed and reborn. I-I can't explain it since I don't understand it well, but there's no mistaking it! He is one of the offspring! He is Odd-Eyes!" Yuya answered. He was sure, of it. He didn't mistake him.

"Whoa, wait! Wait, Yuya! If that's the case, then how come he summoned Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon?" Yukiya was at loss, looking at Yuya like he has grown a second head. Zarc and Ray's reincarnations were one thing, but from Yuno's story, the four offspring's souls were not split whatsoever and completely reborn as the four dragons. How come now they were separated like this?

"I told you, I don't know myself! But I can tell that he is also Odd-Eyes!" Yuya insisted. There was no doubt both in his heart and mind that the both of them were Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragons.

The said red-haired who was the very person causing the whole ruckus decided to slam his foot strongly, stopping everyone from whatever they were talking or thinking. The red hair let out a sigh and then tilted his head to the side at Achille.

"If you can beat me, I care to share my stories. Only if you can beat me that is." The red hair told the Gimmick Puppet user. His mouth curved into a challenging smile. "You're done with your attack, right? End your Turn."

For a second Achille felt unnerved but recomposed himself again. Although it was hard to believe, it was as Yuya said, the red hair was a real deal. He was the very offspring who had betrayed His Excellency that gotten himself killed and reborn as Odd-Eyes Dragon 1,500 years ago. As a fellow offspring, he could sense it from his presence and aura. He must capture him and bring him and the dragon to His Excellency.

"I end my Turn." Achille concluded.

"My Turn. Draw!" The red hair looked at the card he drew before revealing it.

"I tribute Odd-Eyes Black Magician and Entermate Odd-Eyes Clown to Advance Summon Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" The red hair summoned Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon. It bore resemblance with Odd-Eyes Dragon but has more orange color and a horn on its forehead.

 _"Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon! It is him. He is the only one who has that monster!"_ Achille confirmed the moment he saw the dragon.

"I activate Magic Card: Pot of Greed. I can draw 2 cards!" He drew 2 more cards and immediately activated the first one.

"I activate Magic Card: Amazing Pendulum! I can add face-up Pendulum Cards in my Extra Deck to my hand!" He added Grape Magician and Entermate Core to his hand.

"Next, I activate Magic Card: Spell Encore! I can add a Magic Card from my Graveyard and activate it!" He once again activated Amazing Pendulum, adding Odd-Eyes Black Magician and Entermate Odd-Eyes Clown back to his hand.

"With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Appear, my monsters!" He summoned back Odd-Eyes Black Magician and Entermate Odd-Eyes Clown in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Black Magician's effect! I lower my opponent's monster equal to its ATK!" He targeted Heaven's String, lowering its ATK by 1300, making the Xyz Gimmick Puppet monster's current ATK 2900.

"I activate Grape Magician's Pendulum Effect! When a Magician or Entermate Monster activates an effect that will change an ATK or DEF, it will be doubled! In exchange, their Battle Positions will be changed!" He added another 1300 point to lower the Gimmick Puppet's ATK, making its current ATK 1600. And then, all of his monsters' Battle Position was back to Attack Position.

"Good! He lowered Heaven's String ATK!" Yuya exclaimed in relief. The tide has turned.

"Now the dragons can destroy it!" Serena also cheered.

"I activate Entermate Odd-Eyes Clown's second effect! By tributing it, I can increase the ATK of a monster I control equal to its ATK!" He released Odd-Eyes Clown, adding its 1500 ATK to Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon, making the dragon's current ATK at 4500.

"I activate Entermate Core's Pendulum Effect! Once per Turn, I can give its Level to any Monster on the Field!" He granted Achille's Heaven's String a Level of 5, making it a Level 5 Monster until the end of Turn.

"Battle! I attack Gimmick Puppet – Heaven's String with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Spiral Strike Burst!" He declared attack. Odd-Eyes shot its burning red flame, slowly scorching the Xyz Monster.

"At this moment, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's Monster Effect activates! When it battles Level 5 or higher Monster, the damage is doubled, Reaction Force!" He added as thicker red and light flames spiraling around the red flames, burning the Xyz Gimmick Puppet Monster.

 **ACHILLE LP: 4000 = 2200**

"Lastly, I attack directly with Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon! Scarlet Comet Blast!" He delivered the finishing blow with the other dragon.

Odd-Eyes Flare shot a crimson-colored comet-like flame that went straight towards Achille. The Gimmick Puppet user seemed ready to do something to negate the attack, but the red-haired Duelist interrupted him before he could do so.

"When Odd-Eyes Flare attacks, any activation of card effect is negated!" He revealed, shocking Achille.

Achille could only stand there as he received the full brunt of the blast. The moment the attack made contact with his body, it exploded like a bomb, enough to shake the entire temple. The entire floor was filled with smoke, causing Yuya and the others to cough and held their breath until the smoke and dust dissipated. They then saw them. The red-haired Duelist stood tall while Achille was lying on the ground, his body was almost completely burn out.

 **ACHILLE LP: 2200 = 0**

Achille's body then broke apart like a rock before gradually turning into ashes.

The red-haired Duelist turned away from the ashes, approaching Yuya and the others. The four of them were stunned. They didn't know what to say. Yuya was the first to regain himself and opened his mouth to speak, but 'Odd-Eyes' raised his hand up, stopping him.

"We will explain everything after this is over. If we waste our times with the long story, Yuri and Celica will become Apophis' Duel Monster servants." He told them. This caught Serena's attention the most that she ran to the red-haired Duelist, grasping his robe.

"So they really are planning to turn Yuri and Celica-san into Duel Monsters?! But why them?!" Serena asked while shaking the red-haired Duelist. She stopped when Reiji put a hand on her shoulder.

"As he said, we'll figure out everything later." Reiji told the rest before turning to the unconscious Dennis. "We can't bring Dennis. He is too injured. But we can't leave him alone here either. Someone has to stay to watch over him."

"I'll stay. I can take care of his injuries until we're out of here." Yukiya offered. He was the one who has the most experience in medical attention, often treating himself after getting injured while looking information about Apophis before.

"We leave him to you then. Make sure you keep him alive until we get back." Serena told the Supreme King user. She frowned as she looked at Dennis. She prayed that he could hold on.

Serena turned to Yuya, Reiji, and 'Odd-Eyes'. Yuya nodded. He has many questions for 'Odd-Eyes', but he'll save that for later. Their main priority is to save Yuri and Celica.

"Let's go."

 **APEP – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Ryo was staring at the horizon from the balcony of the guest room where Yuri used to stay. His mind wandering somewhere else that he didn't notice someone entering the guest room. Only until that person patted his back did he realize his presence. He turned around and saw Shiki standing behind him with amused grin.

"Thinking about your pupil?" Shiki asked.

"Not really. I'm just wondering why Prince Kurt ordered me to make Yuri stronger. He told me to make him as strong as possible once he knew I was appointed as his mentor." Ryo answered. Despite being surprised by Shiki's presence, he was quick to calm himself without showing much. It wasn't a lie. He was truly thinking Kurt insisted on developing Yuri's skill. What was the point? They were lucky Yuri hasn't grown enough to surpass them. If he did, never mind capturing him, they couldn't defeat him.

"Wait, he didn't tell you anything about that? Not a single thing?" Shiki blinked, visibly surprised by the news.

"If he had, I wouldn't be here wondering about it, wouldn't I?" Ryo replied, rolling his eyes at Shiki's slowness, which made the man chuckled.

"My bad. Can't believe the prince didn't tell you a squat. Making that Fusion boy strong is very important." Shiki informed, revealing he knew the reason behind Kurt's order.

"And that's why I'm wondering, why it's so important?" Ryo asked again, getting quite annoyed by the fact no one gave him the straight answer immediately.

Shiki noticed Ryo's impatience and leaned to the side of his face, whispering into his ear. Listening carefully, Ryo's eyes widened. His hands were almost shaking. His body went stiff from the shock. After that, he couldn't hear anything what Shiki said. His head was too busy swirling like a twister, mixing various torrents of emotions that Ryo has difficulty to comprehend himself.

"It's for the sake of restoring His Excellency's power." Shiki said without any awareness of Ryo's inner turmoil before leaving him alone in the balcony.

Ryo leaned his back to the wall and covered half of his face with his hand. Was what Shiki said true? That was Apophis plan? Did Kurt suggest it to the Dragon of Calamity? He must find out the truth. He must know the full story. They were already far away from the temple, so asking to turn back was out of question. The temple has become a battlefield by now anyway. But Apophis was in LINK VRAINS. LINK VRAINS can be accessed anywhere as long as they have the connection. Fortunately, this airship has and still within the range. He could meet the Dragon of Calamity while waiting until they're arriving at the West Temple. He must ask him before it was too late.

Sitting on the sofa, Ryo wore his Duel Disk and activated it.

"Into the VRAINS!"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Shadow's Radiance –** Celica manage to be freed from her bind with Winged Kuriboh's help and intends to rescue Yuri, but her path is blocked by Geist.

* * *

 **Surprised? As to how Odd-Eyes got separated into its human and dragon incarnations that will be explained in later chapter. I know you're curious, but be patient because logically, they don't have time to tell a long story in this dire situation where every second equals Yuri's life. And Celica will also finally make her official full debut Duel against Geist.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	55. The Shadow's Radiance

**Big thanks to** _ **Yuka Kuroshiro, Ulrich362, Playerhood18, GamingGuy84, Unknowedz, Jason, NeoFGD, dvdryms, Big duels, Elbarto4000, D3lph0xL0v3r**_ **,** _ **tsukikami02, ThePLOThand**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

* * *

 **APOPHIS' DOMAIN – LINK VRAINS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"You have it done?" Hayabusa asked Ray.

"Yes. Winged Kuriboh has returned to the temple to help Yuri and Celica-san." Ray answered while reading through the letter one more time.

The letter given by Winged Kuriboh consisted of three pages. The first two pages were written by both Yuri and Celica who wrote everything what they knew about the enemies' plan based on what they heard during their stay. The last page was instruction to be given to their comrades to find a way to deactivate the handcuffs and reprogram their Duel Disk'. Both Yuri and Celica have heard and figured they would be forced to wear them. It wasn't just an ordinary handcuff; it needed specific code to take it off. And for safety measure, they needed to reinstall the Real Solid Vision program back into their Duel Disks after the enemies removed them.

Yuri and Celica have instructed Winged Kuriboh to secretly find any electronic device that would connect to the network. Through network, the enemies won't notice Winged Kuriboh delivering the message to their comrades. Of course, Winged Kuriboh didn't expect to find itself in Apophis' domain in LINK VRAINS instead. Fortunately, Ray and the others were around, or else, it perhaps would get lost until it was too late. With Ray's help, Winged Kuriboh could safely logged out to the Lancers' airship and made everything that was necessary as instructed within the letter with the help of the ones staying in the airship.

"With this Winged Kuriboh can free the both of them, giving them the chance to fight back. Whether they escape or not, the rest is up to them. We can only pray for their safety." Ray said. She hoped Winged Kuriboh made it in time before Yuri and Celica reached the altar at the third floor.

"Everyone! Look!"

Ray and Hayabusa turned to their comrade who was pointing at something below. Ray and Hayabusa rushed to the other side of the roof and followed the finger pointing below them. They then spotted someone was running quite far. Those black clothes and dark teal hair. They only knew one person who fit that description both offline and online.

"That's, Ryo Marufuji?"

 **SECOND FLOOR – TEMPLE OF CALAMITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Achille took a long time already. Did he lose?" Geist wondered while looking at the direction of the stairs leading down to the first floor. He then smirked. His eyes brightened.

"If he is dead, that means I get to have some fun." Geist eyes turned menacing at the built-up excitement inside.

From the corner of her eyes, Celica stared at Geist with disgust. They were supposed to be fellow offspring, which means they were siblings, but yet they didn't even care a bit if one of them died. And this guy was even delighted at the prospect of his brethren died as long as he could have some fun.

 _"He is even worse than he was 1,500 years ago when Yuno and I fought him."_ Celica thought. In her memory, she never thought well of Geist. He has always been not right in the head. He was a type who would kill a small animal just for the sake of seeing it writhing in pain as its life slowly left its body. But now she felt he became worse on a whole new level.

Celica's attention shifted when she noticed something small floating and hiding behind a wall while Geist was still too busy with his own thought. Celica blinked and squinted her eyes to take a better look, and then widened when she realized the little floating furball entering her field of vision.

 _"Winged Kuriboh!"_ Celica exclaimed in her mind with relief. Noticing small devices that it was carrying, she knew that it has done what she and Yuri had instructed it to do. Winged Kuriboh flew as quietly as it could while Geist was still preoccupied. It was in its ethereal form, so it was less noticeable.

Moving behind Celica, Winged Kuriboh held the device right in front of the handcuff and plugged the cables into Celica's Duel Disk. Fortunately, it was good at remembering things. All instruction on how to use the device was etched into its head like flipping the back of the hand.

"I wonder when they'll come... I want to have fun soon before the ritual ends..." Geist muttered as his excitement continued to build up.

"In that case, how about have some fun with me?"

Geist blinked before turning back to Celica behind him. To his surprise, the Imperial Adviser has been freed from her handcuff. Before he asks how, he spotted Winged Kuriboh behind her carrying something in its hands. It wasn't difficult to figure out by himself how they she got freed. He had completely forgotten about Winged Kuriboh. They were so busy lately that it won't be weird he and the rest didn't think about the little monster.

"You're too small that I didn't notice you. I am grateful for that." Geist licked his lips while raising his Duel Disk. Winged Kuriboh just gave him a reason to Duel the Imperial Adviser.

"Stay behind me, Winged Kuriboh." Celica said as she activated her Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! From my hand, I summon Magibullet Musketeer Star (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1700 / LV: 4)!" Geist summoned Star in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Foolish Burial. I send a card from my Deck to my Graveyard." Geist discarded Magibullet Musketeer Wild from his Deck to his Graveyard.

"When a Magic or Trap is activated on Star's column, I can Special Summon one Level 4 or lower Magibullet Monster from my Deck in Defense Position." Geist summoned Magibullet Musketeer Wild (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 900 / LV: 4) in Defense Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Double Musket. I discard a Magibullet card to double the Level of Magibullet monsters I control!" Geist doubled Star and Wild's Level to 8.

"Two Level 8 monsters... An Xyz Summon?" Celica questioned.

"Exactly. I overlay Star and Wild! Xyz Summon! Apppear! Rank 8! Demon Roar God Jekyll (ATK: 4500 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 8 / ORU: 2)!" Geist summoned Jekyll in Attack Position.

"Demon Roar God? I thought that's supposed to be Neon's card." Celica asked. She had heard from Yugo that after Hyde died, Neon had revived him as her Duel Monster servant. And since Neon was dead, she had thought the Deck disappeared together with her.

"It is the last gift given by my dear Neon. Shouldn't I now use it? I end my Turn." Geist said as he concluded his Turn. He had taken a liking to Hyde like Neon did, so when she was dead, he decided to add the Duel Monster Hyde has become into his Deck. The addition gave more varieties to his Deck and strategies, giving him more ideas of fun.

"Both you and Neon are always the worst amongst the others." Celica remarked. Geist alone was already a nightmare, teaming up with Neon would be doubling that nightmare. She still remembered the time when Geist teamed up with Neon 1,500 years ago, they annihilated three armies of the Empire's 10 armies.

"Thank you very much for the compliment." Geist responded with a playful sweet smile.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Erial, Priestess of the Nekroz (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 4)!" Celica summoned Erial in Attack Position.

"When a Nekroz Monster is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon Creed, Priest of the Nekroz (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4) from my hand!" She summoned Creed in Attack Position.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Reincarnation Technique of the Nekroz! I can Ritual Summon a Nekroz Monster whose Level is exactly equal to the total Level of a monster tributed!" Celica revealed the Ritual Spell in her hand, releasing Erial.

"At this moment, I activate Jekyll's effect! I detach an Overlay Unit to destroy all your Magic and Trap!" Geist detached Jekyll's first Overlay Unit. Jekyll blew a miasma towards the Ritual Spell, but Celica then pointed at Creed.

"I activate Creed's effect! When an effect is activated while I perform Ritual Summon, I can negate that effect!" Celica revealed as Creed blocked the miasma by forming a blue-colored force shield, allowing the Ritual Summon to continue.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 4! Nekroz of Unicore (ATK: 2300 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4)!" Celica summoned Unicore in Attack Position.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Celica concluded.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack Nekroz of Unicore with Demon Roar God Jekyll!" Geist declared Battle Phase. Jekyll dashed forward with its giant black scalpel. It was read to cut the Ritual Monster's body into half. Celica could feel the bloodlust coming from the monster who was Hyde's reincarnation. Even after being reincarnated, Hyde was still the same.

"Trap Card: Magician's Curtain Welcome! When a monster I control is targeted for an attack while I have Magician-Type Monster in my hand, I can Special Summon one Magician-Type Monster from my hand and shift the attack to that monster!" Celica summoned Lemon Magician Girl (ATK: 800 / DEF: 600 / LV: 2) in Attack Position as it faced the attack.

"Are you a fool? Directing the attack to a monster with lower ATK? You're inviting your own death!" Geist exclaimed, sneering at Lemon Magician Girl's low ATK compared to Jekyll.

"I activate Lemon Magician Girl's effect! When this card is being attacked, I can Special Summon one Magician-Type Monster form my hand whose Level is higher with its effect negated and shift the attack to that Monster with the attacking monster's ATK halved!" Celica Special Summoned Apple Magician Girl (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 800 / LV: 3) in Attack Position and then halved Jekyll's ATK to 2250.

Both Lemon Magician Girl and Apple Magician Girl together joined their staff together against the incoming Jekyll. They focused their energies into one to form a barrier. The scalpel hit the barrier, fiercely trying to pierce through it. However, the clash caused both the scalpel and barrier to crack until the barrier explode, deflecting Jekyll and the two Magicians back from each other.

 **CELICA LP: 4000 = 2950**

"I end my Turn. I don't recall you have those Magicians 1,500 years ago. They are your new additions?" Geist questioned while pointing at the two Magician Girls.

"1,500 years I continue to polish my skill as Duelist, trying different strategies and cards. As an Imperial Adviser, I can't afford myself to lose my touch." Celica answered. She entrusted the future to the new generation when she retired and became Imperial Adviser. But it didn't mean she had stopped Dueling. The dread that one day, Apophis will awaken push her to continue dueling. But above all, she enjoyed dueling. As long as there was a room for improvement, she will take it.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Nekroz Draw! When I control exactly one Level 5 or lower Nekroz Ritual Monster, I can draw cards equal to that Monster's Level!" As she controls Level 4 Nekroz of Unicore, she drew four cards into her hand.

"I release Creed to Advance Summon Kiwi Magician Girl (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 5)!" Celica summoned Kiwi in Attack Position.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Nekroz Charm! I can Ritual Summon a Nekroz Ritual Monster from my hand or Deck whose Level is equal or higher than the tributed monsters!" Celica released Nekroz of Unicore, Apple Magician Girl, Lemon Magician Girl, and Kiwi Magician Girl. The four different type monsters turned into four colored flames entering the golden cup at the center of the altar. From the cup, a pillar of light burst out along with a monster within the pillar that started to emerge.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 11! Nekroz of Sophia (ATK: 3600 / DEF: 3400 / LV: 11)!" Celica summoned her strongest monster in Attack Position.

"I activate Nekroz of Sophia's effect! Once per Turn, I can lower the ATK of the opposing monster by 500 for each monster used to summon this card!" Celica lowered Jekyll's ATK to 1500. Nekroz of Sophia threw black flame that was formed from its left hand, burning and weakening the Xyz Monster.

"That Sophia of yours is troublesome as always." Geist commented while staring at Sophia with amusement. Amongst Celica's entire monster, her Sophia was always the one that gave him trouble when he dueled her 1,500 years ago.

"Battle! I attack Demon Roar God Jekyll with Nekroz of Sophia!" Celica declared. Sophia formed black flame and white flame in both of her palms. Sophia fused them together and shot it straight towards the Demon Roar Xyz Monster.

"I activate Jekyll's third effect! I detach an Overlay Unit to negate its destruction by Battle!" Geist detached the remaining Overlay Unit, allowing Jekyll to endure the attack. Geist got pushed backwards by the backlash.

 **GEIST LP: 4000 = 1900**

"In that case, I'll show you the newest addition of my monster. My Turn! I summon Tuner Monster, Magibullet Avenger (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)!" Geist summoned Avenger in Attack Position from his hand.

"A Tuner?!" Celica was surprised. Geist's Magibullet's Deck consisted of Effect Monsters. With the addition of Parasite cards that Yuya have told her, he has learned Fusion as well. But now he also Synchro Monster? She certainly didn't expect that. However, if he wanted to do Synchro Summon, he needs monster with a Level. He only has Xyz Monster on his Field. Unless…

"I activate Magic Card: Cursed Bullet. I can give a Level to an Xyz Monster I control." Geist gave Jekyll Level 8.

"I knew it…" Celica inwardly groaned. This only meant one thing…

"I tune Demon Roar God Jekyll with Magibullet Avenger! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 9! Magibullet Lunatique Temptress (ATK: 3800 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 9)!" Geist summoned a female monster with black hair that splays out around it in tendrils. It wore a violet headband with four ribbons finished with blue beads and yellow tassels. The headdress has two long plumes that zigzag. It has yellow eyes. It wore a violet-and-black bra with a curlicue design linked in front by a violet chain, and a black thong, a thin yellow-tasseled belt, red bracelets, violet armbands and wristbands, green sashes, silver anklets and a blue garter around its left thigh. It wore a black bead necklace resembles seashells or fangs.

"How do you like Neon's new beautiful look, Celica?" Geist said while Lunatique Temptress hugged Geist from behind, smiling sinisterly at Celica that made the Imperial Adviser shudder.

"You also…revived Neon into your monster…" Celica remarked uneasily. That gaze and grin gave away everything. That monster was no doubt Neon. Only she would give people that kind of look.

"But of course. Neon still wants to play in this world, especially with Yugo boy. I'm granting her wish." Geist said while placing a hand on top of Lunatique Temptress' hand, motioning her to be prepared for action.

"I activate Lunatique Temptress effect! I can lower the ATK and DEF of a monster my opponent controls equal to the ATK of a Magibullet monster in my Graveyard!" Geist lowered Nekroz of Sophia's ATK and DEF equal to Wild's, making the Ritual Monster's current ATK and DEF 1900 and 1700, respectively. Lunatique Temptress has Nekroz of Sophia chained, draining its power and rendering the monster unable to move.

"Now my dear, let's give the lady over there a taste of your new power, shall we?" Geist told the Synchro Monster who winked in return. Using Jekyll and Parasite Devil were fun, but using Lunatique Temptress who used to be Neon was perfect. Even as Duel Monster, Neon was still his favorite.

"Battle! I attack Nekroz of Sophia with Lunatique Lady! When it battles a Special Summoned Monster, the damage is doubled!" Geist declared Battle Phase.

Lunatique Temptress tightened her chains that binding Nekroz of Sophia. She then used the remaining chains to whirl it around her body while she dashed down towards the Ritual Monster like a black whirlwind. Nekroz of Sophia struggled fruitlessly against her chains, as the Synchro Monster was getting closer. Celica gritted her teeth, as she has no cards that could evade the attack.

" _I don't have any choice!"_ Celica turned to Creed with reluctance. "I activate Creed's effect! When a Nekroz Monster is targeted for an attack by a Monster with higher ATK, I can release it and the damage is inflicted to the both players!"

Lunatique Temptress clashed against Creed in its ethereal form appearing right in front of the chained Nekroz of Sophia. The two forces pushed against one another, refusing to lose. As each monster intensified their respective attack the forces blend into one, resulting in an explosion that blew away both Celica and Geist.

 **CELICA LP: 2950 = 0**

 **GEIST LP: 1900 = 0**

The two Duelists crashed against the wall behind them. The crash was hard one, but they were still able to stand on their feet. The whole floor was in a mess, but fortunately was still intact and has yet to fall apart.

"That's a nice surprise… But don't think this will stop me." Geist said while wiping the dust and dirt from his clothes. He raised his Duel Disk, ready for the second round. Celica was ready to restart the Duel as soon as possible since she knew she couldn't pass until she defeats Geist.

"Switch, Geist."

Celica and Geist gasped as they saw Shing came from upstairs, jumping and then landed beside Geist. He gave Geist a smack on his back, earning a yelp from the latter whose back was already hurt from crashing the wall.

"His Excellency's order. In your current condition, you're more useful in LINK VRAINS. Switch with me." Shing said, pulling and then pushed Geist to the stairs leading to the altar.

"Since this is His Excellency's order, I have no choice…" Geist sighed before walking upstairs. Celica intended to give a chase but Shing immediately came between her and the stairs.

"I'm your opponent." Shing said, raising his Duel Disk to fight.

"Then next, I shall be your opponent."

From the stairs behind Celica, Reiji and the others have arrived. Celica was relieved to see Yuya and Serena and the young man in glasses who appears to be their friend came to help. However, the fourth person who came behind them shocked both Celica and Shing that they were rendered speechless. Celica walked closer to the fourth person with one hand covering her mouth and her eyes went teary as she continued to stare at the fourth person.

"You're...!" Celica opened her mouth, but 'Odd-Eyes' placed a finger in front of her lips, silencing her.

"Talk later. Yuri doesn't have much time." He told her, reminding the boy who has gone upstairs ahead of them. He himself wanted nothing more but to have a talk, but Yuri's very life was at stake. He was glad that Celica didn't let her emotion overwhelmed her and kept her priority in mind.

"You think I'm going to let you pass?" Shing said as he moved closer to the stairs to stop them, only for a red cord attached itself to his Duel Disk. Shing turned to where the cord came from and found the cord was connected to Reiji's Duel Disk.

"This is Duel Anchor. Until the Duel is finished, neither of us can leave." Reiji said as he fixed his glasses. With the cord connected to Shing, the Action Field was activated, forming a dome that trapping himself and Shing.

"The three of you go on ahead. I'll hold him off." Reiji told Yuya, Serena, and Celica. Any time wasted would mean closer for Yuri to reach his death door.

Yuya didn't need to ask again. He pulled Serena and Celica with him to run upstairs. Reiji was one of Yuya's strongest rivals. He understood well how strong Reiji was. He won't go down so easily. Reiji could do it. He will defeat Shing and catch up to them. He believed in him. Serena also realized this and didn't say anything more. Celica didn't know how strong Reiji was, but Yuya and Serena seemed to trust him enough to leave him alone, meaning Reiji could take care of himself. She will place her trust in the person whom Yuya and Serena trusted.

"I won't hesitate." Reiji said, facing against Shing calmly with silent burning determination.

"Me too. Looks like we're a match." Shing smiled, feeling excited at the prospect of fighting against one of the strongest Duelists in ARC-V.

 **APOPHIS' DOMAIN – LINK VRAINS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

When Yuri opened his eyes, it was dark. Almost everything was pitch black. He was at a room with cold, dark stonewalls, a damp taste to the air. There were torches, but they were very sparse. Aside from them, there was a Data Storm in a far distance. This was the kind of room that ate away at light and put a fear of the dark into someone. Yuri sat up and then realized his outfit has changed. It was the outfit he wore when he logged into LINK VRAINS. Does that mean he was in LINK VRAINS? How? Since when?

Yuri shook his head, trying to recall his memories before he awakened here. He was taken into the temple with Celica by the Apophis offspring. And then Tsukasa and Kurt took him up to the second floor while leaving Celica with Geist and Achille. When they arrived at the third floor, he remembered seeing an altar with chains affixed to each corner with dried blood on the grooves. The entire table was stained with bloodstains—the chains were bloody, too, but mostly on the inside, implying that whoever had been chained here had rubbed so badly against the chains that they had bled into them.

Yuri felt sick.

And then his handcuffs were removed. He knew it would be too naïve to think it means he has a chance to escape because Tsukasa immediately turned on the collar he was wearing, shocking and rendering him paralyzed enough for Tsukasa to carry him and chained him to the altar. Turned out while he was unconscious after defeated by Ryo at the party, they have made a few adjustment with his collar to make sure he couldn't escape. The shock produced by the collar was even worse than the normal one. After he was chained, Kurt strapped his Duel Disk on his wrist and it activated by itself to his confusion.

That was the last thing he remembered.

"I see. I was forcefully logged into LINK VRAINS. But what are they planning to do with me here? Are they going to sacrifice me while leaving my consciousness here?" Yuri wondered while looking around for any possible sign of exit. He wasn't afraid of dark, but he didn't want to be imprisoned here while his body was in that bloody altar.

Yuri's eyes narrowed whe he sensed a presence behind him. He raised is Duel Disk, taking a stance ready for a combat.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" Yuri demanded.

Following his question, the torches flared up more one by one. The dark space lightened up, revealing the presence. Yuri shuddered when the very presence turned out to be a familiar huge black dragon. Its distinctive feature made it easy for Yuri to recognize the dragon. He had only seen it once in the photo shown by Yuno, but it etched in his mind. He had to admit that he didn't expect this at all. To think he would meet face-to-face with the enemy's boss this way.

"Apophis…what a pleasure to meet you." Yuri said sarcastically, earning him a laugh from the Dragon of Calamity.

"You are just like what Shing and Kurt have said." Apophis responded, eyeing Yuri with interest.

"I heard you're going to turn me into your Duel Monster, so why I am here instead of being sacrificed? What business do you have with this poor little me trapped in this dirty prison?" Yuri asked in his casual manner when dealing against his enemy. Truthfully, inside, he was quite unnerved by the mere presence of the black dragon.

Apophis smirked and his eyes narrowed. His dragon form then dissolved into black smoke that focused into one. When the smoke dispersed, Yuri was taken aback that a person who appeared to be around twenties now was standing in front of him. He was dressed in coat adorned with dozens of wave symbols. He has two green belts on his waist and what seem to be black feathers on his right shoulder in place of armor. Several cords crisscross in front of his torso, connecting to massive, oblong pieces of armor worn on each arm. Has dark skin with glowing green eyes.

Apophis took a few steps forward and Yuri, without himself realizing, took a step back as he was getting closer. Apophis stopped once he was close enough to properly face the violet haired youth and raised his right arm, revealing his Duel Disk.

"I'm going to give you despair."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Whisper of the Devil –** Yuri is forced to log into LINK VRAINS and is confronted by Apophis himself who challenge him to a Duel while using his avatar. At the same time, Reiji begins his Duel against Shing.

* * *

 **I've always loved Magician Girl archetype and want to include it no matter what, so I choose Celica to use them. Sorry, but the Duel between Reiji and Shing will have to be continued later. I'm having a difficult decision in this Duel. I don't want Celica to lose, but Geist has already enough lost and adding more won't be good for his record when he is actually strong and going to be a big threat in later chapters. For that reason, I make the Duel ended in a Draw. About Nekroz of Sophia, I've changed its effect in** _ **Bonds of Pendulum**_ **, but later it will change under certain circumstances.**

 **And to Yuri fans out there, I'm very sorry but the next chapter will be hard for Yuri. Please bear with it for the sake of character development and story. By the way, I make a poll about the boys and girls pairing, out of curiosity. Please give me your vote. You can see the poll in my profile.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	56. Whisper of the Devil

**Big thanks to** _ **Big duels, Ulrich362, tsukikami02, Jason, Playerhood18, Yuka Kuroshiro, dvdryms, sparck, GamingGuy84, Elbarto4000, D3lph0xL03r, NeoFGD, BrokenKnight4561**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **SECOND FLOOR – TEMPLE OF CALAMITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"You've done well trapping in this dome. But I have also did a research on Action Cards, so I have prepared this just in case." Shing replied while he fiddled the touchscreen of his Duel Disk until there was a sound coming from it.

{ACTION FIELD DETECTED. ACTION CARD DISRUPTOR, DEPLOYED}

Following the announcement, Reiji noticed the Action Cards he has spotted disintegrated.

"You have disabled the Action Cards. I should have suspected that." Reiji responded wile fixing his glasses.

"In a game, it's normal for us to be prepared if we want to clear it. But now you are in my territory. That makes me the game master here. I'm the one controlling the flow of this game." Shing replied. He would never let anyone disrupt his game. As the game master, he has the privilege to make this game the way he likes.

"I won't be so sure if I were you." Reiji replied, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm going first. From my hand, I summon Verz Castor (ATK: 1750 / DEF: 550 / LV: 4)." Shing summoned Verz Castor in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"When Verz Castor is Normal Summoned, I can Normal Summon 1 Verz Monster in addition to my Normal Summon or Set." Shing summoned Verz Heliopore (ATK: 1950/ DEF: 650 / LV: 4) in Attack Position beside Castor.

"I overlay Verz Castor and Verz Heliopore! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Verz Bahamut (ATK: 2350 / DEF: 1350 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Shing summoned Bahamut in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I end my Turn." Shing concluded. During his observation in ARC-V, he had heard lots of things from Reiji. He knew the young man was not someone to be underestimated. That why this time he included his main support cards into his Deck. He had built up his strongest Deck so far.

"My Turn. From my hand, I activate the Continuous Magic: Forbidden Dark Contract with the Swamp King! Due to its effect, I can Special Summon the Level 7 DDD Wisdom King Chaos Apocalypse (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 4) from my hand, with its monster effects negated." Reiji summoned Chaos Apocalypse in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Because of Forbidden Dark Contract with the Swamp King, when I use the Special Summoned Chaos Apocalypse as a material, I can perform a Fusion Summon without a Fusion Magic. I fuse Chaos Apocalypse with the DD Lamia in my hand!" Reiji formed the Fusion Vortex, entering Chaos Apocalypse and Lamia into the portal.

"King who watches over the future of this chaotic world. Drink the blood that will be shed in the future and become a hero who shall conquer the dragon! Fusion Summon! Be born! Level 8! DDD Cruel Dragon King Beowulf (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 8)!" Reiji summoned Beowulf in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"DD Lamia was used as a Fusion Material and sent to the graveyard, but once per turn, by sending a Dark Contract card to the graveyard, I can Special Summon it. I send the currently active Forbidden Dark Contract with the Swamp King to the graveyard, and Special Summon the Tuner Monster, DD Lamia." Reiji summoned Lamia in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Using the Scale 6 DD Savant Thomas, and the Scale 8 DD Savant Nikola, I set the Pendulum Scale! With this, I can simultaneously summon Level 7 monsters! Immense power that shakes my very soul, reside within me and become the new light that rends the darkness! Pendulum Summon! Be reborn from the Extra Deck! DDD Wisdom King Chaos Apocalypse!" Reiji revived Chaos Apocalypse in Attack Position beside Lamia in the Main Zone.

"Then, I tune the Level 7 Chaos Apocalypse with the Level 1 DD Lamia! Brandish your sword dyed in crimson blood, and step over the corpses of the heroes! Synchro Summon! Be born! Level 8! DDD Cursed-Blood King Siegfried (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2200 / LV: 8)!" Reiji summoned Siegfried in Attack Position in the Main Zone beside Beowulf.

"DDD Cursed-Blood King Siegfried can negate the effect of a face-up Magic or Trap card on the field until the next Standby Phase!" Reiji revealed before pointing at the Xyz Monster.

"Battle! I attack Verz Bahamut with Beowulf!" Reiji declared his first attack. The Fusion Monster raised its claws against Bahamut, making a high leap to crush the the Xyz Monster.

"I activate Verz Helipole's effect! By banishing it from Graveyard, I can negate the destruction of Verz Monster until my next Standby Phase and draw 2 cards!" Shing banished Helipole, creating a barrier constructed from the Verz Monster's spirit that blocked Beowulf's attack, deflecting it back. He then added two cards into his hand.

 **SHING LP: 4000 = 3350**

"Next I attack with Siegfried!" Reiji proceeded with the second attack. Even if it couldn't be destroyed, Shing would still receive damage. Siegfried slashed its sword at Bahamut, leaving a slash scar on its chest.

 **SHING LP: 3350 = 2900**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Reiji concluded.

"My Turn. When my opponent controls more monsters than I do, I can Special Summon Vers Mandrago (ATK: 1550 / DEF: 1450 / LV: 4) from my hand." Shing summoned Mandrago in Attack Position beside Bahamut in the Main Zone.

"From my hand, I summon Verz Castor." Shing summoned another copy of Castor in Attack Position beside Mandrago in Attack Position. Shing didn't waste any moment to open the Link Summoning Circuit, setting Castor on the Top-Arrow and Mandrago on the Bottom-Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Inverz Origin (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / LM: Top, Bottom)!" Shing summoned Inverz Origin in Attack Position in the Link Monster Zone.

"I activate Verz Bahamut's effect. Once per Turn, I can detach an Overlay Unit and take control of a monster my opponent controls until my next Standby Phase!" Shing detached the first Overlay Unit, taking control of Reiji's Beowulf, leaving him with only Siegfried.

"While this card is in an Extra Monster Zone, if a monster would be Special Summoned from the Extra Deck to the Main Monster Zone, it must be Summoned in the zone this card points to. While this card points to a monster, neither player can target it with card effects, also it cannot be destroyed by battle or card effect." Shing warned the DDD user. Since Inverz Origina's Bottom-Arrow pointed at Bahamut, the said second effect was activated.

"Battle! I attack Siegfried with Dragon King Beowulf!" Shing immediately used Reiji's monster against him. Beowulf crushed through its clawed hand against Siegfried's abdomen, destroying the Synchro Monster.

 **REIJI LP: 4000 = 3800**

"Inverz Origin's effect! Once per turn, when monsters on the field is destroyed by battle or by card effect, I can Special Summon Level 4 or lower Verz monsters from my Deck in Defense Position, up the number destroyed." Shing summoned another copy of Verz Mandrago in Defense Position beside Bahamut in the Main Zone.

"Battle! I attack directly with Verz Bahamut!" Shing continued his attack. Now Reiji's Field was wide open. The red orb on Bahamut's chest glowed as red blast was charging in its throat. The Xyz Monster opened its mouth wide and shot the accumulated energy blast, nearly blowing Reiji away. The Leo Corporation president kneeled down from the damage he took.

 **REIJI LP: 3800 = 1450**

"Lastly, I attack directly with Inverz Origin!" Shing declared for the finishing blow. However, Reiji then chose at that moment to open his Reverse Card.

"Trap Card: DDD Contract Change! I banish DDD Monster in my Graveyard with highest ATK to reduce the battle damage to 0 and add 1 Level 4 or lower DD Pendulum Monster from my Deck to my hand!" Reiji discarded Siegfriend, adding DD Magical Savant Edison to his hand as he dodged the Link Monster's attack by jumping to the side.

"So you save that Trap Card for this moment. Should have seen that. I end my Turn." Shing concluded. He didn't expect Reiji to survive his last attack, but Reiji was still playing in the palm of his hand. His flow was not broken. He was still controlling this game.

"I sure you want to continue? You're playing in my perfect game. As I said, I'm the game master here. Do you think you can beat the one who has absolute control of the game?" Shing questioned. He looked into Reiji's eyes, and knew what the young man was thinking. His determination to win was still burning. The DDD user was positive he still has chance to win.

"Just like how nothing is absolute in the business world, nothing is absolute in Dueling! No matter how careful your risk hedging is, there will still be holes in your plan." Reiji replied while returning to his feet, wiping the dust from his shirt before momentarily took off his glasses to clean the visors.

"Realizing them and making sure that they are promptly dealt with, is the duty of those who stand at the top." Reiji emphasized the last part. He wasn't exactly the best Duelist in the whole ARC-V. He had lost to Yuya before after so long standing on the top of Dueling World in Standard Dimension. However, he was standing on the top of LDS, the whole Leo Corporation. For the whole year, he had polished his skill and increased the growth of the organization with his own hands and wit. If he couldn't do that, he didn't deserve to be standing on the top of LDS.

"My Turn! With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Be revived from the Extra Deck!" Reiji revived Chaos Apocalypse for the second time in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"From my hand, I summon DD Magical Savant Edison (ATK: 900 / DEF: 0 / LV: 2)!" Reiji summoned Savant Edison in Attack Position beside Chaos Apocalypse.

"I activate Savant Edison's effect! Using this card, I can perform Fusion Summon using it and a DD or DDD Monster on my Field! I fuse Chaos Apocalypse and Savant Edison!" Reiji formed another bigger Fusion Vortex, entering his two monsters where they merged into stronger being.

"Fusion Summon! Reveal yourself! Level 10! D/D/D Ultimate Doom King Purplish Hell Armageddon (ATK: 3500 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10 / PS: 1)!" Reiji summoned his Fusion-Pendulum Hell Armageddon in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"When Edison is used as a material to summon Fusion-Pendulum Monster, the Fusion Monster's ATK is increased by 1000!" Reiji increased Purplish Hell Armageddon's ATK to 4500.

"I activate Purplish Hell Armageddon's effect! Once per Turn, I can destroy 1 monster my opponent controls and inflict damage equal to the destroyed monster's ATK had on the Field!" Reiji targeted Verz Bahamut. The purple orb on Purplish Hell Armageddon's body glowed. The Dragon head opened its mouth, shooting hot flame that burned down the Xyz Monster.

 **SHING LP: 2900 = 550**

"When a monster is destroyed, I can Special Summon Level 4 or lower Inverz Monster from my Deck in Defense Position!" Shing summoned Ladybug (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 400 / LV: 4) in Defense Position from his Deck. His calm expression started to falter as his Xyz Monster was destroyed.

"Battle! I attack Inverz Origin with DDD Ultimate Doom King Purplish Hell Armageddon!" Reiji continued his attack, directing his Fusion-Pendulum Monster to shoot another blast.

"I activate Verz Ladybugs' effect! When an Inverz or Verz monster is targeted for an attack on the Turn this card is summoned, I can negate the attack!" Shing declared as Ladybug moved forward, blocking Purplish Hell Armageddon's flame from reaching the Link Monster.

"I have heard so much about you while I'm staying at ARC-V. But I never expected that you are strong enough to reach this far against me. It's both marvelous and irritating." Shing remarked. While a game became fun when a strong player appeared, he also found it irritating that someone managed to disrupt the flow of his gameplay.

"This Duel is like a chess where you won't win unless you defeat the King, or like beginning shogi match without one's rook or bishop. I know that you won't admit defeat, so I'm going to finish you off on my next Turn." Reiji said firmly, holding his gaze against Shing in calculating and analytical way.

"You know me well." Shing replied with a shrug. It was just as Reiji said, he has no intention to surrender in this Duel, and no other Duels either.

"My Turn! I summon Verz Python (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 4)!" Shing summoned the card he just drew immediately in Attack Position. This was his one and only chance now that he has three Level 4 Verz monsters.

"I overlay my three Verz Monsters! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Verz Ouroboros (ATK: 2750 / DEF: 1950 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 3)!" Shing summoned Ouroboros in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Verz Ouroboros' effect! Once per Turn, by detaching an Overlay Unit, I can return a card my opponent controls to the hand!" Shing detached the first Overlay Unit, obviously Reiji's only monster on the Field as his target. As Purplish Hell Armageddon was also a Fusion Monster, it won't return to hand, but to Extra Deck.

"I activate Edison's effect! I banish it to negate the card effect!" Reiji banished Edison from his Graveyard, negating Ouroboros' effect.

Shing clicked his tongue quietly. He didn't have any card left in his hand or any set card. His cards in his Graveyard cannot help him overpowering Reiji's Fusion-Pendulum Monster. As much as he loathed admitting it but with his remaining LP, it was possible for Reiji to take him down in the next Turn. He didn't want to lose, but he has no chance of winning at this moment. But he didn't want to surrender either. He won't let himself losing this game in his own territory.

" _So it comes to this. I admit it, you're amazing, Reiji Akaba."_ Shing admitted in his mind.

"Battle! I attack Purplish Hell Armageddon with Verz Ouroboros!" Shing declared, surprising Reiji as the monster has lower ATK and Shing didn't show any indication of using its effect that could benefit him against Purplish Hell Armageddon.

" _Was he giving up?"_ Reiji wondered, but quickly dismissed this. One look at Shing and he knew the man refused to lose.

"I activate Ladybug's effect in the Graveyard! When a Verz or Inverz Monster battles, I can banish it to inflict the damage to both players!" Shing banished Ladybug from his Graveyard as Ouroboros and Purplish Hell Armageddon clashed against each other.

"What?!" Reiji exclaimed, completely taken aback.

Ourobors and Purplish Hell Armageddon's flames exploded, blowing away Reiji and Shing while also destroying the entire floor they were standing. If it were not for the blow, Reiji and Shing would have fallen already, but they managed to hanging onto the small remaining floor.

 **SHING LP: 550 = 0**

 **REIJI LP: 1450 = 0**

Pulling themselves to the remaining floors, Reiji and Shing panted from the nerve-wracking and tense explosion. They stared at the huge hole their monsters have caused. Reiji hoped that Yukiya and Dennis who were downstairs were safe.

"You're too late." Shing told Reiji from the other side of the destroyed floor.

Before Reiji could as what he meant, he noticed black smoke starting to come from upstairs along with loud noises that he couldn't comprehend. He looked at Shing, demanding answers, and the Inverz user smiled tiredly.

"The ritual has begun."

 **APOPHIS DOMAIN – LINK VRAINS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Is that your avatar? What a peculiar choice for the one who looks down on human." Yuri said while staring at the avatar that Apophis took form of. The Dragon of Calamity was clearly viewing himself superior than humans. But yet, he was using an avatar that was a human no matter how you look at it. That felt hypocritical.

"As for the moment I don't have a physical body, I can change to whatever form I wish within my domain in LINK VRAINS. I chose this form because Kurt insisted for me to look more...humanoid." Apophis explained while looking at his hands. The first-born prince demanded for him to look more proper for his own dignity and keep up appearance as to not attracting unwanted attention just in case.

"The both of you seem to have a complicated relationship. You and the first-born prince." Yuri commented. From his observation, Apophis and Kurt seemed to have a toxic relationship, there's no sugarcoating it, that's exactly what it is. Neither one of them like being around the other, simply put they are "tolerating" each other for the job.

"Indeed. It is an unfortunate relationship. I unfortunately need him." Apophis said with pure disappointment and annoyance.

"Need him?" Yuri raised a brow in question. He had heard from Ryo that Apophis and Kurt were working together because they have reached a compromise. But hearing Apophis just now, it was more like he was keeping Kurt around because he needed him. Like his life was depended on Kurt.

Apophis didn't answer further. Instead, dark was growing across his skin. It was smooth and pearly as though he were entirely covered in scales. His eyes had turned a deep, blackish red like glowing embers in a dying fire, and red, glowing marks grew down from his eyes like tear tracks. When he smiled at them, his lips were full of fangs, and Yuri almost shrank back.

 _"That form...it's almost like Zarc when we fought him last year...!"_ Yuri thought, recalling Zarc's demonic form when he was using Yuya's body and also the body formed through Real Solid Vision.

"As I thought, I feel a lot better in this form for this Duel." Apophis said with his eyes glinting in satisfaction as his avatar modification. He narrowed his eyes at Yuri, enjoying the concealed uneasiness in the Predator Plants' form. He might be able to fool everyone, but not him. He could sense a tiny bit fear that was starting to form inside the boy.

"For you to become my servant, I need to send you to the pit of despair." Apophis stated, activating his Duel Disk. That was precisely why he had instructed Tsukasa to forcefully logged Yuri into LINK VRAINS. It takes more than just defeating Yuri to make him his useful servant. He must break him completely and then absorbed his negative energies.

"I have to refuse. I'm serving no one but myself." Yuri retorted while also activating his Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! I activate Magic Card: Fusion. I fuse Moray Nephentes and Sarcodes Iguana in my hand! Two beautiful flowers with insect-alluring fragrance become the dragon with dripping poison and consume until your hunger is satisfied! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 7! Starve Venemy Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 1)!" Yuri summoned Starve Venemy in Attack Position.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Yuri concluded.

"My Turn. I summon Executioner – Makyura (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4)." Apophis summoned Makyura in Attack Position.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Apophis concluded.

"I activate Starve Venemy's effect! Once per Turn I can negate and steal my opponent's monster's effect, lower the monster's ATK and DEF by 500, and inflict the same damage to my opponent!" Yuri decreased Makyura's ATK to 1100 and DEF to 700 before having Starve Venemy to shot a green miasma blast that inflicted equal damage to the Dragon of Calamity.

 **APOPHIS LP: 4000 = 3500**

"Battle! I attack Makyura with Starve Venemy!" Yuri declared attack, pointing at the Demon-Type Monster. Starve Venemy opened its maw, shooting green blast towards Makyura.

"When my opponent declares attack while I control one Demon-Type Monster, I can send that monster I control and one Demon-Type Monster from my hand to Special Summon Darkness Neosphere (ATK: 4000 / DEF: 4000 / LV: 10)!" Apophis sent Makyura and a Demon-Type card from his hand to the Graveyard, summoning Neosphere in Attack Position, replacing Makyura to fight against the Fusion-Pendulum Monster.

 _"Summoning a Level 10 monster with 4000 ATK during my Battle Phase?!"_ Yuri's eyes were widened in disbelief at the sudden appearance of such a strong Demon Monster. Clicking his tongue, Yuri opened the first card has set.

"Quick-Play Spell: Predator Bloom! I negate destruction of a DARK Monster I control and Special Summon 1 Predator Plants Monster from my Deck!" Yuri summoned Predator Plants Tarantula Lavender (ATK: 800 / DEF: 900 / LV: 3) in Defense Position. Immediately afterwards, Starve Venom's blast was deflected by a black wave unleashed by Neosphere, hitting the miasma back to the dragon itself.

 **YURI LP: 4000 = 2500**

Starve Venemy howled in pain from its own attack. It nearly fell it were not for its strong will power. That infuriated the dragon. Starve Venemy now was glaring and growling sinisterly at the Demon-Type Monster.

"I end my Turn." Yuri concluded.

"It has only been the beginning, and yet you already lost almost half your life, boy." Apophis sneered. "Why don't you just Surrender now? That'll make it easier for the both of us."

"In your dreams." Yuri snorted, which made Apophis snickered even more.

"You need to stop that tough act, boy. Even if you lose, no one will feel losing anything." Apophis said, confusing Yuri.

"I beg your pardon?" Yuri said, feeling offended.

"Nobody would miss you even if you're dead." Apophis said, his voice like ice in Yuri's veins. But what hit him the most was his words. Yuri felt a stinging pain in his chest when Apophis said that. It was the words he has beein trying to avoid all these times. Apophis knew he has pushed the right button, and he will continue.

"My Turn. I summon Vise Devil – Viser Death (ATK: 500 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4)." Apophis summoned Viser Death in Attack Position.

"Battle! I attack Starve Venemy Dragon with Neosphere!" Apophis attacked back. Neosphere opened its third eye, glaring at the Fusion-Pendulum Monster before shooting black laser-like energy that went straight towards the dragon.

"I activate Predator Plants Tarantula Lavender's effect! When a DARK Monster I control is targeted for an attack while this card is on the Field, I can perform Fusion Summon using this card and the targeted monster as replacement for one of the materials listed in the card!" Yuri formed the Fusion Vortex, sending Tarantula Lavender and Starve Venemy into the vortex as the both of them swirled into one being.

"Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! Predator Plants – Dragostapelia (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 1900 / LV: 8)!" Yuri summoned Dragostapelia in Attack Position, replacing Starve Venemy's position.

"I activate Dragostapelia's effect! I can place 1 Predator Counter on 1 face-up monster that my opponent controls! That monster's Level become 1 and its effect negated!" Yuri placed one counter on Neosphere, making its Level 1 and negated its powers.

"Next I activate Continuous Trap: Predator Bombardment! Monsters with Predator Counter will have their ATKs halved!" Yuri opened his second Reverse Card, halving Neosphere's ATK to 2000.

"Trap Card: Elixir of Transmutation! Demon-Type Monster I control cannot be destroyed by Battle and its ATK becomes 0 until the end of Battle Phase!" Apophis opened his first Reverse Card, giving a bottle to Neosphere. The Demon Monster drank the whole bottle, enabling Neosphere to endure the counterattack from the dragon.

 **APOPHIS LP: 3500 = 2800**

"Nice counter, but I'm not done yet! I activate Trap Card: Card of Last Will. When my monster's ATK becomes 0, I can draw 5 cards." Apophis opened his second Trap, drawing 5 cards as Neosphere's ATK has become 0.

"Next, Viser Death can attack opponent directly! Go, Viser Death! Let him experience pain!" Apophis declared the second attack.

Viser Death clamped its vise onto Yuri's head and began to slowly crush it. Yuri screamed in pain. He felt his head was going to be crushed. The moment Viser Death removed itself from him; Yuri clutched the part where his head was squeezed. The pain stayed that he was positive it was going to crush his brain too eventually.

 **YURI LP: 2500 = 2000**

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Apophis concluded. He gleefully stared at Yuri's wobbly form. It took him everything he had to keep standing. The boy was resilient more than he thought. But he should have expected that from a war veteran.

"Viser Death will slowly squeeze your head. It cannot be targeted for an attack for three Turns. In my third Turn, it will drill into your head at fast speed." Apophis warned Yuri who was still trying to recover from the pain.

"It's painful, isn't it? And that is just the start. The next pain will be even more unbearable. I still have lots I want to use under my sleeve." Apophis told the Predator Plants user condescendingly.

"Think of it as retribution for all the suffering you have caused. For the lives you have stolen." Apophis began slowly. He knew the darkness within the boy's heart. He sensed all of his anger, doubt, and fear. He will expose them slowly, pulling them all out, and unleash them all.

"Shut up! Shut your mouth!" Yuri yelled furiously as he tried to ignore the pain from both his head and mind, glaring at Apophis. The Dragon of Calamity looked pleased in return.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Fusion Pillars. Monsters that I used as Fusion Materials can be special summoned with their Effects negated." Yuri revived Moray Nephentes and Sarcodes Iguana in Attack Position.

"And then from my hand, I summon Predator Plants Banksia Butterfly (ATK: 800 / DEF: 700 / LV: 2)." Yuri summoned Banksia Butterfly in Attack Position beside Moray Nephentes and Sarcodes Iguana.

"Appear, the circuit of thorn that open the path to the abyss!" Yuri opened the Link Summoning Circuit above him.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 1 Predator Plants Monster! I set Starve Venemy Dragon, Predator Plants Banksia Butterfly, and Predator Plants Sarcodes Iguana in the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Yuri set Moray Nephentes at the Top Link Marker, Banksia Butterfly at the Bottom-Left Link Marker, and Sarcodes Iguana at the Upper-Right Link Marker.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Cyber Venom Dragon (ATK: 2300 / Link: 3 / LM: Top, Bottom-Left, Upper-Right)!" Yuri summoned his Link Monster in Attack Position beside Dragostapelia.

"I activate Cyber Venom Dragon's effect! I can lower the ATK of my opponent's monster equal to the total ATK and DEF of a monster pointed by its Link Marker!" Yuri lowered Neosphere's ATK equal to Viser Death's ATK and DEF combined, making the Level 10 Monster's current ATK at merely 300.

"Battle! I attack Neosphere with Cyber Venom Dragon!" Yuri declared attack once more. Cyber Venom opened its mouth to shoot its pink laser. However, at that moment, Apophis then opened his Reverse Card.

"Continuous Trap: Gibbet Cage! When my opponent's monster declares attack while I control Demon-Type Monster on my Field, that monster cannot attack and its effect negated as long as this card is on the Field!" Apophis summoned a metal cage that trapped the Link dragon, completely immobilizing it within the hanging cage like a criminal shown to the public while awaiting a slow miserable death.

 _"I am a sadist in a way, but this guy is even worse than me."_ Yuri remarked in his mind at the cards resembling torture tools that Apophis have summoned so far.

"Then I attack Neosphere with Dragostapelia!" Yuri continued his attack. Cyber Venom's effect might have been sealed, but Dragostapelia was still active, so Neosphere's ATK was still halved and its effect was still negated. Dragostapelia began its attack again, shooting sticky green miasma that slowly melting Neosphere's body.

"I banish Elixir of Transmutation to negate destruction!" Apophis banished his Trap, allowing Neosphere to survived the melting miasma with a few burns.

 **APOPHIS LP: 2800 = 2100**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuri concluded.

"Even now, you're actually enjoying hurting people with your Dueling, aren't you?" Apophis remarked in amusement.

"What?"

"You have promised that you would change. But in the end deep down you know you can't. You're actually feeling good whenever you defeat your opponent mercilessly…something that is hated by your friends." Apophis emphasized the last part, grinning when he caught Yuri's body flinching. His words were affecting the boy effectively.

"Ever since you were a child, you wanted to be acknowledged, didn't you? To be loved? But that is just impossible. And in the last war, you've made things worse. It's already too late for you. Even though they act they're okay, they're actually still hold a deep grudge against you. Do you really think you've been forgiven?"

When Yuri realized it, he saw his hand stained by blood and cards scattered on the floor beneath him. He was here again. He was within the nightmare again. He saw those people whose lives he had ruined. They were reaching out to him with those eyes filled with desire for revenge and he couldn't move at all. When Yuri snapped out of it, he didn't know since when he was holding his breath. He didn't know since when he was sweating so badly. He didn't know since when his body was trembling so terribly.

Clenching his fists tight and bit his lips as hard as he could, Yuri tried to get a hold of himself. He was still in the middle of a Duel. He must not get distracted. He must win.

"You're unwanted and unneeded." Apophis added, which completely snapped the Predator Plants user.

"That is none of your business!" Yuri yelled back, desperately trying to contain his emotions inside.

However, Yuri knew better that Apophis hit the mark. And then that pain returned again. Yuri was burning up on the inside again like in the dream. His eyes were so hot that he couldn't see all he could think about was the horrible burning sensation of the other three, stabbing into his brain, dragging on him like invisible, fiery ropes, making his hands curl into claws. The emotions he had been containing were threatening to erupt. The emotions he so desperately tried avoid.

"You don't deserve forgiveness after what you have done, boy. My Turn! I summon Byser Shock (ATK: 800 / DEF: 600 / LV: 4)!" Apophis summoned Byser Shock in Attack Position.

"When Byser Shock is on the Field, all set Cards my opponent controls return to hand." Apophis revealed, returning Yuri's set card back to his hand.

"Also, I activate Continuous Trap: Rise of the Demonic Armies! All Level 4 or lower Demon-Type monsters I control can now make direct attack!" Apophis opened his other Reverse Card, surrounding the whole Field in a black mist. Viser Death and Byser Shocker's eyes glowed as they turned to Yuri.

"Nothing on the Field is going to protect you. Embrace the pain and enter the darkness!" Apophis laughed maliciously as he directed both Viser Death and Byser Shocker to attack Yuri directly.

The two cards' clamps held Yuri in place, while they attacked. Viser Death pushed its clamps into his head while Byser Shocker unleashed electricity that shocked Yuri's entire body. Yuri couldn't stop himself from screaming from the overwhelming pain that shot through him to the very core.

 **YURI LP: 2000 = 300**

Yuri fell flat on the ground when the two monsters finally freed him. Even after they let him go, he was still in pain as if the attack still continuing. He writhed in agony and distress as every part of his body convulsed with shocks. It lasted until his voice broke from the screaming and writhing, leaving him twitched and terrified on the ground.

"I activate Magic Card: Healing Scale. I can increase the LP of my opponent equal to the damage he has taken this Turn." Apophis recovered Yuri's LP, almost like negating the damage he had inflicted on him earlier.

 **YURI LP: 300 = 2000**

"You healed...me...after...that...? What...are you...planning?" Yuri asked, voice hoarse from screaming and fear.

"I do not wish for this Duel to end now. I still need to hurt you more." Apophis said so casually with all too sweet smile that promised greater pain.

"You're going to regret that...!" Yuri forced himself to stand up and began his Turn.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Link Fusion! I fuse Cyber Venom Dragon and Predator Plants Ophrys Scorpio in my Hand! Poisonous dragon with hungry fangs! Sweet smelling flower that invites the abyss! Now become one and indulges all as you desire! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 10! Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon (ATK: 3300 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 10)!" Yuri summoned Greedy Venom in Attack Position.

As Cyber Venom has left the Field, Apophis' Gibbet Cage was destroyed.

"I activate Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon's effect! I can make a monster's ATK 0 and negate its effect!" Yuri chose Neosphere, binding its arms and legs with Greed Venom's protrusions as it reducing its ATK to 0, which rendered the Demon-Type Monster completely powerless.

"I'll end you with this! Battle! I attack Neosphere with Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon!" Yuri declared attack. Greedy Venom opened the mouth on its stomach, shooting destructive and toxic green blast towards the Demon monster.

"I activate Gibbet Cage's effect in the Graveyard. By banishing it, I can negate your monster's attack and effect until the end of this Turn!" Apophis banised his Continuous Trap. The cage once again reappeared on the Field, this time imprisoning Greedy Venom, stopping its ATK and sealing its power, which reverted Neosphere's ATK.

"Getting hasty, aren't you? You should have realized by now that what I'm saying is correct." Apophis taunted further. His eyes slit, knowing the boy was going to reach his breaking point.

"I said shut up! It's none of your business!" Yuri lashed out again. However, he didn't feel better at all. The black smoke lurking inside was getting stronger and it scared him. He felt he was going to be engulfed by the smoke soon.

"Have you ever placed yourself in their positions? Have you ever thought how they feel to see and be near with the very person who had inflicted them suffering? Just by seeing you, they are reminded of their suffering." Apophis slowly concealed himself into the black mist, leaving Yuri seemingly alone in complete darkness.

"Your very existence made them suffer. All these times you're trying to atone is actually just to run away from reality. You don't want your existence to disappear even though you knew you only made people suffer. You're just being selfish." He continued, his voice echoing throughout the area like a ghost.

"Shut up! No! That's not it…! I'm not…! I don't…!" Yuri held his head with his both hands and closed his eyes tight, trying to shake away the black smoke filling him. But he couldn't. Because all this time he actually thought it would be better for him if he were to disappear. He wouldn't have to cause all this pain and sadness that he saw in all the people's faces he had wronged. He thought maybe that would fix it. If he was gone, everyone could rest easy again.

Ryo's words when during their trainings gave him hope. Serena's words when she gave him the pendant under the moonlight at the party gave him encouragement. They pushed him forward towards the light that could free him from this horrible feeling in his chest.

But maybe that was a mirage? Maybe he was just deluding himself. He was only protecting himself so that he didn't need to atone for what he did. Deep down, he was only thinking for himself.

"Appear! The circuit that leads to calamity!" Apophis opened the Link Summoning Circuit, setting Viser Death and Byser Shocker on the Link Markers and combined the circuit.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Perpetual King Demon (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / LM: Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right)!" Apophis summoned Perpetua King Demon in Attack Position. The monster emerged from the darkness while Apophis was still hiding behind the black mist, away from Yuri's view.

"I summon Statue of Apega (ATK: 300 / DEF: 800 / LV: 4)!" Apophis summoned Statue of Apega in Attack Position.

"When Statue of Apega is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 5 Demon-Type Monster from my Deck!" Apophis summoned Archfiend Guillotine (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 200 / LV: 5) in Attack Position beside Apega.

"I activate Rise of the Demon Army's effect! By banishing it, all Level 5 or lower Demon-Type Monster I control can attack directly until the end of this Turn!" Apophis banished his Continuous Trap in his Graveyard, directing his two newly summoned monsters at Yuri whose mind was still in shambles.

Yuri was too late to realize at the incoming attack that he didn't have a chance to react. Statue of Apega, resembling a woman dressed in expensive clothing, appeared from behind the Predator Plants user and closed its arms. The monster's arms, hands, and breasts were covered with iron nails, crushing Yuri to it. Archfiend Guillotine then on Yuri's left side, cutting off his left arm that let out red particles of data like blood. Yuri's scream of pain was even worse than before. The stabbing pain coupled with his inner turmoil was crushing him.

 **YURI LP: 2000 = 300**

"You don't have any reason to stay here where no one would forgive you. What's the point of staying? You can't atone anything when your very existence brought pain upon others." Apophis' voice echoed again, still hiding his form within the black mist while staring at Yuri who was holding his left arm that has been cut. If it were in the real life, he would be bleeding to death. Yuri was still standing, but he had grown weak from the attack.

"No! Shut up! Stop it!" Yuri shouted out. He didn't want to hear it. He didn't want to hear this any longer.

"There's only one way to atone for your sins."

Yuri gasped when some of the mist formed into his counterparts and the girls. They were all staring at Yuri resentfully, eyes filled with disappointment. Yuri was visibly shaken. He couldn't contain his emotions anymore. He took a few steps back as they continued to stare at him with those cold gazes. The words he was afraid to hear started coming out from their mouths one after another. And again, in his mind, he saw the people he had carded and killed. With their bloody faces, they come closer to him.

"You really can't do it after all."

"You're worthless."

"I'm tired of it. You're just a burden."

"It feels nice being away from you."

"You're the worst."

"You never learn."

"I hate you very much."

And then he was alone again, back in the pitch-black darkness that he always saw inside his dream. No. He wasn't exactly alone. In front of him stood his 11 years old self who was staring at him with disgust like seeing a bug that he wanted to smash. He looked indifferent of the pain he experienced like he deserved to be hurt that way.

"This is the first time I have seen someone as terrible and despicable as you are."

His younger self said to him with contempt filling his tone.

"Are you not ashamed to be alive?"

With that, Yuri shattered.

Yuri's body shook and a quiet sob leaked out from behind the hard line of his clenched teeth. He stumbled, overcome with sorrow and fell. His voice was noticeably missing. In its place was a whirlwind of fear and regret. Yuri shut down everything. He closed his heart, shutting down his connection to the others, to Apophis, to the whole world in general. He retreated as deep into his own mind as he could. It was all just too much. He couldn't do it anymore.

"I activate Statue of Apega's effect. By releasing it, and Archfiend Guillotine, I can add their ATKs to another Demon-Type Monster I control." Apophis finally emerged from the black mist, increasing his Link Monster's ATK to 3700.

"Battle. I attack Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon with Perpetual King Demon."

As Apophis declared, Perpetual King Demon gathered the whole black mist into its palms, forming a giant black energy sphere filled with so much malice and various negative emotions. The Link Monster rose up its arms, ready to throw the sphere at Yuri. Greedy Venom immediately stood in front of its master, howling at the Link Monster above. Even as the sphere was thrown, Yuri didn't do anything. He just sat there, eyes growing lifeless as each second passed. He didn't feel anything. Not the cry of his dragon when the sphere exploded, or the pain in his body as he was blown away.

All he knew was he was tired. He couldn't take this anymore.

 **YURI LP: 300 = 0**

By the time Ryo arrived at the domain where Apophis was supposed to be, he found Yuri lying motionlessly on the ground. His clothes were all torn in tatters and bruises covering his whole body. But what bothered him the most was the tear-stained cheek on his face. Ryo stared hard at Yuri's unconscious form. He felt a seething pain in his chest when he saw Yuri like this. He has a strong urge to rush to him and embraced his former pupil in his arms. It pained him seeing like this.

"Oh, Ryo. You came just as the Duel finished." Apophis said, standing between Yuri and Ryo as he faced the latter. The moment their eyes met, Ryo looked away from both him and Yuri. The urge to go to Yuri got weaker. He didn't need to ask what Shiki had told him about their plan with Yuri. Seeing the boy's condition has confirmed it.

"How is the preparation offline?" Apophis asked Kurt who appeared behind him after the area cleared up, no longer dark. Not far from him were Zira and Dante who have been watching the whole thing and waited until it was finished.

"It's done. Tsukasa has made sure of it." Kurt informed.

"All that left is changing him into one of us now." Apophis said as he turned to Yuri. He then approached the unconscious boy. Sticking to his plan, he will make the boy his Duel Monster servant. The boy has already been filled with negative emotions, which means a great deal of negative energies. That would make him an ideal Duel Monster servant.

Ryo stretched his arm at Apophis' back, but didn't dare to make a move. He opened his mouth, not wanting the Dragon of Calamity to take another step closer to Yuri.

"Wait–"

Just before Ryo could speak, Apophis abruptly jumped back, dodging a snap of a torn whip from hitting him. This alerted the lieutenant and commander who quickly moved to cover Kurt and Apophis, eyeing sharply at where their master was nearly hit by the whip. And then, from above, Starve Venom crashed in, standing protectively in front of Yuri.

Standing on Starve Venom's palm was a beautiful girl with long wavy violet hair and green eyes. She has a yellow fringe, parted in the middle that falls below her eyes with longer sections framing her face. When she removed her blue robes, she wore a white suit with tassled accents and a ribbon from her shoulder to waist. Around her neck she wore a bow with a jewel at the center over an ascot. Attached to the jewel are two thin ropes that connect to the accent on her right shoulder. Under her blazer she has a dark colored waistcoat. She also wore thigh high boots.

"No way... That's...!" Dante trailed off when he noticed the girl.

"It's you, Starve Venom." Apophis addressed both the dragon and the girl calmly, not looking surprise by their entrance. If he did, he concealed it well.

"It has been a long time, Apophis." The girl greeted back while flinging her hair behind.

"And us too!"

Following Starve Venom and the girl were Ray and Hayabusa who arrived riding on Rise Falcon. They stood in front of the girl and Starve Venom, gesturing the two to tend to Yuri while they were facing their enemies. Having been worried for the Predator Plants user, the girl and the dragon checked on Yuri.

"Ray and Hayabusa." Dante stated while narrowing his eyes at Ray.

"I'm shocked to see you're still alive, Ray. I see now that you're the one who intercepted the transfer of the dragons and made them like this." Dante was genuinely surprised. He was positive he had her after he defeated her in a Duel a month ago. Even if she survived, his virus was supposed to render her into a coma. But she somehow managed to keep her consciousness online. Still, from the fact that Yukiya has been hunting him down to look for a way to save her, that means her real body was in a coma, which means the virus still affecting her to an extent.

"You have the removal program that can log me out of here, right? I'll be taking that from you." Ray demanded, staring sharply at Dante. She has finally found him.

"Only if you can." Dante replied, raising his Duel Disk. He was more than ready to duke it out.

"How is he?" Hayabusa asked the girl behind him.

"Not good. He is in state of shock. We have to get him out of here." She replied, embracing Yuri tightly but gently with great care in her arms. Starve Venom let out a faint crying sound; gently nudging its head to Yuri's who still won't wake up.

"You think we're going to let you go so easily?" Zira stated, raising her Duel Disk too.

"And now it's become rowdy. We leave them to you." Kurt said with a sigh before turning his back on them together with Apophis.

"How about Yuri?" Ryo asked.

"Once you're finished, we'll be back to change him. The preparation offline is more important. We have waited too long for this." Apophis replied sharply before turning to Kurt. His eyes were serious and so did Kurt.

"It is the time to fulfil the first part of our bargain." Apophis stated.

"I know. I've been waiting for this too." Kurt replied.

 **ALTAR – THIRD FLOOR – TEMPLE OF CALAMITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuya, Serena, 'Odd-Eyes' and Celica have finally reached the third floor. When they arrived there, the first thing they saw were Yuri and Kurt lying unconscious on top of the altar with Tsukasa watching over them. Their bodies were chained, but Tsukasa was releasing them from it. When he realized their presence, Tsukasa flicked his fingers, summoning three devotees.

"That's Yuri and Kurt!" Yuya exclaimed, looking at his Fusion counterpart and the first-born prince.

"Why Kurt is also in the altar?!" Celica exclaimed. While they were concerned for Yuri, they were also bewildered by the fact Kurt was also chained to the altar. They could understand Yuri, but for what reason to place Kurt on the altar?

"Foolish question deserve no answer. It's time for you to die here." Tsukasa replied coldly, activating his Duel Disk.

Before they could make a move towards Yuri, the symbols and circles beneath the altar was shining red. Black smoke started oozing out following the red light, filling the entire altar, covering Yuri and Kurt's bodies. Serena attempted to reach for Yuri, but Yuya held her as they didn't know what would happen if they get into the altar now. From the smoke, Kurt came out first. However, there was something different about him.

"Kurt...?" Celica uttered uneasily. His blond hair and brown eyes turned full black. His skin was pale almost like a corpse. He threw away his glasses, stepping it on the ground. But what bothered her most was the sinister murderous presence coming from him that she knew supposed to only belong to one being.

"Finally, I have gained this body." 'Kurt' said with malicious smile while staring at his hands. He clenched them once and then twice to get the feeling of having a body. This was real.

Tsukasa and the three devotees quickly turned to 'Kurt'. To Yuya, Celica, and Serena's surprise, all four men kneeled to Kurt like he was their superior. In the devotees' case, how they went as far as touching their heads to the ground was like how they were worshipping their 'god'. And their one and only god was…

"I am glad for you, Your Excellency." Tsukasa said, addressing the black haired teen.

"W-what?" Celica's eyes hardened and so did Yuya and Serena. They were confused. The only being they would refer as 'Your Excellency' was Apophis. Only him and no one else. But yet they now were calling Kurt with that title.

Not finished with that, this time Yuri came out from the smoke. But similarly as Kurt, his eyes turned black. The color of his hair darkened. His was skin paler.

"Yuri!" Serena exclaimed. For a second, relief passed her chest, but dread quickly replaced it when 'Kurt' spoke to Yuri.

"How is that Yuri boy's body for you, Kurt?" He asked, referring Yuri with the first-born prince's name, confusing them Serena and the others further. Why 'Kurt' referred Yuri with his own name?

'Yuri' then smiled. That cocky smile resembled Yuri's, but Yuya and Serena knew better it was still different. There was something deeper in that smile that Yuri didn't have.

"I feel perfect." 'Yuri' replied.

'Yuri' straightened his collar. He removed the pendant hanging around his neck and threw it away, skidding it towards Serena. The indigo haired girl looked in disbelief at the pendant she gave to him as present. He threw it away just like that right in front of her. She kneeled, picking the pendant.

She stared up at 'Yuri' again who still has that wrong smile.

"Yu...ri...?"

Was this person really Yuri?

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Ascend of the Malevolent Army –** Having taken control of Kurt's body, Apophis calls forth his armies to attack the Lancers who are guarding the airship. Kurt, who is possessing Yuri's body, reveals about the bargain he had made with Apophis.

* * *

 **This chapter is finally done! It's quite hard to write this one. I'm quite exhausted. The reason Shing vs. Reiji Duel ended in a Draw is the same as why Celica vs. Geist ended in a Draw in the previous chapter. But aside from that, I think Shing would make a good rival for Reiji, so I still want to keep him around.**

 **Yuri fans, please don't throw rocks on me! I know this is painful for Yuri, but as I said, it's necessary for his character development! Have I done well making Apophis a cruel, sadistic, and hateful villain in this chapter? I want to make him a villain that would make you glad once he is dead. To make him that way, I even based some of his cards from torture devices.**

 **About Starve Venom being a girl, this is my reason: Just because the Four Magicians are based on the Four Dragons, I don't think it means they are the dragons themselves in human form. Above all, I just can't imagine of Clear Wing of all dragons as a girl. I personally prefer Clear Wing as a boy. Starve Venom on the other hand is easy to imagine as both boy and girl, either one is fine. And I knew many of you thought Clear Wing would be a girl, and honestly, I thought it would be boring if it's too predictable so I make human Starve Venom a girl here.**

 **If you are disappointed by my decision, then I am sorry. But please do understand that this is a fanfiction. People often write fanfiction to unleash what they wish to see but can't in the original work, and I am one of those people. I don't want to write something that is hard for me to write or what I dislike, and regret it afterwards. Ever since I started** _ **Bonds of Pendulum**_ **, I have decided to write the way I want and the way I like. Even when I'm putting comments and opinions of others into consideration, in the end, I still write what I think won't give me any regret.**

 **Sorry for any error! Will be fixed later!**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	57. Advent of the Malevolent Army

**Big thanks to** _ **Yuka Kuroshiro, Ulrich362, Playerhood18, Jason, GamingGuy84, Big duels, UST Colbalt Diamond, dvdryms, NeoFGD, Elbarto4000, Unknowedz, matrixnis, Ethan Kironus, sparck, Hunter13hawkie, tsukikami02, VioletStarVN, Guest**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **ALTAR – THIRD FLOOR – TEMPLE OF CALAMITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Odd-Eyes moved forward, standing in front of Yuya and the girls while spreading his arms to motion them not to approach their enemies. He stared warily at 'Kurt' and 'Yuri' - Apophis and Kurt to be precise, in front of them while his body gestures all going defensive. Things have turned far worse than he and Ray had expected. If Yuri's body has been taken over, that means Ray and the others were too late in LINK VRAINS. They were the same though, so Odd-Eyes couldn't blame them, not that he would. But now that it has come to this, what should they do?

"Stand back, everyone. They are not whom we think they are." Odd-Eyes told Yuya, Serena, and Celica behind him, earning confused gaze from them. However, his eyes were still solely eyeing their enemies.

"You're Quick to catch up. As expected from my former offspring." Apophis praised the dichromatic-eyed Duelist. Amongst the first four lieutenants he had given birth too, Odd-Eyes was the youngest. But he always had sharp mind and broad way of thinking compared to the others.

"Calm down and listen. That body belongs to Yuri, but now Kurt is possessing that body." Odd-Eyes revealed to his comrades, making them looking incredulously at him like he has gone mad. The red-haired ignored this and continued. It was hard to believe, yes, but the needed to know and accept it.

"And the one who is possessing Kurt's body right now, is none other than Apophis himself." He revealed further, earning even more incredulous look beyond shock from the three behind him.

"W-what?! Apophis himself?!" Yuya finally choked out while staring at Apophis in Kurt's body. He wanted to say it was impossible, but then remembered that last year Ray once borrowed Reira's body to stop Zarc's berserk. That was enough proof that someone else's soul was capable of possessing a body that was not his or her own. And this wasn't so different.

"You're right. When you heard we're going to this temple, I'm sure you must be thinking that we decide to simply turn Yuri and Celica into Duel Monsters. But no, that's not our only goal." Apophis stated. Since the most of the rituals done in the main temple involved turning people into Duel Monsters, it was a normal misconception that Yuya and the others would come into that conclusion, which gave them enough time to do the most important work in LINK VRAINS.

"Our main goal coming to this temple is so that I can take Yuri-kun's body while Apophis take my body." Kurt finished, opening and closing his palm to get the feeling of his new body.

"We suspected that Yuri would be the one whom you chose as Apophis' vessel. We never thought it would turn out this way. If you're planning for Apophis to possess your body, then why bother taking over Yuri's body? Actually, from the very beginning, it should be impossible for a normal human to be able containing Apophis' soul." Odd-Eyes questioned. This actually wasn't the first time Apophis tried to take over a human body. He tried once before being sealed out of curiosity, but in the end, the humans whom he attempted to possess ended up burning to ashes as they were not compatible with him.

"Because I am not normal as you thought I was." Kurt replied. Closing his eyes, his expression turned somewhat sad though he was still retaining his smile.

"Not normal? What are you talking about, Kurt?" Celica asked. She didn't see or feeling anything abnormal from Kurt ever since he was born. Kurt grew up like any ordinary human like all others. But Kurt's expression was saying otherwise. Had he managed to hide something even from her?

"Just like Yukiya-kun is the reincarnation of Ma'at, I am the reincarnation of Apophis' power." Kurt revealed.

And then the entire room went quiet. For a few seconds that felt like forever, it was like time has stopped, particularly for the Imperial Adviser.

"What?" Celica wondered if she heard it right.

"When you and Lord Yuno sealed Apophis, the clash between your power caused Apophis' power to shatter. There were five fragments of that shattered power. Four were sealed within the Four Dragons, as you have already known. The fifth one, however, continuously reincarnated into a human." Kurt explained. He wasn't aware of his origin until that certain day that awakened his power and knowledge as Apophis' incarnate. Just like how Ma'at repeatedly reincarnated into humans for ages, this fragment of Apophis power also reincarnated into humans from different backgrounds until it now reincarnated into Kurt and Carl.

"Both Carl and I are the reincarnation of Apophis' soul. However, I'm the only one who has his power. Carl, on the other hand, possesses neither any fragment of Apophis' power nor his influence. He is fortunately, unsuitable to become a vessel." Kurt realized the moment he was aware of his and his brother's origin of the power sleeping inside him, and he could sense the same power from others. However, when he checked on Carl, his younger twin brother, despite supposed to be the other half of Apophis' reincarnate, doesn't have even the tiniest bit of that power. His younger twin was no different from a normal human being. He didn't know why he was the only one who has the power, but his younger brother was the luck one.

"Vessel?" Yuya repeated in question.

"Yes. You already knew that Apophis has lost his physical form following his seal. Gathering negative energies so he can form physical body for himself would take too long. The fastest way to accelerate the process would be taking over a human body. However, normal human body can't endure Apophis' soul. Apophis needed an exceptionally compatible being to become his vessel. And what better vessel than the reincarnation of a fragment of his power?" Kurt explained further. When he first awakened Apophis from his seal, the Dragon of Calamity quickly realized his true nature and didn't waste any time to try to recover his power by taking over his body. Unfortunately for the dragon, Kurt already made anticipation for that.

"Then what about Yuri?! Why do you need to steal Yuri's body?!" Serena questioned with barely contained anger. If Kurt was suitable to become a vessel, then why not just let Apophis possess his body since long ago?

"Because the moment Apophis takes over my body, that would be the end of me. I would lose myself. Of course, I refuse for that to happen. However, I need Apophis power to achieve my goal. That's why I make a bargain with him." Kurt answered. When Kurt was succeeded in preventing Apophis from taking over his body upon the dragon's awakening, the first-born prince offered his body as a bargaining chip in exchange for Apophis' cooperation. He alread made sure that Apophis has no room to refuse his offer. Kurt could still remember how frustrated Apophis was when he has no choice but to accept.

"A bargain?" Celica asked.

"I will give him my body, but before that we must find someone whose body is not only compatible with my soul, but also strong enough to become container of the negative energies." As the reincarnation of Apophis' soul, he also has the ability to turn negative energies into his power. With his own body, it was an easy job, but using other person's body, the power he can use and contain depends on the vessel. If it wasn't strong enough, he can only use around 10% of his. That's why he need a stronger vessel.

"And Yuri-kun is exactly the person I am looking for." Kurt stated. Even though Yuri was a fragment of Ma'at's reincarnated soul, he had touched Apophis' power more than the other counterparts during the war last year. Not only that, his body had the most experience in feeling negative energies and embraced it, making him a perfect vessel. Even after receiving Ma'at's blessing, that still didn't change.

"Cut the crap, you bastard! I don't care what your reason is! Give Yuri back!" Serena yelled furiously, finally unable to contain her anger.

"If you're looking for Yuri-kun, he is not here. He is inside LINK VRAINS as we speak." Kurt revealed.

"In LINK VRAINS?" Serena blinked.

"Yes. To take over his body, we first must seal his consciousness within LINK VRAINS, separate from his body. Once Apophis defeated him in a Duel, the ritual began, resulting the way we are now." While both Apophis and Kurt were confident that Yuri won't be able to take over his body once Kurt possessed it, they knew that Yuri would make a great addition for their army. Since they needed his body, they must separate his soul from it so Apophis can change him without changing the body as well.

"Yuri dueled Apophis?!" Serena paled upon hearing that.

"And he lost against him?!" Yuya was the same. If Apophis was here and Kurt possessed Yuri's body, that means Yuri has lost.

"I'm surprised that you're always beside him and yet you don't know his state of mind. Once you know the boy's weakness, it's easy to break him apart." Apophis sneered. Other than to turn Yuri into Duel Monster, they must make sure that Ma'at's blessing was completely detached from his body and soul. That's why Apophis challenged the boy to a Duel. Negativity, the power opposite from Ma'at's blessing would detach the purifying power from the body and soul. He tortured the boy both body and mind to overwhelm him with negative energies, which in turn would completely destroyed the blessing.

"You!" Serena was ready to land a punch at the two if Odd-Eyes didn't block her.

"Relax. He is still alive. Before I could turn him into my servant, your friends came and protected him. They should be busy fighting against Dante and Zira. It's only a matter of time until they retrieve him though." Apophis informed them.

"If they can that is. Don't underestimate Starve Venom, Ray, and Hayabusa. They are strong. They won't let you take Yuri away." Odd-Eyes said with eyes brimming with confidence for his friends.

Kurt raised a hand, stopping them from saying more. "We'll talk for another time. Didn't you say you want to do a demonstration now that you have that body?" He turned to Apophis, reminding the Dragon of Calamity.

"But of course." Apophis smirked. The Dragon of Calamity raised his left hand up and started chanting an ancient tongue that Yuya and the others couldn't understand. As he was chanting, the floor whole building was starting to shake. Apophis' body was covered in similar black energy when Zarc was corrupted.

"What's happening?" Yuya looked around worriedly.

"What are you doing?!" Celica questioned Apophis, raising her Duel Disk to prepare to fight.

Apophis lowered his arm as the aura disappeared and the shaking stopped. He sighed tiredly before offering a mischievous grin at the Imperial Adviser in respond.

"I'm calling my army."

 **FOREST – EVOLUTION – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The Lancers who were on guard in the airship were startled when what appears to be an earthquake occurred, though it didn't last long. Soon they were surprised once more when they heard what sounded to be a howl that brought heavy air and stinging feeling in their chest. They didn't want to think pessimistically, but they felt this could be a premonition that something bad will happen soon.

"What's that loud sound?" Allen said.

"It's coming from the temple." Yuto stated as he looked outside the window.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Ruri said worriedly while clutching her chest.

The three of them almost jumped when Gongenzaka abruptly opened the door and entered the room, almost smashing the door in the process. The Steadfast Duelist was panting and his face paled like he just saw a ghost.

"Everyone! Emergency! Emergency!" Gongenzaka shouted while pointing outside.

"Gongenzaka, what's wrong?!" Ruri asked while trying to calm down the big guy to catch up his breath.

"The enemies! They are coming!" Gongenzaka shouted, causing gasps to leave from the other three's mouth.

All of them quickly ran out from the airship to see the incoming enemies. Yuto, Ruri, and Allen were shocked when the enemies who came for them were not even humans. They were humanoid in form but they are entirely ink-black in color, with green beady eyes.

"How about Yuya and the others at the temple?!" Yuto asked.

"They're still fighting! Apparently, these beings suddenly appeared the same way in their place!" Gongenzaka answered. When he called Sora through his Duel Disk, Sora reported they have defeated all the devotees, but then suddenly these beings emerged from the ground and clearly asked for a fight. Yuya and the others have entered the temple, but they have yet to come out.

"Come on, everyone! We have to protect airship!" Jonouchi told them as he and Sayaka have prepared their Duel Disks while facing the enemies.

"Yeah! We'll protect it until Yuya and the others come back!" Allen stated, activating his Duel Disk together with the rest.

With the enemies coming from different directions, they split up, protecting each part of the airship. Allen protected the back, facing one of the creatures who formed a Duel Disk on its arm like a puff of smoke. Allen, in turn, activated the Action Field at the same time as the others, forming one huge Action Field that they shared but still separated.

{ACTION FIELD ON, FIELD SPELL: WEDGE SPACE}

 **[ACTION DUEL!]**

"My Turn! As I control no other cards, I can Special Summon Roaring Express Train - Rocket Arrow (ATK: 5000 / DEF: 0 / LV: 10)!" Allen summoned Rocket Arrow from his hand in Attack Position in the Main Zone via its own effect.

"During each Standby Phase, I must send five cards from my hand to the Graveyard or this monster will destroy itself. I end my Turn." Allen concluded.

"My Turn." The servant said. His voice was hollow and devoid of any emotion, no different from machine or puppet.

"I activate Magic Card: Fusion. I fuse my three Blue-Eyes Statue Dragons in my hand to Fusion Summon." The servant fused his three statue dragons, summoning Blue-Eyes Ultimate Statue Dragon (ATK: 4500 / DEF: 3800 / LV: 12) in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Forbidden Holy Lance. A monster my opponent controls lose 800 ATK, but in return it won't be affected by any Magic or Trap until the end of this Turn." The servant lowered Allen's Rocket Arrow's ATK to 4200.

"Battle. I attack Roaring Express Train – Rocket Arrow with Blue-Eyes Ultimate Statue Dragon." The servant declared attack. The statue dragon unleashed a blue sphere blast that destroyed the Train monster. As Allen avoided the blast by jumping to a floating rock, he also noticed an Action Card floaring nearby and snatched it.

 **ALLEN LP: 4000 = 3700**

"I end my Turn." The servant concluded.

"Wow. To think you pulled out that kind of move in the next Turn. I was sure my monster will survive until my next Turn." Allen commented, which the servant pays no heed. Allen narrowed his eyes at the servant. He couldn't help but wondering what kind of creature he is. Definitely not a human, but Duel Monster is one thing, how could this kind of creature exist? If the servants were this kind of creature, he won't be looking forward meeting the so-called Dragon of Calamity. Supreme King Dragon Zarc was already bad enough last year, he didn't want to see one that is worse than him.

Noticing another Action Card and saw the Servant made no indication of trying to move, Allen jumped from one floating rock to another until he reached it, getting another one.

"I set 5 cards and end my Turn." Allen set all of his cards and then finished his Turn.

"My Turn. Battle. I attack directly with Blue-Eyes Statue Dragon." The servant declared direct attack immediately as Allen's Field was wide open. However, that was exactly Allen has been waiting for.

"You sound like a puppet, so maybe you really are one, not having any heart. Then I don't think I have to give any mercy." Allen said with tone leaning to cheekiness as he revealed the only card in his hand.

"I activate Snow Plow Locomotive - Hustle Rustle's effect! When my opponent attacks directly, I can destroy all cards in my Spell & Trap Zone to Special Summon Snow Plow Locomotive - Hustle Rustle (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10)!" Allen summoned Hustle Rustle in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"At this moment, Hustle Rustle's second effect activates! I inflict 200 damage to my opponent for each Spell and Trap Card destroyed via its effect!" Allen revealed, stopping the attack inflicted 1000 damage in total at the servant. Hustle Rustle shot its cannon, blowing back the servant.

 **SERVANT LP: 4000 = 3000**

The servant didn't seem perturbed by the damage he received. Instead, he stayed silent, contemplating his situation before he finally decided not to attack and ended his Turn.

"I activate Magic Card: Special Schedule! I revive Rocket Arrow!" Allen revived his other Level 10 Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

 _"It's time to try using my new monster in real battle!"_ Allen grinned as he raised his right arm up.

"Appear! The circuit of the railway!" Allen opened the Link Summoning Circuit, setting Rocket Arrow on the Bottom Arrow of the Link Marker and Hustle Rustle on the Bottom-Left Arrow Link Marker, combining the circuit.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Sherman Rail Cannon (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / LM: Bottom, Bottom-Left)!" Allen summoned his first Link Monster in Attack Position in the Link Monster Zone.

"I activate Rail Cannon's effect! Once per Turn, I can banish a Machine-Type Monster from my Graveyard to halve my opponent's monster's ATK and inflict 1000 damage to my opponent!" Allen lowered Blue-Eyes Ultimate Statue Dragon's ATK to 2250 and shot a blast that inflict 1000 damage to his opponent.

 **SERVANT LP: 3000 = 2000**

"Action Magic: Rail Comet! I double my opponent's ATK!" Allen increased his Link Monster's ATK to 4000.

"Battle! I attack Blue-Eyes Ultimate Statue Dragon with Sherman Rail Cannon!"

Sherman Rail Cannon opened its second cannon, charging its energies into the two cannons at once while each were pointing at the weakened statue dragon. Targeted locked on, it shot its cannons, creating two holes on the dragon's body before it exploded into pieces and dust.

 **SERVANT LP: 2000 = 250**

Allen wasn't finished with that. He still has another Action Card and activated it.

"Action Magic: Falling Star! I can attack one more time! This is the end! Sherman Rail Cannon, attack directly!"

Following its player's order, Sherman Rail Cannon once again locked on its cannons at the now defenseless Apophis Duelist who just stood there without making any particular expression nor reaction. Without hesitation, Allen made his shot, blasting away the servant. When the servant fell down, it disappeared into a puff of black smoke, not leaving a body behind.

"That's one down!" Allen exclaimed. He knew he still has other enemies to defeat, so he didn't do any celebration. He turned to the direction where he heard a fight and spotted Sayaka was fighting against one of them. Allen was about to intrude her Duel, but then stopped on his track.

 _"Sayaka can do it. She is strong."_ Allen thought confidently. Sayaka wasn't the same fragile girl he knew last year. She has grown stronger for the past year after the war. During the last war, he would try his best to keep her distance from fighting. If she were to fight, then he would help her. But now, that no longer necessary.

 _"There would be time where we have to fight together. But for now, she can handle this."_ Allen would place his faith in Sayaka this time. He won't view her as some weak little girl. And so, he went towards the enemies at the opposite way.

The moment the Action Field was activated, Sayaka has chosen her opponent. From her observation of her comrades who have started the Duel earlier than her, their opponents were same in appearance, but different in the Deck they were using. Unlike Obelisk Force and Securities who were using the same Deck and strategies. These beings or Apophis were smarter then. It would be more difficult to fight against army who each has different Deck than the same.

 **[ACTION DUEL!]**

"I summon Firearm Flower (ATK: 800 / DEF: 800 / LV: 3)." The servant summoned Firerarm Flower in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Field Spell: Zen Garden. As long as Zen Garden was on the Field, WATER monsters cannot declare an attack, I can Special Summon a Plant-Type monster from my hand when I control exactly 1 Plant-Type monster, and all Xyz Monsters will gain ATK equal to their Rank times 100." The servant then activated the second effect of Zen Garden to Special Summon Artillery Flower (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 500 / LV: 3) in Attack Position beside Firearm Flower.

"As I control two face-up Plant-Type monsters, I can Special Summon Cosmos (ATK: 600 / DEF: 900 / LV: 3)." The servant summoned Cosmos in Attack Position via its own effect.

"I overlay Firearm Flower, Artillery Flower, and Cosmos. Xyz Summon. Rank 3. Raging-Flower Gunboat Nadeshiko (ATK: 2100 / DEF: 1800 / RNK: 3 / ORU: 3)." Due to Zen Garden's effect, the Xyz Monster's ATK was increased to 2400. The servant summoned it in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Nadeshiko's effect. I detach an Overlay Unit to inflict 300 damage to my opponent for each card in my opponent's hand." The servant declared. As Sayaka has five cards in her hand, Nadeshiko shot five times, inflicting 1500 damage to the Fairy user.

 **SAYAKA LP: 4000 = 2500**

"I set a card and end my Turn." The servant concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Little Fairy (ATK: 800 / DEF: 800 / LV: 3)!" Sayaka summoned Little Fairy in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Little Fairy's effect! By discarding a card, I can increase its Level by 1!" She sent Godbird Attack from her hand to the Graveyard and made the fairy monster Level 4.

"When I control 1 Level 4 or lower Fairy Monster, I can special summon High Fairy (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 800 / LV: 4)!" Sayaka summoned High Fairy in Attack Position beside Little Fairy.

"I overlay High Fairy and Little Fairy! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank! Fairy Cheer Girl (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 1500 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Sayaka summoned her ace monster in Attack Position with its ATK increased to 2300 due to Zen Garden's effect.

"I activate Fairy Cheer Girl's effect! By detaching Overlay Unit, I can draw a card!" Sayaka used her first Overlay Unit and drew a card. Seeing the card, she immediately set it. Noticing an Action Card not far away from her, she rushed to get it first, though she noticed the servant didn't make any move and stayed on his spot.

"I end my Turn." Sayaka concluded.

"My Turn. I activate Rank-Up Magic: Flower Force. I can Special Summon an Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck with one Rank higher than the Xyz Monster I control using this card and that Xyz Monster as materials. Xyz Summon. Rank 4. Chaos Xyz: Furious-Flower Battleship Taoyame (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 3)." He summoned Taoyame in Attack Position in the Main Zone with its ATK increased to 2800 due to Zen Garden's effect.

"I activate Taoyame's effect. By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can inflict 400 damage to my opponent for every card on the field." The servant revealed. As there were 4 cards, Taoyame unleashed four shots from its cannon, inflicting 1600 damage to Sayaka.

 **SAYAKA LP: 2500 = 900**

"Battle. I attack Fairy Cheer Girl with Taoyame." The servant prepared to unleash another attack. However, Sayaka then chose that moment to open her facedown card.

"Trap Card: Fairy Seeds! When an Xyz Fairy Monster I control is targeted for attack, I can add a Level 4 or lower Fairy Monster from my Deck to my hand and change the opposing monster's Battle Position to Defense Position until the end of this Turn!" Sayaka added Blue Fairy (ATK: 400 / DEF: 500 / LV: 3) to her hand and changed Taoyame's position into Defense Position.

"Continuous Trap: Rose Marker. Each time my opponent activates a Spell or Trap, I can inflict 300 damage." The servant retaliated by opening his own Reverse Card, inflicting 300 damage to Sayaka as she activated Trap.

 **SAYAKA LP: 900 = 600**

"I set a card and end my Turn." The servant concluded.

Sayaka snatched another Action Card she could find this Turn and kept it in her hand. Scanning the cards in her hand and Field, she was positive everything was in order.

"My Turn! I summon Blue Fairy!" Sayaka summoned the monster she just added through her Trap in Attack Position in the Main Zone beside Fairy Cheer Girl.

 _"It's time. Ruri, Shun, and Yuto have fought against them for a whole month. Compared to the ambush from before, what they have gone through must be harder. I won't be scared anymore. This time, I will fight alongside them!"_ Sayaka determined. She didn't want to repeat it again. She didn't want to repeat the feeling of being helpless again. She won't lose so easily now.

 _"I will win this Duel!"_

"Appear! The circuit of the fairies!" Sayaka opened the Link Summoning Circuit. She set Fairy Cheer Girl on the Right-Arrow and Blue Fairy on the Bottom-Left Arrow of the Link Markers, combining the circuit.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Pixie Cheer Girl (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / LM: Right, Bottom-Left)!" Sayaka summoned her Link Monster in Attack Position in the Link Monster Zone.

"I activate Pixie Cheer Girl's effect! Once per Turn, I can destroy all Magic and Trap Cards on my opponent's Field!" Sayaka destroyed the servant's Zen Garden, Rose Marker, and her set card, leaving only Taoyame on the opponent's Field.

"And then Pixie Cheer Girl gains 300 ATK while my opponent's monster loses the equal amount of ATK for each destroyed card!" Sayaka increased her Link Monster's ATK to 2900 and decreased the servant's Taoyame's ATK to 800.

"Battle! I attack Taoyame with Pixie Cheer Girl!" Sayaka finally declared her Battle Phase.

"Double Magic, Open! Black Hole and Star Crest! Black Hole lower the opponent's monster's ATK by 800 during Battle Phase and Star Crest increase my monster's ATK by 800 during Battle Phase!" Sayaka reduced Taoyame's ATK to 0 while increasing Pixie's ATK to 3700.

"Next I activate Blue Fairy's effect! By banishing it, I can increase a Fairy Monster's ATK by 500!" Sayaka once again increased Pixie's ATK to 4200.

"Go, Pixie Cheer Girl!"

Pixie Cheer Girl flew towards the Xyz Monster. Its flapping wings produced sparkling dusks that decorated the area like dozens of colorful fireflies playing on the field. Pixie Cheer Girl strikes down the Xyz Monster with its glowing pompom, destroying it.

 **SERVANT LP: 4000 = 0**

Sayaka let out a sigh as she saw her opponent disappeared in a puff of black smoke. She looked at her surrounding and found her friends were still fighting. There were still more enemies who came approaching her. Noticing the door was opened, she quickly closed the door of the airship and locked it tight. This would lessen the worry a bit.

"I wonder how many of them are left." Sayaka muttered. These enemies seemingly came out from nowhere and continued to grow in numbers. Was this part of Apophis' power too? Or one of the higher ups was controlling them.

"If one person is controlling them, then only way for them to stop coming would be defeating the one who in control." Sayaka murmured to herself.

Meanwhile, Gongenzaka has just defeated two enemies at once. However, he immediately was confronted by another one. They wouldn't give him a rest even for a moment. But it didn't matter to him. This was not so different from when he fought Academia, except the fact that he would be killed for good if he lost instead of being carded.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! From my hand, I summon Superheavy Samurai Jisha-Q (ATK: 900 / DEF: 1900 / LV: 4)."

"As Jisha-Q was Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Superheavy Samurai" monster from my hand!" Gongenzaka Special Summoned another copy of Jisha-Q in Attack Position.

"Since I control 2 Superheavy Samurai Monsters, I activate Jisha-Q's effect. My opponent cannot attack."

"I end my Turn." Gongenzaka concluded.

"My Turn. I summon Drill Jumbo, Drilling Heavy Machinery (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 100 / LV: 4)." The servant summoned Drill Jumbo in Attack Position.

"As I Normal Summoned a Heavy Industry monster this turn, I activate Magic Card: Top-Speed Construction to Special Summon Road Roller, Grading Heavy Machinery (ATK: 600 / DEF: 2100 / LV: 4)" He summoned Road Roller in Defense Position. Due to the effect of Drill Jumbo, it gains 300 ATK for every other Heavy Industry monster the servant controls, increasing its ATK to 2100.

"I set a card and end my Turn." The servant concluded.

"My Turn! With Scale 8 Superheavy General San-5 and Scale 1 Superheavy General Hisu-E, I set the Pendulum Scale! With this I can simultaneously summon Level 2 to 7 monsters! Pendulum Summon! Come forth, my monsters!" Gongenzaka Pendulum Summoned Superheavy Samurai Horagai (ATK: 300 / DEF: 600 / LV: 3) and Superheavy Samurai Kageboshi (ATK: 500 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3) from his hand, both in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Appear! My circuit!" Gongenzaka opened the Link Summoning Circuit, setting Hisu-E on the Top Arrow, Horagai on the Left Arrow, and the Jisha-Qs on the Bottom and Right Arrow of the Link Markers.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Superheavy Samurai Tsunayo-C (ATK: 2300 / LINK: 4 / LM: Top, Left, Bottom, Right)!" Gongenzaka summoned his Link Monster in Attack Position in the Link Monster Zone. As Link Monster doesn't have a DEF, this was the first and only Monster Gongenzaka must constantly place in Attack Position. It was quite weird for him since his Deck was using Defensive strategy while attacking if he was being attacked first.

 _"This is my first Monster that would focus on offensive movement!"_ Gongenzaka has thought up a new strategy ever since he first received this LInk Monster. His other Superheavy Samurai Monsters would do the defending and back up, while this card can be the one to initiate the offense. If he played it right, his Deck would become more powerful.

"I activate Tsunayo-C's effect! Once per Turn, this card gains 400 ATK for each Superheavy Samurai Monsters in the Graveyard!" As there were 4 Superheavy Samurai monsters in the Graveyard, Gongenzaka increased Tsunayo-C's ATK by 1600, making its current ATK 3900.

"Battle! I attack Road Roller with Tsunayo-C! When it attacks Defense Position Monster, it can inflict piercing damage!" Gongenzaka declared battle. Tsunayo-C repeatedly thrust its naginata at Road Roller, making blade holes on its body.

"Trap Card: A Burning Man's Red Soul. I reduce the ATK of any monster targeting a Machine-Type Monster I control this turn by 1000." The servant lowered Tsunayo-C's ATK to 2900, lessening the damage he took as Road Roller was destroyed.

 **SERVANT LP: 4000 = 1700**

"I end my Turn." Gongenzaka concluded.

"I summon Strong Shovel, Excavation Heavy Machinery (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 100 / LV: 3)." He summoned Strong Shovel in Attack Position, increasing Drill Jumbo's ATK to 2400 following its effect.

"I activate Magic Card: Reckless Construction. I destroy a Machine-Type Monster I control to revive a Machine-Type Monster in my Graveyard." The servant destroyed Strong Shovel to revive Road Roller in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Scrap and Build to revive a Machine-Type Monster in my Graveyard." He revived Strong Shovel, but it was forbidden from attacking this turn. As Strong Shovel was Special Summoned from the Graveyard, the servant activated its effect to increase its Level by one, making its current Level 4.

"I activate Magic Card: Overhaul to increase the Level of all Machine-Type monsters I control by one." He increased all of his monsters' Level to 5.

"I overlay Drill Jumbo, Road Roller and Strong Shovel. Xyz Summon. Rank 5. Dobokzak, King of Heavy Machinery (ATK: 3200 / DEF: 2000 / ORU: 3)." He summoned his Xyz Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I detach an Overlay Unit to send the top three cards of my opponent's Deck to the Graveyard. For each Monster Card sent, I can destroy one monster on my opponent's field." The servant forced Gongenzaka to send Superheavy Samurai Kobu-C, Superheavy Samurai Taima-2, and Superheavy Samurai Double Horn to the Graveyard, which allowed the servant to destroy Tsunayo-C. This left Gongenzaka's Field empty.

"Battle. I attack directly with Dobokzak." The servant declared. Dobokzak crushed down its tires, which Gongenzaka barely evaded. The attack grazed his shoulder, making him bleed. Gongenzaka immediately covered the wound with his sash for the moment before standing up again.

 **GONGENZAKA LP: 4000 = 800**

"I end my Turn." The servant concluded.

"Looks like I made the right decision not to use San-5's Pendulum Effect earlier." Gongenzaka stated to himself. He was saving this in case this happened. Thank goodness he was right. This was the beginning of the true power of his Link Monster.

"I activate Tsunayo-C's effect! Once per Turn, by banishing the monster used as its Link Material, I can Special Summon it back to the Field." Gongenzaka banished the first copy of Jisha-Q, reviving Tsunayo-C in the Main Zone in Attack Position.

"I activate Tsunayo-C's effect to increase its ATK!" As now there were only 3 Superheavy Samurai Monsters left in the Graveyard, Gongenzaka increased its ATK by 3500.

"Battle! I attack Dobokzak with Tsunayo-C!" Gongenzaka attacked. Tsunayo-C, instead of thrusting its blade this time, it slashed the Xyz Monster in half from up to bottom, destroying it. However, Gongenzaka knew it won't be enough with just that. That's why he has saved this effect for this moment.

"I activate San-5's Pendulum Effect! When a Superheavy Samurai Monster destroys a monster by Battle, I can destroy this card to make a second attack!" Gongenzaka destroyed San-5 in his Pendulum Zone, allowing Tsunayo-C to attack again. Without batting an eye, Gongenzaka has Tsunayo-C to slash the servant in the middle, slashing its body apart that then disappeared in a puff of smoke.

 **SERVANT LP: 1700 = 0**

"Yuya is still not back yet..." Gongenzaka murmured while reading the message in his Duel Disk. Not even one of their comrades have come out from the temple. What exactly taking them so long? Were the enemies guarding inside the temple that strong?

Gongenzaka groaned when as soon as the Action Field dissolved, another group of enemies came again, reactivating the Action Field. They kept coming and going. Then again, they were not humans. Could Apophis continuously summon them until they were annihilated?

"No matter. As long as we protect the airship we would be fine. Yuya and the others will surely come back!" Gongenzaka exclaimed.

 **GUEST ROOM – RAMSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Leo Akaba was now sitting on the sofa across Yuno and the Emperor. As a researcher working under Heidel, Leo was allowed to wander around the fortress, though he must always wear the badge containing tracking devise to supervise his movement. After hearing that the Oracle and the Emperor was locked in a room together within the fortress, Leo decided to give them a visit as he heard the Oracle was closely allied with Yuya and the others. He was shocked when he saw the picture of the Oracle's face that bears striking resemblance with the boys and Zarc. He immediately suspected there was a connection between them, and he was right, the man was their ancestor.

"Why are you here, Leo Akaba? Are you siding with Heidel?" Yuno questioned calmly.

"If I have a choice, I won't be here, Yuno of the Oracle." Leo replied.

"So you have heard about me."

"Heidel has told me everything about this dimension, including you."

"I have also heard about you from Yuya and the others. You're supposed to be exiled after igniting the interdimensional war last year." Yuno recount what Yuya and the others have told him about Leo and what he read from Kino's report. For a moment he was relieved to hear that Leo hadn't accepted the offer, but he was naïve to think so as he should have suspected Heidel would make his move.

"Yes. Heidel came to the island where I'm being exiled and asked for my help. I told him that I wanted some times for consideration, but a few days later, he forcefully brought me here." Leo explained. The way Heidel forced him was unpleasant and after knowing the man's plan, he was reluctant to fulfil his request. But he has no choice at the moment.

"For what reason Heidel brought you here? What did he ask of you?" Yuno asked again. Heidel was sharp in choosing people to work for him. As Leo was one of the greatest scientists in ARC-V who had merged the four dimensions using that machine of his, Heidel must have planned something big with this man's brain.

"He asked me to recreate the reactor that I used in the last war." Leo revealed with grim expression. After the war, the reactor was destroyed completely without leaving even a single scrap. It was for the best considering the machine used people's live energies and nearly killed them in the process. Keeping it around would only bring back bad memories.

"You mean the Dimension Reactor that merged the four dimensions into ARC-V?" Yuno asked. From what he heard, the reactor used to merge the four dimensions needed people's life energies as fuel, carding them first and then placed them within the machine. A machine that better never exist.

Leo nodded in confirmation. "Yes. He wishes to merge this artificial dimension with ARC-V and also the Dimension Pulse." Leo revealed more. The mention of Dimension Pulse surprised both Yuno and the Emperor.

"Wait, I can understand why he would want to merge this dimension with ARC-V, but why would he want to merge the Dimension Pulse with our realm?" Yuno was purely confused. Since seal has been broken, the artificial dimension and ARC-V were connected once more. Since ARC-V has lots of useful resources, it was understandable why Heidel wishes to fuse the artificial dimension with ARC-V. But what was the point merging them with the realm where Duel Monsters are living?

"Because merging the two realms is crucial for him to achieve his goal." Leo answered. His face darkened as he said so.

"I have always thought Heidel's goal is to take control of the world and change it. But it seems his ideal is more than I imagined if it involves merging the two realms." Yuno sighed in exasperation.

Heidel has spearheaded the reformist movement in Cantidel and moved to improve the standard of living for the common people while checking many of the unfair privileges of the nobility. Based on this, Yuno thought Heidel was planning to take down the nobility system and slowly seize control of the whole Empire. When Heidel made his move to ARC-V, he thought the Supreme Commander was planning to annex ARC-V into his rule. He thought the was the extent of his plan. However, Leo's revelation was far worse than he imagined.

"Heidel's ultimate goal is a complete enslavement of Duel Monster spirits." Leo told the two men who went speechless.

"Pardon me; can you please repeat that one more time?" The Emperor asked, having difficulty to believe what he has heard. Yes, he was aware about the Dimension Pulse and all from Celica's story, including the history about the origin of Duel Monster game, but he never thought Heidel would go that far.

"Ages ago, when humans first discovered the existence of Duel Monsters and their world, they wish to take control of them until their conflict gave birth to Apophis that nearly destroyed the world, leading the two sides to make a peace pact. Heidel intends to finish what those humans couldn't do." Leo recount what he had heard from Heidel about the true history behind the creation of Duel Monsters game. Heidel revealed his plan to take complete control over the Duel Monsters so they would be obedient servants for humans. That way, they could use their power freely.

"Even if he is serious, is there really a way to enslave the Duel Monsters? They are not just some data that can be reprogrammed. They have souls. They are living beings like us. Is he trying to start another war with the Duel Monsters?" Yuno thought Heidel would be mad if he planned exactly as that. They were in the middle of war with Apophis and on the verge of igniting a civil war, and now was he planning to add another enemy to the mix? That practically would destroy the whole universe.

"That is what I'm trying to find out." Leo said. He stood up. The badge made a beeping noise. It was the time for him to work.

"Are you in the middle of creating that reactor?" Yuno asked again.

"I don't have a choice. The lives of my old friend and daughter are at stake." Leo answered without facing the two men and left, leaving them to think everything through.

"This is madness..." The Emperor remarked, covering his eyes with his hand.

When he appointed Heidel to become Supreme Commander, he knew the man was ambitious. However, he never thought he would gone this far. The Heidel that he knew wasn't like this.

"What happened to you, Aberforth..."

 **ALTAR – THIRD FLOOR – TEMPLE OF CALAMITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Apophis felt his body grew weak. He was swaying and looked he would fall at any second. Kurt straightened him up with the help of a devotee.

"You haven't gotten used with my body yet. It still takes time for your soul to adjust. Let's retreat for now." Kurt told the Dragon of Calamity who quickly pushed him and the devotee away, forcing himself to stand by himself.

"I know. I leave the army in your command, Tsukasa. Finish them off." Apophis told his offspring, giving the command to Tsukasa.

"Affirmative." Tsukasa obeyed.

Kurt and Apophis retreated through an elevator behind the altar, going down that would lead to another airship that would take them out from the temple. Tsukasa and the three devotees, on the other hand, were facing against Yuya, Serena, Celica, and Odd-Eyes. However, Serena couldn't care less about Tsukasa or these devotees. She only has one target in her mind.

"Wait! Don't think I'll let you run away!"

Serena dashed towards the elevator. The three devotees quickly blocked her path. Serena glared at them. They were underestimating them. She has no time to deal with small fries like them. And so, Serena resorted using force to go through, kicking the first devotee on his stomach, elbowing the second devotee on the back of his neck, and jumped and used the third devotee's shoulders as a boost to jump higher that she landed behind them near elevator. She didn't even bother to look back, continuing to run towards the elevator.

"Pathetic. Stand up and fight." Tsukasa kicked the three devotees, forcing them to stand up again. He turned to Serena's back, ready to chase after the girl. "What a troublesome girl."

"I won't let you!" Yuya exclaimed as he launched a Duel Anchor, tying Tsukasa's Duel Disk with his that activated the Action Field that trapped the two of them, separating them from the others until the Duel is finished.

{ACTION FIELD ON, FIELD SPELL: LINK TERMINAL}

"Yuya!" Odd-Eyes tried to get into the dome, but it was already too small for him to enter.

"Odd-Eyes go after Serena! You must stop her from doing anything rash!" Yuya told the red-haired Duelist with tone of urgency. When Serena lost her head, she would make reckless decision and moves that might cost her life. Celica was facing against the three devotees, so Odd-Eyes was the only one he could count on.

"Alright!" Odd-Eyes relented. While he actually didn't want to leave them, he also knew the truth in Yuya's words. Serena would fasten her own death if they let her be. Before chasing after Serena, he threw a card at Yuya right before the dome completely enclosed him and Tsukasa. Yuya looked at the card. It was his ace monster, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

"He has been waiting to fight together with you again." The red-haired Duelist said before going after Serena, trusting Yuya and Celica would do fine.

"Yeah! Thank you! I'll catch up to you soon!" Yuya yelled back, grateful of the red-haired Duelist. At long last, he was finally able to fight together with his ace monster again. He had missed him like forever. He could sense that the red dragon also felt the same way.

"Soon? You better not underestimate me." Tsukasa interrupted their moment, staring coldly at Yuya. "The only reason you won against me when we first met was because I held back."

Tsukasa didn't use his full power against Yuya back then under Apophis' order. But this time, there was nothing to stop him from going all out. As long as he could get his hand on Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and the other one, then Yuya was not needed. Also, the boy was the Oracle's descendant. As someone who shared his blood, his resentment extended to this boy. And since Yuno was a type who cherishes his family, he would surely be devastated if he killed Yuya. He has been piling up his anger and frustration after losing to Yuno in the underground prison. This would be the perfect time to unleash them all, making it stress-relieving.

"I'll show you my real power."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Impenetrable Defending Silver Dragon** – Yuya fights Tsukasa to stop the advancing army under his command. At the same time, in attempt to take Yuri's body back, Serena challenges Kurt.

* * *

 **Finished. Not sure with this one, but I hope you like the Duels. And does Kurt's revelation surprise you? Oh, and actually there's still one more thing that Kurt hasn't revealed in the bargain. He will explain one more thing in the next chapter. Yuya will finally have his rematch against Tsukasa and Serena will duel against Kurt. Don't worry the Duel won't result with a Draw like what happened in the previous chapters. I think I have quite lot of surprises regarding Kurt's Deck! He is really strong!**

 **By the way, after this arc is over, which one you prefer for me to update first: Story about Odd-Eyes and the others' past or finishing Yuri's inner problem? Whichever is updated first won't really affect the story or anything, so tell me your thoughts, which one you wish to know first the most?**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	58. Impenetrable Defending Silver Dragon

**Big thanks to** _ **sparck, jason, Ulrich362, Unknowedz, dvdryms, GamingGuy84, Playerhood18, Big duels, tsukikami02, D3lph0xL0v3r, aqua9597, NeoFGD, VioletStarVN, Elbarto4000, Hunter13hawkie, UST Colbalt Diamond**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – REFUGEE CAMP – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

The battle against Apophis and his armies resulted in devastating destruction throughout the whole world. The capital of Cantidel Empire, being the center of the conflict as Apophis situated there, was at the worst condition compared to the other countries or any places. Despite the danger, there were many citizens who still stayed in the capital, as most have no means to move to other places, and there weren't actually places that could be considered completely safe in this time.

If there was a place they could at least take a rest or at least enable them to prolong their lives even for only a moment, that would be the refugee camps built by the combined efforts of The Brotherhood, Imperial Family, and Imperial Militaries. The refugee camp was quite crowded, but fortunately was enough for everyone, either places or consumption resources. What they worried them the most was a possible attack from the enemies. Even with the protection of the three combined forces known as the strongest in Cantidel, they were still filled with fear.

People who were doing their own activities stopped when they saw a certain man walking by. He was a man with blue unruly hair and a tall quite muscular build hidden beneath black patterned dress shirt with a black suit and black shiny red-soled shoes with sequenced crystals at the tip. He also wore shimmery silver driving gloves and his Duel Disk on his left hand.

They stopped whatever they were doing, giving a polite bow, salute, or a simple greeting to the man who returned them with a warm smile.

"Yuno!"

When the man heard someone calling his name, he looked forward and saw a tall, built blond haired man dressed in dark clothing approaching him. The two shared a brief friendly hug, patting each other's back before facing one another.

"Jusis. How is the situation at the camp while I was gone?" Yuno asked his best friend.

"Almost as usual if not for the performance that brightened this place." Jusis replied with a relieved smile.

"Performance? What performance?" Yuno asked while blinking in question.

Jusis didn't say anything but instead pointing at where the fireplace was. There, people, particularly children, were gathering while making excited voices as in front of them, a boy with dichromatic green and red eyes in clown clothing with Entermate Guitartle, Entermate Fire Mufflio, Entermate Allcover Hippo and Entermate Bubbuldog beside him.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Today, you will see extraordinary performances from us, so please enjoy the show!"

As soon as he was done with the opening greeting, the red-haired boy rode on Fire Mufflio's back. The lion monster with fiery hair began jumping around doing somersaults, at times even jumping through the fire circles that it made by itself. Allcover Hippo was dancing while moving on a huge balloon. Bubbuldog blew its bubbles, decorating the stage. And Guitartle played a song throughout the whole show. The audience laughed, mesmerized by the performances. Once they were all done, they bowed to the audience, earning them cheers and clap from them.

"Thank you, thank you! We hope you enjoyed our show! Tomorrow, please come again at the same time here and we will perform a different show that you would enjoy as well!" The boy announced. He was soon surrounded by the children who asked for more tricks or petting the Duel Monsters. They opened a path when a certain clap caught their eyes and saw Yuno with Jusis behind him coming at their direction.

"That's a wonderful show." Yuno commented while still clapping before opening his arms for the dichromatic-eyed boy who brightened upon seeing him.

"Dad!" The dichromatic-eyed boy quickly rushed to the man, giving him a hug, which the man returned.

"You did well entertaining them while I was gone, Yuji." Yuno told his son. He was proud of him. This was what the people at the camp exactly needed. They mustn't let the horrors of war making them forget happiness.

"This is the only way I could think to at least ease their worries. I know we're in the middle of war, but we can't just keep being all depressed, right? Mom, Ryuji, and the others also think I should go with this." Yuji said while looking up to his father without letting go of him, eyes gleaming with excitement at the thought of another show.

"You got that right. Once this is over, let's celebrate and you'll perform the most amazing show to the whole world as a sign of our victory." Yuno patted his son's head. They have to end this war so his children and the other young ones could live a happy future where they can smile like this.

Yuji slightly blushed but nevertheless happy and more than agreed with the idea.

"Yeah! Just wait and see! I will do a show that will bring smiles to everyone!"

 **PRESENT TIME – GUEST ROOM – RAMSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuno was staring at the photograph that he carried with him all the time. Being held captive in the strongest fortress in the whole empire by the Supreme Commander was stressing his mind, and other than having a conversation with the Emperor and his Duel Monsters, seeing the photograph eased his mind to a certain degree despite the bittersweet memories that came along with it. That was much better than thinking what Heidel would make them do next.

"Is this you and Celica before you're cursed?" The Emperor asked, seeing the photo from behind the Oracle who was quite startled but quickly recomposed himself.

"Yes. And this is Celica's older brother and my children." Yuno pointed at the blond-haired man standing next to him in the photo and the four teens lined up with a little boy between them.

"I thought you only had one son?" The Emperor asked while pointing at the little boy who appeared to be around 8 years old in the photo.

"The four of them were my adopted children. They fell victims to Apophis and his men's hands. Even though they were not related to me by blood, they're still my precious children like my own. They fought together with me in the war..." Yuno explained while eyeing each of the said children.

The oldest one has spiky purplish indigo haired and yellow eyes. He wore a long clear grey cloak, a shirt with red belt and grey pants with black shoes.

The second child, the only girl out of five children, has long wavy violet hair and green eyes. She has a yellow fringe, parted in the middle that falls below her eyes with longer sections framing her face. She wore a white suit with tassled accents and a ribbon from her shoulder to waist and thigh high boots.

The third child has white and light blue hair with yellow eyes. He wore a long overcoat over a lime green shirt with white pants and black leather boots and gloves.

The youngest one has spiky red hair with dichromatic red and green eyes. He wore an orange overcoat over a white shirt and black jeans.

Yuno could still remember their dead bodies like it happened yesterday. Everything was still fresh in his mind. He still remembered their bodies covered in blood, thrown into what seemed to be bottomless pits and he was powerless to reach them.

"But I failed...to protect them..."

 **FIRST FLOOR – TEMPLE OF CALAMITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yukiya has just defeated the last of the black creatures that suddenly emerged from the ground and then disappeared like a puff of smoke after he defeated them. He kneeled while panting hard. He was tired from the non-stop dueling. He barely moved from his spot so that Dennis who was still unconscious behind him won't get hurt more than he already has.

"What's happening upstairs? I can't get through them either." Yukiya muttered to himself while checking his Duel Disk in attempt to contact his friends, but all of them didn't respond, which usually because they were in the middle of a Duel.

When Yukiya heard footsteps from the stairs. He moved closer to Dennis, fearing it might be another one of the enemies. He didn't know how long he will lasts, but he will protect Dennis at all cost. He will keep him safe until he can be taken to the hospital. Dennis was still hanging in his life. Dennis hasn't given up, so he shouldn't either.

Yukiya was relieved when he saw Reiji and Celica came downstairs, but his smile dropped when he didn't see Yuya, Serena, and Odd-Eyes with them.

"Yukiya! How are you and Dennis?" Reiji asked worriedly.

"We're fine. But where are Yuya, Serena, and Odd-Eyes? And how about Yuri?" Yukiya asked back. Celica was with Reiji, but the rest weren't. Were they still trying to save Yuri?

"We were too late…Yuri-kun's body is now possessed by Kurt. Serena-chan and Odd-Eyes ran after Apophis and Kurt while Yuya-kun is dueling against Tsukasa. I'm sure you have fought those black creatures. They are Apophis' army. They will come back unless Tsukasa who is commanding them is defeated." Celica explained as fast as she could and straight to the point.

"I heard about Dennis, and Yuya-kun told me that we should bring him out of here first." Celica added while looking at Dennis whose breathing became heavier. If he didn't receive proper treatment soon, his life would rise to heaven. Reiji also knew this, so he agreed with Yuya's instruction to get Dennis out of the temple.

Yukiya was honestly confused as there were clearly details that have yet to be explained due to time restriction, but he what the most important points were: First, for the army to stop appearing, Tsukasa must be defeated. Second, it was a brash move for Serena and Odd-Eyes if they were to confront both Apophis and Kurt so they must be stopped.

"I'm going to check on Yuya. The two of you go on ahead with Denis!" Yukiya didn't wait for Reiji and Celica's reply. He rushed upstairs, ignoring their shouts to wait and stop.

 **THIRD FLOOR – TEMPLE OF CALAMITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"I'll show you my true power." Tsukasa stated while glaring at Yuya.

"I won't lose! I'm different than last time!" Yuya replied.

Their surrounding changed into digital landscape, which consisted of a flat, dark platform with glowing blue, cyan, or white ribbons of light covering it in a vast latticework. There were several floating data cubes as well.

" _I'll be okay. Together with Odd-Eyes, I can do this!"_ Yuya thought confidently while looking at his Deck where he had placed Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. He smiled when a bit when he could hear his ace monster's enthusiasm.

It's show time.

 **[ACTION DUEL!]**

Yuya was the first to notice an Action Card above one of the floating cubes. One of the things that he learned from Yuno and Yukiya that involved technologies was how to manipulate Real Solid Vision. It was actually not so different from learning Magic Tricks once he got used to it. Thanks to that lesson, he was able to project various magic tools that helped improving his Entertainment Dueling. From his jacket, Yuya took out a pigeon, Poppo-chan, as he named it, to take the Action Card for him.

"I'm going first! I activate Field Spell: Rite of Purgatory! During my Standby Phase I can add 2 Purgatory Magics or Traps from my Deck to my hand. Also, as long as this card is on the Field, my opponent cannot attack Infernoid Monsters except the one with highest Level." Tsukasa activated his Field Spell.

"I banish 2 Infernoid monsters from my hand to Special Summon Infernoid Ba'al (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 0 / LV: 7)!" Tsukasa summoned Ba'al in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Tsukasa concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Entermate Uni (ATK: 800 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 3)!" Yuya summoned Uni in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Entermate Uni's effect to Special Summon Entermate Corn (ATK: 600 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3)!" Yuya summoned Corn in Attack Position in the Main Zone beside Uni.

"Since I control both Uni and Corn, I can activate Corn's effect! I switch them to Defense Position and then add a card from my Deck to my hand!" Yuya changed Uni and Corn into Defense Position and then added Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon into his hand.

 _"It's been a while. Let's do this, Odd-Eyes!"_ Yuya smiled at his ace monster before picking two Pendulum Cards.

"With Scale 1 Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon and Scale 8 Entermate Amulet Princess, I set the Pendulum Scale! With this I can simultaneously summon Level 2 to 7 monsters! Swing, Pendulum of the soul! Create an arc of light across the aether! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my monster!" Yuya summoned his ace monster, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 4) in Attack Position in the Main Zone. Considering the two haven't met for so longer, Odd-Eyes nudged Yuya's head with his and gave a lick, earning him a chuckle from its master who petted him before they focused back to the Duel.

"I activate Action Magic: Data Frontier! I can increase my monster's ATK by 500 until the end of this Turn!" Yuya increased Odd-Eyes' ATK to 3000.

"Battle! I attack Infernoid Ba'al with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! Spiral Strike Burst!" Yuya declared attack. Odd-Eyes shot his red blast straight at Ba'al. Right at that moment, Tsukasa opened his first Reverse Card.

"Trap Card: Mad Feast of Purgatory! I send 1 Purgatory Spell or Trap from my hand or face-up on the Field to Special Summon up to 3 Infernoid Monsters from my Deck whose total Levels exactly equal 8, ignoring their summoning conditions!" Tsukasa summoned Infernoid Asmodai (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 0 / LV: 5), Infernoid Beelzebul (ATK: 0 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 2), and Infernoid Satan (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"When Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon battles a Level 5 or higher Monster, the damage is doubled! Reaction Force!" Yuya inflicted additional damage, adding more power into Odd-Eyes' blast that was now circled with dark spiraling flames, destroying Ba'al.

 **TSUKASA LP: 4000 = 3200**

"I end my Turn." Yuya concluded. He then turned to Odd-Eyes and petted him again. "Good job, buddy. I really missed you."

"Ahh...how touching. It makes me sick. You've grown attach to the worthless humans this far, Odd-Eyes." Tsukasa sneered at the red dragon, to which Odd-Eyes retorted with a hostile growl.

"What? You really think you and that little master of yours can beat me? Please. Have you forgotten who killed you back before you were reborn? I did." Tsukasa coldly reminded the red-scaled dragon.

"What? What do you mean?" Yuya asked, turning back and forth to Odd-Eyes and Tsukasa.

"Back when Odd-Eyes was still one of us, an offspring, he betrayed us so His Excellency had ordered for his death, along with the rest of the traitors. And I was the one who killed the traitor who now became your lapdog." Tsukasa revealed. His tone was sharp and heartless and his words were stabbing not only Odd-Eyes, but also Yuya.

"You...you're the one who killed...Odd-Eyes?!" Yuya was barely able to contain his anger. He could feel his dragon's uneasiness and slight pain at the reminder. It must be hard and infuriating to face the one who killed you. Yuya clenched his hands as hard as he could while his body was trembling with rage. He took a deep breath, trying to ease his anger. He must not lose his cool now. This could be part of Tsukasa's plan.

"That settles it. I'll make you pay for what you did to Odd-Eyes!" Yuya decreed, glaring at the Infernoid user. He was still in rage, but he could hold it. He made the right call as his partner sent its appreciation to him.

"A brat like you can never beat me." Tsukasa retorted with disgust. He truly hated the kid. The expression Yuya was making reminded him of Yuno's expression 1,500 years ago when he confronted him following Odd-Eyes' death. The Oracle was enraged and challenged him to a Duel to avenge Odd-Eyes. Bitterly, it ended with his lost. He could still remember the way Yuno was looking down at him after he was defeated. And now this boy was sporting the same face as that bastard did.

 _"I'll make you experience pain."_ Tsukasa stated in his mind. He won't let this boy to lose so easily without feeling pain first.

"My Turn. I activate Magic Card: Pot of Greed." Tsukasa activated the card he just drew, adding two more cards to his hand. Also, due to Rites of Purgatory's effect, he added 2 Purgatory cards to his hand.

Meanwhile, Yuya used a stick that could be extended to snatch the Action Card this Turn.

"I activate Continuous Trap: Awakening Purgatory. During each of my Standby Phase, I can send 2 Infernoid Monsters from my Deck to my Graveyard." Tsukasa opened his second Reverse Card, discarding 2 Infernoid Monsters from his Deck.

"I activate Magic Card: Reward from the Purgatory. I discard 1 Infernoid Monster I control to add 1 Infernoid Monster from my Deck to my hand. Also, until the end of this Turn, my Magic and Trap cannot be destroyed by effects." Tsukasa activated the first card that he added through Rites of Purgatory's effect, discarding Satan and then added Infernoid Nehemoth into his hand.

"I banish 3 Infernoid Monsters whose total Levels are 8 or lower to Special Summon Infernoid Lilith (ATK: 2900 / DEF: 2900 / LV: 9) from my hand!" Tsukasa discarded his 3 infernoid Monsters in the Graveyard, summoning Lilith in Attack Position in the Main Zone from his hand.

"I activate Infernoid Lilith's effect! When this card is Special Summoned, I can destroy all Spell and Trap Cards on the Field!" Tsukasa declared while pointing at Yuya's Monsters in Pendulum Zones treated as Magic Cards. Due to Reward from the Purgatory's effect, Tsukasa's Magic and Trap cards were not affected until the end of this Turn and thus, only Yuya's cards were in danger. Unfortunately for Tsukasa, Yuya already has a backup for that.

"I activate Trap Card: Rile Up! By tributing 2 Level 4 or lower monsters from my Field, I can activate this card from my hand to negate the effect of my opponent's monster!" Yuya activated the Trap from his hand, releasing Uni and Corn as the cost to seal Lilith's effect, preventing his monsters in the Pendulum Zones to be destroyed.

"Next, I activate Continuous Magic: Closing Purgatory. During each of my opponent's Standby Phase, I can send 1 Infernoid Monster from my Deck to Graveyard." Tsukasa activated the second card he added earlier through Rites of Purgatory's effect, sending 1 Infernoid Monster to the Graveyard.

"Battle. I attack Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon with Infernoid Lilith!" Tsukasa declared Battle Phase. Infernoid Lilith lunged at the red-scaled dragon, opening its jaw for a bite. Yuya quickly raised his arm up at Odd-Eyes Persona.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon's Pendulum Effect! During either player's Turn, I can swap this card in Pendulum Zone with other Odd-Eyes Monster on my Field!" Yuya switched Odd-Eyes Pendulum with Odd-Eyes Persona, replacing the former as the target for the incoming Lilith. Odd-Eyes Pendulum was enclosed in a box and when the box was opened, instead of Odd-Eyes Pendulum, Odd-Eyes Persona appeared from inside the box while Odd-Eyes Pendulum was in the Pendulum Zone.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's Pendulum Effect! Once per Turn, when a battle involving Pendulum Monster occurs, the damage is reduced to 0!" Yuya revealed as his ace monster created a barrier that protecting him from the blast of Odd-Eyes Persona's destruction, rendering him unharmed.

"I would have called it a clever move, but it seems your decision to switch Odd-Eyes Pendulum with Odd-Eyes Persona is not because to prevent the damage." Tsukasa remarked based on his observation.

"I'm not ready to part with him even for a moment. And I especially won't let you harm Odd-Eyes again!" Yuya exclaimed. After hearing the revelation, there was no way he would so easily let Odd-Eyes be destroyed even if he could resurrect him through Pendulum Summoning. He won't let Tsukasa has his way.

"Foolish sentimentality. I set a card and end my Turn." Tsukasa concluded.

"My Turn! With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon!" Yuya revived Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon from his Extra Deck and then summoned Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon from his hand after he drew it in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon's Monster Effect! I can negate the effect of a card on the Field!" Yuya pointed at Lilith, sealing its effect.

"I activate Rile Up's effect! By banishing it, I can swap a Pendulum Monster on my Field with the one in my Pendulum Zone!" Yuya banished his Trap and then switched back Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon with Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon to their original zones. Now it's time for Odd-Eyes Pendulum to get his payback against his killer.

"Battle! I attack Infernoid Lilith with Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!" Yuya declared the first attack with Odd-Eyes Phantom. The Dragon shot its spiraling flames.

"I activate Action Magic: Data Crack! I can lower the ATK of a monster my opponent controls by 600 during Battle Phase!" Yuya activated his first Action Card, lowering Lilith's ATK to 2300, which allowed Odd-Eyes Phantom's flame to burn down the infernoid Monster's whole body.

 **TSUKASA LP: 3200 = 3000**

"I activate Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon's Monster Effect! On the Turn this card is Pendulum Summoned and inflict damage to my opponent, I can inflict additional damage equal to the ATKs of Monsters in my Pendulum Zone! Atomic Force!" Yuya added as Odd-Eyes Persona and Amulet Princess left their Pendulum Zones to shoot a combined attack against Tsukasa. The dragon combined its blast with Amule Princess' magic produced from its wand, shooting straight at Tsukasa.

The spot where Tsukasa was standing was filled with smoke for a moment until it dispersed and revealed the Infernoid user was unharmed and well, and there was a face-up card beside him.

"Action Magic: Material Break. I reduce effect damage to 0." Tsukasa revealed. Seconds before the combined blast hit him, he noticed an Action Card nearby and quickly has Lilith to throw it at him with its tail. He managed to activate it right before the attack hit.

"This Action Card does come in handy. Too bad that this Turn the Action Card was placed near me." Tsukasa remarked. There was only one Action Card once per Turn and for one player only. It was a race to get that Action Card each Turn.

"Then next, I attack directly with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya proceeded with his second attack. Odd-Eyes tackled its head against Tsukasa, throwing the Infernoid user back, but he was able to do a somersault that landed him safely, though he felt pain on his abdomen.

 **TSUKASA LP: 3000 = 500**

"I end my Turn." Yuya finished.

"My Turn." Tsukasa discarded two Infernoid Monsters once more following his Continuous Trap's effect and added another 2 Purgatory Magic and Trap to his hand.

The two of them noticed the next Action Card floating above a cube between them. Briefly glancing at each other, both Yuya and Tsukasa ran for the Action Card. This was what Tsukasa has exactly been waiting for. From his beneath his robe, he took out a knife and threw it at Yuya, hitting his left foot. The stabbing pain stopped Yuya midair, causing him to fall while Tsukasa snatched the Action Card and activated it.

"Action Magic: Digital Bomb. I inflict 500 damage to my opponent." Tsukasa declared while looking down at the writhing Yuya from above the floating cube. The Pendulum user was hissing in pain from the knife still sticking into his left foot that he failed to realize at the bomb falling from above him, receiving 500 damage.

 **YUYA LP: 4000 = 3500**

Yuya gritted his teeth tight before removing the knife, holding down a scream of pain. He quickly took out emergency bandage that distributed to him and his friends before starting the rescue mission. He made the right decision to listen to Yuno's advice and took it with him. This would stop the bleeding for the time being. And he was positive that he was lucky Tsukasa aimed for his foot. If it was other than that, it could cost him his life. Looks like the Infernoid user at least wanted to end this Duel properly so he didn't aim for the vital so that Yuya stayed alive.

"There is no rule we cannot stop our opponents from getting Action Card through force. I recall Duelists from Ryozanpaku are using similar methods to stop their opponents from getting one?" Tsukasa reminded Duelists like Kachidoki who formerly was a student from that school, and also Makoto and Ken who injured their opponents whenever trying to get Action Cards.

"However, the difference is, this is a real battlefield, which means I have no hesitation to kill you. If by a chance I missed my throw and hit your vital spots and you can't endure it, it's not really a problem. This is not a match." Tsukasa's eyes glinted with intent to kill. He wished Yuya would make a move so that he has a reason to throw more knives at him. He won't kill him just yet until the Duel is over. He would love to cut and stab him more.

"I banish 3 Infernoid Monsters in my Graveyard to Special Summon Infernoid Nehemoth (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10)!" Tsukasa banished another set of three Infernoid Monsters, summoning Nehemoth in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Infernoid Nehemoth's effect. On the Turn this card is summoned, I can destroy all monsters on the Field!" Tsukasa declared as Nehemoth unleashed flood of crimson flame, burning all monsters on his and Yuya's Field. While he still has Nehemoth, Yuya has nothing left.

"Battle! I attack directly with Infernoid Nehemoth!" Tsukasa declared attack. Nehemoth's wings were on fire. The Infernoid monster flapped it forward, sending a wave for burning flames towards Yuya whose Field was wide open without any monster or set card.

"I activate Entermate Uni's effect! By banishing it and Corn from the Graveyard, I can reduce the damage equal to their total DEFs!" Yuya summoned the spirits of Uni and Corn. Together, the two girls formed an invisible barrier that partially blocked the flames, lessening the damage that Yuya took.

 **YUYA LP: 3500 = 3000**

"I end my Turn." Tsukasa concluded. "You're as persistent as that ancestor of yours. I'll make sure to damage your body so badly and then show your corpse to Yuno. That would make him lost it and I'll get my revenge on him."

"I won't die! And you won't get a chance to fight Yuno-san because I'll defeat you here!" Yuya retorted while struggling to keep standing. He had stopped the bleeding, but his left foot hurt at the slightest bit of movement. He had to be careful.

As Yuya started his Turn, Tsukasa sent another Infernoid Monster from his Deck to the Graveyard.

"My Turn! With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Be revived from the Extra Deck!" Yuya revived Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon in Attack Position in the Main Zone. He looked at the card he drew and frowned.

 _"Darn it. This is not enough!"_ Yuya cursed. He has a bad draw. But he at least still has a way to keep his defenses somehow to survive.

He wanted to get an Action Card that might be able to lessen the odds, but his wounded left foot stopped him from moving. If he moved too much the bleeding will start again. Furthermore, he could have sworn Tsukasa prepared a second knife beneath his robe, which means if he so much as making a gesture to move, Tsukasa this time will aim for his right foot to stop him. It was clear the man was itching to harm him.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuya reluctantly ended his Turn. Tsukasa was quite disappointed that Yuya didn't make a move, but he still other ways to beat him up.

"My Turn. I banish 3 Infernoid Monsters from my Graveyard, to Special Summon Infernoid Lilith!" Tsukasa has discarded 1 Infernoid Monster following Closing Purgatory's effect in the previous Turn. Adding the two monsters he discarded now through Awakening of Purgatory's effect, he has 3 Infernoid Monsters in his Graveyard, enough to summon the second copy of Lilith in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Continuous Magic: Void of Dream Purgatory. All Infernoid monsters whose original Levels are 2 or higher becomes Level 1 and the battle damage is halved." Tsukasa changed Nehemoth and Lilith's Level to 1.

 _"It's the card that he used to summon Infernoid Belial during our first battle! Then, he's going to pull out that Fusion Summon using 6 cards directly from his Deck?"_ Yuya suspected. He was caught off guard last time by the card, and he honestly felt lucky he survived that time.

"From my hand, I summon Infernoid Satan." He Normal summoned the second copy of Satan in Attack Position in the Main Zone from his hand.

 _"Huh? He is not performing Fusion Summon like last time?"_ Yuya blinked in confusion. Could it be the Continuous Spell has other effect that he didn't know yet?

"I activate Void of Dream Purgatory's effect. I can destroy this card to use Infernoid Monsters I control as Materials to Fusion Summon." Tsukasa fused Nehemoth, Lilith, and Satan together as the Fusion Vortex appeared above Tsukasa. The three Infernoid Monsters swirled into the vortex, becoming one single powerful monster.

 _"He summoning normally instead of using cards from his Deck as materials?!"_ Yuya thought in surprise. His heart beating fast as he sensed enormous presence coming out from the vortex. It felt far stronger than when Tsukasa summoned Belial.

"Behold! This is my strongest monster! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 11! Infernoid Tiera (ATK: 3400 / DEF: 3600 / LV: 11)!" Tsukasa summoned Infernoid Tiera in Attack Position in the Main Zone. The Fusion Monster's appearance was followed by sparks of flames, burning several parts of the Action Field.

"A Level 11 Fusion Monster?!" Yuya exclaimed in disbelieve. He gasped as he thought more of Tsukasa's moves. His Continuous Trap and Spells, they involved sending Infernoid Monsters to the Graveyard while adding Purgatory cards to his hand. The condition to summon Tiera was fusing Nehemoth, Lilith, and one or more Infernoid Monsters.

 _"He continuously sent monsters to the Graveyard in preparation to summon both Nehemoth and Lilith. He added Purgatory cards to accelerate the process and also so that he can add Void of Dream Purgatory...!"_ Yuya's eyes widened in realization. Tsukasa noticed this and narrowed his eyes further.

"Looks like you have realized it. It's already too late. I activate Infernoid Tiera's effect. If this monster used 3 or more Fusion Materials, each player must send 3 cards from their Extra Deck to the Graveyard." Tsukasa and Yuya chose 3 cards from their Extra Deck discarded them to the Graveyard. Tsukasa's eyes gleamed as he looked at a certain card in his hand after the effect resolved.

"Battle. I attack Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon with Infernoid Tiera!" Tsukasa didn't beat around the bush and began his attack. He pointed at Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. The Fusion Monster opened its jaw, shooting fiery blast coated in black flames resembling a serpent.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon's Pendulum Effect! I switch it with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya once again swapped Odd-Eyes Pendulum with Odd-Eyes Persona, repeating the same move he did last time. The moment the two dragons swapped places, he activated Odd-Eyes Pendulum's Pendulum Effect to reduce the damage to 0. However, Tsukasa has already prepared with that.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Flames of Purgatory! Infernoid Monster I control can attack one more time and the damage is doubled!" Tsukasa activated one of the Prugatory cards he added during his Standby Phase, allowing Tiera to attack for the second time with Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon as the target.

As Yuya has already used Odd-Eyes' Pendulum Effect, he couldn't protect himself from the damage he took. Yuya could do nothing but stood and received the full brunt of the flames together with Odd-Eyes Phantom who tried its best to protect him.

 **YUYA LP: 3000 = 1200**

Yuya was thrown back by the explosion, feeling the burning sensation from the flames. His jacket was burned, partially protecting him from the flames, but Yuya still received burn injuries. Fortunately, it wasn't as bad as the knife wound. However, Yuya wasn't prepared with the next attack from Tsukasa.

"Next I activate Quick-Play Spell: Gravity of Purgatory! When Infernoid Monster I controls finishes its attack, I can inflict damage by 100 for each card that was discarded by both players this Turn!" Tsukasa added. Both he and Yuya have discarded six cards in total due to Tiera's effect, so the damage inflicted was 600.

 **YUYA LP: 1200 = 600**

"I end my Turn." Tsukasa concluded, looking down at Yuya who was having difficulty to stand up.

"This is the end for you two. You can take this as taking retribution for killing people like we are. You two are concerned so much with atoning for the lives you have taken, no? Eye for an eye, tooth for tooth." Tsukasa told Yuya and Odd-Eyes.

"What...?" Yuya uttered as he slowly stood up.

"You killed the Doctor, and Odd-Eyes had killed a lot of people too while he was still working with us. He used to be an offspring obligated to follow His Excellency's order after all. How many lives do you think he had taken 1,500 years ago under His Excellency's order? A whole lot more than you did." Tsukasa revealed. Before Odd-Eyes' betrayal, he accepted and finished the order given to him without question.

"Odd-Eyes..." Yuya looked up at his ace monster in the Pendulum Zone who glanced away from his gaze. Yuya's eyes hardened while sensing the dragon's emotions. Guilt, regret, they were flowing into him. Yuya knew that feeling because he was feeling that way after he killed the Doctor. But it must be harder for Odd-Eyes. The lives the dragon had taken as an offspring were far more than he was. No, not only as offspring, he was also atoning for the lives he had taken when Zarc went mad.

 _"Just like me, Odd-Eyes is also trying his best to atone for what he did. The both of us are wishing for the same thing..."_ Yuya was saddened. It took him a whole year to know his dragon's inner suffering.

 _"I... Can we...ever pay for the lives we have taken...?"_

"I already told you not to compare Yuya with the likes of you."

Yuya gasped when he heard a voice behind him. He turned around and was surprised to see Yukiya inside the Action Field. How was it possible? No one from outside should have been able to enter the Field while it was active. He looked behind Yukiya and saw a hole that quickly repaired itself like it was never there to begin with.

"Yukiya?!" Yuya exclaimed in confusion.

"I'm a first-class hacker. Making a hole to enter this Field is a piece of cake." Yukiya said while raising his Duel Disk. Briefly glaring at Tsukasa, he helped Yuya stand by holding his shoulder and waist. He frowned when seeing blood stains on Yuya's left shoe and the burnt and bruises on his body. He could have intruded this Duel, but that was not Yuya need at the moment.

"Yuya…killing is a terrible experience. You still see it in nightmares, the moment haunts you to this day, and you wonder if there was any way that you could have made this situation better without making everything so final. You've not been able to deal with the feeling of helplessness you've had since the moment you pulled the trigger." Yukiya sometimes have bad dreams of Zarc when he went mad as the corrupted Supreme King Dragon. He felt the sensation like it was attached to his skin.

"No matter how much we want to dismiss it as an accident, you still feel responsible for it, and you are." He initially thought the nightmare was a side effect after touching part of Zarc's memory. But now he thought more about it, it might have been Zarc's nightmare rather than his own. He couldn't explain well, but it was like he experienced it himself. And by feeling so, he understood the guilt that Zarc, Yuya, and Odd-Eyes feels.

"But Yuya, do not judge your actions in hindsight, but to think about your state of mind in the split-second in which the decision had to be made. You need to stop from obsessing over things you can't control in your past and focus on the present and future." Right now, both Yuya and Odd-Eyes needed to know the importance of the present and future. There was no point to keep fussing over the past. No one could change what already happened. And perhaps it was better to leave it that way. No matter how painful the experience was, there must be a reason why it happened, and that reason was for the sake of the present and future.

"If you fall now, what do you think the people who cares for you would feel? I definitely don't want you to die. There are still many things I want to do with you and everyone else. Your life is not really your own, Yuya." Yukiya tightened his grip on Yuya when he felt Yuya's body slackened, keeping him standing.

Yuya's eyes softened listening to Yukiya's words. It was nostalgic. It was similar with what Zarc had once told him before when he dueled Yuri.

 _"There are people who are waiting for you to come back home."_

 _"There are people who are willing to defend, fight, and even sacrifice themselves for your sake."_

 _"There are people are calling for you and entrust their hope and future to you."_

 _"Don't you get it? At this moment, your life is not just yours."_

Yuya's eyes almost got teary remembering it. However, this time, it wasn't Zarc speaking...it was Yukiya. That's right. There was nothing he could do to change the past. It was impossible. Dying won't make any difference. And keep depressing over what happened in the past won't atone for anything. If he truly wanted to atone, then both him and Odd-Eyes must do something for the better present and future.

"If it's difficult for you to carry the burden alone, then I'll carry it together with you. You don't need to endure it alone. I'll stand by your side." Yukiya said as he helped Yuya raising his weakened arm that was wearing his Duel Disk. And that was when Yuya realized. The one who was beside him, supporting him, was not Zarc. It was Yukiya.

"With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Appear!" Yuya revived Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon and Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Amulet Princess' Pendulum Effect, I can Special Summon this card and the monster in other Pendulum Zone to the Field!" Yuya summoned Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Amulet Princess to the Main Zone in Attack Position.

"Appear! The circuit that draws the future!" Yuya formed the Link Summoning Circuit above him, using Yukiya's chant instead of his own.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The Summoning Condition is 4 monsters. I set Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon, Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon, and Entermate Amulet Princess on the Link Markers! Circuit combined!" Yuya set Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon on the Left Arrow, Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon on the Right Arrow, Odd-Eyes Phantom on the Left-Bottom Arrow, and Amulet Princess on the Bottom-Right Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon!" Yuya summoned Yukiya's ace monster in Attack Position in the Link Monster Zone. The Supreme King user has entrusted the card to him before going upstairs while Yukiya protected Dennis. He thought it would help Yuya and he wanted to join the fight in a way. Yuya understood and included the dragon into his Extra Deck.

"Have I… Have we…really done well…?" Yuya asked in murmur.

"Yeah. Both you and Odd-Eyes have saved many lives and brought so much happiness to people. The two of you have done more than enough to atone for the lives you have taken." Yukiya said. He didn't care if the others disagreed with him. He believed that Yuya and Odd-Eyes have atoned enough. They deserved closure.

"I activate Magic Card: Pendulum Sail! I can Special Summon a Level 7 or lower face-up Pendulum Monster from the Extra Deck!" Yuya revived Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"We'll do this together. The four of us." Yukiya referred to himself, Yuya, and both of their dragons. Determined to defeat Tsukasa once and for all.

"Yeah!" Yuya exclaimed with equal determination.

"Appear once more, the circuit that draws the future!" Yuya once again formed the Link Summoning Circuit above him.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon and 1 DARK Monster! I set Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Cyber Cosmos Link Dragon on the Link Marker! Circuit combined!" Yuya set Odd-Eyes on the Top Arrow, while Cyber Cosmos was set on Upper-Right, Upper-Left, Bottom-Right, and Bottom-Left Link Markers.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 5! The dragon that watches over the universe, Supreme King Silver Dragon – Odd-Eyes Cosmos Dragon (ATK: 3000 / LINK: 5 / LM: Top, Upper-Right, Upper-Left, Bottom-Right, Bottom-Left)!" Yuya summoned the new dragon born from the combined power of Odd-Eyes and Cyber Cosmos. It was a silver dragon with bright dichromatic red and green eyes and large wing blades with green and white lines running down its body. It has a thick tail that is three to four times the length of the dragon's body and lined with barbs. It lacked legs and instead sports tan sections with a shield like sections in place of hind limbs.

Tsukasa was taken aback by the Link 5 Monster. It somehow gave him domineering presence even though his monster was supposed to be bigger in size and stronger in ATK and DEF. It almost overwhelmed him.

"I'll say this again, Tsukasa. You won't get your chance to fight Yuno-san because I'll defeat you here and now!" Yuya reaffirmed his resolve. He won't waver anymore.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Cosmos Dragon's effect! When this card points to a monster, I can lower the ATK and DEF of my opponent's entire monsters equal to the number of Link, Level, or Rank of the monster pointed by its arrow times 400!" As Odd-Eyes Cosmos' Upper-Left arrow pointed to Level 11 Infernoid Tiera, Yuya reduced the Fusion Monster's ATK to 0. Odd-Eyes Cosmos summoned lightning that strikes the Infernoid Monster, rendering it paralyzed as it lost its power.

"Impossible!" Tsukasa exclaimed in disbelieve as his monster was rendered utterly powerless.

"This is the end, Tsukasa! Battle! Odd-Eyes Cosmos Dragon, attack Infernoid Tiera!" Yuya and Yukiya declared together.

Odd-Eyes Cosmos spread its wings and arms. It formed a circuit-like magic circle behind. The dragon closed its eyes and then opened it in a flash, revealing its glowing dichromatic eyes as it unleashed blinding bright light that covering the entire area. The opposing Fusion Monster's body slowly cracked in a shape of digital lines. From within its body, silver light came from the cracks and Tiera exploded, blowing Tsukasa away and also destroyed the whole ceiling.

 **TSUKASA LP: 500 = 0**

"You have killed once more…" Tsukasa said weakly to Yuya who was standing near him with Yukiya helping him walk.

"I am prepared now. I told you, I won't waver anymore." Yuya replied. His eyes showed exactly his determination and proved his words.

"Hmph. No matter...how hard you try...how stronger you become...you'll never be able to...defeat...His Excellency..." Tsukasa said while laughing mockingly despite the pain. His body then started turning into black sands.

"Humanity...will meet...their end...in His Excellency's...hand...hehehe..."

With that parting words, Tsukasa disappeared completely. The black sands of his remain was blown by the wind coming from the ceiling as the Action Field was deactivated. Feeling relieved, Yuya felt the fatigue caught up to him. His body fell from exhaustion and Yukiya quickly pulled Yuya into his arms.

"Yuya!" Yukiya carefully laid Yuya on the floor before checking his injuries. His left foot was the most severe, but overall it was not life-threatening.

"Sorry, Yukiya...but...I want to...sleep for a minute..." Yuya mumbled before falling into slumber, leaving to Yukiya to tend to his injuries.

The moment he closed his eyes, Yuya was face-to-face with Zarc. He was smiling at him and he smiled back in return. He understood why they were here facing each other. This was the time to put a closure to his other problem that had been dragging him ever since he first found out about Yukiya. Even without Zarc saying anything, Yuya knew what he wants to say. He must have worried him with his behavior and turmoil.

 _"I'm sorry. I'll be okay now."_

Yuya told Zarc and no more than that. Zarc simply nodded without saying anything. Unspoken understanding crossed between them. Zarc turned around and disappeared into the light. Yuya kept smiling and closed his eyes. His chest felt lighter now like a weight has been lifted. He felt relieved. Moving forward doesn't mean forgetting. He would never forget Zarc for as long as he was alive. But it didn't mean he has to cling to him who was not here by his side. He must let him leave. And therefore, he let him go.

" _Goodbye, Zarc…"_

 **BACKYARD – TEMPLE OF CALAMITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Stop right there!"

Apophis and Kurt stopped their track when they heard the loud shout. They turned and saw Serena chasing after them with burning spirit. Kurt gestured Apophis to go on ahead further into the forest where the airship was waiting. Seeing it a hassle to stay just to listen to a little girl's protests, Apophis retreated into the woods, leaving the girl in Kurt's hand.

Kurt raised Yuri's Duel Disk. Remembering it still has Yuri's Deck, he removed them and switched it with his own Deck before facing the hostile Serena.

"You're going to give back that body to Yuri!" Serena demanded furiously, pointing her finger at Kurt who was possessing her childhood friend's body.

"I'm afraid I have to decline. I need this body until my goal is fulfilled. After that, I don't mind returning it to its owner." Kurt replied with a smile like he was having a daily conversation, which infuriated Serena more.

"You're asking for it then! I'll beat you and tie you up until I find a way to bring back Yuri into his body!" Serena raised her Duel Disk, activating the Action Field.

"How impatient. But I understand that means Yuri must be very important person to you." Kurt stated as he activated his Duel Disk as well, beginning the Duel.

{ACTION FIELD ON, FIELD SPELL: ARK RUINS}

Their surrounding area changed into ruins with futuristic feel. It contained tunnels with remnants of trains like present-day subways, and modern-day skyscrapers.

 **[ACTION DUEL!]**

"I'm going first. I summon Destroymare Evelees (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 2)." Kurt summoned Evelees in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Appear, the circuit that open the unseen realm." Kurt immediately opened the Link Summoning Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is 1 Troymare Monster. I set Destroymare Evelees on the Link Marker. Circuit combined." Kurt set Evelees on the Bottom Arrow Link Marker.

"Link Summon. Appear. Link 1. Troymare Mermaid (ATK: 1000 / LINK: 1 / LM: Bottom)." Kurt summoned Troymare Mermain in Attack Position in the Link Monster Zone.

"So this is the new program the Lancers have installed for this Action Duel. You have my praise and admiration for creating a program that would give you more advantage." Kurt sincerely praised the Lancers as whole. This would give a non-Link Monster user easier way to adapt in the Duel of this dimension.

"When this card is Link Summoned, I can discard 1 card to Special Summon 1 Troymare Monster from my Deck." Kurt summoned Troymare Lilipath (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4) in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Kurt concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Moonlight Eclipse! I send a Moonlight Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck and then special summon up to 2 of the Fusion Materials listed on the card from my Deck!" Serena sent Moonlight Cat Dancer to the Graveyard, and then special summoned Moonlight Wolf (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 6 / PS: 1) and Moonlight Purple Butterfly (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3) in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"And then from my hand, I summon Moonlight White Rabbit!" Serena summoned White Rabbit in Attack Position.

"Appear, the circuit that lights up the darkness!" Serena declared, calling forth the Link Circuit for her Link Summon.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 1 Moonlight Monster! I set Moonlight Wolf, Moonlight Purple Butterfly, and Moonlight White Rabbit to the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Serena set Wolf at the Top Arrow, Purple Butterfly at the Bottom Arrow, and White Rabbit at the Right Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Moonlight Wolverine Dancer (ATK: 2100 / LINK: 3 / LM: Top, Bottom, Right)!" Serena summoned her Link Monster in Attack Position in the Link Monster Zone.

"I activate Troymare Mermaid's effect. All monsters on the Field lose 1000 ATK and DEF." Kurt revealed, decreasing Lilipath's ATK and DEF to 200 and Wolverine Dancer's ATK to 1100.

"Quick-Play Magic: Moon Leaf! I can double the ATK of a monster I control!" Serena doubled Wolverine Dancer's ATK to 2200.

"Battle! I attack Troymare Mermaid with Wolverine Dancer!" Serena declared attack. Wolverine Dancer dashed forward, raising both its silver claws at the opposing Link Monster. In a flash, Wolverine Dancer was already behind Mermaid and the latter's body was full of scars from the attack.

"Trap Card: Demon Balsam Seed. When an Attack Position Monster I control is destroyed, I can reduce the Battle Damage I would take in multiples of 500. For each 500 damage reduced, a Demon Balsam Token will be Special Summoned." Kurt lessened the damage seconds before Mermaid exploded and then summoned two Demon Balsam Tokens (ATK: 100 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1) in Attack Position.

 **KURT LP: 4000 = 3900**

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Serena concluded.

"My Turn. I tribute my two Demon Balsam Tokens to Advance Summon Black Magician (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2100 / LV: 7)."

"Once again, I use Troymare Lilipath to Link Summon Troymare Mermaid." Kurt summoned his second copy of Mermaid in the Link Monster Zone in Attack Position with its arrow pointed to Black Magician below it. Due to its effect, all monsters have their ATKs and DEFs lowered by 1000.

"I activate Troymare Mermaid's effect. I can Special Summon a Troymare Monster from my Deck and when this effect is activated while a monster is co-linked to this card, I can draw 1 card." Kurt summoned Troymare Dragon (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4) in Attack Position in the Main Zone beside Black Magician and then drew another card from his Deck.

"Battle. I attack Moonlight Wolverine Dancer with Black Magician. Black Magic!" Kurt declared attack. Black Magician pointed its staff at the Moonlight Monster, unleashing black magical destructive energy sphere that destroyed the Link Monster without a trace and pushed back Serena.

 **SERENA LP: 4000 = 3600**

"Trap Card: Moonlight Duet! When a Moonlight Monster I control is destroyed, I can Special Summon 2 Moonlight Monsters from my Graveyard in Defense Position with its effect negated!" Serena revived Moonlight Purple Butterfly and Moonlight White Rabbit in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I end my Turn." Kurt concluded, calmly observing the indigo-haired girl who was in hot-headed mood instead of continuing his attack, which confused the said girl. But she didn't pay it much heed and instead proceeded with her Turn, as Kurt has expected.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse Moonlight Purple Butterfly and Moonlight White Rabbit! White rabbit sees over the moon! Butterfly with violet poison! Spiral into the moon's gravity and become a new power! Fusion Summon! Come to me! Beautiful beast that dances in the moonlight! Moonlight Cat Dancer (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Serena summoned her ace Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I summon Moonlight Turquoise Racoon (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 400 / LV: 3) from my hand." Serena summoned Turquoise Racoon in Attack Position in the Main Zone beside Cat Dancer.

"I activate Magic Card: Moonlight Perfume. I can Special Summon Moonlight Monster from my Graveyard." Serena revived Moonlight White Rabbit in Attack Position in the Main Zone next to Turquoise Racoon.

"I activate Moonlight Cat Dancer's effect. I release Moonlight White Rabbit to allow it to attack all my opponent's monsters twice each" Serena tributed White Rabbit, giving Cat Dancer the chance to attack all of Kurt's monsters twice each with its first attack won't destroy the monster, but the second attack will.

"I activate Turquoise Racoon's effect. I release it and, in this Turn, each time a Moonlight Monster inflicts battle damage, that Moonlight Monster gains 100 ATK." Serena released Turquoise Racoon, giving a boost to Cat Dancer.

Cat Dancer first attack Troymare Mermaid, destroying it. Its destruction reverted all of the monsters' ATK back to normal. Cat Dancer, whose ATK was back to 2400, received a 100 ATK boost thanks to Turquoise Racoon's effect, increasing its ATK to 2600.

 **KURT LP: 3900 = 3100**

"Trap Card: Troymare Water Castle. When a Troymare Link Monster I control is destroyed, all other monsters I control cannot be destroyed until the end of this Turna dn the damage is halved." Kurt opened his first Reverse Card, forming a fairy-tale-like castle made of bodies of water that gave partial protection for each of his Monster until the End Phase.

"And when I activate a Magic or Trap is during my opponent's Turn except during Damage Calculation, I can Special Summon Magician of Black Illusion (ATK: 2100 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 7)." Kurt summoned Magician of Black Illusion in Attack Position in the Main Zone from his hand.

"But you'll still take damage!" Serena exclaimed as she proceeded with the attacks. Cat Dancer attacked Black Magician, Traymore Dragon, and Magician of Black Illusion twice each with each attack increased its ATK by 100, making its current ATK at 3200.

 **KURT LP: 3100 = 250**

"I end my Turn." Serena concluded. She stared at Kurt, hoping she didn't give any permanent damage to Yuri's body. For the prince, however, bluntly, she didn't give a squat about him but since Celica and Carl wouldn't want him to die, she must make sure he was alive after this Duel was over.

"Hey, there's one thing that is bugging my mind." Serena started, catching Kurt's attention.

"You said that Apophis tried to take over your body once you broke his seal, right? Then how did you manage to stop him from possessing your body?" Serena was honestly confused. Even if Kurt was Apophis' reincarnation, Apophis still has more power than Kurt who was still a human being. It shouldn't be difficult for him to forcefully took Kurt's body.

"Because I placed a Duel Monster inside my own body that will crush my heart and turn my body to dust from the inside the moment he took over me." Kurt said while placing a hand on his left chest to emphasize it.

"You planted a monster inside your own body?!" Serena exclaimed in shock.

"It's a necessary collateral deal to make sure he won't try to do anything until we fulfilled our agreement. He needed my body no matter what. And of course, that monster is still inside my body since we haven't fulfilled our agreement." Kurt explained.

"Placing a monster inside your own body that can kill you...I'll say that's extreme of you." Serena remarked. The first-born-prince looked happy-go-lucky and playing safe on the outside, but it turned out he was willing to take such a risk for the sake of his goal.

"In case you're wondering, don't worry, I won't place such a monster in Yuri-kun's body. I'll return it safely if you really wish it after everything is over." Kurt reassured the indigo-haired girl, which didn't reassure her in the slightest at all.

"Don't make me laugh! I'm taking that body now!" Serena exclaimed.

"Yes. But unfortunately, this would be the last Turn, Serena." Kurt told the girl as he began his Draw Phase.

"What?" Serena blinked at the statement.

"Troymare Dragon can be treated as 2 tributes. I tribute it to Advance Summon Buster Blader (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 2300 / LV: 7)." Kurt summoned Buster Blader in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"When Troymare Dragon leaves the Field, I can draw 2 cards." Kurt drew two cards and then opened his second Reverse Card.

"I activate Magic Card: Fusion. I fuse Black magician with Buster Blader. Fusion Summon. Appear. Level 9. Super Magical Swordsman – Black Paladin (ATK: 2900 / DEF: 2400 / LV: 9)." Kurt summoned Black Paladin in Attack Position in the Main Zone next to Magician of Black Illusion.

"Next, I tribute Magician of Black Illusion treated as Black Magician to Special Summon Black Executioner (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2100 / LV: 7)!" Kurt summoned Black Executioner in Attack Position in the Main Zone. It was one of the cards he drew via Troymare Dragon's effect.

"I activate Magic Card: Foolish Burial to send a monster from my Deck to my Graveyard." Kurt activated the second card he drew via Troymare's effect, sending a Dragon-Type Monster from his Deck to the Graveyard.

"Black Executioner's effect. Whenever either player activates Normal Spell Card, I can inflict 1000 damage to my opponent." Kurt declared. Black Executioner struck Serena with its magic blast, causing the girl to be momentarily paralyzed.

 **SERENA LP: 3600 = 2600**

"I activate Black Paladin's effect. This card gains 500 ATK for each Dragon-Type Monster on either players' Field or Graveyard." Kurt revealed. As there were two Dragon-Type Monsters in his Graveyard, he increased Black Paladin's ATK to 3900.

"Serena, you're not thinking straight so it gives me a whole lot advantage to reach this far." Kurt told the Moonlight user.

"What was that?!" Serena questioned, feeling ticked off.

"You're too busy unleashing your anger that you didn't even consider using Action Cards throughout this Duel." Kurt said as he picked an Action Card attached on a ruined railway. As Kurt has taken the Action Card, Serena couldn't take any until the next Turn. However, Kurt has no intention to let her survive any longer.

"Battle! I attack Moonlight Cat Dancer with Black Paladin!" Kurt declared attack. Black Paladin first slashed Cat Dancer with its weapon before pointing the tip of its weapon and shot a black magic sphere that struck down the Fusion Monster. The impact nearly blew Serena away.

 **SERENA LP: 2600 = 1900**

"Since I have snatched the Action Card this Turn, there is no Action Card for you to pick, and you don't have any Set Cards. This is my victory." Kurt stated while showing the Action Card and pointing out Serena's empty Field.

Serena clicked her tongue. She hated to admit it, but he was right. She has no cards in her hand that could defend her from the next attack.

"I attack directly with Black Executioner!" Kurt declared the last attack.

Black Executioner formed a bigger black magical sphere that he raised up. Energy charged, he shot it down at Serena, striking her with full power. The Fusion user screamed as her whole body was struck down by black lightning. She was positive she was going to burn outside and inside. She couldn't keep her eyes open when the attack finished.

 **SERENA LP: 1900 = 0**

Serena collapsed, deactivating the Action Field. Kurt took the Deck case containing Yuri's Deck and threw it to the ground beside her, returning Yuri's Deck. She forced herself to open her eyes, but her vision was blurry. Still, she could make up Kurt's figure and lifted her fingers with the little energy she has in attempt to reach him. Unfortunately, her body has given up. The full brunt of the attack took a toll on her. Her vision blackened until she could see no more. Before her consciousness fully fade, she heard footsteps coming closer behind her.

 _"I'm sorry...Yuri..."_

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Reviving** **Sephira** **–** To get the removal program that will awaken her from her coma, Ray engages Dante in Duel. She's having difficulty against Dante's new cards and strategies, but then sense a change in her cards.

* * *

 **First of all, sorry for the delay. I was taking two days break and started writing this chapter yesterday, so it took a while until I updated from the usual schedule. For those who wished for Serena to win, I'm sorry but it's not possible. It would feel stupid if Kurt got Yuri's body only to lose it a few minutes afterwards. Plus, if one of the main antagonists in this story lose just like that, it won't be much of a threat. And I already have planned things for the story. So far, combining the votes in the review and PM, the vote is leaning more towards the Four Heavenly Dragons' past after this arc is over. But I'm still accepting votes until the next chapter, so I haven't decided yet which one I will do first. For those who haven't give their votes, please tell me in review or PM. I chose to include Black Magician archetype in Kurt's Deck because I want to show familial connection between Celica and Kurt, pretty much like Yuya and Yusho.**

 **The next chapter will finally the time for Sara/Ray to shine!**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	59. The Reviving Sephira

**Big thanks to** _ **aqua9597, Jason, GamingGuy84, Unknowedz, dvdryms, Yuka Kuroshiro, Playerhood18, tsukikami02, Ulrich362, UST Colbalt Diamond, NeoFGD, D3lph0xL0v3r, Big duels, Elbarto4000**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **FOREST – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

It was almost like what happened when the Duel Viruses and Servants stopped coming in LINK VRAINS in the middle of the fierce battle. Those black creatures who seemed endlessly coming all of a sudden disappeared in a puff of smoke. The Lancers who were guarding the airship and started to run out stamina were all sighing in relief. To make it better, their friends from the second team came.

"How about Yuya and the others?" Gongenzaka asked as they haven't seen the first group who was infiltrating the temple.

"They should be arriving any second now. Reiji called us that they're coming and we have to prepare medic for Dennis. He is heavily injured. Quick!" Sora ushered the medic team inside to prepare.

"Once Yuya and the others are here, we have to take off immediately. We don't know if the enemies are sending reinforcement or not." Kachidoki said. They were on the verge of exhaustion so fighting another horde of enemies was not an option for them.

"There they are!" Jonouchi pointed at the incoming first group.

The Red-Eyes user smiled happily to see them, albeit not in a good condition. Reiji was carrying Dennis with Celica beside him. Not far behind them was Yukiya carrying Yuya on his back. It was, however, the sixth person who was carrying Serena who really caught Jonouchi's attention. He found a faint moan escaping from his throat in spite of himself the moment their eyes met. That red hair and dichromatic eyes, he only knew one person who fit that description...

"Yuji...?" Jonouchi uttered the name with trembling voice. He was unsure, wondering if this was his imagination playing tricks on him. Because if it was, this was too cruel, especially if it was Yuno.

Yuji's eyes stayed for a few seconds at Jonouchi before he closed them and sighed, gesturing his head at the three injured people.

"We'll talk later, Jonouchi-san. We have to leave now." Yuji said as he tilted his head towards the airship.

"Wait, how about Yuri?" Yuto asked, not seeing his Fusion counterpart with them. Since Celica was here, he thought they have rescued Yuri as well. But the dejected look on their faces said otherwise.

"As I said. We'll talk later. Let's go now." Yuji said with more firmness in his tone, emphasizing how important it was for them to leave this place right now.

The Lancers immediately went back into the airship. With Reiji driving in the cockpit, the airship took off, leaving the Temple of Calamity.

 **ISOLATION ROOM – RAMSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Leo was standing on a large metal door. Upon swiping the keycard, he entered a spacious chamber that you would find in expensive hotel. For a room for a supposed hostage, Heidel has made fancy arrangement. Maybe he should be grateful for that. This was far more comfortable and definitely better than an ordinary prison cell where there were only several bars and a bed without any furniture.

"Father!"

Leo turned to the ones occupying the room. Yusho was sitting on a chair while Reira was checking her cards on a sofa, carrying her teddy bear as usual. Reira rushed to her father, hugging him, which Leo responded by ruffling her hair while nodding at Yusho as his old friend approached him.

"Are the two of you doing well?" Leo asked.

"Yeah. They treated us like they would treat an honored guest. But how about you, Leo? I heard you're remaking that reactor." Yusho said with a frown, worried for the Professor. He and Reira have promised to keep an eye on Leo and make sure that Heidel won't get his hands on him, only for the two of them to be the very reason Leo was working for Heidel now. Yusho felt guilty for that.

"That's the only way to assure that you won't be harmed." Leo replied passively.

Yusho scolded himself for being so careless. When he and Reira found Leo disappeared from his house, they thought Leo has accepted Heidel's proposition and left with the Supreme Commander. And then Heidel's men came in and seemingly challenged them to a Duel. However, it turned out that they were only a distraction. That moment of distraction allowed another of Heidel's men to sedate them unconscious from behind. When they woke up, they were already in this room and heard everything from a servant who was tasked to handle their 'accomodation' and care. They were practically hostages to force Leo into agreeing to make that reactor.

Sensing the discomfort between the two adults, Reira tugged her father's shirt to get his attention.

"Father, have you heard any news about Brother and the others?" Reira asked, changing the subject.

"Not at the moment. But I have met Yuno, the Oracle. He is also captured together with the Emperor at a different room." Leo revealed, shocking Yusho and Reira.

Leo continued to explain the situation regarding the Oracle and the Emperor. How the two of them were captured as political prisoners and how Heidel was slowly spreading his influence throughout the country while lessening the rebellions. Leo also didn't forget of Heidel's real goal through creating the reactor. While it sounded far more incredulous than Leo's previous goal, with the reinforced reactor he made, it could be possible.

"Leo, you said that Heidel is planning to use the reactor to achieve his goal of merging this dimension with the Dimension Pulse. But he'll need a huge amount of life energies to activate that machine. Does this mean he is planning to card people like in the war last year?" Yusho asked with grim expression. He had seen enough people, including his own students, being carded. He had experienced how it felt to be carded himself, and it was terrifying. When carded, his entire world was a small black room with only a single window to look out on the real world. He was unable to interact with normal people, including his loved ones, and it broke him to feel that he was unable to do anything while everyone else suffered. He didn't want anyone to experience that again.

Leo shook his head. "No. Heidel told me that he won't use the same life energies. This brought me concerns as to how he is going to activate that reactor. He still needs life energies." It bothered him when Heidel told him that he won't card people and use them as life energies while the reactor needs life energies to work. Heidely subtly implied that he would use other energies to fill in. But what possibly could replace the life energies from the carded people?

Leo has a bad feeling about this, and so did Yusho and Reira. They must not let Heidel get what he wanted. They need to do something before it was too late.

"We have to find a way to get out of here." Yusho suggested.

"I'm afraid that is impossible. For one, my keycard can only open paths to a few rooms. Heidel has restricted the function of my keycards to be limited only to the lab, guest rooms, and my own room. Second, specially for the paths lead to outside, you'll need finger print scan of the ones authorized. Third, just like Academia, this fortress is in the middle of ocean. Even if we are able to get out of here, we'll need a boat or a ship." Leo explained. He was under constant observation, so Heidel would know if Leo did something fishy like swapping a keycard that also has his bugs. The boat and ship only came thrice a day and at the time when his schedule (set up by Heidel) was busy. Without inside help, they couldn't do anything.

"If we can't get out secretly, then can't we somehow get into contact with the Lancers?" Reira asked. If they send a message to her brother and friends, maybe they'll be able to do something for them or stop Heidel's plan before the machine is completed.

"I maybe perhaps, can help you with that."

Leo, Yusho, and Reira were startled when they realized someone was standing in front of the door. They were so lost in thought that they didn't notice him entering the room.

 **ABROAD EVOLUTION – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

While Yuya, Serena, and Dennis were recovering in the medical room, the rest of the Lancers were gathering at the meeting room (including Reiji who had set the airship to autopilot). Reiji, Celica, and Yukiya explained what happened at the temple. Reiji explained about how Dennis got injured and Yuji's arrival that helped them while Celica explained about Apophis and Kurt's ritual in which Apophis possessed the latter's body while Kurt possessed Yuri's body. In the process of the ritual, Yuri was now stuck in LINK VRAINS. Serena's attempt to bring back Yuri's body ended miserably with her lost though at least Yukiya revealed that Yuya has defeated Tsukasa for good. That was why the army disappeared.

"I see. That's what happened to Yuri..." Rin said while looking down. While she didn't like it, at least his consciousness was still in LINK VRAINS instead of being trapped like when he and the other boys became one and possessed by Zarc. This way, Yuri could still do something with them and his safety was more guaranteed rather than staying in his body while Kurt was possessing it.

"Damn that Kurt! I don't care if he's a prince or not, but I'm gonna slug him!" Yugo slammed his fist to the table. He thought Kurt will at least be more civilized than Apophis, but turned out he was not so different. In fact, it was like Leo all over again that happened last year. The difference though, Kurt was fully aware of his doing and how others would feel about his plan, but he still went through with his selfishness. Even Kurt himself admitted it, which pissed him off even more.

"There must be a way to return Yuri to his own body. First, we'll have to capture Kurt." Yuto stated. If there was a ritual to switch the soul into one's body, there must be a ritual to reverse that process. If they looked into it further, he's sure they'll find something to help Yuri.

"But still...I never thought that Prince Kurt and Prince Carl are Apophis' reincarnations." Ruri was visibly surprised by the revelation. Who would have thought the two princes were related to the Dragon of Calamity. It was almost like Yuto and the others being Zarc's reincarnations when he was still a Demon Duelist, but Zarc wasn't originally what people would call a devil or the sort. Apophis, on the other hand, as someone born from humanity's negative emotions, he was fullly corrupted from the very beginning.

"He said that he didn't know it himself until a certain incident, right? Can't you think of an incident that would trigger Apophis' memory, Celica-san? Jonouchi-san?" Yuzu asked her ancestor and Jonouchi who was sitting beside her. But when she turned to Jonouchi, the guy was lost in thought, looking towards the door for some reason.

"Jonouchi-san?" Yuzu called out while shaking his shoulder.

"Oh, sorry...! I'm...uh..." Jonouchi scratched his head, realizing everyone's eyes were on him now.

"Thinking about Odd-Eyes?" Kiryu guessed. Judging from Jonouchi's reaction without any denial, he was right.

"That's right, Yuya said that both Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and this guy is one and the same. What does that mean? Does this mean that Clear Wing and the other dragons are the same?" Yugo asked. He has been curious ever since he heard about Odd-Eyes. His mind then remembered when he duelled Neon last time. The person in blue robes who came with Clear Wing to help him...could it be that he was also Clear Wing? The human Clear Wing? While he didn't know how they could be separated into dragon and human, if it was right, he must meet him again.

Yugo could tell that Yuto wants the same thing. Now that they knew, there was no reason for Sara or Shun to hide it any longer about them, right? It should be okay for them to meet their respective partners, right?

"Now that you mentioned them, where is Odd-Eyes- Yuji?" Yuzu asked, not seeing the red-haired Duelist in the room.

"He is back to LINK VRAINS to check on Ray and the rest." Yukiya answered. After putting the injured ones on the bed, Yuji sat on the chair there and logged into LINK VRAINS, saying that he must meet Ray and the others immediately.

"You're not going with him, Yukiya? I thought you would be worried about Ray." Yuzu remarked. Yukiya hasn't met Sara for more than a month that felt like forever. Now he has the opportunity to go and help her in LINK VRAINS. Seeing how much Yukiya missed her, everyone thought he would go to her side now that the business at the temple was finished.

"No. I'm exhausted myself. Going there won't make any difference." Yukiya replied. He actually wanted to go, but as he said, he was very tired from fighting continuously against the black servants of Apophis. If he went with Odd-Eyes, he might get in the way instead of being a help.

"Beside, I'm sure she would be okay. She will return."

Yukiya knew that Sara must have worked ever since she was stuck in LINK VRAINS. She was always strong-headed. She always tried to reach a higher newer level.

She might have lost against Dante last time,

But now it would be different.

She will win and he knows it.

 **APOPHIS DOMAIN – LINK VRAINS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Ray was facing Dante. There were only the two of them left now. Hayabusa has left together with Starve Venom and Yuri to take the Predator Plants use to a safe place outside the domain with Zira and Ryo following them in tow. Ray hoped they managed to get away from Zira somehow. She, however, couldn't leave. This might be her one and only chance to get the removal program that will enable her to return to the real world.

After she lost against Dante, she got logged out. She thought the shock from his attack forcefully logged her out. However, she then sensed something with her body. When she checked her avatar, she also spotted something wrong with it. Before she could check, the mailman who often delivered things to her house and an old acquintance of her got infected by a different virus and brutally attacked her. To stay alive, she once again logged into LINK VRAINS, deciding to stay there until her real body was in stable condition.

Unfortunately, when the time came and she tried to log out, she couldn't. It was then she realized that she herself has been infected with a virus. The virus worked quite slow, so when she logged out after being defeated by Dante, it hasn't caught up, but now, it has resolved its effectiveness. As the result, since that day, she was stuck in LINK VRAINS and tried to find a way to remove the program by herself or looking for Dante to get the removal program.

And now she has finally found him. She won't miss this chance.

"This time, I won't lose, Dante!" Ray declared determinedly.

"We'll see about that. First, let's set stage befitting for us, shall we?"

Dante threw up a card. The card then shattered, forming a transparent dorm with black tornados that resembled data storm. Both Ray and Dante were enclosed inside the dorm.

"Data Gale. By increasing the density of the Data Storm, an area is created where it is possible to utilize the D-Board without the Data Storm winds. This allows Duelists to freely maneuver about the LINK VRAINS environment. However, this also traps them and prevents them from logging out until the Duel is over. If you're so confident to defeat me, then why not we test it in Speed Duel where I defeated you?" Dante made a challenging gesture to the Sephira user with his hand.

"That's exactly what I wanted. You're going down." Ray replied confidently.

Both Ray and Dante jumped onto their D-Boards, riding the Data Storm and began their rematch.

 **[SPEED DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! I summon Astellarknight Sephirabuth (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 0 / LV: 4)." Ray summoned Sephirabuth in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Appear! My circuit!" She opened the Link Summoning Circuit above her.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is a Sephira Monster. I set Sephirabuth on the Link Marker! Circuit combined!" She set Sephirabuth on the Bottom Link Marker.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Sephira Edelweiss (ATK: 1000 / LINK: 1 / LM:Bottom)!" She summoned Edelweiss in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone. It has a light brown skin tone and pink markings on its face, light teal eyes, and white hair with two frontal pigtails tied with rings. It dresses in a white dalmatica with silver patterns, pink trousers and black ankle boots.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Ray concluded.

"Don't think I'm the same as the last time we dueled. I have received new power from His Excellency that strengthened my Deck!" Dante stated, referring to the new cards added into his Deck by Apophis.

 _"Umbral Deck is not bad, but in the end this Deck is the best for me after all!"_ Dante thought excitedly.

"My Turn! I set a card and then I activate Magic Card: Phantom Demon's Gate. I destroy all of my opponent's monsters and Special Summon one of them from my opponent's Graveyard to my side of the field in Attack Position." Dante activated his Magic Card from his hand, destroying Ray's Edelweiss and subsequently summoned it to his Main Zone in Attack Position.

"In a different way, but you stole my monster again like last time." Ray remarked in annoyance. The last time they dueled, Dante had also stolen her monster and used it against her, which dealt considerable damage that led to her defeat. It took her a while to assure her monster she didn't blame them for attacking her.

"I summon Immortal Werewolf (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Dante summoned Werewolf in Attack Position in the Main Zone beside Ray's stolen Edelweiss.

"I activate Continuous Magic: Fiendish Darkness! Every time I receive more than 500 damage, I can place 2 Fiend Counters to this card!" Dante activated the card from his hand, surrounding the wave of Data Storm with dark mist.

 _"Placing two tokens every time he received damage? This is a different tactic than before. And those monsters were not in his Deck before. Are these the monsters he said he gained from Apophis?"_ Ray thought suspiciously. Dante was indeed different from last time. She must decide her moves carefully.

"Battle. I attack directly with Immortal Werewolf!" Dante declared attack. Werewolf howled before going forward and scratched Ray who raised her arms in defense with its claws, pushing her back.

 **RAY LP: 4000 = 2800**

"Next, I attack directly with Sephira Edelweiss!" Dante then used Ray's own monster against her. Edelweiss pointed her sword at Ray, ready to thrust it towards its own master. Fortunately, Ray had thought of that.

 _"The same strategy won't work against me for the second time!"_ Ray thought as she opened her first Reverse Card.

"Trap Card: Pretty Sunshine! When my opponent declares attack while there is a Sephira Monster on the Field, I can Special Summon a Sephira Monster from my Graveyard in Attack Position!" Ray revived Sephirabuth who has higher ATK than Edelweiss. The Link Monster's sword was broken in half when it clashed against Sephirabuth's weapon. The latter then slashed the Link Monster, destroying it.

 **DANTE LP: 4000 = 2100**

"Tsk. You really did do your homework. I end my Turn." Dante concluded. He had to admit he quite underestimating the girl after he won against her. But true to her words, she had come up with a strategy to counter his.

 _"Looks like I'll have to be serious."_ Dante's eyes glinted at Ray.

"My Turn! First, I set a card. Then, I summon Aesatellarknight Sephirathuban (ATK: 0 / DEF: 2100 / LV: 4)!" Ray set a card before she summoned Sephiratuban in Attack Position in the Main Zone beside Sephirabuth.

"Appear once more! My circuit! Link Summon! Link 2! Sephira Ilk Badru (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / LM: Bottom, Bottom-Right)!" Ray performed her second Link Summon, summoning Ilk Badru in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone. It has light skin and wavy dark hair with a braid behind its left ear. It has green eyes, a beauty mark beneath its right eye and wore purple claw-shaped earrings. It wore a blue garb resembling a traditional clothing and adorned with tribal accessories. Beneath the blue garb consisted of a black bra top, black sleeves over her forearms, tan leather open-toed knee-high boots, and two fur pelts hanging from a cord beneath the belt that holds its spear.

"I activate Sephira Ilk Badru's effect! Once per Turn, it gains ATK by 300 for every Sephira Monster in my Graveyard!" Ray increased Ilk Badru's ATK to 2900.

"Battle! I attack with Ilk Badru!" She attacks and destroys Immortal Werewolf.

"Fiendish Darkness' second effect! When it has a Fiend Counter, I can lower my opponent's monster's ATK by 600!" Dante lowered Ilk Badru's ATK to 2300, lessening the damage he took as Ilk Badru slashed Werewolf in half and added another set of two Fiend counters.

 **DANTE LP: 2100 = 1500**

"Since Immortal Werewolf was destroyed in battle and sent to the Graveyard, its effect activates, I can Special Summon another Immortal Werewolf from my Deck in Attack Position and increase its ATK by 500." Dante summoned the second copy of Werewolf in Attack Position in the Main Zone with 1700 ATK.

"Next I activate Trap Card: Dark Temptations! Your monster must attack one more time!" Dante opened his Reverse Card, forcing Ilk Badru to attack the second copy of Werewolf that he just summoned, destroying it like the first one. This added two more of Fiend Counters and he summoned a third copy of Immortal Werewolf from his Deck.

 **DANTE LP: 1500 = 900**

"I end my Turn." Ray concluded, reverting Ilk Badru's ATK to 2000.

"My Turn. I activate Pot of Greed." Dante activated the card and drew two cards from his Deck and set one of them.

"I release Immortal Werewolf in order to Advance Summon Vampire Lord (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 5)!" He summoned Vampire Lord in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Ray, this will be your end." Dante declared as he revealed Vampire Genesis in his hand to her.

"I banish Vampire Lord, to Special Summon Vampire Genesis (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2100 / LV: 8)!" He summoned Vampire Genesis in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Genesis Crisis! By targeting Vampire Genesis, now once per Turn, I can add an Undead-Type monster from my Deck to my hand." Dante added Dragon Bone Demon to his hand.

"I activate Vampire Genesis to discard Dragon Bone Demon and Special Summon a monster with Level equal or less than the discarded monster!" Dante discarded Dragon Bone Demon in exchange to Special Summon another Immortal Werewolf in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"And now, I activate Fiendish Darkness' final effect! When it has 5 or more Fiend counters, I can banish Super Fusion in my Deck to perform Fusion Summon using the Counters as replacement for materials listed in the selected Fusion Monster!" Dante revealed, taking the card stuck out from his Extra Deck.

"No way! Summoning that Fusion Monster without Super Fusion or Wicked Cannon?!" Ray exclaimed in disbelieve.

From the last Duel and long observation, Ray had learned that Dante's tactic mainly focused on the gathering of the Wicked cards which grants him access to his most powerful monster, Colorless, Chaos King of Dark World, Summoned through the card, Super Fusion. If the aforementioned strategy fails, Dante focused on the Summoning and preservation of Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World. But now, with new cards, he found an easier way to summon his strongest monster.

"Come forth, the ruler of the world of darkness! Colorless – Chaos King of Dark World (ATK: 4000 / DEF: 3500 / LV: 12)!" Dante summoned Colorless in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Colorless – Chaos King of Dark World's effect! When this card is special summoned through Super Fusion or Wicked Canon's effect, I can inflict 600 damage for each DARK-Attribute monsters my opponent controls!" Dante activated Colorless' first effect. Due to Fiendish Darkness' effect, the Colorless' summoning was treated as Fusion Summon through Super Fusion.

 **RAY LP: 2800 = 2200**

"Battle! I attack Ilk Badru with Colorless!" Dante proceeded with his Battle Phase.

Colorless thrust its sword at Ray's Ilk Badru. As he was controlling three monsters, he received 1800 damage. Ray almost fell from her D-Board from the attack. Good thing she managed to endure it and balanced herself. However, her LP was on death's door.

 **RAY LP: 2200 = 200**

"Welcome your death, Ray! I attack directly with Vampire Genesis!" Dante ready to deliver the finishing blow. Vampire Genesis spread its wings wider and flew forward. Its sharp fangs were thirsting for Ray's blood to suck.

Ray almost had goosebumps from the thought of being sucked by such a monster. She quickly opened her Reverse Card.

"Trap Card: Seraphic Call! I pay half of my LP to Special Summon a Sephira Monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position!" Ray paid half of her LP to revive Sephiratuban to her Field. The Sephira monster blocked the vampiric monster's attack, protecting Ray from the finishing blow.

 **RAY LP: 200 = 100**

"I end my Turn. See? Do you understand the difference between us now? Yes, you certainly stronger and smarter than the last time we dueled, but I'm also the same. But on that term, I am superior." Dante stated while rubbing his chin proudly of himself.

"Don't get ahead yourself too much! As long as my LP still remains, I can still fight!" Ray persisted as she started her Draw Phase.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: White Field! I banish two Magic or Trap in my Graveyard to add two Sephira monsters from my Graveyard into my hand!" Ray opened her last Reverse Card, banishing Seraphic Call and Pretty Sunshine to make her add Sephirabuth and Sephiratuban to her hand.

 _"Now I only have five monster cards in my hand without any Magic or Trap. None of them are stronger than Dante's Vampire Genesis or Colorless. I have said that I can still fight, but what can I do...to turn the situation?"_ Ray frowned. She has the monster that could defeat both Dante's monsters with its effect, but the condition to summon it was difficult in her current situation.

 _"This is the time."_

Ray blinked when she heard the voice in her head.

Soon, her vision gone blank.

Her mind was pulled deeper inside.

 **MIND SPACE – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Sara now was standing at a park with a view of unfamiliar yet familiar city. From the nostalgic feelings filling the air, she realized that her mind was sucked, summoned to this deep place within her own mind. She turned to the fountain and found someone she knew standing there.

"Ray. Long time no see." Sara greeted her past self. The last time she met her past self was also the first time she met her. It happened three weeks ago not long after she intercepted the four dragons. Ray suddenly appeared and told her everything. For a second, she thought she was dreaming, but the four dragons confirmed Ray's story.

"It's the time for you to awaken Sephira's true power." Ray told her reincarnation.

"Sephira's...true power?" Sara repeated in question.

"Yes. When I reincarnated as you, the Sephira Deck I carried also has a fresh start. They locked their full powers as they deemed it won't be necessary anymore. But now, with a new threat and your wish to win this Duel, it's time to unlock that power." Ray explained. The Deck reincarnated together with its user. Zarc and Yukiya also experienced the same.

Ray tugged on her wrist, gesturing Sara to look at her right wrist. When the girl opened the sleeve of her right arm, she was seeing the orange-colored jeweled bracelet that she always has for as long as she remembers. She didn't understand why, but the bracelet was important to her so she wore it every day and hardly part with it.

"That bracelet and your strong will, are the keys to unlock the power of the Sephira Deck." Ray walked to Sara until she was right in front of the girl. She took the girl's hands into hers and smiled.

"Hear and listen to their voices. In order to win, you must work together with your monsters. Never forget that."

Ray's figure and her surrounding started to disappear. The orange jewel on Sara's bracelet started glowing along with her Deck.

 **APOPHIS DOMAIN – LINK VRAINS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Ray gasped when all her cards in her hand were glowing together with the bracelet around her right wrist. When the light fades, all five of them that were originally simply Effect Monster, have turned into Pendulum Monsters. It then hit her. Sephira Deck, before being reincarnated into this dimension, were Pendulum Monsters. Now that it has been unlocked, they reverted to their original forms.

"What's wrong, Ray? Where's all the spirit you have a while ago? Got scared?" Dante taunted, looking behind the girl who went silent all of a sudden.

A smile formed on Ray's lips in response, surprising Dante.

"As if! I told you that I'm going to defeat you this time!" Ray declare once more as she revealed two of her Pendulum cards.

"With Scale 1 Sephira-Saber, Nekroz of the Sword Master and Scale 7 Sephira-Exa, Nekroz of the Flame Beast, I set the Pendulum Scale! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my monsters!" Ray set the Pendulum Scale, allowing her to simultaneously summon Level 2 to 6 monsters. She summoned Sephirathuban, Sephirabuth, and Secret Dracomet - Sephira-Qiuguo in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Sephira Pendulum Monsters?!" Dante exclaimed in disbelief, visibly shocked.

"And now, appear! My circuit!" Ray opened the Link Summoning Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is 3 monsters! I set Sephiratuban, Sephirabuth, and Sephira-Qiuguo on the Link Markers! Circuit combined!" Ray set Sephiratuban on Bottom-Left Arrow, Sephirabuth on Bottom Arrow, and Sephira-Qiuguo on the Borrom-Right Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Sephira Metatron (ATK: 2500 / LINK: 3 / LM: Bottom-Left, Bottom, Bottom-Right)!" Ray summoned Sephira Metatron in Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

"I activate Sephira Metatron's effect! I can target 1 monster on each player's Field that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck except this card and then banish both of them until the End Phase!" Ray revealed one of Metatron's effect.

"What?! Monster from Extra Deck?!" Dante started to panic inside as he looked at Colorless, the only Monster summoned from Extra Deck.

"Since I only have Metatron on my Field and it cannot be destroyed via its own effect, your Colorless, is the only one to be banished!" Ray declared as she pointed at the Fusion Monster. The said monster disappeared from the Field, leaving Dante with only Vampire Genesis.

"But my Vampire Genesis still has higher ATK!" Dante reminded the 500-point difference between his Undead Monster and Ray's Phantom Dragon Monster.

"No! I have anticipated that! I activate Ilk Badru's effect! I can banish it from Graveyard to target a Sephira Monster I control and add its ATK to that monster until the end of this Turn!" Ray increased Metatron's ATK to 4500.

"What?!" Dante exclaimed, almost lost his footing on his D-Board from the shock.

"Battle! I attack Vampire Genesis with Sephira Metatron!" Ray declared her last attack.

Sephira Metatron raised its arm blade and spread wide its wings. The Link Monster was bathed in golden light before it moved in a light speed. When Dante realized it, Metatron was already behind him while Vampire Genesis' body started showing glowing blade wounds. The light eroded the Undead monster's body and exploded, blowing Dante away from his D-Board with a scream.

 **DANTE LP: 900 = 0**

The Data Gale disappeared the moment Dante's LP reached 0. Ray landed on the ground, rushing at Dante who was lying on his back with his body started to crack, showing the sign of disintegration, which meant his destruction. Dante looked at his hand that was starting to become sand, chuckling humorlessly.

"Now. This is weird... You...don't have Ma'at's blessing...but yet...I'm dying here..." Dante stated, laughing weakly. He reached into his pocket pants behind his robes and took out a card, extending it to Ray who accepted it. It was the removal program.

"Heh...not matter anymore...to me...though... You better be...prepared...now that...His Excellency...has gained a...vessel. This is...not the end of...me. We'll...meet again..." Dante warned the Sephira user. Remembering Hyde and Neon have changed into Duel Monsters, he has no doubt that he would be revived into one as well either by his lord or by Geist or maybe the others. He didn't care either way.

"You can come back how many times you want, and I'll defeat you again." Ray replied before entering the removal program into her Duel Disk, allowing her to finally log out. Her body turned into particles of blue data, logging out of LINK VRAINS.

"See you...later then..."

Dante said with a smile before his body finally dissolved completely into a sand.

 **HOSPITAL – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Sara opened her eyes and then squinted by the light in the hospital room. She blinked several times before finally got a hang of her vision. She tried to move her fingers and toes. It was quite stiff. Considering she was in a coma for more than a month, it was understandable. She'll need to do a lot of exercise to get better.

"You have finally returned."

Sara slowly turned to her left side, trying to see the person sitting on the chair next to her bed. She smiled when she saw _her_. A bespectacled woman with chocolate brown eyes and long loose maroon colored hair similar with her own but paler in color. She looked young despite already around 30s of age. She was wearing the doctor's white jacket. The woman was indeed a doctor, but she doesn't work in any hospital. She has her own clinic where she performed both modern and traditional medical practices.

The only reason she was here, was because she knew that she has won and gained the removal program.

"I am back. I'm sorry to make you worry." Sara slowly tried to sit up, so the woman quickly helped her position. "How are the others?"

"They have returned safely and are waiting outside. The Lancers have also left the temple." The woman assured her, which brought relief to the Sephira user.

"We have to talk with them. Together with you." Sara told the woman, placing a hand on top of hers.

The woman nodded, placing her other hand on top of Sara's.

"Yes. It is time for us to tell them everything."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER:**

 **Reconnection –** Sara and Shun introduce the true mastermind who planned the interception of the Four Heavenly Dragons. At Ramses Fortress, Akira visits Yuno and the Emperor.

* * *

 **First of all, sorry about Odd-Eyes Cosmos Dragon! Like other Supreme King Dragons, Odd-Eyes Cosmos Dragon is a Link-Pendulum Monster. I forgot to include its Pendulum Scale in the previous chapter. The vote resulted with the four dragons' past, so after the next chapter, it would be flashback chapters. The chapters would also reveal more about Yuno and Celica before they got cursed. For Yuri fans, please be patient for a little bit more. He'll appear in the next chapter at least for now.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	60. Reconnection

**Big thanks to** _ **Yuka Kuroshiro, Ulrich362, Playerhood18, Jason, NeoFGD, Unknowedz, D3lph0xL0v3r, tsukikami02, dvdryms, Hunter13hawkie**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **SUPREME COMMANDER OFFICE – RAMSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Heidel was sitting on his desk, staring at three of his most trusted subordinates who were standing in front of his desk, placing their hands behind them with straight posture like soldiers they are when facing their superior. From the badge they were wearing, like Akira, they were hand-selected by Heidel himself and would only answer to the Supreme Commander's command. Their ranks were second highest after the Supreme Commander in the whole army.

On the right was a young woman with long sky-blue hair ponytailed in a side-curly fashion. She wore the officer uniform that consisted of a beret and a fully-clothed metallic-gray uniform with a jean collar from sleeves to the heels, and brown thigh-tall boots.

In the middle was a man with long hair worn loosely to his shoulders, and wears a fancy white coat with blue highlights and a red necktie scarf. He wore green pants and knee-high light brown boots.

On the left was a man wearing tan light-green robe uniform with a brown belt, gold buttons seen on the front & sleeve wrist. Wearing underneath that is a white long-sleeve dress shirt, companied by a light and dark magenta color scarf place inside with a jewel pin on the front center. Also wearing tan brown pants followed by bronze color boots.

"Riena, how are things with The Brotherhood?" Heidel asked the only woman amongst the three.

"They succeeded in pacifying the people about the rumors of the Oracle and the Emperor's capture. To quell the rumors, The Brotherhood announced the advancing Apophis armies. They have instructed the people not to enter LINK VRAINS for the time being and also launched more securities. They even opened a shelter in case the worst happen." The woman, Riena, reported the result of her mission.

"Distracting the people with a news of greater danger to prevent civil unrest and civil war. A wise decision. Lechter knew well what to do." Heidel praised the man who temporarily took over The Brotherhood. He and Lechter used to be in the same Imperial army. In fact, the Emperor actually had considered to give the position of Supreme Commander to Lechter. However, Lechter, who was a general at that time, chose to join The Brotherhood. The man was experienced, and Heidel respected him. It was unfortunate that they were in the opposing sides.

"And Theo, how about the Imperial side?" Heidel turned to the man in the middle, Theo.

"Prince Carl has quite a hard time dealing with the nobles who are complaining after the attack on the palace. He has experience, but his influence amongst the nobles are not as great as the Emperor or Prince Kurt, so people compared him unfavorably with them. But with the help of several nobles close to the Imperial Family and the Imperial Guardians, they managed to calm the situation to a degree." Theo reported.

"I never thought they managed that. This changed my plan for a bit, but it shouldn't be much of a problem." Heidel stated. He had initially thought the nobles would riot more, and he would use that opportunity to show the Emperor together with him, which he knew would shut them up. But the second-born prince was able to control the situation with the help of the trusted allies of the Imperial Family and Imperial Guardians. He had underestimated the younger twin prince.

"Then lastly, Emilio, have you found the location of the Lancers' hideout?" Heidel turned to the last person to give his report, Emilio. While he and the rest of his subordinates left with Yuno and the Emperor during the ambush at the party, he had placed one man to keep an eye on the situation. From him, he found out that the Lancers have arrived in this dimension. From the looks of it, they have decided not to join either The Brotherhood, the Noble Faction, or his faction. They knew joining either side would restrict their movement so they reached to a decision to form their own group. This could be troublesome to him, especially after knowing that the four boys who were with Yuno at the party were actually the Phantom Dragons. If words spread out about this, it could bring problem to him.

"I'm afraid not yet, Sir. They managed to carefully hide their tracks. I think they are using some sort of camouflage program to hide their transportation while making their moves. This program they are using is above us. We still haven't developed a program that can track their camouflage program. However, we're currently working on it." Emilio reported, a feeling of shame reflected in his eyes for unable to fulfil his given mission.

"It is fine. Thank you for your report. While the other factions' movements are something to be concerned of, we have other priority that needs to be done. Tell the squadron to prepare everything for the operation three days from now on. Remember, this operation is crucial for the completion of our goal." Heidel stood from his seat, his hand on the desk as he gave his order to his subordinates. His voice was soft, but his tone was firm.

Riena, Theo, and Emilio saluted their superior while vowing they won't let him down.

"Yes, Sir!"

 **ROOM – RAMSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"If we can't get out secretly, then can't we somehow get into contact with the Lancers?" Reira asked. If they send a message to her brother and friends, maybe they'll be able to do something for them or stop Heidel's plan before the machine is completed.

"I maybe perhaps, can help you with that."

Leo, Yusho, and Reira were startled when they realized someone was standing in front of the door. They were so lost in thought that they didn't notice him entering the room.

"Akira Zaizen...!" Leo recognized the blue haired man at the door. He met him several times while working on the machine. Akira sometimes were tasked to ask for report of the progress of the reactor. Akira didn't speak much other than work-related, so he got an impression the young man was a Heidel loyalist.

To add their shock, following behind Akira were Yuno and the Emperor, entering the room. Akira raised his Duel Disk and pressed the touchscreen before motioning the other five occupants to sit on the sofa so they could talk. He removed his Duel Disk from his wrist and placed it beside him before facing the two men and the little girl.

"I've just hacked the surveillance camera. This way, people who are watching outside only knows that I am asking you about the progress of the reactor and about ARC-V. Supreme Commander is busy for preparation of the upcoming operation, so he won't have time to check on you for about three hours." Akira explained. While learning hacking so that he and Aoi could survive after losing their parents was unpleasant experience, he was glad to have learned it for this time as he could speak without having to rise suspicion.

"I may be working for Supreme Commander, but I'm actually trying to find out more about him so I can help the Oracle." Akira revealed while turning to Yuno who was sitting on his right side.

"I am Yuno of the Oracle. It is a pleasure to meet you, Yusho Sakaki and Reira Akaba. I wish we can meet under more comfortable circumstances." Yuno greeted the Entertainment Duelist and the girl. Despite his young appearance, the mature presence he gave away proved his old experienced age.

"It is my pleasure to meet you as well. Thank you very much for taking care of my son and his friends during their stay here." Yusho bowed gratefully to the Oracle before turning to the Emperor, the most important person in this dimension.

"And it is an honor to meet you directly, Your Highness. Pardon for my late greeting. I didn't mean to ignore you." Yusho greeted the Emperor who raised a hand while smiling at the Entertainment Duelist.

"It is fine. We can get to know each other later. Let us continue our current discussion. We need a plan to stop the Supreme Commander, no?" The Emperor reminded. The room turned serious again with that.

"You seemed to have a plan, Zaizen." Yuno looked at the blue haired man beside him, to which Akira responded with a nod.

"I can make a copy of the keycard necessary to get you out of here. As for the departure of the ship conflicted with your working schedule, I can make an arrangement for that. The day after tomorrow is your only chance." Akira explained.

"Why the day after tomorrow?" Leo asked.

"Because that is the start of the important operation I have mentioned. Supreme Commander won't be here since he will personally lead the squad." Akira continued. He didn't know the detail of the operation because Heidel insisted on keeping it an absolute secrecy until they arrived at the destination, but they could use this opportunity to break out. That would stabilize the factions.

"However, even if we reached the harbor, there would still be guarding soldiers. We need someone from outside to pick you up so you can escape safely." Akira added. In case there were escapees, he has placed several people in the harbor to patrol and recapture the ones escaping.

"Are you going to contact Yuya and the others?" Yusho asked Akira.

"I'm afraid my communication is limited. You'll have to contact them yourselves." Akira said, which confused the rest of them.

"We don't have the means to contact them, Zaizen. And if we tried to, they'll find out. Our transmission to the outside this fortress is bugged. They'll know our plan." Leo reminded. Akira was contradicting himself here.

Akira didn't say anything and instead brought out what looked like a wristwatch, placing it on the table so everyone could see.

"With this you can log into LINK VRAINS without being traced. However, the program in this disk only lasts for two hours. Contact your allies through LINK VRAINS and explain everything to them within that time limit." Akira explained the function of the wristwatch. This was something that he made himself and it was whole lot of a work between his busy schedules.

"I suggest you contact them tonight or tomorrow night. That way, to other people, you're just sleeping." Akira reasoned. They could hide this wristwatch beneath the blanket and since it won't produce the data capsule like the one usually covering them when logging into LINK VRAINS, it would look normal.

"Due to time constraint, I can only made one. My apologies." Akira apologized. He wished he was fast enough to make more.

"No. You have done more than enough, Zaizen. Thank you." Yuno said as he accepted the wristwatch.

"And one more thing, I have heard that Apophis' influence has started to spread further." Akira added one more important information that he knew they must hear.

Yuno's brows furrowed instantly. His fists clenched as he remembered the vision that he had last time but yet to show any sign of coming true or even close to it. He was worried that it may come true while he was gone. That's why he must return as soon as possible.

"Lord Oracle, if I may ask, can you explain more about Apophis?" Yusho requested to his son's ancestor.

"We have only heard the general knowledge from Kino-san. Can you please explain in more detail?" Reira requested the same. This gained the interest and curiosity from Leo and Akira as well.

Yuno let out a relenting sigh.

"This will be a long story..."

 **MEETING ROOM – ABROAD EVOLUTION – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Everyone, we got a transmission from Kurosaki!"

Yukiya exclaimed as he entered the meeting room, which welcomed with chorus of relief. If Shun could send a message to them, that means he and the others were fine. By now, Yuya, Serena, and Dennis have regained their consciousness. They were still not allowed to move around though. As Shun said that everyone needs to be present for this meeting, they settled with placing the three injured Duelists on wheelchairs and brought them to the meeting room. Yuzu and Gongenzaka were quick to fuss over Yuya's injuries. Celica also scolded Serena for being so reckless by chasing Kurt alone. While Sora and the Tyler Sisters were teasing Dennis by attempting to touch his bandaged wound.

"Everyone is here?" Yukiya asked, clearing his throat. When their attentions were all on him, including Reiji (who has set the airship to autopilot), Yukiya turned on the screen. The screen flickered for a second before it showed Sara and Shun in the hospital.

"Hello, everyone." Sara greeted, waving her hand at them.

"Sara?! You have awakened?!" Yukiya exclaimed in mixture of shock and relief. His eyes almost got teary from happiness of seeing his best friend has recovered.

"I'm sorry to make you worried. I'll be okay now. How about you? I heard there are some who got injured." Sara looked at them worriedly in turn.

"We already received treatment. We will recover soon enough with plenty of rest." Yuya assured the maroon-haired girl without leaving his wheelchair. He gave her his bright smile to emphasize he was okay.

"Umm...is Yuri okay?" Dennis asked hesitantly. Sara and Shun's smile dropped at that question. Soon, the atmosphere became uncomfortable. Dennis almost regretted asking that, but then Serena spoke up.

"I heard Yuri is still in LINK VRAINS. Where is he?" Serena asked, subtly asking to let her see him.

Sara and Shun looked at each other. Unsure if it was all right for them to show the way Yuri was now. But seeing how much not only Serena but also the others want to know Yuri's condition, Sara nodded at Shun. The Raid Raptors user clicked his touchscreen Duel Disk. Shun then looked at Yukiya who caught his silent instruction. Yukiya opened the other screen, which showed LINK VRAINS within their domain.

And then, they saw him. They saw Yuri. But something was wrong with him. Yuri lay on his side, curled up in corner, not responding to their call, though he could hear and was listening to them. He won't even look at them through the screen.

"Yuri? What's wrong? What happened to you?" Serena asked. She was glad that Yuri's consciousness was there, but she now was worried by his behavior. Why won't he even respond to them?

Yuri's figure then was blocked by a girl who was wearing the same blue robes. She wasn't alone. There were two boys standing next to her, blocking Yuri from them.

"I'm sorry, but please leave him like this for a while. He needs...to sort things out." The girl requested while making an uneasy expression. Her concern for the boy was obvious to everyone.

"Introduction first then." Yuji stood up from his seat and then stood beside the holographic screen that showed his brethren.

"As you have already known, I am Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. My real name as a human is Yuji." The red-haired Duelist introduced himself properly and then turned to the rest of his brethren who would do introduction themselves.

"I am Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. My real name as a human is Yuhei. Nice to meet you all." Yuhei introduced himself with a tinge of similar cheerfulness that Yugo has. If it wasn't how he originally was, he must be got it from the Speedroid user who was technically his current master.

"You're the one who brought Clear Wing to me when I fought Neon, right?!" Yugo asked, abruptly stood from his chair while looking expectantly at Yuhei.

"Bingo! Glad that we can meet again, Yugo!" Yuhei answered positively. Before the two could speak with each other, the girl beside Yuhei cut them off by pushing Yuhei aside, continuing the introduction.

"I am Starve Venom Fusion Dragon. My real name as a human is Yura. Hello to all of you." Yura introduced herself, jabbing Yuhei by his side to keep him quiet, earning protest from the Synchro Dragon.

"Eh?! Wait, Starve Venom is a girl?! For real?!" Sawatari yelled while pointing at the said girl in disbelief. Most of them were equally shocked as well. They have always thought that Starve Venom was a male. It always looked so scary, sadistic, and seemed ready to devour anything like her name implies. The Fusion Dragon never showed any, or perhaps to be precise lacked...feminine qualities to put it simply.

"Haven't you ever heard the saying 'never judge a book by its cover?' But I guess someone with small brain as yours would never learn that." Yura responded with a grin that reminded them of her master whenever he made fun of someone. That proved it. Yup. There was no mistaking it. She was Starve Venom alright.

"And I am Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon. My real name as a human is Yuzo. I'm looking forward to get to know and work with all of you." Yuzo greeted politely. This gave everyone the impression of him being the most responsible amongst the four. Yuzo gave a nod to Yuto, and the Phantom Knights user nodded back at him.

"Yeah, about all four of you, what's the meaning of this?" Jonouchi stood from his chair, asking while holding Yuya's Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon. "The four of you were dead and were supposed to be revived as the Four Heavenly Dragons. But how come you are here, separated from your dragon forms? Explain."

The said Four Heavenly Dragons looked at each other before each of them raising their right wrist. Pulling down their robe sleeves, they revealed four familiar jeweled bracelets around their wrists. Yuya and his friends instantly recognized those bracelets, especially the Yuzu and her counterparts. Those were the bracelets created from the four En Cards that used to belong to the girls. Odd-Eyes was wearing Yuzu's, Dark Rebellion was Ruri's, Clear Wing was Rin's, and Starve Venom was Serena' year, after Yuya won against Reiji, the bracelets and Yuya's pendant united the four dimensions and then disappeared.

"How did you get them? Those bracelets were supposed to cease from existence after the dimensions became one and peace returned, their purpose have been fulfilled!" Yuzu asked in quite a loud voice. She mumbled apologies before lowering her tone.

"They didn't disappear. They simply returned to nature and I brought back those powers."

Everyone turned to the other screen where Sara and Shun contacted them from, but then there was one more person appearing on the screen. She was dressed in a doctor white jacket, so they assumed she was one, but if she knew about the bracelets and was together with Sara and Shun, that means...

"Let me introduce her. She is Haruna-san. She is the one who intercepted the four dragons from being transferred to Apophis' place." Sara introduced the woman while raising her right hand to Haruna, which also revealed the bracelet around her wrist.

"What? Then you're not the one who intercepted the dragons?" Kiryu asked Sara who shook her head.

"Haruna-san was the one who planned the whole thing. I only followed her instruction." Sara explained. Haruna found her together with Shun in LINK VRAINS. She was surprised when she knew about her dream about Ray, and also her predicament. After they exchanged information, they decided to work together to stop Apophis.

"She is also the one who saved me when I was injured and got blown into this dimension." Shun added. After he lost against Geist, he got sucked into the portal and ended up in Cantidel. Geist dealt severe blow to him that he was positive he was going to die. Fortunately, Haruna found and healed him. He was initially suspicious of her since she knew so much despite having never met her, but slowly, he began to trust her, especially after she found Sara as Ray in LINK VRAINS and planned the interception of the four dragons.

"Thank you for saving my brother." Ruri immediately expressed her gratitude to the woman. If it were not for her, her brother would have been long dead before she arrived. Yuto also gave the woman his words of gratitude for saving his best friend, which followed Allena and Sayaka.

"It is nothing. I simply following what Ma'at would have wanted." Haruna replied modestly.

"You have a connection with Ma'at?" Yukiya asked. He never heard about her from Ma'at before. Was there a reason why or Ma'at himself didn't know anything?

Haruna closed her eyes. Her body was then enveloped in a white light in a form of a cocoon. When the cocoon opened, there was no longer the maroon-haired woman with white skin in doctor's clothing, but instead was a woman with long hair decorated by a hair ornament and has blue skin in long green-colored dress.

"A Holy Elf?!" Jonouchi exclaimed with his eyes wide. "Holy Elves are similar as Kuribohs, they are Duel Monsters directly following Ma'at's will! But I thought a Holy Elf would never interfere directly!" Jonouchi said, recounting what another Holly Elf that he and Yuno encountered once told them.

"This time it's different. Apophis' awakening cannot be ignored. I can't blend in in my true form, so I changed my appearance. With my power it's not difficult." Haruna explained. While she resembled human, her blue skin would immediately give away her true identity, so she must disguise herself.

"Back to the topic. When I found out Apophis' plan to get his hands on the Four Heavenly Dragons, I quickly gathered the natural energies, and reformed the four bracelets. By accessing the memories within the Dimension Pulse, I found out that those bracelets have the power to split one dimension into four. I used that separation factor to split the dragons into their card forms and human forms. But this only possible as long as they have the bracelets." Haruna explained in detail. Should the bracelets got destroyed, the dragons' human forms cannot exist and would go back into their cards form.

"But why separating them into card form and human form?" Yuya asked.

"Apophis needs the four dragons in their complete forms to regain his power. But if they are split like this, the power sealed inside them will also be split. Even if Apophis get his hand on either of them, as long as the other one still roams free, he can never regain his full power." Sara explained in Haruna's stead.

"And since the four dragons are originally Apophis' offspring, we thought they could be a huge help in person more than only in card form." Shun added. They must explain about the rift, but they'll wait until the Lancers processing the many information that came into them at once.

The Lancers were left speechless by one revelation and another. And they were sure this has not even half of it. There were still unanswered questions that needed to be clarified, especially for the owners of the Four Heavenly Dragons.

"Can you tell us everything now?" Yuya started to ask, causing everyone's attention to turn on him. Yuya was staring straight at Yuji. Yuto and Yugo knew what Yuya was going to ask, and they also stared at their respective dragons for answer. They have been avoiding them for a long time, and now was the time for them to speak.

"What exactly happened 1,500 years ago?"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Forget-me-not –** Celica and Yuno recounts their younger years together and how they momentarily parted ways.

* * *

 **Turned out I managed to finish this chapter earlier, so here you go. For some reason, I've always interested in Holly Elf/Mystical Elf and wanted to include it in some way in this fanfic. Oh, and just to be clear, the Supreme King Deck and Sephira Deck were reincarnated only during Zarc and Ray's generation, when they passed on to be precise at the end of** _ **Bonds of Pendulum**_ **. Before them, the Decks were simply passed down within the family, not reincarnated. Starting the next chapter we will finally enter the flashback chapters that will reveal Yuno, Celica, and the four dragons' past! There will be both happy and sad moments, so be prepared!**

 **Just for reference, the next chapter's title, 'Forget-me-not', comes from Myosotis flower's alternate name.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	61. Forget-me-not

**Big thanks to** _ **Big duels, aqua9597, Playerhood18, Yuka Kuroshiro, HelenTheMoon, Ulrich362, GamingGuy84, D3lph0xL0v3r, Elbarto4000, tsukikami02, Jason, Hunter13hawkie, Unknowedz**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **1,526 YEARS AGO – DEN ACADEMY – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Den Academy was one of the most prestigious schools in whole Cantidel. Initially to educate the noble community, as time passed the academy began to enroll students with commoner backgrounds. The school was famous for its Duel Club that had won many championships and received multiple awards. The downside of this school however, was that while both nobles and commoners enrolled and shared the same class and curriculum, most of the students themselves still segregate their two social classes.

Zooming into the courtyard, 13 years-old Yuno walked to the crowd of students gathered in front of boards where the class arrangements were being announced but not before taking a deep breath after running with full speed from his house all the way to school. Back home several minutes ago, Yuno had almost fallen down the stairs as he tried to comb his spiky hair and kick his school bag downstairs at the same time. A sudden bout of exhaustion from the long trip had gotten him overslept and he woke up only to find out it was already 8:00 a.m.

The Opening Ceremony started at 8:19 a.m. and his house was a seventeen minutes walk away, meaning he would have to run. Hurrying into the kitchen to grab a piece of toast, Yuno greeted his mother and grandmother as he blasted out of the house, sprinting to the direction of Den Academy while hastily stuffing the day's schedule

"Thank god that I made it in time…" Yuno sighed in relief and began to search for his class. He found his name at class 1-B.

"Well, I guess this is my first day as middle-school student." He looked at the school building. "The last time I came here was when Dad and Mom brought me during their school reunion. It was bigger than last time."

"All new students please gather at the auditorium for the opening ceremony!" A senior student called out, snapping Yuno from his thoughts and rushed to the auditorium.

Throughout the speech from the principal and all, Yuno had to resist the urge to fall asleep as he'd found the speech boring and just wished it to end quickly. When he realized that the last speech from the principal was over, he realized that one of the students looked back at him. He was a cool-looking student with short blond hair and emerald eyes. From the armband he was wearing, he was nobility.

Yuno blinked in confusion once the boy finally shifted away his attention from him. "Why was he looking at me like that…? Have I done something wrong? No, this is the first time I even met him."

As he was so deep in thought, he didn't realize that the students have been dismissed to their own classroom and he quickly rushed into the building. Not alert enough because of his tiredness from running, he came into realization that he forgot where his classroom is! He scolded himself for being too much in thought that he forgot his own classroom. There's no way he could just go back to the courtyard to see the board class arrangements or else, he'll be late to attend his first class.

"Geez, how can I forget something important like this?" He scratched his head, not knowing what to do.

"Are you all right?"

Yuno turned around, and he saw the very student whom he had made eye contact with near the end of the opening ceremony. He was staring at her with look concern.

Yuno nodded. "Yeah, I'm all right. Thank you." He bowed his head gratefully.

The blond boy smiled and nodded, accepting his gratitude. "You seem in trouble, is there anything I can help?" He asked.

"I-I forgot where my classroom is." Yuno scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"You're… Yuno Mizushima, you're in the same class as me in 1-B. Come on, let's go there together." The boy offered, surprising Yuno.

"How do you know my name?" Yuno asked, surprised.

"My father owns this school, so I know every student's name here and the class arrangements as well." The blond boy explained.

Yuno stared wide-eyed at the blond haired boy. "Y-you're Director Luis' son?" He knew the boy was a noble, but he didn't expect him to be the son of the famous Duke Luis who was also the owner of the whole academy.

He nodded. "My name is Jusis Luis, nice to meet you." He extended his hand, offering a handshake, which Yuno took shyly. Noticing his nervousness, Jusis chuckled.

"No need to be so formal and all stiff. It makes me uncomfortable too. Just call me Jusis. In exchange, I'll call you Yuno, okay?" Jusis told the embarrassed Yuno whose thought was seen through. He has enough with most people being overly polite towards him. People his age from the same social status as him were mostly snobbish and had a hidden agenda while the commoners were either afraid or regarded him similar to those snobbish and arrogant people. He got tired of it. He wanted someone to just look at him for who he is instead of his family or status.

"Okay then, Jusis. It's nice to meet you." Yuno immediately relaxed, which quite surprised Jusis. That was a quick change. This was a good thing though.

One of many things that Yuno learned from his father was that even if most nobles were looking down on commoners, not all of them were bad. Inner character also matters. By disregarding social status and common misconception, Yuno could see that this noble in front of him was not like most of the ones he knew. While conversing many things throughout their way to class, they didn't realize they have already arrived in front of 1-B classroom. They entered the class and found that most of the students had arrived. When the bell rang, both of them quickly took a seat somewhere (that was still) available and waited patiently until the class was over. He was left to his own devices as he was about to go home until he heard some murmurs from other students.

"Hey, I heard he is that Mizushima freak's son."

"Mizushima freak?"

"Yeah. Haven't you heard? There is this old man who claims he can see the future. But maybe it's just actually him who makes the ruckus to make it like he truly is able to see the future. And I heard that guy is as same as his dad."

"Just an attention seeker then. What a weirdo."

"Looks like we'll have a useful errand boy here."

Yuno twitched. He knew what they meant by that and he didn't like the idea one a bit. How dare they spread some rumors like that when they didn't even know the first thing about him and his father. His father was quite infamous in the city. He had the ability to see the future. He had foreseen nature disasters and accidents and used that power to help as many people as he could. Initially, people were grateful for his help, but then they gradually became afraid and put the blame for the disasters and accidents on him. To make it worse, there were people whom he suspected were jealous of his father, were spreading rumors that his father was to blame for everything that happened like he was the one who caused it. Yuno was also born with similar power, but not wanting his son to experience the same thing as him, his father told him not to display any sign of having that power even though the rumor was already spreading.

"Do you have any problems with my friend, gentlemen?"

Yuno blinked when he saw Jusis was standing covering him from the two boys who were murmuring. This brought attention to everyone in the hallway. The two boys, whom Yuno now realized were also nobles, got all rigid when Jusis was facing them.

"L-Lord Jusis?!"

"I suggest you watch your mouth when in the presence of my friend here. You don't know what words will leave your mouths." Yuno couldn't see it since he was behind his back, but Jusis was staring sternly at the two students. The warning was crystal clear. The two students yelped and ran away as far as they could from him. All the other students who were in the hall stopped their conversations and turn their attention to Jusis who took Yuno by his wrist and led him away until they were outside of the academy.

"Thank you…" Yuno finally said once they were out of the other students' attention.

"Don't mention it. I never like those kinds of guys. There are people who likes to talk things about me too when they don't even know me." Jusis revealed.

"Really? Honestly, I never thought that would happen to the son of Duke Luis." Yuno was visibly surprised. He could only think some idiots who would mocked the son of one of the most influental Dukes. They would usually suck up, saying nice things they didn't mean to one with such a high status as him for the sake of rising their position within society. They didn't want to get on his bad side.

"Having money, privilage, and fame, doesn't guarantee your happiness." Jusis stated. Being a noble, he could live a luxurious live, but it was hard for him to find trustworthy and loyal friends. Most people he knew were degenerate nobles who only knew how to suck up and spent their money for ridiculuous things and regarded common people like they were merely properties instead of human beings. His grandfather could be categorized as one of those people. He was disgusted by them.

"I have to agree with that." Yuno said, knowing where Jusis was coming from.

"You seem to be a fun guy to hang around. Do you mind if we talk again, Yuno?" Jusis asked. Unlike others who only seeing him as the son of Duke Luis or a member of Luis Dukedom, Yuno was seeing him as himself. Not as a noble or member of Luis, but only as Jusis.

Jusis was quite nervous waiting for Yuno's answer since the boy became silent. He was relieved when Yuno smiled in respond. Yuno was having a similar opinion about Jusis. Even though he was a noble and knew of the rumors surrounding him, he didn't judge him like others did. He didn't regard him as a commoner or someone with low status. Jusis was seeing him as himself, as a person.

"Not at all. I think you're pretty interesting too, Jusis."

And that was the beginning of their friendship.

 **1,523 YEARS AGO – DUEL GYM – MIDDLE-SCHOOL SECTION – DEN ACADEMY – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

It had been three years since Yuno started to attend Den Academy, and now he and Jusis were in their third year. During their first year, they joined the Duel Club together. By the end of their first year, Yuno would never again be known as the son of a freak, but as nothing more or less than one of the most talented Duelists at the academy. Being close friend with Jusis also protected him from unwanted attention or orcatrization from others unless they wanted to incur Jusis' wrath.

Today was a special day for the Den Academy Duel Club. Not only were they having a practice match against a Duel Club from another prestigious school, but also welcoming several transfer students who decided to join the club. The Club President wanted to see the new members' skill, so they allowed them to go first with the Duel.

"Mornin', Yuno." Jusis greeted his best friend as he took a seat beside him at the audience bench.

"Yeah. Mornin's, Jusis. You came just in time. The Duel is about to start." Yuno said while looking at the arena where the Duel will soon be commenced.

"By the way, about new members, my sister is one of them." Jusis revealed.

"Your younger sister that you often talk about?" Yuno remarked. Ever since he became friends with Jusis, the blond boy would often bring up his younger sister in the conversation. He spoke of her like a doting older brother, saying how cute and smart she was, how he wished she attend Den Academy instead of an all-girl school for nobles in different province (due to their grandfather's order), and how great a Duelist she was. Yuno found it amusing when one time he pointed out how much Jusis cared for his sister, the older brother was blushing embarrassed and let out incoherent retort.

"Yeah. She is one of the transfer students who just enrolled to this school. My father was finally able to convinced Grandfather to let her transfer to this school. I'll introduce you to her later." Jusis explained. His grandfather was a stubborn old man who strongly upholds the noble tradition using any means necessary. He didn't hate his grandfather, but he didn't like him either for what he viewed as 'old-generation-way-of-thinking.'

"Okay. The match is starting." Yuno marked, turning their attention to the arena.

The commentator introduced the two Duelists who would duke it out. The first one was a Duelist coming from the other school as guest. She wore a signature Chinese yellow dress and bracelets in her waist. Red high heels adorned her bare feet and her hair was put in two buns. However, the one who got Yuno's attention was the girl who was a new member of his school's Duel Club. She has long, wavy blonde hair and a seemingly angelic disposition. She was dressed in Den Academy uniform yet displayed a sophisticated manner, demonstrating her grace and refinement. From her armband, she was a noble, which didn't surprise him. Even during the Duel, she showed excitement while still maintained a calm attitude, which Yuno assumed stemmed from her noble upbringing.

Her Dueling was also top-notch. She was a Ritual user like him. Her Ritual Monsters with Level from 3 to 6 had effects that were used to suppress monsters Summoned from the Extra Deck, while the effects of those ones whose Levels range from 7 to 11 give to the player more card advantage, mainly by destroying and/or banishing other cards. In addition, all of them featured a second ability that could be activated by discarding them; these effects ranged from protecting and empowering on-field monsters to reviving them and searching for resources. This remarkable property alleviates the recurring problem with Ritual monsters becoming dead draws when the player does not have means of Ritual Summoning them.

"That girl is amazing." Yuno said in awe when the blond girl won the Duel.

"She's my little sister." Jusis revealed while staring proudly at his younger sister.

"Oh. I see." Yuno said while smiling. He stayed that way for five seconds before he blinked and then turned back and forth from Jusis and then to the girl and then back to Jusis. His eyes were wide with disbelief. Did he just hear it right? Yeah, the both of them have blond hair, but he couldn't see any resemblance in their faces.

"HUH?!" Yuno stared at Jusis like he had gone mad. Jusis made an annoyed expression on his face. He was offended. Why almost everyone reacted that way whenever he introduced his sister to them?

When the Duel was halted for a recess, Jusis immediately brought Yuno to his sister. They made prior appointment to meet in front of the gym.

"Celica!" Jusis called out to his sister once he spotted her waiting for them.

"Brother!" Celica rushed to her older brother and hugged him. He hugged her back briefly before pulling her away so he could introduce her to his best friend whom he often talked about whenever they were in contact with each other before she moved to Den City. She has always been curious about this best friend he often talked about since her brother didn't have any friends close enough for him to be call them his best.

"Here, let me introduce you to him. This is Yuno, my best friend." Jusis pulled Yuno closer to his sister, taking him by his right wrist.  
"H-hello." Yuno greeted, finding himself feeling shy all of a sudden.

"And Yuno, this is my little sister." Jusis turned to his sister, putting a hand on her back.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Celica Luis." Celica greeted.

Yuno could only stared at her in respond with his mouth opened. He couldn't shift his eyes away from her. She was pretty and cute, yes that was obvious, but he felt there was something else, something more that made him couldn't stop staring at her. His heart started throbbing, his chest got tight, and his face got hot. A tinge of red formed on his cheek the longer he stared at her. Unbeknownst to him, the girl also felt the same way the moment her brother introduced them to each other.

It was love at first sight.

 **TWO MONTHS LATER – 1,523 YEARS AGO – ICE RINK – DEN CITY– CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

It had been two months since the three of them were together. It didn't take too long for Yuno to be almost inseparable from the Luis siblings. They were hardly far from each other at school. Even Celica, who was a year younger, would always joined them during lunchbreak and not forgetting the Duel Club. After school, depending on the siblings' schedule, they hung out at the shopping district or Duel Arcade. If the Luis siblings were required to be at home immediately, they at least made a brief stop at Yuno's house to drop him off. During school vacation, Celica and Jusis spent their vacation days with their parents at the capital but were sent back to Den City three days before the school start. They used these three days to hang out with Yuno.

Today, amongst the crowds of people who were passing by in and out of the mall stood the Luis siblings who seemed to waiting for someone to come. The two attracted some unwanted attention from several boys and girls. It's an understatement, considering the siblings were charming and that made them stand out from people who were standing around the lobby.

The Luis siblings, on the other hand, didn't notice the attention they were getting. The older sibling, Jusis, was busy checking his mailbox and looking at the time, tapping his right foot out of boredom. The younger sibling, Celica, was fidgeting and humming in excitement. She was holding her bag tightly and smiled happily with her trademark blush on her cheeks.

"Celica, if you continue with the fidgeting and humming, people may think of you weird." Jusis patted his sister's shoulders, effectively stopping the girl.

"Sorry, I just can't wait to skate, and Yuno is late." Celica pouted.

"Can't be helped. Yuno's class is the only one that hasn't finished preparing for the school festival tomorrow." With that knowledge in mind, Jusis never expected Yuno to arrive on time.

"Oh! There he is!" Yuno stretched an arm and waved at them among the crowds.

"Speak of the devil." Jusis said the moment he saw Yuno's small figure.

"Sorry I'm late! Let's go inside now!" Yuno panted from running all the way from school to the mall.

Celica found herself swirling on the ice. The first jump came, a fairly simple one compared to a Lutz or a Flip and she landed perfectly without a hitch, as easy as flipping her own hand. She heard the crowd gave out a soft murmur, but what made her happy was the praise coming from Yuno who was looking at her with admiration. Skating backwards Celica looked up towards the bright lights, and then spun around to begin her next leap into the air.

"Celica is amazing…!" Yuno clapped his hands for who knows how many times, clearly astonished by Celica's performance. It was just too beautiful to describe with words. The moment he did this, however, he began struggling and had to hold on the fence to keep his balance.

"She's a prodigy. Her talent has already been recognized when she was seven. But she prefers becoming a Duelist than a skater. Skating is simply her hobby now." Jusis revealed. He remembered when they were eight, even though everybody already went home, she was the only one who was still skating until it was closing time.

"What are you two talking about?" Celica asked, coming between them.

"Nothing. I'm going to buy some hot chocolates for us. Wait here." Jusis said, emphasizing the 'wait here' part to Yuno. This was the first time Yuno ever skated and he didn't make much progress so far. If he moved around, it might cause problem to himself.

"This is the first time you're skating, right? Here, I'll teach you." Celica lent her hand for Yuno to take.

"Are you sure? Teaching me I mean…" Yuno asked, unsure. He was happy, but the thought of Celica holding his hand while teaching him skate made him nervous.

"Of course it's fine. Here, come on." Celica took Yuno's hand, holding his hand and keeping an arm around his waist so that he would not fall.

"Just move your legs like you're kicking a ball. Do it slowly, no need to be in hurry." Celica instructed as she was observing Yuno's movements.

"Umm...it's quite hard since my body also trembling with the cold air here." Yuno said as he imagined himself kicking a ball like Celica has instructed him to. But he had quite a hard time concentrating with Celica being so close and even held him like this.

"That's why you need to keep moving. The more you move, the higher your body temperature raise. If you're just standing still, it'll only make you feel colder. Try by yourself now. I'll catch you if something happened."

"O-okay!"

Yuno slowly let go of Celica for a moment to see how far he has caught her instruction. Yuno did as Celica told him. Slowly but surely, Yuno was actually able to skate around at least the half of the rink without any difficulty. He sometimes almost lost his balance but was quick to regain it. He made a victory sign to Celica who was watching him, proud of himself that he was able to skate well within an hour and Celica felt the same. She decided to approach him, skating forward.

"Yuno!"

Yuno almost lost his footing the moment he heard Celica's loud voice. Too loud if you asked him. Since most skaters were now looking at them. She was too excited that she called him out like a child who just won her first competition. She was skating towards him while waving her hands. Either it was thanks to her intuition or sheer luck she skillfully dodged the other skaters who were skating around the rink as she made her way to him.

However, Yuno then saw that Celica's dodging won't last long. She was too focused on reaching Yuno that she didn't notice someone behind her skating awkwardly, an amateur, bumped into her back. Celica, in attempt to stop herself from falling, tried her best to remain in balance, but this made her unable to stop herself from skating fast and straight towards the wall.

"That's bad." Yuno quickly skated towards her once noticing the girl behind Celica in his vision seconds ago. He fastened his speed to reach her faster before the girl behind who was flailing could hit her.

However, being too hasty, he lost his balance and fell. When he tried to stand up again, it was already too late. The girl's back hit Celica that ruined her movement. Not giving up yet, Yuno stood right in front of her. Her body collided with Yuno, making him fell flat on his butt with Celica in his arms. Their loud crash quickly gained attentions from everyone within the rink and they immediately gathered to them, asking are they okay or suggesting they should be checked to the medical room.

"W-we are fine." Celica said timidly to people who have gathered around them while still in Yuno's hold.

"Let's catch a break for a while. Jusis should be back any minute now." Yuno suggested as he winced in pain from the impact but chuckling at the same time.

Celica blushed when she noticed Yuno was chuckling and realized he was still hugging her. Yuno also realized this quickly and the both of them quickly pulled away from each other in embarrassment. In their minds, however, they were slightly happy for that brief moment. Pulling themselves together, they left the rink to take a break while waiting for Jusis, sitting on a bench side by side.

"About the crash earlier...have you seen it in your vision?" Celica asked. When Yuno suddenly ran to her, she noticed him having a worried expression directed towards her. She didn't know until someone crashed her back and Yuno quickly caught her. When Yuno looked surprised, she quickly explained.

"I have heard lots of things about you from my brother. When we heard about those rumors, we investigated it, the incidents that you and your father claimed have seen. It would be impossible for those incidents to be purposely set up." Celica said. When she and her brother learned about Yuno's power and the rumors circulating around him and his father, they did some investigation hoping to clear their names. Unlike her brother, she has only known Yuno for two months, but she knows that Yuno was not a kind of person who would want to attract attention that way. They did a lot of digging and they were right, both Yuno and his father were not fabricating the visions or doing anything of the sort. However, they didn't have the solid proof. So far, they only have circumstantial evidence.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I thought you won't like talking about it, so I kept quiet all this time." Celica apologized. She felt bad for keeping quiet about it for so long. When Yuno overheard rumors about him and his father, Celica noticed the strained face he was making even though he tried to hide it. She didn't like that, so she kept quiet.

"So…you believe me…?" Yuno asked slowly. Celica quickly nodded her head.

"Of course. Both my brother and I believe in you. And you just proved it." Celica replied sincerely.

"But this power is mostly useless though…" Yuno lowered his gaze. Seeing these visions but yet neither his father nor himself have the power to prevent that from happening brought pain. This kind of accident was one thing, but if it was a disaster, the only thing they could do was warning people who most didn't listen much to them.

Yuno flinched when he felt something on top of his hand. Celica was putting her hand on his while smiling at him.

"If it were not for that vision people would have been injured. Because you and your father have those visions, a lot of people are saved regardless whether they believe in you or not. Even if it's just a few people, each of their lives are precious. It's far better than knowing but didn't do anything to help." Celica leaned closer to Yuno as she held his hand.

"Your vision is a gift. If you use it wisely, you'll be able to help more people. Don't give up. No one in this word is perfect, so of course we can't save everyone. But don't let that stop you from helping people. Save as many people as you can with the best of your power." Celica conveyed what she truly believes. If Yuno learned to use his power properly, many lives could be saved. There must be a reason why he and his father were born with this gift.

Yuno stared hard at Celica before he smiled gratefully. This was the first time someone ever called this power of his a gift. Celica would always make him feel better. She would secretly sneak out of the mansion one time after another to meet him.

"Thank you, Celica. Your words mean a lot to me. You're amazing." Yuno thanked the blond-haired girl. Seeing his serene smile made Celica's face redden. He always made her feel this way. Just being by his side, seeing him smiling, was enough to make her completely at ease and happy.

Celica slowly leaned her head on Yuno's shoulder. Her face reddened deeper. Yuno went stiff for a few seconds before he snapped out of it with a reddened face of his own before he slowly leaned his head close to her. They felt each other's presence and savored that moment like there was no one in the place other than the two of them. They felt content to stay this way until their end time...

CRASH

...if only not for the return of the enraged older brother.

Yuno and Celica flinched, snapping out from their stupor upon hearing the sound of a broken glass. Yuno's face went pale and almost completely white when he saw Jusis looming over them with burning raging eyes directed at him. He was holding two mugs, not counting the one that he dropped. Both mugs cracked from the force of his hold.

 _"I am so dead!"_ Yuno screamed in his mind, sweating bullets under the enraged gaze of his best friend.

"Yuno… You…with my sister…! How dare you…!" Jusis' gaze turned murderous, he seemed ready to choke the life out of his best friend who started to back away.

"W-wait! Hold on a second! It's not as bad as you are thinking!" Yuno tried his best to calm down, but for once, he couldn't. He was seriously feeling nervous, uneasy, scared, and various other emotions that made him unable to form words properly.

"Yuno…! You're doing this behind my back, don't think I'm going let this slide just because we are best friends!" Jusis threw an accusing finger at Yuno who raised his hands in defense.

"W-wait hold on a second! I didn't do anything! We didn't do anything! We're not dating or anything!" Yuno said desperately in his defense.

"That's right, Brother! This is not what it looks like!" Celica stepped in, holding her brother by his left arm to calm him down.

"The two of you are not dating...but you have a thing for her, don't you?" Jusis' glare at Yuno intensified.

"No! I mean yes! No, I mean not yet! I...urgh..." Yuno didn't even know what he was saying anymore. Any attempt to keep calm was pointless under the incoming danger threatening to murder him. But he was surprised at the fact that he just practically admitted that he does like Celica. And he was positive he just signed his death certificate with that answer.

Jusis crushed both mugs he was still holding completely. He wore his Duel Disk and activated it.

"Very well! If you absolutely want to stay by her side, then you have to defeat me! I won't give my sister so easily!" Jusis became more fired up, panicking Yuno even more.

"Forget about letting it slide, depending on your tenacity, I probably will kill you in this Duel. I, the older brother, is the one who has been taking care of Celica since she was a child! It's appropriate for a man who wants to take my sister's hand to get my permission first!" Jusis' face and aura have fully turned murderous.

"You're jumping to marriage already?!" Yuno protested. They were being watched by people in this skating ring for goodness sake!

 **1,521 YEARS AGO – LUIS MANOR – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Time passed quickly since then. Before they knew it, it had been two years since the three of them were together. Yuno and Jusis graduated the year before while Celica graduated a few months earlier. After graduating, Yuno continued his study at Den University, having received scholarship to pursue a career as Professional Duelist. Jusis, being the successor of Luis Dukedom, must continue proper education in private at his mansion, though he would often sneak out to have the usual hang out with Yuno and Celica.

And despite Jusis being still against the two of them dating, both Yuno and Celica couldn't hold their feelings any longer. Even without them voicing it, they knew their feelings were mutual. They couldn't help it. Whenever there was a chance for them to go on a date together while Jusis was too preoccupied by either his study or work, Yuno and Celica would take it. Whenever they were with each other, thinking their status in society didn't become as scary as they used to think. In fact, they didn't care about that. Because in a short while they came to understand that this emotion became nothing more than an odd thing.

Sadly, their happiness together must come to an end.

Two months after Celica graduated, their grandfather ordered Celica and Jusis to return to the Capital to continue their duties as members of Luis House permanently. Not even their father could make an argument against him. Once their grandfather said the word, it was final. Either they came willingly or by force.

"I'll be lonely without the two of you." Yuno told the Luis siblings as the servants were moving the luggage into the truck.

"We'll try to come to visit. Or why don't you come and play to the capital one day? We'll give you a tour." Celica replied. She really wanted to cry because they had to part, but she knew it would only made Yuno felt worse so she held her tears back.

"If we can't meet here, we can always meet at LINK VRAINS. Let's meet there until we can meet again in the real world." Jusis suggested. They could log into LINK VRAINS anywhere as long as they have the internet connection that connected them to the servers. At times when Jusis and Celica had to go back to the capital for a few days to meet their parents, they logged into LINK VRAINS to hang out with Yuno.

"Yeah. Let's meet there. I heard there's a new cyber café open. Let's go there next time." Yuno suggested. It wasn't as fun as when they were hanging out in real life, but at least they were together.

Noticing they were going to put the last luggage, Jusis suddenly pushed his sister to his best friend. He turned his back on him, not seeing their confused glances.

"Just for this one time, I'll give you two a bit time together." Jusis told them, surprising the two.

"Jusis..."

"But it doesn't mean I have approved of the two of you dating. Remember that." Jusis reminded before retreating to the limo. Yuno and Celica snickered but were nevertheless grateful.

"We'll meet again. I promise that the three of us will be together again." Celica promised while holding Yuno's hand tenderly yet tightly like he was a phantom that was going to disappear at any second.

"Yeah. If you can't come back here, then I'll go to you." Yuno pulled Celica into his arms, embracing her, and she embraced him back. They didn't care if someone else saw them like this. They were going to part soon, so they didn't want to let go of each other now. They only had a little time left.

They will wait until the day they can be together again.

No matter how long it takes.

 **1,516 YEARS AGO – LUIS MANOR – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Six years had passed since they parted ways. They were far apart, but the bonds between them were still strong. They were still strongly holding onto their promise. Even if they lived on different sides of globe. Even if they were of different status. Even if someone tried to separate them. The bonds they shared together between the three of them will never change. Each of them vowed that they will never let that change. In every chance they continued to meet at LINK VRAINS and typed e-mails to each other. They continued to meet and sent e-mails as evidence of the thoughts they shared together.

Celica and Yuno, in particular, their feelings for one another after being separated only got stronger for each passing day. Even now these feelings they had for each other haven't faded away, not even a bit. Every day these feelings overlapped one another, and it felt like they would just burst. There was no such day in which the flame of this thought will be extinguished for them.

The feelings they had for each other were neither lies nor fake. They never doubted their feelings for one another, not even once. They only have these feelings in their chests that no one will be able to change.

Should people found out about them, there was no doubt that they would strongly oppose it due to the difference between their status. People around Yuno would think that Celica's affection for him was nothing but a random thought in the noble class and she would just forget him. While people around Celica would oppose because a high-class young woman like her shouldn't be with someone of low citizen. But they didn't care what other people said.

Forming romantic relationship with someone else other than each other was something that never crossed their minds. They could only think of each other as someone they would love to spend the rest of their lives together.

Even if the relationship between them was something impossible, they would always believe in their love for one another.

They will be together one day. They knew they will.

They will wait no matter how long it would take.

That has been what kept their feelings unchanged for six years.

So why did this happen to them?

Celica and her brother were suddenly called by their grandfather and parents to the living room in the middle of their studies. The three of them strangely looked beyond happy when Celica and Jusis came. Their mother, in particular, rushed to Celica and hugged her while mumbling congratulations, which only served to confuse them even more. Celica looked at her brother in question, but even he didn't know what was going on. Their father beckoned them to sit across their grandfather who brought the news that elated them.

However, for Celica and Jusis, that news was equal of destroying their world.

"A marriage proposal?" Celica hoped she heard it wrong. She didn't want this to be true.

"Yes. It's from the second Imperial Prince." His father said with bright smile on his face.

"It seems the prince fell in love with you at first sight when you made your debut in society. Although you rarely meet, he couldn't forget you. Both of you know each other and he is an Imperial Prince so he has secure future! There can't be any better proposal than this!" Her mother explained almost in ecstatic tone. While normal people might think this was a noble being happy as they got closer to the Imperial Family, Celica's mother was truly happy for her daughter.

Celica couldn't say anything. Everything was too sudden. The second Imperial Prince was somewhat reserved, but he was a kind and honest person. He also did not discriminate nobles and commoners. Both of them were equally important to him. She liked him as a person and a friend. She was sure that he would be a good husband. She didn't know that he feel that way about her. She felt bad, but in her heart, there was only Yuno.

Jusis knew what his younger sister was thinking. He had been by her side more than anyone else so he knew her feelings. He could tell every time they met Yuno and from the e-mails she typed, that Yuno has always been in her heart. While he didn't hate the Imperial Prince or anything, if he were to choose between the prince and his best friend, he would entrust his sister to his best friend whom he knows the best.

"Grandfather, please reconsider. Celica is still 21. This is too sudden for her." Jusis tried to defend his sister. And while he knew his parents were genuinely happy for Celica, he knew that all his grandfather cared about was the well-being of his Dukedom and how others view him. He would do anything for the sake of maintaining control even if it means disregarding another people's feeling, pretending to not notice them, even his own family.

"Celica has already reached the appropriate age to marry. Marrying the Imperial Prince would also rise family's position further. The prince will come to visit and personally hear your reply two days from now on. You should be prepared." He told his granddaughter. Noticing the miniscule uneasy gesture, she was making, he tapped his scepter.

"You understand the importance in this proposal, right? It's not like you are in relationship with anyone or having someone you like." He said before standing to leave the room. His tone was final and he wouldn't accept any objection. He stopped beside the couch where she was sitting, placing a hand on her shoulder and leaned down so that only she and Jusis could hear.

"Even if there is someone in your mind...like a commoner, perhaps, I will take care of it. If you understand, then you know what to do." He told them before finally leaving for good. Their parents followed to break the good news to their close relatives, unaware of the inner predicament of their children.

Celica and Jusis didn't say anything. They were still stunned by the underlying threat that their grandfather had given them. They had no doubt he was serious and had every intention to carry out that threat if they disobeyed him. If there was someone whom he regards as obstacle to the Dukedom's future, he would get rid of them by any means necessary from harassment to death threats, and the two of them were always powerless to stop him.

They couldn't put Yuno through that kind of experience.

"I...really don't have...a choice..." Celica couldn't stop her tears from falling. This was too painful. She couldn't accept it. No matter how kind and honest the prince was, she couldn't accept to marry someone else other than the person she loved.

Jusis knew no words of comfort would heal her pained heart. The only thing he could was hug her while letting her cry out. He hated this. Why must this happen to his sister and best friend? This was unfair. Not only that, aside from them, if words spread that they rejected the proposal from the Imperial Family, it would give opportunity to other nobles to twist the story and information that may ruin their reputation. While he didn't care about their selfish grandfather, he cared for their parents. If only he had more power, more influence that could overpower his grandfather, perhaps this wouldn't have happened to them.

Celica wiped her tears with a handkerchief offered by her brother, forcing a smile even though they both knew she was not okay. With the way they were now, there was nothing they could do. They didn't have a choice.

 _"I will always love you, Yuno. I will never let this feeling change."_

Celica took out her Duel Disk and wore it on her wrist. Jusis nodded in understanding and sent an emergency message to his best friend. As much as he wanted to go with her, he knew it would be best to leave his sister and his best friend alone. They need it. Celica gave her brother a peck on his cheek as form of her gratitude. She was blessed to have a brother who understood her so well.

"Into the VRAINS."

Celica's body soon was covered in light bluish data sphere, logging into LINK VRAINS to meet her beloved.

 _"Even if...I have to marry someone other than you..."_

 **1,516 YEARS AGO – LINK VRAINS – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

When Yuno received the emergency message from Jusis, he was close to breaking down. He had to reread the content of the message to make sure he was reading it right while hoping he was misreading it or something. But no, he wasn't. It was true. The moment his mind fully processed the news, it was like his entire world fell apart.

The promise they made together.

Their feelings for each other.

He felt all of them would disappear beyond his reach. He was honestly afraid. He wanted this to be a bad dream. He wanted to stay in his room, run away from reality. But when he read that Celica wanted to meet him right away, he couldn't refuse. Because he also wanted to meet her. He wanted to hold her even if it wasn't directly. He wanted to hear her voice.

"Yuno!"

The moment he heard her calling his name and saw her running at him, he opened his arms and embraced her fully. The last time they met in LINK VRAINS was two days ago, but it felt like years for the two of them after hearing the sad news. If possible, they wanted to run away somewhere together where no one could find them. They wanted to run away where her grandfather would never reach them and they could be together always. But reality was harsh. They knew it would be impossible with the way they were now.

"If I reject the proposal, grandfather will come after you until I agree." Celica told Yuno while placing a hand on the left side of his face. He then in turn, placed his own hand on the same place on her face while smiling sadly in understanding.

"And even if you can abandon your noble status, you can't abandon your parents who love you and whom you love dearly." Yuno said.

He had met her parents once during his third school year. They were kind couple who had no prejudice against commoners or the sort. While they did not approve of him forming a relationship with their daughter out of concern for Celica's well-being, they had no qualms with him becoming their friends and even speak causally to their children. They were more than happy to welcome him as their children's best friend. He liked them and wouldn't want something bad happen to them. One small scandal amongst nobilities could have huge impact that could destroy the whole family. If the story spread about Celica rejecting the prince's proposal, there would be opportunists who would use that to their advantage to crush the Luis Dukedom.

"It's because you are a kind person, and I love you for that." Yuno told his beloved, wiping the tear that formed on her right eye.

"And so do you. That's what makes me love you even more." Celica replied.

Yuno raised a hand, materializing a crown of blue and pink-colored scorpion grasses. It was a genus of flowering plants in the family Boraginaceae, also known as myosotis or forget-me-nots. He was not that fond of flowers, but Celica does. He did some research about flowers until he finally settled to choose this flower. He placed the flower crown on top of her head. This will be his last present for her as her lover. He wished he can give this in real life but since they were so far away, he could only give it to her online.

"This is pretty. I love it. Thank you."

Their eyes then met. While everything else seemed to freeze over in the cold weather of LINK VRAINS, only their gazes were tinged with burning passion. Staring into each other's eyes, they felt as if their bodies would evaporate from the heat. Without saying anything, they drew closer until their lips met. That one moment was like eternity. That one moment was something they would never forget. That one moment was something they would cherish for as long as they live.

They will go separate ways from now on.

However, they vow with their life,

That they will never forget their love for each other.

Just like the meaning of the scorpion grasses,

'True Love'

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Our Family –** Yuno recounts how he met his late wife and adopted children.

* * *

 **I thought it would be amusing if ancestors and descendants have similar experience, so this is the result. But, I'm sorry if this is too cliché. I've tried to think something that is less cliché, but in the end, this is the best I could come up with. I still need to learn a whole lot more to make something that is more original.**

 **Thank you to _HelenTheMoon_ and my cousin for beta-reading this chapter!**

 **To _Jason_ : Yes, I read and watch Naruto, but no, I didn't get the 'love is the key to peace' thing from the series. That kind of thing is a common thinking among people.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	62. Our Family

**Big thanks** _ **to tsukikami02, Big duels, Ulrich362, Playerhood18, Unknowedz, GamingGuy84, Yuka Kuroshiro, dvdryms, scififan599, Elbarto4000, D3lph0xLo3r, Jason, ThePLOThand, VioletStarVN**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **1,514 YEARS AGO – HALLWAY – CANTIDEL ARMY BASE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

The Imperial Army of Cantidel is an organization where selected people enter and become part of the Empire's military as a Duel Soldier. The organization has a noble duty as the protector of the Empire from various threats such as foreign countries invading to local criminals within the Empire itself. These duties are treated as missions which can be accomplished by any Duelist who they could nominate themselves for the duty or be nominated by a higher ranked Duelist.

Due to the soldiers' duties, which are focused on combat-based missions, members of the army must possess a high skill in Dueling and be well versed in combat. Thus, membership and leadership of the Duelists are dominated by the nobles of the Empire because they more than often produce Duelists with high power and talents. However, this fact does not hinder commoners of lesser status to enter the organization as the organization often arranges an Entrance Exam that everyone could participate in for a chance to be inducted into one of the army's squads. Aside from the normal exam, members can also enter through personal recommendation from higher-rank Duelists.

Now, it was lunchtime for the army. All Duelists were either having lunch at the cafeteria or other places they deemed comfortable for them to eat. Other than eating lunch, some used this time to simply hang out with their friends. They mostly filled the hallway chatting with each other.

Their chatter stopped briefly when Yuno passed by. Some began talking in whispers while some were staring at the black-haired Duelist with admiration. Yuno noticed the attention he got but opted to act like he noticed nothing. If he made eye contact with one of the people who were staring at him, he simply smiled and inclined his head in acknowledgement.

"Hello, Oracle!" One of them finally greeted rather cheerfully.

"Hello." Yuno greeted back. This made others who were hesitant to speak up finally greet him too and Yuno greeted each of them politely while he kept walking.

"It's the Oracle."

"What? The rumored Oracle? The one who saw through the enemies' attack and devised a counterplan?"

"Yeah. He even personally led the squad."

"At first, I thought it was just a scam or he is a spy, but his power is the real deal."

"He didn't do it just once, but dozens of times already."

A year had passed since Yuno quit his career in Duel Circuit and enrolled in the Imperial Military of Cantidel as a commissioned officer through recommendation from Jusis who had reached the rank of Colonel at the time. While initially being dismissed as someone who used 'backdoor connection' to enroll despite having a license as Professional Duelist, Yuno was quick to prove his capabilities with his diligence and winning streaks. His name soon spread throughout the armies when his visions played pivotal role in a war against a neighboring country a month ago.

He revealed exactly how the battle would proceed and quickly formed a counter plan that resulted with the city that the opposing country intended to invade, was occupied by the Cantidel army in a mere day without bloodshed. With Jusis vouching for him, he was allowed to take command of the operation based on his counter plan. With the combined forces and Yuno's leadership, the enemies were repelled. Before he knew it, everyone around him was referring to him as the 'Oracle' and sought for his advice.

His outstanding work was quickly recognized and there were talks he would be given promotions. The army consisted of a great number of commissioned officers with a commoner background and Yuno was considered a young leader among them, praised for his unparalleled skills as both a commander, operator and considered a master of the imperial army's Ritual Dueling. It was believed he would carry the future of Cantidel's army.

"But to be honest all this attention can be too much." Yuno thought exasperatedly. He enrolled into the army because Jusis asked for his help. Jusis was in difficult position because a few months ago several people appointed to the army were either spies or became traitors through bribery. Jusis couldn't risk for that to happen again, so he insisted that he would personally handpick the person to join the army. While he has quite a lot of people that he trusted, the person he trusted the most was Yuno. All Yuno needed was a vision of his best friend being in a dire situation to convince him to quit his profession to help his best friend.

Yuno gasped when he felt an arm rounded around his shoulders from behind, startling him.

"Having a good time, Lord Oracle?" Jusis said with teasing grin, making Yuno sigh.

"Can you please refrain from referring me with that title, Colonel Luis?" Yuno protested. While he admitted the title was befitting for the power he possessed, it still embarrassed him to be called by it.

"I'll stop if you refer me with my name, at least in private. There's no one here other than us, so it should be okay." Jusis told the Oracle. They were at the backdoor of the camp where people rarely came. For the sake of maintaining image, Jusis and Yuno had to keep formalities with each other when they were around the other Duelists. Even though everyone knew Jusis had recommended Yuno personally, they didn't know about the fact they have been close friends since middle school.

"What can I help with you today, Jusis?" Yuno quickly dropped the politeness.

"Nothing. I came to give you this." Jusis presented an envelope to Yuno.

Yuno inspected the envelope, turning it back and forth before neatly opening it. He frowned upon seeing the contents of the envelope. It was an invitation card to Prince Nicole – the second Prince and Celica's husband's birthday party. He didn't hate Nicole or anything, but he didn't want to be present at the party surrounded by nobles who clearly wouldn't like it.

"Jusis, you know I can't go to this party. I don't think the nobles would appreciate a man of common birth like me to be present, and I myself won't feel comfortable to be surrounded by people who're thinking of me that way." Yuno reminded his best friend. This wasn't actually the first time he received similar invitation. Even though he was a Professional Duelist who has made quite a name for himself, there were still nobles who looked down on him and resorted to use cheap tricks if necessary to stop him from spreading more influence. He didn't want to go to a party filled with many of those nobles even though he knew his best friend and Celica meant well when inviting him.

"It is precisely because of those nobles that you must come. This is for your own sake." Jusis insisted, pushing the invitation back to Yuno when the latter attempted to hand it back.

"What do you mean?" Yuno raised a brow.

"Have you forgotten how several officers from noble families are thinking of you?" Jusis questioned, reminding Yuno again how his fellow officers with noble backgrounds were viewing him ever since his first attendance.

The noble faction caught wind of Yuno's growth and it was clear they were seeing him as a threat. It was not Yuno's intention to make them feel threatened; he simply wanted to help Jusis as a friend. But he knew this wasn't so simple. Something must be done before the noble faction use extreme measures to get rid of him sooner or later.

"I'll be blunt. I want you to come to this party and get friendly with certain noble families and help them using your vision." Jusis told the Oracle. While he didn't like this tactic, this was the only solution he could think to help his best friend.

"You want me to suck up to them?" Yuno said with a tinge of disgust at the thought of overly pleasing the pathetic excuse of nobles who had no real standing in society for one with such high status.

"By presenting yourself willing to help the nobles, they won't see you so much as a threat and instead would want to build a close relation with you." Jusis reasoned. Even with his position as a Colonel, he couldn't do more if it came to the worst. There were some higher-ups from the same background as him wishing Yuno to be disposed of if necessary due to his rising support and Yuno was still an officer so it would be easy to get rid of him should Yuno prove himself more capable.

"I don't know which one is worse, being seen as a threat by them or being wanted by them." Yuno scratched his head between confusion and exasperation. Neither option sounded good to him.

"The nobles whom I will ask you to help will be the ones I personally trust and won't try to abuse your power. Your appearance in this party is just to make you less threatening in the eyes of the noble faction. It'll give everyone impression that you do not differentiate between nobles and commoners." Jusis furthered explained. He knew that asking Yuno to suck up to the you-know-who type nobles would be too much. That's why he had asked the ones he truly trusted to help.

Yuno was silent for a moment before letting out a relenting sigh. "I still don't like it. But I don't have any other idea. And at least this will lower the chances of the nobles sending assassins to kill me." He said, accepting the invitation.

"I'm sorry for troubling you like this, Jusis." Yuno apologized. Jusis was the one who asked for help but instead he was the one being helped. After training for years, he had finally able to gain a degree of control of his visions. It was exhausting compared to when it came naturally to him.

Jusis furrowed his brows at Yuno's apology. Raising a hand, he flicked Yuno's forehead before grabbing him in a headlock.

"Idiot. What are you saying sorry for? We're best friends so it's only natural for me to help." Jusis told him in response, making Yuno chuckle.

But still, Yuno wished he had a way to settle his problems without making the situation even more complicated.

 **1,514 YEARS AGO – NEXT EVENING – LUIS MASION – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

The moment Yuno first stepped into the mansion, he already didn't like the atmosphere. He was wearing a fancy white coat with blue highlights and a red necktie scarf. He wore green pants and knee-high light brown boots. The outfit was lent to him by Jusis to make him look proper so the nobles will look lesser condescending at him. It still didn't hide his status though as some people who knew his face were there too. He groaned when the whispering started.

"Yuno."

Yuno stopped his track when he heard the familiar voice. The voice he hadn't heard for so long. The last time he heard it was last year at her wedding. They agreed not to contact each other for a while until things cooled off as to not rouse suspicion from Jusis and Celica's grandfather. Yuno slowly turned around and saw her. Celica looked more stunning than the last time he saw her in wedding dress. Now she was wearing a white dress with black and yellow intricacies. At the torso center of her dress lies a golden, winged emblem accompanied by yet another jeweled orb, which is replicated once more down below, accompanied by two more orbs of a blue material.

"It has been a year since we met, Lady Celica." Yuno addressed politely with a smile.

"Yes. It has been a year. The last time we met was during my wedding." Celica replied with equally polite smile.

The two of them were just standing there while smiling at each other. It has been a year and now they have finally met again but they found themselves feeling nervous as to what to say after long time. Things would get awkward if it continued like this.

"This is the friend you talked about, Celica?"

Fortunately, a young man was there to break the silence. Everyone in the room gasped the moment that person came together with Jusis and his three other friends behind him. The young man stood beside Celica. He has long black hair worn loosely to his shoulders and wore an elegant red coat with a white necktie scarf. He wears a blue tunic under the coat. The coat has golden shoulder epaulets and black and gold outlines. He wears white pants and dark brown boots that go up to either his knees or his thighs.

"Good evening, Your Highness Prince Abel." Yuno greeted the second-born who was also Celica's husband, bowing to the prince.

"It is a pleasure to meet you too, Lord Oracle Yuno Mizushima." Abel said while gesturing Yuno to lift his head.

"Um...pardon me, but please, there no need to call me with the title Oracle. It's a bit embarrassing..." Yuno pleaded. His cheeks turned a haze of pink from the title. "Even the title reached the Prince's ears? Can words spread that fast?!"

"The title fits you. I don't see any reason for you to be embarrassed. But let's put that aside. I have heard of your ability and my wife always spoke highly of you. I'm wondering if you can help us using your ability." Abel requested.

"If it is within my capabilities, then I am more than happy to help." Yuno accepted without hesitation. He wasn't sure if this was part of what Jusis has planned, but from Celica's face, she urged him to help the prince.

"Then if it is not too much, please help us as well. Our family is having a trouble and your vision can be of help." One of Jusis' friends asked, followed by two others. Since they came with Jusis, Yuno assumed they must be the people he trusted that he mentioned about. If it was them, then it would be fine to accept. And true enough, the nobles started whispering again from this exchange.

"Maybe those visions of his would be useful for us."

"If he accepts request from them, then if we can win him over to us, we can take advantage of his ability."

"We can increase our position using his ability."

Yuno twitched at the whisper. Were they idiots to make their intentions very clear like that while he was still here?

"I feel like punching them." Yuno said with concealed annoyance, though Jusis and Celica knew better how he actually felt and they were guilty for putting him into this but at the very least now the nobles won't see him as a threat anymore. Yuno could tell the nobles would try to approach him now. All he wanted was to disappear into the shadows.

"I wanna go home..." Yuno thought pleadingly.

"Yuno, I have something to discuss. Let's have a talk over there." Jusis dragged Yuno to a nearby table where not so many people came. He also noticed the nobles like Yuno did so he quickly dragged him to 'safer waters' while his friends and the prince were distracting them.

"I'm really sorry about that, Yuno." Jusis apologized. Even though this was for Yuno's own sake, he still didn't like to put his best friend in this position.

"It's fine. I have prepared for this. But still, I hope you can help me go home as quickly as possible." Yuno pleaded his best friend. He didn't want to be here any longer.

"I understand. I'll fetch a drink. You need to calm down first." Jusis pushed Yuno to sit down while he gets a juice. He was so in hurry that he accidently bumped into a young woman. He quickly steadied her so she won't fall. When they faced each other, however, they instantly recognized each other.

"My, it has been a long time, Lord Jusis." The woman greeted. She has long wavy silver hair and green eyes. She wore a blue and white top with loose, white sleeves that trail down into matching white gloves and blue bandannas around her wrists. The collar of her top is ruffled and fitted around her neck with an orange bandanna. She wears thigh-high white boots that extend down to brown, heeled boots. From the badge on her outfit, she was a general of Imperial Military of Cantidel.

"General Claire? I never thought you'd come." Jusis saluted after properly steadying her.

"My fortune said that if I came here something good will happen." Claire stated as she showed her card.

"You still like fortunetelling I see. I can't blame you since your predictions so far are correct." Jusis replied with a chuckle.

General Claire Katrina was an enigmatic young woman who is famous for her accurate fortunetelling predictions. Though she was still 25 years old, her impeccable integrity led the higher-ups of the army to make her general. Since she was a daughter of marquis well-known within noble society, no one could make any objection, especially after she demonstrated her capabilities in the battlefield. Two years ago, she was tasked to handle a mission at the middle-east on the country's behalf and just returned two days ago before the party.

"My reading is also saying that you're with an interesting person. Judging from where you came, is he the one?" Claire tilted her head to see the person sitting on the chair not far behind Jusis, away from the other guests. She couldn't see his face because he was looking at another way.

"Yes. You just returned so you of course you wouldn't know him. He is Yuno Mizushima also known as the Oracle. He is still a commissioned officer of the Imperial Army, but he helped a lot in the last war. He was able to see the future and formed counterplan that managed to repel the enemy troops." Jusis explained as he led her to the chair where Yuno was sitting.

"He can see the future?" Claire was visibly surprised. Does this mean he also has the knack in predicting things like she does? Jusis, however, shook his head.

"No. He is not predicting. He sees the future itself. It happens precisely as the way he sees it. Whenever he sees bad things will happen, he would always try his best to prevent it. There are times he succeeds, there are times he fails. Mostly he is successful." Jusis revealed further, which surprised the young woman even more.

"He is...able to change...fate?" Claire said between astonishment and disbelief. Fate is absolute. It wasn't possible to defy fate that has been decided for them no matter how hard they try.

"Even before that, he has performed well at the army. He is an honored officer." Jusis said with pride for his best friend. He was proud to be Yuno's best friend, even far before this.

"He is still a commissioned officer even after helping in winning the war?" Claire blinked in surprise. Naturally, officer who has done significantly should be awarded with promotion. From the expression Jusis was making, Yuno received none of that.

"The higher-ups don't want to be in a hurry to promote him. He is still young and many afraid the senior officers would be jealous and it may cause frictions within the army." Jusis didn't like this either. At the times like these, the army should have based someone not simply by their age but also their true skills. It would irk him if Yuno did the work yet someone else took the credits. He knew that Yuno couldn't care less about that, but as his friend, he couldn't accept it.

"I am still 25 myself and I am already a general. And you're also the same age as me and already a Colonel. I don't think age matters at this point." Claire pointed at herself and at Jusis. She was 25 while Jusis was 24 and they have already reached high-ranking positions. If they were worried about age, then why bother promoting them into a high position?

"The both of us are of nobilities so we are exception. As much as I loath to admit it, the higher-ups have doubts simply because Yuno is a commoner." Jusis revealed. Even now, there were still prejudice against commoners amongst the higher-ups. He didn't like it and he knew Claire didn't either. Yuno was worthy for promotion so he should be rewarded with that regardless of his background and age.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Yuno." Jusis offered the juice to his best friend once he was back with the drink with Claire following behind him.

"Thanks." Yuno was about to drink when he noticed Claire behind Jusis. He had seen her once in the photo. He quickly placed the drink on the table and saluted the general.

"Good evening, General Katrina." Yuno greeted the young female general.

"No need to be so formal. We are at the party at the moment." Claire replied with a warm smile. What a nice young man. He seemed to be a year or two years younger than her. No matter how she looked, he seemed to be a normal young man. But Jusis and people said that he has the power to see the future directly and even was able to change it. This man has the power to change fate?

 _"I want to test it myself. I need to know if fate truly can be changed..."_ Claire determined. She didn't tell Jusis, but her fortune also told her that she would be dueling if she go to this party and she will win. She even predicted what kind of strategy her opponent will use. This must be the moment.

"Lord Yuno of the Oracle, if you don't mind, I want to test your Dueling. May I ask for a Duel?" Claire challenged politely, making sure she said it in a whisper so no one but her, Yuno, and Jusis were able to listen. She didn't want this to become a big deal.

"D-Duel? With me now?" Yuno was dumbfounded was an understatement. They just met and she was suddenly challenging him to a looked at Jusis if this was part of his plan, but Jusis denied this with a shrug and shook of his head, which means this came from the general's own initiative.

"Let's go to the back where no one would bother us."

 **BACKYARD – LUIS MANSION – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

At the backyard of Luis mansion there was a complete set of Duel Field. Jusis and Celica usually trained together here whenever they were staying at the mansion. It even has soundproof program in case the family was holding a party in the mansion so no one would be bothered by the sound of Duel. If Jusis and Celica didn't like the party, this was their place to escape.

"Come at me with full strength. Do not hold back. This is an order." Claire told Yuno as they assume their respective position, facing against each other.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Yuno replied, activating his Duel Disk. He didn't know what brought to this sudden change of event, but he was genuinely excited at the prospect of dueling against the famed general who was famous for her accurate prediction. This might as well a once in a life opportunity.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first. From my hand, I summon Vendead Striges (ATK: 500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 2)!" Yuno summoned monstrous zombie bird-like monster in Attack Position.

"And then I activate Field Magic: Vendead Night. Once per Turn I can discard 1 card to add 1 Vendead Monster from my Deck to my hand." Yuno discarded a card and then added a new Vendead Monster into his hand.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Revendead Origin! I release Vendead Striges on my Field and discard Vendead Revenant in my hand to perform Ritual Summon!" Yuno used Vendead Striges and Vendead Revenant as materials. From the ground in front of Yuno, there was a small crack that slowly expanded and broke. A hand emerged from the earth, followed by another hand that forcefully making a path.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Revendead Slayer (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 0 / LV: 6)!" Yuno summoned Revendead Slayer, who has fully emerged from the ground, in Attack Position.

"I set 1 card and end my Turn." Yuno concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Field Spell: Future Vision. Now as long as this card is face-up on the field, any monster that is Normal Summoned will be removed from play until the monster's controller's next Standby Phase." Claire then Normal Summoned Fortune Lady Lighty (ATK: ? / DEF: ? / LV: 1) in Attack Position.

"Due to the first effect of Fortune Lady Lighty, its ATK and DEF are equal to her Level times 200!" Claire increased Fortune Lady Lighty's ATK and DEF to 200. The effect of Future Vision then activates, removing from play Fortune Lady Lighty until Claire's next Standby Phase.

"I activate Fortune Lady Light's third effect! When this card is removed from Field through card effect, I can Special Summon Fortune Lady monster from my Deck!" Claire summoned Fortune Lady Fiery (ATK: ? / DEF: ? / LV: 2) in Attack Position. Due to the first effect of Fortune Lady Fiery's effect, its ATK and DEF were equal to its Level times, increasing them to 400 respectively.

"I activate Fortune Lady Fiery's third effect! When this card is Special Summoned on Attack Position and it is the only monster I control, I can destroy one monster on my opponent's Field and inflict damage equal to its ATK!" By destroying Revendead Slayer, Claire could inflict its ATK as damage to Yuno. This would have succeeded if only Yuno didn't activate his card.

"Revendead Origin's effect! When Revendead Slayer is about to be destroyed by battle or effect, I can banish this card instead!" Yuno negated Revendead Slayer's effect, creating a barrier that protected it from Fortune Lady monster's attack.

"I have already predicted that, officer Yuno." Claire stated before activating her Quick-Play Spell from her hand.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Fortune's Arcadia! When a monster's destruction is negated while I control Fortune Lady Monster, I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to the monster's attack!" Claire declared, shooting a blast at Yuno that was equally powerful to Revendead Slayer's ATK.

 **YUNO LP: 4000 = 1600**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Claire ended her Turn.

"This also part of your prediction, General Claire?" Yuno couldn't help but ask. He had heard about Claire's reputation, but he never saw it with his own eyes.

"Yes, it is. My prediction never betrayed me in Duels." Claire confirmed without hesitation. This was true. She always predicted everything before she Duels, and until now it always helped her to win. She has yet to lose thanks to her prediction. Although, because of that too no one would dare to accept her challenge, giving up before even trying. She was disappointed to see many soldiers in the Imperial Army were that way.

"Fate is not absolute. Then I'll defy that prediction of yours." Yuno said with confident smile.

Claire blinked at that. That was the first time she heard someone said it. Fate is not absolute. All her opponents and even herself always welcomed fate because they thought it was unavoidable. And never once her prediction was ever wrong or changed. It shouldn't be possible that it was frustrating knowing that fate cannot be changed. But this person just said the opposite.

"My Turn! I summon Vendead Seed (ATK: 0 / DEF: 500 / LV: 1)!" Yuno summoned Core in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Revendead Slayer.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Vendead Nuclear! I can perform Ritual Summon using Vendead Monsters on my Field with the total Levels exactly the same as the Ritual Monster that is going to be summoned from the Deck!" Yuno opened his Reverse Card, releasing Revendead Slayer and Vendead Core, placing their spirits inside the two cups at the altar appearing from the ground in front of Yuno.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 7! Vendead Battlelord (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 0 / LV: 7)!" Yuno summoned Battlelord in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Vendead Battlelord's effect! By banishing 1 Vendead Monster from Graveyard, I can declare 1 type of card. For the rest of this Turn, my opponent cannot activate that card! I choose Trap, which means you cannot activate Trap Card until the end of this Turn!"

 _"What?!"_ Claire was shocked as her Reverse Card was sealed. She couldn't activate it now.

"Battle! I attack Fortune Lady Fiery with Vendead Battlelord!" Yuno declared. Battlelord raised its broadsword and swung it down, destroying the Fortune Lady into half and pushed Claire back from the backlash of the explosion.

 **CLAIRE LP: 4000 = 1500**

"I activate Vendead Seed's effect! When this card is used as material for Ritual Monster, that Ritual Monster can inflict additional 800 damage after it destroyes a monster by Battle!" Yuno revealed, adding another 800 damage to Claire.

 **CLAIRE LP: 1500 = 700**

"I end my Turn." Yuno concluded.

 _"No way. My prediction is wrong? According to my prediction, the monster he is going to summon is supposed to be a Ritual Monster with an effect that can negate destruction of a card on the Field and then destroy the card inflicting that destruction. My prediction said he would attack and that's why I will use my Trap to negate it. But instead he summoned a monster that sealed my Trap?"_ Claire was understandably confused. She just wondered whether fate can truly be changed, and Yuno immediately proved it. He defied her prediction.

 _"But still it doesn't mean I'm going to give up!"_ Claire narrowed her eyes as she began her Draw Phase. Seeing the card she drew, she smiled.

"Unfortunately, this is still going to be my victory, Lord Oracle." Claire declared as she revealed the card in her hand.

"On my Standby Phase, due to the effect of Future Vision, Fortune Lady Lighty return to my Field in Attack Position." Claire revived Fortune Lady Light in Attack Position with the same ATK and DEF as it previously has in the Main Monster Zone.

"And then I activate Magic Card: Fortune Ladies' Arcane." Claire revived Fortune Lady Fiery in Attack Position with 400 ATK and DEF in the Main Monster Zone.

"I release Fortune Lady Lighty and Fortune Lady Fiery to Advance Summon Earthbound God Aslla Piscu (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 10)!" Claire summoned her ace monster in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone from her hand.

"But due to Future Vision's effect, Aslla Piscu will be removed from play!" Yuno reminded, but he was unnerved when Claire didn't seem perturbed.

"I activate Fortune Ladies' Arcane's second effect. By banishing it from Graveyard along with two or more Fortune Lady monsters, I can destroy a Spell Card on the Field." Claire revealed. Obviously, she chose her own Future Vision, allowing Aslla Piscu to remain on the Field.

"Now I activate Aslla Piscu's effect. It can attack my opponent directly!" Claire revealed as she pointed at Yuno.

"What?!" Yuno took a step back from shock. He couldn't stop a direct attack.

"Battle! I attack directly with Aslla Piscu!"

Aslla Piscu let out what sounded like a croak and flapped its wings, blowing Yuno away several steps back from his ground until he hit the tree and fell into the bushes as his LP was depleted completely.

 **YUNO LP: 1600 = 0**

"Oww...that quite hurt..." Yuno winced while removing himself from the bushes. He wiped away the dust and leaves stuck on his clothes and head.

"It's a good Duel. Thank you, Lord Oracle." Claire gave her gratitude, extending her hand for a handshake, which Yuno returned.

"Please, just call me Yuno. Being called Lord Oracle is embarrassing." Yuno said with a tinge of blush.

"Both the nobles and commoners have high hopes on you from now on. You'll have to work a lot so you won't disappoint them. I also have high expectation for Duelist as skilled as you. You'll do great for the empire." Claire said genuinely that was visible for both Yuno and Jusis to see and feel that the former felt bad for her due to his inner doubt. He couldn't show it now and ruined the mood though. Not when especially she looked so happy.

"Then I will do my best to fulfil your expectations, General Katrina. Thank you for the Due." Yuno said with the brightest smile he could offer. Regardless of the outcome, he also enjoyed the Duel. His monsters also felt the same. It has been a while since he felt this excited.

He was so happy that he didn't notice the female general's face turned pink upon seeing his smile. It took a few seconds for him to realize she was staring at him.

"I something wrong?" Yuno asked the general who quickly shook her head.

"No. It was nothing." Claire quickly said and turned her face away.

The three of them then noticed people started coming out. Looks like the party was about to end soon. They decided to take that time to return. Yuno greeted Jusis and Claire and also Celica and Abel one last time before excusing himself home, using the limousine provided by Jusis. On his way home, all the excitement from before faded as he was thinking about the expectations from both sides that he heard from Claire.

Will there be a day where he must choose between the two sides?

 **1,514 YEARS AGO – MIZUSHIMA RESIDENCE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

"I'm home."

Yuno said but then remembered that his grandmother was hospitalized because of her back problem and his mother was accompanying her at the hospital so no one would respond to his arrival...or so he thought.

"Welcome back."

Yuno dropped his bag when he saw his father on the kitchen, making tonight's dinner. From the scent, he was making omelet rice. Yuno blinked in confusion. His father was supposed to be still working. His father worked as a Duel instructor at institution that belonged to his friend for troubled and special-need children. Usually he came home late so finding him already at home and making dinner was a surprise. A good kind of surprise for him. He already ate at the party, but his father has went through the trouble of making dinner for them and it has been a while since he ate dinner with his father. He won't miss this moment.

"Is something the matter? Your face is showing you have a problem." His father asked as he placed the plates of omelet for the two of them on the table.

"I'm showing it very clearly, huh? Can't hide anything from you, Dad." Yuno said while eating a spoon of omelet. Ever since he was a child, his father always has the knack of telling whenever he was having a trouble no matter how much he tried to hide it. And that was why his father was his number one person to confide his problem to.

"Speak up. You know you can always talk with me about anything. What is it this time? Jusis again? Or perhaps Celica? The military?" He asked straight to the point.

"Well…" Yuno gave the brief summary of his problem. His intention to help Jusis ended up with him revealing his ability, which gained both admiration and resentment from both sides. He has inadvertently made himself a target for both nobles and commoners. At the moment, it was still fine, but what if it will lead up to the point he will have to choose between working with the nobles or commoners? Jusis couldn't protect him forever.

"Does it really have to be between nobles and commoners?" His father suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"Do you really need to choose between just nobles and commoners? Does a third way never cross your mind? Life is not so simple that can only be solved between two choices." His father said while cutting the omelet into three as if to emphasize what he was saying.

"Do you have any suggestion for me?" Yuno asked, expecting an answer. This was important to him.

"If you don't want to choose between them, then choose the middle path where you equally care for both. Where you can become the ally for both nobles and commoners without needing to choose either one." His father suggested as he ate the middle part of the omelet that he just cut.

"However, you have to gain more power and support to be in that position. You must gain a position where no one can easily defy and use you. You must gain overwhelming support so that no one can easily approach you for their own gains. But to do that, you must produce results." He continued, and ther was still more to it so Yuno didn't say anything, letting his father speak.

"You can't protect anyone with just pride. Trust comes after you've proven yourself with results. What people want from someone with high rank are the results that prove they're the best. Produce results. Producing results is the only thing that counts. Someone who can's produce results don't deserve to be anywhere nears the top."His father placed a hand on Yuno's head, ruffling fondly with comforting smile.

"You don't need to be so hasty. Take it step by step and never lose yourself. I know you can do it, son."

Yuno felt his heart flutter. When his father said that, he feels he can do it. In fact, he wants to do as his father suggested. The path where he can help both nobles and commoners, creating harmony for both sides. He must become stronger both in body and mind. He must have the charisma to convey his belief to others.

"I must produce...results..."

 **1,514 YEARS AGO – THE NEXT DAY – CANTIDEL ARMY BASE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Today was supposed to be another ordinary day for the officers with their usual schedule. However, Yuno was then suddenly called to the other side of the field while the others were continuing their training. To make it more surprising, Claire was there. Apparently, she was the one who called for him.

"Huh? You're going to personally supervise me starting today, General Katrina?" Yuno blinked as he asked to the female general who somehow looked...sparkling with happiness? Would something good happen coming from supervising him?

"Yes. You'll be in my care from now on." Claire said while brimming with smiles but her body gesture was still that of a military general when speaking to subordinates.

 _"I actually abused my position as a general. But it's not like I can tell him that I fell in love with him after that Duel."_ Claire thought, hiding her true intention. After the Duel, she hasn't been able to get him off her mind. It wasn't difficult for her to realize what this feeling is. Remembering her conversation with Jusis about promotion for Yuno, she used that as opportunity to get closer to him. While she also feels Yuno deserved for promotion, her main reason was to get closer to him. She knew it was stupid of her, but she couldn't help it.

It was not too difficult with her position as general to convince the others to give Yuno the chance for promotion. She knew there would be opposition, so she managed to convince them to let her become his supervisor and overseeing his growth. She actually could just tell them she has dueled him last night, but then there was no need to supervise him and she couldn't get close to him so she hid this fact. She also used her prediction to convince them if they didn't give this chance. With this, not only she can give Yuno a chance to gain higher rank, she also can get closer to him.

"The higher-ups have decided to reward you with promotion. But of course, first you would be under my supervision to make it clear whether you are worthy of that promotion or not. Depending on your record, they may or may not promote you." Claire said while going back to her general persona. She let her guard down by showing her happy face for a moment, but now it was the time to return. She must not let her true desire shown.

"I'm not really aiming for promotion. As long as I can help Ju– I mean the Colonel that is more than enough." Yuno nearly let slip Jusis' name. He couldn't let slip such a thing in front of a general no less who was from a nobility regardless of how nice she was.

"But you know that you can't stay the way you are, especially after what you did in the last war. If you stay in your current rank, it would be easier for people to use you. There are people with higher ranks that can do more and even the Colonel can't help you." Claire warned him. From her meeting with the other higher-ups, she could see through their intention to use him for their own further gain. If it was for the benefit of the people and the country while also considering Yuno's feeling, she would comply, but most of them only cared about their own positions. She won't let them to use Yuno like some property belonging to them. They don't own him.

"Yes. To do that, I have to reach higher position so that no one can easily mess with me. I have no intention to let anybody misuse my gift." Yuno replied. He was glad that the one who supervised him understood his situation and position. If it were any other person, he might consider quitting his job.

Yuno blinked when he noticed Claire was looking at her cards. She was fortune telling.

"You like fortune telling very much, General?" Yuno asked. No matter how precise fortune telling was, he never actually believed in fortune telling itself, especially after he discovered his vision power that allows him to see the future itself instead of simply predicting it. He won't criticize the ones who believe in fortune telling though. Anyone is free to believe what he or she believes.

"Yes. My prediction was always correct." Claire replied as she finished.

"Was?" Yuno noticed the past tense in her words.

"The sequence of my card has completely changed during our Duel last night. You have the very power that reversed my card prediction. Honestly, I challenged you to also verify that power of yours." Claire admitted. She was still surprised because Yuno defied her prediction. She was quite annoyed at first, but this also brought her relief because this was the first proof that fate can be changed.

"Fate is not absolute. It is simply one of the possible futures. If we try hard enough, we can change it. If the course of event cannot be changed even if we know what will happen, it is not fate, but it is destiny that needs to be fulfilled whether we like it or not." Yuno stated. Claire almost couldn't believe that she was talking to a guy with the same age as her. Was this from his experience seeing the future for many times?

"Do you change the events through that vision of yours?" Claire asked.

"I've done it many times. Sometimes I succeeded, sometimes I couldn't." Yuno answered honestly. There were times he was frustrated that he couldn't change the bad things from happening, but he eventually accepted that if it couldn't be changed, because it was absolutely necessary to happen no matter how sad the outcome was.

Yuno flinched when he felt Claire's hand on his shoulder, but he immediately relaxed when he saw her resolute face. She was trying to find answer from him. This answer she was seeking was important to her. It was like her very life depends on it.

"I wish to verify your power with my own eyes. I need to know if fate can truly be changed. From now on, I will watch over you, Lord Oracle."

 **1,508 YEARS AGO – CANTIDEL MILITARY ACADEMY – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

As times passed, Yuno and Claire grew closer. A year later, Claire eventually confessed to Yuno. The Oracle accepted her love confession, but not before telling her of his lingering feeling for his first love and how he would never forget about her. Even after knowing this, Claire didn't mind. She still wanted to stay by Yuno's side. Yuno also fell for her, though his love for Celica was still greater. Half a year after they started their relationship, they got married.

By that time, Yuno has already grown high within the ranks of the military, so no one could make objection of their marriage. And even if there was, it didn't stop them. A few years later after their marriage, Yuno eventually reached the rank of brigadier general while Claire retired early so she could focus in building their family, especially when she got pregnant.

Today, the day that the couple has been waiting for has arrived. It was the day of the birth of their first child. They were blessed with a son, as beautiful as the morning and as small as a fruit.

"Congratulations, milady! It's a healthy baby boy!" The nurse congratulated the couple while holding the crying baby boy in her arms. Once the other nurse helped Claire to sit up after tending to her to make sure she won't bleed out, she let the former general to carry her baby in her embrace.

"What are you doing standing over there? Come here and carry your son." Claire told Yuno who has been standing throughout the whole labor. He was unable to wait outside so he stayed until the baby was born. It was actually pretty nerve-wracking for him that he was positive he would faint for several times if it were not for his mother who had decided to accompany him.

His mother slapped his back and then pushed him to his wife and their baby. He carefully put the baby into his arms. He was so small and cute. When his tiny hand was holding his finger, Yuno couldn't stop his smile from coming out. His current self was that of a doting father in others' view.

"What name do you think we should give to him?" Claire asked while giggling at Yuno's face, her husband was still carrying their little boy.

"How about Ryuji?" Yuno suggested.

"Isn't that the name your father used when he is working at the institution?" Claire asked.

"Yes. I want our child to become someone who can help many people when he grows up." Yuno said wile thinking of his father. He has always admired his father and aspired to become someone who can help and save a lot of people like he does, or maybe even more.

"All right. From now on, you are Ryuji. Do you hear that?" Claire said while caressing her son's soft cheek.

While they didn't necessarily need it, Claire's family organized the party where the peasantry and the nobility played until the morning, praying for a happy life for the firstborn.

 **1,501 YEARS AGO – DUEL INSTITUTION – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

And so seven years passed, and Yuno was content with his family life. However, he was still troubled by the same problem he had years ago. He had reached the rank of brigadier general, which was high enough that no one would dare to carelessly approach let alone challenging him. Yuno was still thinking of a way for him to place himself as neutral as possible, but it was more complicated than he had thought. He almost convinced that this would continue for the rest of his life.

But one day everything changed.

Yuno was requested by his father to help him train new children who were admitted into the institution. When people said institution for special needed and troubled children, they mistakenly believed it was some sort of juvenile prison or mental ward. It was actually an institution to help children who are either abandoned or having a trouble that their families doesn't know what else to do until they are fully prepared to join the society. The people working in this field needs a lot of patience and strong mental because handling them won't be easy.

"Sorry for the wait, Yuno-san!" One of the workers came approaching him with four teens following behind him.

"These are the children who will be in your care starting today. I'll introduce them one by one." The worker gestured towards the four teens who were standing in front of them. They were around 14 or 15 years old and from the Duel Disks on their wrists, they were Duelists.

"This is Yuji Sakaki." He gestured his hand at a boy with unique dual-colored eyes that consisted of red and green. He has red hair and dressed in what looked like a school uniform that consisted of white-colored jacket and red long pants. He wore a red-colored loosened necktie.

"This is Yuzo Kurosaki." He gestured to the second boy. The boy has spiky purple hair. He wore a black unbuttoned jacket with an upward collar and a white and red armband, red shirt and black trousers and trainers.

"This is Yura Akaba." He gestured to the only girl amongst the four. She has long wavy pinkish violet hair with yellow two parted bangs. She wore a red dress donned with black feathers and black, thigh-high boots. From how she dressed, Yuno assumed she came from nobility.

"This is Yuhei Sawatari." He gestured to the last teen. He has spiky unruly white hair. He wore white pants, a dark blue singlet, a white vest and a white and blue scarf.

Yuno eyed each of the four teens, and it was then he saw one of the most horrible visions he ever had. Yuji, Yuzo, Yura, Yuhei, all four of them were lying lifelessly on what seemed like altars at a temple with opened roof. Their bodies were covered in blood and their Duel Disks were broken beyond fixing. Above them were black shadows in humanoid form. The shadows were looming over them before going inside their bodies.

Yuno almost retched and kneeled from the vision. He shrugged it off as morning fatigue to the worker who was worried for him, while trying to compose himself in front of the teens, trying to push aside the vision he had just seen. It was difficult though, especially when the four teens in that vision was right in front of him, still alive and well. He didn't want to believe it, but he just saw their deaths. And what bothered him the most was the black shadow that were seen with them.

" _What are those?"_

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Yuji ~Odd-Eyes~ –** Yuji recount his time with Yuno. Yuji was a strong Duelist, but his pacifistic nature prevented him from reaching his full potential and being looked down by others as a coward. Understanding his predicament, Yuno challenged him to a Duel to drive out Yuji's full potential.

* * *

 **First of all, I'm very sorry for the delay. I was in a mourning period, so I couldn't update as fast as I usually do since I have lot of things to do like funerals and all. And I needed time to clear my head. But I'm okay now.**

 **It feels it has been a while since I last wrote a Duel. Starting from this chapter onwards, there will be Duels again! But this also means that the update maybe will take a while since it'll be a longer chapter with Duel included. I originally intended to include all the four dragons' story into next chapter, but I thought about it again it would be too cramped. That's why I thought it'd be the best to split it into four, one for each dragon.**

 **Answering _guest spencer36_ : I didn't come up with it. While I'm searching for cards that I think would be good for this fanfic in YGO wiki, I found Nekroz and Sephira/Zefra archetypes. I thought they would be perfect, so I chose them.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	63. Yuji - Odd-Eyes -

**Big thanks to** _ **D3lph0xL0v3r, tsukikami02, Jason, Ulrich362, Playerhood18, Yuka Kuroshiro, Elbarto4000, GamingGuy84, Big duels, dvdryms, VioletStarVN**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **PRESENT TIME – ABROAD EVOLUTION – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Wait, you have the same last name as us." Sawatari commented upon hearing the four dragons' first meeting with Yuno. Yuji has the same name as Yuya's family name, Yura as Reiji's family name, Yuzo as Ruri and Shun's family, name and Yuhei as his family name.

Yuji nodded. "I don't think it's a coincidence that we met. The memories we have are attached to our origin, and you who are the holders of the four dragons ended up meeting them because our souls subconsciously seeking for the ones related to us." He deduced. For them to meet was too much for a coincidence.

Zarc met and formed close relationship with Ray was partially because of Starve Venom's attraction to the Akaba family where she came from, Yuya ended up being raised in Sakaki family after Zarc was split was not only due to Zarc's own choice but also Odd-Eyes' will, Yuto chose the school branch where he met Shun and Ruri partially through Dark Rebellion's guidance, Yugo met Sawatari and became friends with him was also due to Clear Wing's desire. Everything was part of the four dragons' connection with their respective origin.

"That certainly make sense in many ways." Reiji mumbled with a finger under his chin. He didn't know about the others, but he had heard that the Akaba family's ancestors were originally nobilities. Due to certain circumstance that was never explained, they decided to abandon their noble status.

Yuya, Yuto, and the Kurosaki siblings were surprised but then this turned into happiness. Yuya was able to meet his parents and Yuto was able to meet Shun and Ruri thanks to this connection.

"I see...so Clear Wing came from the same bloodline as the great me. Fufu, no wonder you have such a powerful dragon, Yugo!" Sawatari said with his nose seemed longer than it was while huffing proudly.

"As far as I know the old Sawatari family was 1000 times smarter and cooler than you and your old man, Saruwatari." Yuhei interjected with flat voice and dismissive hand gesture while calling the Abyss Actor user with the nickname given by Yugo. His face was expressing what looked like a disappointment that his family has a rather dim-witted successor.

"Hey! No matter how you look at me, there's only unparalleled greatness! You should be glad to have a descendant as wonderful as this Shingo Sawatari-sama!" Sawatari slammed his hand on the table while his other hand was tapping his chest, feeling offended at Clear Wing's implication.

Yuhei seemed ready to retort, but Yura shoved him away from the screen before he could as it would only be a waste of time.

"Continue the story, Yuji." Yura told Odd-Eyes.

"Right. This happened a year before the war against Apophis." Yuji cleared his throat, continuing the story. His story.

 **1,501 YEARS AGO – INSTITUTION – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Yuji came from the Sakaki Circus Troupe. They traveled around the world, doing lots of successful circus shows and all. He loved his circus troupe. He sometimes performed with his parents with his dueling, entertaining everyone, and he himself have fun. He was happy. But then his circus troupe had to end because the accident that took his parents' lives. He has a relative who was more than willing to take him in, but he knew they were having financial problem and didn't want to make it worse by adding himself into their family, so he entered this institution.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find the same joy in dueling that he had during his times at the circus troupe in this institution. Even though it was not their intention, the institution heavily focused on competition amongst the Duelists there.

"What's wrong, freak? Come on, Duel us!"

"I...I don't want to right now..." Yuji declined sheepishly while trying to get away, but the grip on his arm tightened that he winced. He was positive it would leave a bruise.

"Aren't you always hanging around with those losers? You're so afraid that you run always run away like them."

"Cowards belongs with cowards."

Yuji was being shoved to the floor by three guys, scattering his cards. Yuji quickly covered his eyes with his bangs and tried to cover himself as they began kicking him. He closed his eyes tight and grit his teeth all the while enduring the pain from the repeated kicks. He slowly opened his eyes in confusion when he heard a yelp from one of his bullies. He looked up to see Yuno holding the leader of the bullies by his wrist. Judging from the leader's pained expression, Yuno's grip was so tight that it was painful.

"I believe that one of the rules in this place is to never bully each other. And three against one is far from fair. Since all of you are Duelists, settle it with a Duel." Yuno told the three bullies as he pushed the leader to the other two.

"W-we already challenged him! But he was the one who refused and ran away!" The leader reasoned.

"It's his own fault! Someone who runs away at the drop of a hat like him doesn't deserve to be a Duelist!"

"And that gives you the right to use violence? If he doesn't want to duel then you can't force him." Yuno's eyes narrowed. That was more than enough warning for the three bullies to scram before they receive the end of the Oracle's Dueling.

Yuno turned around and helped Yuji who was gathering his cards back. He took out his handkerchief, wiping the blood from his nose and mouth. When he intended to fix his messy hair, Yuji quickly stopped him, preferring his bangs to cover his eyes despite making it difficult for him to see. Yuji didn't hate his oddly-colored eyes, but his unusual colored eyes made him a target of mockery from others, and his seemingly weak disposition made him an easy target for bullying. Not only that, he rarely accepted Duel challenges. When he did accept, it was against opponents that many would considered average or even below. Thus, people were under impression he was afraid to duel against strong opponents and so being dubbed a coward.

"Thank you, Yuno-san..." Yuji meekly thanked his instructor. From between his bangs, he sheepishly looked at Yuno. He didn't know what to think of Yuno. He was strict but he was also nice to everybody. It hasn't been a month since Yuno was helping here and everyone in this institution already admired him. He has the skill and wit to support his words when teaching them. However, Yuji sensed there was something else. He didn't know what it was, but this something was what making him confused about the man.

 _"They are wrong. Yuji is not a coward. He is just simply too kind."_ Yuno thought as he ruffled Yuji's hair. Yuno has observed Yuji for quite a while now. There was a time he dueled against an opponent and gain the upper hand. But when he saw his opponent cried, he purposely missed his chance and let himself be defeated. Yuji was the kind of person who'd back down so others could smile.

"Yuji, do you hate dueling? Do you become Duelist because you're being forced to?" Yuno asked. He actually knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it directly from the boy himself.

"No! I-I love Dueling! I duel because I love it! But...it's just..." Yuji trailed off. He was hesitating to speak his mind.

"I'm your instructor. You can tell me anything what's bothering you. I promise I won't tell anyone." Yuno beckoned the red-haired boy to sit on the couch beside him so they can talk, tapping the empty spot. When Yuji still looked hesitant, Yuno carefully pulled the boy to sit down. He patiently stared at the boy, waiting for him to talk.

"Losing and winning...both scare me." Yuji finally said. He gave up. He couldn't handle being stared like that.

"When I win, someone else loses and suffer. I'd be happy if everyone could have fun, regardless of winning and losing. That's the sort of Dueling I want to play. Is that...really such a bad thing?" Yuji asked with a sad smile. He let out a sigh. Now that he said it, he felt a little bit relieved.

He couldn't share this with anyone before. He was too afraid to share his thoughts with anyone in this institution. There was a time he did win against someone who was considered to be one of the stronger opponents in this institution, but then he found out he got beaten up by his group and no longer welcomed by them over that one loss. Yuji felt horrible when he saw the guy crying. He only wanted to have fun in Duel, so how come it led to a horrible thing like that? It wasn't like you'll lose your life if you get defeated in a Duel in this institution, so why they acted like their very lives depended on it, like they were in the battlefield? He couldn't understand.

"Come with me, Yuji." Yuno gestured the boy to follow him.

"Huh? To where?" Yuji asked.

"Just follow me."

 **1,501 YEARS AGO – MIZUSHIMA RESIDENT – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Yuji was wondering where his instructor would take him. The instructor's own house was the last thing that came into his mind. For a former Pro Duelist and a brigadier general, it was a simple common house that anyone would see anywhere in the city. Still, he had expected it to be bigger.

"Daddy!" A silver haired boy came rushing at Yuno who kneeled and opened his arms for the boy. The silver haired boy opened his arms too and rounded his arms around his father's neck while the man hugged and carried him.

"Oh! Yuno-san! Welcome back!" Jonouchi welcomed, coming out from the kitchen.

"Jonouchi-kun? Why are you here?" Yuno asked, blinking in confusion. The young man was a part-time worker at the institution. Today he was supposed to be helping his father on a trip with several children until sunset.

"Ryuji-san – I mean Renka-san told me to come here and wait for you. When I got here, Claire-san said she has something to do and asked me to babysit Ryuji-kun. Renka-san also told me to wait until you come and do as you say." Jonouchi explained his presence at the house.

Yuno made an understanding sound. His father must have seen his arrival and intention through his vision. It was a perfect timing. He will cook his father's favorite dish tonight as thanks.

"Perfect. Let's have a Duel, Jonouchi. Oh, but we won't use Duel Disks. Let's just use Duel Mat. We'll play in my room. We're going to give them some tutorial." Yuno said as he pushed Yuji forward into the house while still carrying his son with his other arm. The dichromatic-eyed boy then waited at Yuno's room with Ryuji while Yuno and Jonouchi went to get some snacks before they start.

It only took 5 minutes and Yuno and Jonouchi returned with several chips and rice balls and drinks. They all sat on the carpeted floor with Duel Mat already prepared on the table and all they do now is start playing. Despite Jonouchi's best efforts, Yuno still gained the upper hand in the end and won the Duel. But this didn't stop Jonouchi from trying to go another round while Yuji and Ryuji continued to watch and studying the Duels. All the while watching them, Ryuji was cheering for his father. Yuji then noticed how the both of them seemed to have so much fun. Even when Jonouchi was losing several times, he was still laughing.

"It won't be a lesson if he's just watching. Come on, have a Duel with me!" Jonouchi pulled Yuji closer, taking Yuno' place.

"Unfair! I wanna play too!" Ryuji pouted.

"No, you can't, Ryuji. Jonouchi will bully you if you play with him." Yuno said jokingly while ruffling his son's hair.

"Hey! I'm not a bully!" Jonouchi protested.

Yuji slowly smiled as he played with Jonouchi. The warmth in his chest that he had longed for. This was it. This was the sort of enjoyment he wants to feel when dueling in the institution. This was the similar enjoyment he felt when he was dueling in the troupe. Unbeknownst to him, Yuno was watching him. Seeing the boy's smile, Yuno smiled as well. The Duel went for four rounds before Yuno finally stopped them to take a little break. His son also felt sleepy and fell into slumber in the middle of the Duel.

"Ahh~! I'm so tired! You're pretty good, Yuji! Why didn't you duel more like this in the institution?" Jonouchi asked while lying on his back, feeling full from the duel and eating the snacks.

"Umm...well..." Yuji trailed off, hesitating to tell Jonouchi.

"Shouldn't you call your house, Jonouchi-kun? It's almost night, Shizuka might get worry." Yuno reminded the older boy, saving Yuji from answering Jonouchi's question.

"Oh crap! I forgot! Excuse me for a sec!" Jonouchi made a dash downstairs to borrow the house's phone and make a call to his younger sister.

Once Jonouchi was out of the room and has went down, leaving only Yuno and Yuji inside, Yuno finally spoke as he placed his son on his bed, tucking the blanket on his little body to ward off the cold.

"Yuji, you need to learn to be more selfish." The Oracle began, making the boy's attention turned to him.

"Huh?"

"It's okay to be selfish once in a while. You want everyone to enjoy Dueling regardless of winning and losing, right? Then prove that is possible in a Duel." Yuno said while pointing at the Duel Mat on the table.

"What?"

"Show your Entertainment Dueling, the Dueling that you used when you were at the circus troupe. Don't be afraid of everyone laughing at you, just duel the way you like." Yuno took Yuji's Deck and looked at the card at the most bottom, Entermate Discover Hippo, before handing it to Yuji's hand.

"I might be speaking out of turn, but I think that you don't get involved when it's a matter of winning or losing because to you that's the easiest option. Do you still truly enjoy dueling, even with the group you're currently hanging out with?" Yuno questioned the boy, looking at him straight into his eyes.

Yuji looked down from that gaze. That was the question he has been avoiding all this time. He looked away from it because he was afraid to admit that he didn't enjoy Duels anymore. He still loves Dueling, but he didn't enjoy it as much as when he was still at the circus troupe. The small group he was hanging out with were not bad, but still his Dueling didn't feel satisfied with that.

"You chose the easy way, but you don't enjoy it in the slightest. Rather, it sapped all the enjoyment from everything. If you continue like this, your love for dueling will diminished, and eventually you won't like Duel anymore. If you want to convey your feelings to everyone about a Duel where losing or winning doesn't matter, everyone can still enjoy the Duel, then you have to show it in a Duel. Show them your Dueling, show them a Duel that can make everyone happy." Yuno knew exactly what Yuji's problem was. When he was a little, he has similar problems, but his father taught him that in world of Duel, it was something that needs to be accepted. Duels can be a clash of wills. If a Duelist wishes to convey his belief or conviction, he or she must express it through their Dueling.

"That's why, we'll show everyone in the institution next week." Yuno suddenly said as he stood up, looking down at the confused red-haired boy.

"Next week?" Yuji tilted his head in question with his grip on his Deck tightened.

"You and I will have a Duel next week in front of everyone at the institution." Yuno said simply.

Yuji went silent for ten seconds before his grip on his Deck slackened, causing them all to scatter on the carpeted floor, but Yuji didn't pay it any heed as he was still trying to process what Yuno just said, what Yuno just suggested to him. When it finally sunk into his mind, Yuji's face turned panicking.

"EH?!"

 **A WEEK LATER – 1,501 YEARS AGO – INSTITUTION – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

True to his words, Yuno and Yuji were not standing opposite from each other at the Duel Field inside the institution. Hearing the Duel between them, everyone came to watch as this was a rare opportunity to see a former pro Yuno to Duel and the fact that Yuji accepted Yuno's challenge was also a shock for everyone. Some who were looking down on Yuji came to watch him lose and ready to make fun of him. Not to mention, Yuji has cut his bangs short, revealing his oddly-colored eyes.

"Sakaki finally accepted a challenge, and against Yuno-san no less."

"It must be an honor to him to lose against Yuno-san."

"How pathetic. This would end fast."

Only if they knew that Yuji today was different from the one they knew yesterday and before.

Yuji closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and let it out softly. He wondered when the last time was he dueled in front of so many audience. It has been so long that he thought he would be nervous, but strangely he didn't. In fact, he felt better than ever. He kept thinking since a week ago even though all he wanted was to enjoy Dueling, how did such a horrible thing ended up happening? No, in truth, he knew exactly how.

 _"If I had only not cared about winning or losing from the start, I wouldn't be repeating the same mistake I did back then. I'd thought that was the only way I could make it up to that guy. But by doing so, I turned my back on a lot of things."_ Yuji now was able to admit it. It was just as Yuno said, his enjoyment has diminished little by little since that day. And now he realized that he didn't want to lose his enjoyment, his love for dueling, the same dueling he felt when he was at the troupe together with his parents. If they were here, they would have wanted to watch him continuing his Entertainment Dueling.

 _"That's right. I can't stay like this. If I want to make everyone understand the joy in Dueling whether winning or losing...then I have to show them."_ Yuji opened his eyes. They were resolute without any hesitation. He smiled.

He didn't need to think about winning or losing. All he wanted was the same enjoyment that Yuno and Jonouchi showed him that day. He has taken the easy way out and turned away from reality, from his friends, and from what he enjoyed. He turned away from what he loved.

From today, he will say goodbye to his old self.

"It's show time."

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

 _"I'm going to be a bit selfish here. I also want to enjoy the present!"_

Even if they competing, all people have something they put their all into. Something they'll fight for. And Yuji realized that he needs to fight to keep enjoying himself.

"I'll go first! From my hand, I summon Entermate Discover Hippo (ATK: 800 / DEF: 800 / LV: 3)!" Yuji summoned Discover Hippo in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Yuji concluded.

"My Turn. From my hand, I summon Vendead Alghul (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 200 / LV: 4)!" Yuno summoned Alghul in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Field Spell: Vendead Nights. Once per Turn, I can discard a card and then add 1 Vendead card from my Deck to my hand." Yuno discarded Vendead Python (ATK: 0 / DEF: 2100 / LV: 3) from his hand and then added a new Vendead card to his hand.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Revendead Origin. I can perform Ritual Summon by releasing Undead monsters from my hand, Field, or and banish it from Graveyard. I banish Vendead Alghul in my Graveyard and release Vendead Python!" Yuno used Alghul and Python as his materials. Since their effects were used to summon them to the Field, the two undeads were banished once they were tributed.

"Ritual Summon! Appear, the amalgamation of the undead! Level 5! Vendead Chimera (ATK: 2300 / DEF: 0 / LV: 5)!" Yuno summoned Vendead Chimera in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack Discover Hippo with Vendead Chimera!" Yuno declared the first attack. One of Chimera's monstrous mouths shot a melting acidic green blast towards the pink hippo.

"Trap Card: Entermate Trick Stage! When an Entermate Monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can change it to Defense Position!" Yuji opened his first Reverse Card, changing Discover Hippo into defensive stance. The pink hippo bravely faced the acidic blast coming at it and received it while enduring a cry. As it was in Defense Position, Yuji didn't receive damage.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuno concluded. As he finished his turn, he blinked when Yuji was smiling at him.

"Yuno-san, I've been thinking about what you have told me that day...and you're right. I will show everyone my true Dueling from now on." Yuji told Yuno with certainty. Doubt has completely left him.

"Good. Then show them! Your Entertainment Dueling!" Yuno encouraged the boy.

"I will! Ladies and Gentlemen!" Yuji declared as he raised his arms up with spotlights focused on him.

"Now, I will start the main show of Sakaki Circus Troupe Entertainment Duel! First, I will introduce you all the star of today's show! Through the effect of Entermate Trick Stage I activated in the previous Turn, Discover Hippo is revived this Turn!" Yuji revived the pink hippo who tucked its hat and bowed at the audience.

"And now, I release Discover Hippo! It can be treated as two tributes, so I can Advance Summon the main star of this show, Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Yuji summoned his ace monster in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone from his hand. The appearance of the dragon brought gasps of surprise from the audience.

"Hey, did Sakaki always have that monster?"

"I never saw him summon that powerful-looking monster!"

"Yeah. He only ever summoned those kiddies animal monsters."

"Do you think he has been holding back all this time?"

"I activate Magic Card: Wonder Balloon, which allow me to send cards from my hand to the Graveyard to place a counter on it!" Yuji activated his second Reverse Card and then sent his entire hand, which only consisted of two cards, giving 2 counters on Wonder Balloon.

"I activate the second effect of Wonder Balloon! I send it to the Graveyard and target Vendead Chimera to decrease the latter's ATK by 1000 for each counter Wonder Balloon has until the End Phase!" Yuji lowered Vendead Chimera's ATK to 300. Various balloons started appearing and immobilized Vendead Chimera's body as it lost its power.

"Battle! I attack Vendead Chimera with Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon! Scarlet Comet Blast!" Yuji finally declared his attack. Odd-Eyes Flare shot a crimson-colored comet-like flame that went straight towards the Ritual Monster.

"Trap Card: Undead Wall! When an Undead-Type Monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can negate the attack!" Yuno opened his Reverse Card, calling forth corpses that gathered and formed a wall to protect Chimera.

"When Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon attacks, any card activation is negated!" Yuji revealed, sealing Yuno's facedown card and allowed his dragon's blast to break through the Ritual Monster's body, destroying it. The balloons also scattered and exploded, spreading glittering shards throughout the field.

 **YUNO LP: 4000 = 1800**

"I end my Turn." Yuji concluded. At the End Phase, the effect of Wonder Balloon expired, reverting Vendead Chimera's ATK. Everyone was staring with mix of disbelief and shock at Yuji's different playstyle. The glittering shards also left them speechless in awe.

"No way. He inflicted 2200 damage to Yuno-san!"

"The heck?! So he has been holding back all this time?"

"Wow. They are pretty!"

"Awesome! Sakaki-kun did this kind of Duel when he was still at the circus troupe?"

Yuno glanced and listened at the audience. He secretly smiled, making sure not to look so triumphant. The plan was working. But Yuji still needed to do more than this. Plus, he has no intention to lose purposely in this Duel, and he knew that Yuji knew this. They will Duel seriously in this Duel. This was the only way for their feelings to be conveyed.

"My Turn! I activate Vendead Nights to discard a card and then add a card to my hand. Next, I activate Ritual Spell: Crawling from the Purgatory! I can Ritual Summon an Undead-Type Ritual Monster using Undead monsters in my Graveyard with their total Levels equal or higher than the Ritual Monster!" Yuno used Vendead Chimera that got destroyed earlier and Vendead Spouse that he just sent to the Graveyard through Vendead Nights' effect.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 6! Revendead Assassin (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 0 / LV: 6)!" Yuno summoned Revendead Assassin in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone from his hand.

"Battle! I attack Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon with Revendead Assassin!" Yuno declared attack.

 _"If he's attacking with a lower ATK monster, there must be more to it!"_ Yuji thought warily, preparing for the incoming attack.

"I activate Revendead Assassin's effect! When this card battles, it gains 200 ATK for each Vendead Monster that was banished!" Yuno revealed. As there were four Vendead monsters banished, two on his first Turn and earlier in this Turn, increasing Assassin's ATK to 2800.

"Now it's ATK is higher than Odd-Eye Flare Dragon!"

"Sakaki doesn't have any Reverse Card! He can't avoid it!"

Vendead Assassin slashed the red dragon with its three skeleton arm blades, skewering the dragon to pieces until it exploded without a trace. The explosion pushed Yuji back, but the boy kept his standing.

 **YUJI LP: 4000 = 3700**

"I activate Vendead Assassin's second effect! When this card destroys an opponent's monster, I can inflict 1000 damage to my opponent!" Yuno added as Assassin delivered a kick to Yuji, throwing the boy back. However, Yuji recovered himself midair, landing on his hands and then jumped to his feet.

 **YUJI LP: 3700 = 2700**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuno concluded. He felt his heart beating fast. He always knew that the boy was strong, but he never thought he could pull off such a move. This boy's potential was beyond his measure. He didn't know how much he could, but he will grow the boy's potential further in this Duel.

"Isn't he athletic? With that, it shouldn't be difficult to get away from those guys."

"Isn't that just him being a pacifist?"

"He let them beat him up because he doesn't want to hurt them."

"Sakaki-kun is always nice to everyone."

More murmurs came. With Yuji's athletic display, any talk about him being a simple scrawny and weak kid will soon be thrown off the window. But Yuji didn't care about that. What he wanted was not to prove himself. What he wanted was to convey his belief and ideal through his Dueling. He will make everyone enjoying this Duel.

"All right, everyone, this will be the finale of today's Entertainment Show! To make the finale more exciting, I will introduce you an assistant for our main star!" Yuji announced, earning him cheers from most of the audience.

"I activate Entermate Trick Stage's effect! By banishing it and an Entermate Monster in the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Monster in my Graveyard and draw 2 cards!" Yuji banished his Trap Card and Discover Hippo, reviving Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"At this moment, I activate Vendead Assassin's effect that it gained from Vendead Spouse's effect! Once per Turn, when a monster is Special Summoned to my opponent's Field, that monster's effect is negated until the end of this Turn!" Yuno declared. Vendead Assassin threw a knife that hit Odd-Eyes Flare's blue orb, creating a crack and darkened its orb color, sealing its effect.

"Next, I summon Entermate Whip Viper from my hand!" Yuji continued to summon Whip Viper in Attack Position beside Odd-Eyes in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Entermate Whip Viper's effect! I can switch the ATK and DEF of a monster my opponent controls until the End Phase!" Yuji declared, switching Revendead Assassin's ATK and DEF power.

"Revendead Assassin has 0 DEF! If it's switched that means now its ATK is 0!"

"Yuno-san only has 1800 LP left."

"No way...Yuno-san is going to lose?"

"Battle! I attack Revendead Assassin with Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon! Scarlet Comet Blast!" Yuji declared his last attack against the Ritual Monster. Odd-Eyes' flame blast were bigger and hotter than it was before. Both Yuji and the dragon put everything into this one attack. They were determined to finish this Duel with a fantastic blast.

"Unfortunately, Yuji, that is still not enough." Yuno said as he opened his Reverse Card.

"Trap Card: Blue Flame of Purgatory! I can switch the ATK of my Undead-type monster with the ATK of a monster my opponent controls!" Yuno switched Revendead Assassin and Odd-Eyes Flare's ATKs, reversing the table to his advantage.

"Oh, no! Odd-Eyes Flare will be destroyed now!"

"Watch out, Sakaki-kun!"

"I have expected that! I activate Quick-Play Spell: Entermate Star Act! I release an Entermate Monster I control to negate the activation of a Trap or Spell my opponent controls!" Yuji released Whip Viper to negate Yuno's Blue Flame of Purgatory and switched back their monsters' ATKs. Unfortunately for the dichromatic-eyed boy, Yuno was one step ahead of him.

"I have expected that too. I activate Undead Wall's effect! When I control an Undead Monster, I can banish this card to reactivate a Trap or Spell Card that was negated or in my Graveyard!" Yuno reactivated Blue Flame of Purgatory, summoning a gate that shot tiny blue flames throughout the field.

"But I will grant you your wish, to end this Duel with a fantastic blast!" Yuno declared as he switched the two monsters' ATKs again. And due to Revendead Assassin's effect, its ATK was increased by 200 for each banished Vendead Monster, making its current ATK at 2900.

Revendead Assassin gathered the blue flames into its palms, fusing them into one huge blue flame that it threw at Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon, straight at its blue orb. The crack widened until it reached throughout the red dragon's body, exploding the dragon. The explosion spread the blue flames in the air that slowly dispersed into small glowing blue particles, filling the entire room like blue fireflies that mesmerized everyone who was watching.

 **YUJI LP: 2700 = 0**

Yuji fell to the floor from the shock. Yuno extended his hand to Yuji, helping the boy to stand. He then raised his arm up while facing the audience, bursting cheers and claps from them. They were impressed. It didn't take long for Yuji to be surrounded by them who were praising the red-haired boy for his Entertainment Dueling regardless of his loss. He had proven himself enough in that Duel. The other children who were watching also became interesting in Entertainment Dueling and asked for more. Yuji has never been happier ever since he entered this institution. Regardless who lost and who won, they didn't care. All that matters were the Duel was fun. He finally did it. He conveyed his Entertainment Duel properly to their hearts.

After several long talk with his new admirers and all, Yuji was taken to the rooftop where they, together with Jonouchi, finally could relax. The Oracle bought him a juice as a celebration for his success and even ordered a pizza. The three of them toasted. Yuno and Jounouchi chuckled as they saw Yuji's face brimming with so much happiness. When the boy first arrived, he was always fidgeting and shy, seemingly afraid of anyone. It was satisfying enough to see the boy has finally smiled so cheerfully, and they wished to continue seeing the boy like this.

"Do you have fun?" Yuno asked.

"Yeah! Very much! Thank you, Yuno-san!" Yuji answered, still grinning like a fool as one would say it.

"There are still others who disagree with your Entertainment Dueling, but don't let it get to you, okay? Just Duel the way you believe in from now on." Jonouchi encouraged the boy, patting his back.

"Yes. I have decided to do just that. Whatever anyone say, I will continue my Entertainment Dueling." Yuji answered resolutely.

Yuno shuffled his bag, bringing out a piece of paper. He handed it to Yuji. The dichromatic-eyed boy looked at the old man questioningly, but Yuno only inclined him to read it himself. Looking at the paper, Yuji's eyes widened. This was an adoption paper. His and Yuno's name were written there, and only waiting for it to be signed.

"This is..." Yuji trailed off, still finding it hard to believe what he was holding.

"I have been thinking about this since I got to know you. If you accept, you can start working and financially support your relative. You can also attend normal school if you want to. I have received permission from your relative. All that left is your permission. I'm not going to force you of course." Yuno told the boy who was still reading the paper.

Yuji's lips and hands started trembling. He bit his lip to make sure whether he was dreaming or not. If this was a dream, he almost didn't want to wake up. He didn't hate his relative. When his uncle offered him a place, he was happy and he would have accepted if it were not for his uncle's family's financial problem. He didn't want them to waste more of the little money they have for him while they were already struggling just to feed themselves and schooling their one and only little daughter. And he was still too young to get a part-time job. But if he accepted this adoption, he could take a job with his Yuno's connection and help his relative with their financial problem.

But more than anything, he liked Yuno as both a person and instructor. It has only been two weeks since he knew the instructor, but ever since that day he took him to his house and taught him, his like for the instructor grew exponentially. He might get a head of himself, but Yuno was already like a second father to him. He wished to know more about Yuno. There were still many things he wanted to talk with him. He still wanted to learn more things from him. He wanted to duel more with him.

Yuji eventually couldn't stop his tears from leaking. He thought he couldn't even be happier today after that Duel, but he was wrong. Yuji didn't say a word and instead flung himself to Yuno, hugging his instructor – who just became his father. Yuno hugged the boy back and smiled. Jonouchi also couldn't contained his tears when seeing that touching moment.

"From now on, you are my son." Yuno told the boy.

From then on, each passing day was a bliss for Yuji. And to make it better, not long after, he gained three more siblings. They were unusual and some could be considered weird, but nevertheless, they cherish each other. Yuji knew that this moment won't last forever, everything will come to an end eventually. But he wished this happiness he has with his new family will at least goes for many years...

Sadly, this wish didn't come true.

A year later,

Everything fell apart.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – REFUGEE CAMP – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

A year after he gained a new family, a being known as Apophis the Dragon of Calamity, appeared and went rampage on the whole world with his offspring. It only took a few weeks and the world was close to reach the Armageddon. Most cities in every country were dystopian in appearance. Thanks to the blessing from Ma'at the Dragon of Harmony who was the nemesis of Apophis, in the form of Supreme King Deck, they were able to survive this far and managed to counterattack, but it was still not enough to kill Apophis and his offspring. Worse, a month ago, Yuno's father, Renka Mizushima, was killed. The Supreme King Deck then was passed to Yuno.

Yuji and his siblings had tried their best to help their father and The Brotherhood, but they wondered how long they will last. Even with the joint effort of the whole armies in the world, they still weren't close enough to defeat Apophis and his offspring. If they can't kill them, Yuno proposed to find a way to seal them. That way, it would at least buy them some time to become stronger until they can kill Apophis and his offspring. But unfortunately, so far, they couldn't find the right method to seal them.

In the midst of this fierce war, Yuji couldn't help but notice the fear, agony, and worry in the civilians. In turn, those negative feelings would strengthen Apophis even more. While he couldn't care less about the Dragon of Calamity, he couldn't stand seeing these people in misery. All of them still tried to live, clinging to the smallest bit of hope that peace would return. He wanted to comfort them. He wanted them to smile even in this situation, so they never forget how it feels to be happy, so their will to live will continue.

And that gave him idea.

At the fireplace, people, particularly children, were gathering while making excited voices as in front of them, Yuji was standing at the top of a small stage in clown clothing with Entermate Guitartle, Entermate Fire Mufflio, Entermate Allcover Hippo and Entermate Bubbuldog beside him.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Today, you will see extraordinary performances from us, so please enjoy the show!"

As soon as he was done with the opening greeting, the red-haired boy rode on Fire Mufflio's back. The lion monster with fiery hair began jumping around doing somersaults, at times even jumping through the fire circles that it made by itself. Allcover Hippo was dancing while moving on a huge balloon. Bubbuldog blew its bubbles, decorating the stage. And Guitartle played a song throughout the whole show. The audience laughed, mesmerized by the performances. Once they were all done, they bowed to the audience, earning them cheers and clap from them.

"Thank you, thank you! We hope you enjoyed our show! Tomorrow, please come again at the same time here and we will perform a different show that you would enjoy as well!" Yuji announced. He was soon surrounded by the children who asked for more tricks or petting the Duel Monsters. They opened a path when a certain clap caught their eyes and saw Yuno with Jusis behind him coming at their direction.

"That's a wonderful show." Yuno commented while still clapping before opening his arms for the dichromatic-eyed boy who brightened upon seeing him.

"Dad!" Yuji quickly rushed to the man, giving him a hug, which the man returned.

"You did well entertaining them while I was gone, Yuji." Yuno told his son. He was proud of him. This was what the people at the camp exactly needed. They mustn't let the horrors of war making them forget happiness.

"This is the only way I could think to at least ease their worries. I know we're in the middle of war, but we can't just keep being all depressed, right? Mom, Ryuji, and the others also think I should go with this." Yuji said while looking up to his father without letting go of him, eyes gleaming with excitement at the thought of another show.

"You got that right. Once this is over, let's celebrate and you'll perform the most amazing show to the whole world as a sign of our victory." Yuno patted his son's head. They have to end this war so his children and the other young ones could live a happy future where they can smile like this.

Yuji slightly blushed but nevertheless happy and more than agreed with the idea.

"Yeah! Just wait and see! I will do a show that will bring smiles to everyone!"

With that goal in mind, for the next three weeks, Yuji performed in various places to ease the pain in people's hearts while also still helping his family in the battle against Apophis' army. Yuji's performance was very much appreciated, especially for young children. He performed all the while thinking positively that all of them will survive and bring back peace to the world where they can live happily again. He won't give up. He will make sure that happen.

But again,

His wish didn't come true.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – BATTLEFIELD – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

"Are you the children of the Oracle?"

Yuji and his three siblings were approached by a blue haired tall young man with pale skin, heavy makeup that including white foundation on all visible skin, black eyeliner, and dark lipstick, and painted nails. He was wearing a single yellow leather-hooded cloak with a waist-high slit going up the back. It has a large silver zipper that fastens at the top and zips down to seal the coat. It has teal drawstrings for the hood decorated with a large teal bead hanging from the end and a teal chain ornament adorned with four large cylindrical silver beads that fastens to a loop on either side of the collarbone region.

They instantly recognized him. They never engaged him in a fight, but they have seen him several times in the battlefield. He was one of the six most trusted servants of Apophis. He had led many armies that annihilated theirs without mercy and what disgusted was the fact that they he seemed to enjoy all the blood that were spilled either from enemies or allies.

"You're Geist the Magical Musket." Yuji stated as he and his siblings readied their Duel Disks.

"Correct! It's an honor to be recognized by the precious children of the Oracle!" Geist replied cheerfully, clapping his hands.

"Can we get straight to the business? We know that you're not here just for introduction." Yuji's only sister said coldly to the jester-like offspring.

"Yes. As much as I want to stay and have a long nice conversation with all of you..." Geist raised his Duel Disk and activated. His playful smile instantly turned into sadistic savage grin that promised pain and suffering to the four teens.

"Under His Excellency's order, you shall become sacrifices for our cause."

What happened next, Yuji couldn't remember well. The next thing that happened was he got thrown into the air and fall hard on the ground. His hand was holding the bloody hole on his abdomen, near his heart. He couldn't speak as the blood filled his throat. His skin felt warm and sticky by his own blood that became a puddle. His vision blurred. He almost couldn't see. He turned to his side to look for his siblings, and he tried hard not to let out the tears to come out when he saw his siblings in the same condition as him, or perhaps even worse.

He then felt his body became colder by each passing seconds. He didn't want to give up now. But he was tired, so so tired, and it was taking all of his strength to just stay awake. Slowly a shadow loomed over him, a pair of boots appearing in his vision as his head throbbed in time with his pounding heart. And then it was suddenly hit him. He was going to die. His hazy eyes looked at the man's face, and even though he couldn't see clearly, he knew it was not Geist. He strangely felt calm. Maybe that was because he didn't have the energy to feel anything anymore. Every part of him hurt so much, and he only wanted to end the pain.

He was sad, but he had to admit this was his end. He regretted he couldn't help his father more. He couldn't keep their promise that they will survive and live together happily once the peace was brought back.

 _"I'm sorry...Dad..."_

And then...nothingness.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – TEMPLE OF CALAMITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

When he first opened his eyes, he saw blood red moon on the night sky. He was lying on a stone altar. He sat up and saw there were three other people who were in the same position and condition as him. He looked at his hands and then tried to feel his body, feeling very much alive. A headache then attacked him as flashes of images that doesn't belonged to him entered his head. In that instant, he knew everything about the person whose body he had taken over.

Yuji was the name of original owner of this body. Like all offspring, he was born through a sacrifice, and this Yuji was the sacrifice to give birth to him. Once the original soul left, his soul was placed into the empty vessel in his stead, effectively making this body his. He slowly removed himself from the stone altar, and so did the other three offspring who were born at the same time as him.

The moment they set their feet on the cold ground, a colossal dragon loomed over them. It wasn't just any dragon. It was their master, their very creator. They only have one purpose to be born. Their creator only has one purpose to give birth to them.

To serve the Dragon of Calamity.

Nothing more and nothing less.

That was the only reason for their existence.

The dragon then looked down at him, beckoning him to stand up from his kneeling position. He did and waited for his master to continue whatever he was going to say or do to him.

"Born from the Duelist blessed with two-colored gem-like eyes who mastered the dragon with burning flames with the same eyes, the name Odd-Eyes shall be given to you."

He simply nodded. He got it. His name from now on was Odd-Eyes. The name came from this person and his dragon's red and green-colored eyes. Speaking about the dragon...his hand reached to his Duel Disk where Yuji placed his Deck that now belonged to him. He picked the card who where he got his name from, Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon.

He sensed the dragon's sadness.

It must be because it just lost its true master.

Yuji has died. His memories and feelings still remained in this body, so Odd-Eyes knew everything about him like he was Yuji himself. This also goes for all Apophis offspring. Even though the real owner of the body has passed on, there were still remains of feelings and memories within the body. But of course, it doesn't make him the real Yuji. Yuji was Yuji, and he was Odd-Eyes. They were two different people.

 _"So why do I feel sad...?"_

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Many days passed since he was born. He tried to live following the only purpose he has given by his master. He fought his master's enemies, he killed anyone whom his master considered getting in his way, and he did it all again. No stimulation at all. It was just an eternity of dead days. He continued, and his conclusion was living is an act filled with boredom and pain.

His impression of the world was not well either. Despair creates despair, soon despair is everywhere. And it all squelches together into one ugly mess and swallows up the world. The trash got kicked down and then climbs back out of the dump, only the truly strong ones can survive. In short, it was a dog-eat-dog world.

He wondered if there was no way out from this other than death. A way out from this seemingly unending chain of pain and hatred. Whenever he thought of that, he played Yuji's memories that were still inside this body. Whenever he was seeing the memories inside his head, he felt this emotion and stimulation that he never experienced. He didn't know what to call these emotions, but it felt...good. He wondered if he was truly a human, he could experience more of these emotions.

Out of curiosity, he sneaked into the town that was under The Brotherhood's protection. Not exactly a great city since it was partially destroyed, but it was still a good one, better than several places that he knew. He was wearing a brown hooded cloak; the hood covered his head and a bit of his face to make him less recognizable. He stopped at a park where he saw children were playing with several Kuribohs and their Duel Monster spirits. He knew this part. It was a one of the places where Yuji performed to cheer up the civilians.

His gaze softened while watching the children played. The warmth came again into him. He was in daze that he didn't realize a child was running towards him without looking until the child hit his legs, causing her to fall flat on her butt.

"Oh, sorry. Are you okay?" Odd-Eyes asked, kneeling to the girl who was wincing.

The girl wiped the tears that were formed in her eyes before trying to force a smile to assure him she was okay. When she looked up to him, she blinked a few times before her forced smile turned full blown and her face brightened.

"Big Bro Yuji!" She exclaimed.

This caught the attention of the children who were playing nearby at the park with the Duel Monster spirits. Before Odd-Eyes could react, the children were already running towards him together with the Duel Monsters.

 _"This is bad...! The children are okay, but if the Kuribohs come near me, they would immediately realize that I am an offspring!"_ Odd-Eyes thought in alarm.

"Big Bro Yuji?! You came back!"

"Welcome back, Big Bro!"

Odd-Eyes didn't know what to do as the children were crowding him while the Kuribohs were getting closer. When he was face-to-face with the small brown fur monsters, he was ready to make a dash and get out from the town. However, to his immense surprise, the Kuribohs were welcoming of him, urging him to play with them.

 _"How is this possible? They should be able to tell who I am."_ Odd-Eyes wondered at the Kuribohs.

"Let's play!"

"Show us your performance again!"

"Come on, Big Bro!"

Odd-Eyes never played with children let alone interacting with them. In his confusion, he remembered Yuji's memories, hoping to find a solution. Since they mistook him as Yuji, if he could act in accordance to how Yuji was in the memories he has, he could fool them. He also has Yuji's Deck, so he could pull it off. Speaking about the Deck, he realized that the monsters were also eager to come out to play and urged him the same.

 _"All these times they are all being sulky and bitter ever since the first time I used them. But now they are being cheerful."_ Odd-Eyes thought while staring at the Deck and listened to the monsters' voices.

Against the expectations from the children and Duel Monsters, Odd-Eyes found himself unable to refuse. And the children were already making quite a noise, so if he refused he might instead got more attention from the passerby.

 _"But rather than that...I want to try it. I want to feel what Yuji Sakaki felt back then when he was with these children. Just once is fine."_ Odd-Eyes decided. This was a rare opportunity. A lifetime opportunity even. He was an offspring of the Dragon of Calamity so a chance like this won't come again because he then must return to his duty.

With the best of his ability, he put a maskof an entertainer that Yuji did and summoned Discover Hippo, Mammosplash, Swordfish, and Cheer Mole. Odd-Eyes rode on Discover Hippo while holding Swordfish. Mammosplash then produced bubbles that he destroyed one after another using Swordfish while running around riding Discover Hippo with Cheer Mole doing its cheerleader dance. The more he acted, the more the warm sensation and emotions came into him. This was it. This was the thing that he wanted to feel.

He told himself that this was only for one day. And yet, he came again the next day, playing with the children. And then the next day one after another. It became a routine to him. One routine that he never told any of his fellow offspring, not even His Excellency. Unbeknownst to him, he was being watched until the approach.

It was another day, and Odd-Eyes returned to the park to play with the children. As usual, they were there waiting for him. However, this time, there were two adults with them. He stopped his track as he recognized them. He knew them both all too well from Yuji's memories and he had encountered them before in the battlefield.

Yuno and Claire.

"As I thought. You came again." Yuno said as he faced them.

Odd-Eyes knew what this mean. He couldn't come here again, not with these two finding out about him. They wouldn't want to harm the children, so they won't make a ruckus by challenging him there and now. He better leaves before it got worse.

"Wait! We just want to talk with you." Yuno said, holding his arm to stop him from leaving. He slowly looked at him and his wife who told the children to play by themselves for a bit.

"Please. We have been watching for the past few days." Claire said as she approached him. "Why do you keep coming here to play with the children even though you knew this is our territory?"

Odd-Eyes didn't know why he didn't just attack them and make his escape. They were his enemies, especially the man who was the holder of the Supreme King Deck. He was his master's most hated enemy. Then why Odd-Eyes didn't attack or escape from this man? Why he thought it was a good idea to speak with them? Was this also the influence of Yuji's memories? Nevertheless, before he knew it, he has opened his mouth and spoke.

"I don't really understand myself... The memories of Yuji Sakaki are still inside me. Whenever I'm seeing them, I have these emotions that warmed my chest. I thought if I learn more about humans, I will eventually find the answer. When I saw these children playing, I remembered how Yuji Sakaki felt whenever he playing with them. I thought if I do the same thing, I can feel the same thing as him and understand these emotions." Odd-Eyes admitted. He didn't know why, but he couldn't stop talking until he spill everything in his mind.

"I wonder if this is an influence from Yuji Sakaki's memories that were still left behind in this body... But I'm not your son. I'm still Odd-Eyes, my own self." Strangely, letting it all out made him feel relieved. Why would he? He was speaking to people who were supposed to be enemies no less. Odd-Eyes has told himself that he and Yuji were different, but then when he was playing, he felt as if he was Yuji himself.

"Odd-Eyes? Is that...your name?" Claire asked, blinking.

"Yes. The name given by His Excellency when I was born. He named me after your son and his ace monster." Odd-Eyes confirmed the pair's suspicion.

"You're...different from the other offspring that I know." Yuno stated while he continued to eyeing Odd-Eyes. The offspring looked away from the man's gaze, suddenly feeling something was wrong.

"...I have to leave now..." Odd-Eyes said and he didn't wait for reply. He walked fast, but then stopped when the pair spoke again. The words that came out from them was the last thing he expected to hear due to the fact they were enemies.

"As long as you won't drag these children into the battle...you can come here and play again." Claire told him while holding the children who were waving excitedly at him, expecting for him to return like usual and play with them.

"Odd-Eyes, as someone who has a heart of your own, emotion of your own, you deserve freedom." Yuno took a step forward as he talked, walking closer to the offspring but then stopped, making a distance far enough for the both of them.

"Freedom?" Odd-Eyes furrowed his brows at the unfamiliar term.

"You can choose the way you live as you please without being bound to Apophis. Even though you are his offspring, these Kuribohs accepted you. That is more than enough proof that you are different from him and the other offspring who blindly obey his command." Yuno explained while patting a Kuriboh in his arm. Kuribohs were one of monster types that directly connected to Ma'at. They won't get close to people who have wicked and evil hearts. If they accepted Odd-Eyes, that means the offspring has goodness in him that the other offspring doesn't have.

Odd-Eyes didn't respond to that. He left the town immediately. But Yuno's words kept repeating in his mind. He couldn't let them go, couldn't take them out from his head.

"Freedom..."

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – PARK – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Odd-Eyes knew that he shouldn't be coming back here. He shouldn't be coming back to play remembering the Oracle has found out about him. Even though he knew that, he couldn't stop. No, he didn't want to stop coming. He has been thinking about freedom since that day. And more questions came to him. It was true that His Excellency has given birth to him, but does the purpose given to him truly the only reason for him to continue living? Among humans, weren't children can still choose their own paths regardless of their parents' will? What makes them so different?

"What's wrong, Odd-Eyes?"

Odd-Eyes was snapped from his thought when Clear Wing shook his shoulder. They were on a mission to inspect the town where he usually played with the children. Since he was on a mission right now, he won't play around. He was supposed to focus, but yet...

"Are you still thinking about 'freedom', Odd-Eyes?" Dark Rebellion asked the dichromatic-eyed offspring.

"Does it never cross your mind? Why do we have...to listen to His Excellency's order? Why can't we make our own path? Is following His Excellency's every order, truly our only purpose in life?" Odd-Eyes voiced out the questions that he has been thinking deeply since that day.

"Freedom means...we can do anything that we like. Is it really wrong for us to think that?" Odd-Eyes questioned his fellow offspring who were born at the same time and place as him. At his question, they went silent. Looks like they were wondering about it themselves. He didn't know what happened but looks like this matter has been bothering them too for quite a while as much as he did.

An explosion interrupted them. They turned at the park and saw Tsukasa with several servants attacking. Odd-Eyes gasped when he noticed a few of the children whom he often played with were amongst the civilians who were running away. From the looks of it, they got separated from their parents. Soon after, Yuno, Claire, Celica, Abel and Jusis came in, defending the civilians. They fought fiercely, but the impact of the battles slowly reached the civilians. When it was getting closer, Odd-Eyes' body moved by itself, revealing his presence to everyone.

"Odd-Eyes, what are you doing?!" Clear Wing exclaimed, following the dichromatic-eyed boy along with the other two. They were ordered to be on standby, but Odd-Eyes has just defied the order given to them.

"Odd-Eyes?!" Yuno exclaimed in surprise.

"What are you guys doing? You're supposed to be on standby, waiting for my signal." Tsukasa told the four newest offspring.

"I...I'm..." Odd-Eyes trailed off. Now he was unsure what to do as everyone's attention were on them.

"It's Big Bro Yuji!" One of the children said.

Hearing this, Tsukasa made a sound of understanding. He looked sharply at the four, Odd-Eyes in particular.

"I have known about your little play with these brats in this town, Odd-Eyes. Not only him, I'm also talking to the rest of you. I have let it slide because this is just one of your ways to kill some time while you're bored waiting for your missions. But it's the time to end your little jaunt out of the house. Play time is over, now is time to kill them. His Excellency cannot allow you all to indulge yourself anymore."

Odd-Eyes and the rest felt uneasy and unnerved, both at the look Tsukasa gave to them and the look the civilians gave to them. For that moment, they didn't know what to do or to think. As Apophis' offspring, they should be listening and follow Tsukasa's order. However, something was stopping them, making them in doubt.

"There are times it's okay to be selfish."

Yuno and Celica stood in front of the four offspring while Claire, Abel, and Jusis stood defending civilians. Odd-Eyes and the other three were clearly surprised by their actions that seemingly was to protect them from Tsukasa. But then Yuno's words reminded him of another one of Yuji's memories. Yuno had told Yuji the same thing when Yuji was unsure. And now he spoke the same words to him.

"Whoever they are, whatever they are, every living being can decide for themselves. Even if they are not humans, their lives are their own. They deserve to decide how they want to live. Not even Apophis has the right to bound them." Yuno glared at Tsukasa, unleashing murderous intent at the offspring should he dare to say a word that is saying otherwise.

"This is their lives. Living freely or not, they alone are the ones who make the choice." Celica added as she turned to the four offspring behind her and Yuno. She didn't say anything to them, but it was easy for Odd-Eyes to know her unspoken question. What do they want to do?

Odd-Eyes felt like he was going to tremble to pieces. He could barely think, let alone breathe.

 _I could be free._

 _I could be free._

 _I could be FREE._

He thought again of the times he spent playing with the children. The beauty of the world that he saw through Yuji's memories like the endless blue sky and horizon, the endless starry sky, ablaze with burning constellations that has yet to be tainted by darkness of war. He thought of everything he had felt ever since he started spending his time playing in this town with these people. The wondrous warmth that filled his entire body. The only time he truly felt alive.

"I want to live in my own way."

It was only then, now that he had spoken it out loud, that he realized how much he had wanted it—for as long as he could remember. He wanted—he wanted—

It was the truest thing that he had ever said, and that he ever would say ever again, he felt. It had been true for as long as he could remember, but he had never, ever let himself think it, let alone say it out loud.

"I want to create my own path, out of my own free will."

 **THREE DAYS LATER – 1,500 YEARS AGO – REFUGEE CAMP – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

It has been three days since Odd-Eyes and the other three decided to defect. When they decided so, Yuno and the other adults were surprisingly welcoming of them. And it turned out that they have been delaying announcing Yuji and the others' death as they didn't want to cause panic. But with the four of them now on their sides, it won't be necessary to announce their deaths. Yuno asked them to take on Yuji and the others' identities in front of the ones who doesn't know about their deaths, especially civilians. The four teens had comforting presence and gave these people hope. Should words spread that they have died, they might get disheartened.

Since they have Yuji and the others' memories, it wasn't difficult to act like them. They practically knew everything about them so no one would notice. The hurdle was calling Yuno and Claire as 'Dad' and 'Mom'. It was difficult to call them that in front of the others and they almost let slip several times until they finally got used to it. It didn't take long for them to adapt.

In fact.. everything felt lighter for Odd-Eyes. He couldn't remember feeling this light in...ever. He wants to live freely, he whispered that to himself, over and over again. Accepting that desire had been life changing. He couldn't believe how light and free he felt—he felt like he could fly off into the sky right now.

"You seem to be in a good mood, Odd-Eyes." Yuno said while patting the boy's back, startling the red head.

"I'm...I'm sorry, I'm just...really happy right now." Odd-Eyes said. He sobered quickly, though, when he once again remembered Yuji and the other children who died and they possessed their bodies now, not to mention all the troubles everyone was having now.

"I'm sorry. You probably think I'm pretty callous." Odd-Eyes immediately apologized. Yuji and the others wanted to live longer. He could see the memory moments before Yuji's death how he regretted he was unable to help Yuno more and unable to fulfil his dream and promise. Yuji still wanted to live longer, but Apophis took it away just to give birth to him. Yuno and the others must be wanting to spend more times with them too. And he also has killed a lot of Yuno's comrades when he was still following Apophis' order.

Yuno smiled, and his hand brushed his hair briefly.

"Of course not. You have a right to be happy—you've been carrying that burden for so long, and now it's finally lifted. And Yuji, Yuzo, Yuhei, and Yura's deaths are not your fault. The four of you never chose to be born that way. You are not to blame for their deaths, so there's no need for you to feel gulty about it."

Yuno's eyes were still a little cloudy, though, and Odd-Eyes' heart jumped. He didn't want to make the Oracle sad...he had been so kind to him from the moment they had properly conversed..and he didn't feel like he had done anything to deserve it.

"Thank you," Odd-Eyes whispered.

Yuno blinked, looking down at him.

"For what?"

"For...for giving me courage," Odd-Eyes said, looking down. "I...I never even stopped to think that I could possibly be free from this...but you were so confident when you told Tsukasa that I can make my own path."

He pressed a hand to his chest, curling it into the fabric.

"It...it made me happy, that you were sticking up for me, Dad."

Odd-Eyes quickly clamped his mouth shut when he unintentionally called him that. He got so used to call Yuno 'Dad' in front of the others that it became a habit now like they were truly a father and son. Although, he secretly wanted to keep calling them that. Yuno and Claire have already become some sort of parent figures in his eyes.

"No! I mean, Yuno-san..." Odd-Eyes' cheeks turned pink in embarrassment. He didn't dare to look at Yuno now. He was confused though when the man chuckled and started ruffling his head.

"It's fine to call me Dad, because you are my son." Yuno told the red-haired boy, making the boy to look up at him.

"But...I'm not the real Yuji..." Odd-Eyes muttered.

"Yeah. You're not. Even if that body belongs to Yuji and you have his memories, you can never replace Yuji. But it doesn't mean, I do not consider you as my son." Yuno slowly pulled Odd-Eyes to him, burying the boy's head to his chest while his on the boy's back

"I'm not trying to make you as Yuji's replacement. Human or not, you have grown on me. You, Clear Wing, Dark Rebellion, and Starve Venom. All four of you have already became my precious children." Yuno told the boy with nothing but tenderness and love that he showed to all of his children equally.

Tears rolled down his cheeks, one after the other, and he squeezed his arms around Yuno. He kept thinking that Yuji was the one who was supposed to be here, not him. But when Yuno said that, he couldn't help but be happy.

He was ready to lose his life to atone for his sins.

But Yuno just made him faltered.

Now, he wanted to live.

 **SIX MONTHS LATER – 1,500 YEARS AGO – RUINS OF AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Six months have passed. The battle against Apophis and his armies became fiercer than ever. Not only that, Yuno and the others were close to find out how to seal Apophis and his offspring in case they can't defeat them completely. This requires the help of all Link Monsters for it to work. Just now, he finished teleporting the last of all Link Monster spirits in the area. While he doesn't know the procedure in sealing Apophis and his armies, he believed in his father and Ma'at and humanity's potential.

"It's a shame that you're choosing the wrong side, Odd-Eyes."

Odd-Eyes jumped back the moment he heard the voice behind him. He glared at the owner of the voice who emerged from the dust, revealing himself as Tsukasa. He already activated his Duel Disk, and Odd-Eyes didn't need to ask what his business he has in this place. Tsukasa's cold unforgiving eyes spoke everything.

"If anything, I think you're the one choosing the wrong side, Tsukasa." Odd-Eyes spat back as he raised his Duel Disk.

"What's the point of protecting this dirty ugly despicable world? Are humans truly worth saving that much to you?" Tsukasa questioned with tone of belittlement.

"Humans can be cruel and despicable as you said. They can never be so simple, often make things difficult because of the choices they make themselves... And that's exactly why they are so beautiful in my eyes. The way they live freely, following their own wills. I admired that side of them." Odd-Eyes admitted. It took him a long time to realize this. He didn't know if he was too late, but this realization made him grow to love humans and he wished to continue living among them.

"That's why I won't let you take away their freedom. I will protect humanity at all cost." Odd-Eyes decreed, activating his Duel Disk.

"What a foolish reason. You and that siblings of yours are failures." Tsukasa said in disgust, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! I activate Field Spell: Rite of Purgatory! During my Standby Phase I can add 2 Purgatory Magics or Traps from my Deck to my hand. Also, as long as this card is on the Field, my opponent cannot attack Infernoid Monsters except the one with highest Level." Tsukasa activated his Field Spell.

"I banish 2 Infernoid monsters from my hand to Special Summon Infernoid Ba'al (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 0 / LV: 7)!" Tsukasa summoned Ba'al in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Tsukasa concluded.

"I don't mind becoming a failure if it means not becoming someone like you! My Turn! From my hand, I summon Entermate Uni (ATK: 800 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 3)!" Odd-Eyes summoned Uni in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Entermate Uni's effect to Special Summon Entermate Corn (ATK: 600 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3)!" Odd-Eyes summoned Corn in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Uni.

"Since I control both Uni and Corn, I can activate Corn's effect! I switch them to Defense Position and then add a card from my Deck to my hand!" Odd-Eyes changed Uni and Corn into Defense Position and then added Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon into his hand.

"I activate Magic Card: Advancing Turn! I can perform another Normal Summon! Appear! Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Odd-Eyes released Uni and Corn to Advance Summon his ace monster in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Next I activate Quick-Play Spell: Gem Crevasse! I can increase the ATK of a monster I control in exchange its effect cannot be activated until the end of this Turn!" Odd-Eyes increased his ace monster's ATK to 3500. The blue orb on the dragon's stomach glowed but then also started cracking.

"Battle! I attack Infernoid Ba'al with Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon! Scarlet Comet Blast!" Odd-Eyes declared attack. Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon shot his red blast straight at Ba'al. Right at that moment, Tsukasa opened his first Reverse Card.

"Trap Card: Mad Feast of Purgatory! I send 1 Purgatory Spell or Trap from my hand or face-up on the Field to Special Summon up to 3 Infernoid Monsters from my Deck whose total Levels exactly equal 8, ignoring their summoning conditions!" Tsukasa summoned Infernoid Asmodai (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 0 / LV: 5), Infernoid Beelzebul (ATK: 0 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 2), and Infernoid Satan (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon's attack continued, its blast hit Ba'al directly, exploding the Infernoid monster and pushed back Tsukasa.

 **TSUKASA LP: 4000 = 3100**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Odd-Eyes concluded. With his turn ended, Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon's ATK returned to normal and it can activate its effect again.

"Don't get ahead of yourself just because of that little damage. An immature junior like you can never wina gainst me." Tsukasa retorted. Ever since Odd-Eyes was born, he never liked the guy. He always looked unsure and dissatisfied of practically everything they were doing under their master's order. And this has gotten worse when Odd-Eyes finally betrayed them. Traitor must be punished. The boy brought this to himself.

"I'll make you experience pain." Tsukasa stated.

"My Turn. I activate Magic Card: Pot of Greed." Tsukasa activated the card he just drew, adding two more cards to his hand. Also, due to Rites of Purgatory's effect, he added 2 Purgatory cards to his hand.

"I activate Continuous Trap: Awakening Purgatory. During each of my Standby Phase, I can send 2 Infernoid Monsters from my Deck to my Graveyard." Tsukasa opened his second Reverse Card, discarding 2 Infernoid Monsters from his Deck.

"I activate Magic Card: Reward from the Purgatory. I discard 1 Infernoid Monster I control to add 1 Infernoid Monster from my Deck to my hand. Also, until the end of this Turn, my Magic and Trap cannot be destroyed by effects." Tsukasa activated the first card that he added through Rites of Purgatory's effect, discarding Satan and then added Infernoid Nehemoth into his hand.

"I banish 3 Infernoid Monsters whose total Levels are 8 or lower to Special Summon Infernoid Nehemoth (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10)!" Tsukasa banished another set of three Infernoid Monsters, summoning Nehemoth in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Infernoid Nehemoth's effect. On the Turn this card is summoned, I can destroy all monsters on the Field!" Tsukasa declared as Nehemoth unleashed flood of crimson flame, burning all monsters on his and Odd-Eyes' Field. While he still has Nehemoth, Odd-Eyes has nothing left.

"Battle! I attack directly with Infernoid Nehemoth!" Tsukasa declared attack. Nehemoth's wings were on fire. The Infernoid monster flapped it forward, sending a wave for burning flames towards Odd-Eyes whose Field was wide open without any monster or set card.

"I activate Entermate Uni's effect! By banishing it and Corn from the Graveyard, I can reduce the damage equal to their total DEFs!" Odd-Eyes summoned the spirits of Uni and Corn. Together, the two girls formed an invisible barrier that partially blocked the flames, lessening the damage that Odd-Eyes took.

 **ODD-EYES LP: 4000 = 3500**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Tsukasa concluded. "Traitorous scum like you and your siblings doesn't deserve to be reborn as His Excellency's Duel Monster servants. I'll make sure I will burn your very soul until there is nothing left of you."

"I'd rather choose that than serving him again!" Odd-Eyes retorted as he began his Draw Phase. Tsukasa sent another Infernoid Monster from his Deck to the Graveyard at the same time.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Dragonpulse Magician (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 900 / LV: 4)!" Odd-Eyes summoned the magician in the Main Monster Zone in Attack Position.

"I activate Advancing Turn's effect! When the monster targeted by this card is in the Graveyard, I can banish it to Special Summon that monster with its effect negated and its ATK doubled!" Odd-Eyes revived Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon with its ATK increased to 4000.

"Next I activate Dragonpulse Magician's effect! I release it increase a Dragon-Type Monster's ATK that I control equal to its ATK and it cannot be destroyed by Magic or Trap until my next Standby Phase!" Odd-Eyes added Dragonpulse Magician's ATK to his dragon, increasing the latter's ATK to 5800.

"An ATK of 5800?!" Tsukasa was visibly surprised.

 _"I want to live and bring back peace to this world. I want to see more of the beauties of this world. I want to spend more times with Dad and the others. There are still many things that I want to see and I want to do! That's why, I can't afford to lose here!"_ Odd-Eyes steeled his resolve. For everyone's sake, he will emerge victorious in this Duel.

"Finish off his monster, Odd-Eyes! Battle! I attack Infernoid Nehemoth with Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon! Scarlet Comet Blast!" Odd-Eyes declared his attack. The red dragon's blue orb cracked further as its body was covered by burning crimson flames. The flames started to take form into a head of a dragon. The moment Odd-Eyes Flare roared, the blazing dragon flame went straight at Tsukasa's monster, burning the monster until the flame exploded, filling Tsukasa's Field with thick smoke.

Odd-Eyes was expecting for Tsukasa to be injured but still alive as the ATK would still leave him enough LP to survive but his Field would be completely empty. Therefore, the dichromatic-eyed boy was shocked when Nehemoth was still present on Tsukasa's Field, though the Infernoid user still took damage from the attack.

 **TSUKASA LP: 3100 = 300**

"What?! How?!" Odd-Eyes questioned in disbelieve.

"I just activated my Trap Card: Infernoid Crisis. I can negate the destruction of my Infernoid Monster and draw 2 cards but in exchange that monster's ATK is reduced to 0." Tsukasa revealed the Reverse Card he has opened seconds before the attack hit Nehemoth. He then drew a card following the effect.

"Tsk. I end my Turn." Odd-Eyes finished. But he kept himself calm. Dragonpulse Magician's effect still last until the next Turn, so Odd-Eyes Flare still has 5800 ATK, higher than Nehemoth. Unless Tsukasa can summon a monster with higher ATK than that, Tsukasa cannot win.

"My Turn. I banish 3 Infernoid Monsters from my Graveyard, to Special Summon Infernoid Lilith!" Tsukasa has discarded 1 Infernoid Monster following Closing Purgatory's effect in the previous Turn. Adding the two monsters he discarded now through Awakening of Purgatory's effect, he has 3 Infernoid Monsters in his Graveyard, enough to summon Lilith (ATK: 2900 / DEF: 2900 / LV: 9) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Nehemoth.

"I activate Continuous Magic: Void of Dream Purgatory. All Infernoid monsters whose original Levels are 2 or higher becomes Level 1 and the battle damage is halved." Tsukasa changed Nehemoth and Lilith's Level to 1.

"I activate Magic Card: Infernoid Fallen Wings. I discard two Infernoid monsters from my Deck to Special Summon an Infernoid Monster that I banished." He discarded Beelzebul and Lucifugus before summoning back Satan in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone from his Banish Zone.

"I activate Void of Dream Purgatory's effect. I can destroy this card to use Infernoid Monsters I control as Materials to Fusion Summon." Tsukasa fused Nehemoth, Lilith, and Satan together as the Fusion Vortex appeared above Tsukasa. The three Infernoid Monsters swirled into the vortex, becoming one single powerful monster.

"Behold! This is my strongest monster! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 11! Infernoid Tiera (ATK: 3400 / DEF: 3600 / LV: 11)!" Tsukasa summoned Infernoid Tiera in Attack Position in the Main Zone. The Fusion Monster's appearance was followed by sparks of flames, burning several parts of the Action Field.

"A Level 11 Fusion Monster?!" Odd-Eyes exclaimed in disbelieve. He gasped as he thought more of Tsukasa's moves. His Continuous Trap and Spells, they involved sending Infernoid Monsters to the Graveyard while adding Purgatory cards to his hand. The condition to summon Tiera was fusing Nehemoth, Lilith, and one or more Infernoid Monsters.

 _"He continuously sent monsters to the Graveyard in preparation to summon both Nehemoth and Lilith. He added Purgatory cards to accelerate the process and also so that he can add Void of Dream Purgatory...!"_ Odd-Eyes' eyes widened in realization. Tsukasa noticed this and narrowed his eyes further.

"But its ATK is still lower than Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon!" Odd-Eyes reminded, pointing out the difference between the two monsters' ATK. He still has the upper hand.

"You really think I haven't prepared for that?" Tsukasa said with a smirk as he revealed a second copy of Nehemoth in his hand that he drew through Infernoid Crisis' effect.

"I banish Satan, Beelzebul, and Lucifugus from my Graveyard, to Special Summon Infernoid Nehemoth!" Tsukasa summoned the second copy of Nehemoth. Using its effect, he destroyed all monsters on the Field. Before the flames could destroy Tiera, Tsukasa clicked a card in his Graveyard.

"I activate Infernoid Crisis' effect. By banishing this card and 1 Level 7 or higher Infernoid Monster, I can negate the destruction of all Infernoid Monsters I control this Turn." Tsukasa revealed, preventing Tiera from being destroyed while Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon was once again destroyed by Nehemoth's flame, leaving Odd-Eyes with nothing.

Odd-Eyes couldn't do anything. He didn't have any card in his hand or Graveyard that can protect him. He didn't have any Reverse Card either. He only has 3500 LP left, while both Tsukasa's monsters have 3000 and 3400 ATK. He was done for.

"Looks like you have realized the futility of your struggle. It's already too late. Battle. I attack directly with Infernoid Tiera and then with Infernoid Nehemoth!" Tsukasa didn't beat around the bush and began his attack. He pointed at the Entermate user. The two Infernoid monsters opened their jaws together, combining their fiery blast that formed a giant tornado of flames with a shape that resembled a serpent. The serpentine flame opened its mouth as it engulfed Odd-Eyes a whole, completely burning him.

 **ODD-EYES LP: 3500 = 0**

Odd-Eyes felt his entire body was burning, even after the Infernoid Monsters disappeared. He couldn't move his body, not even able to lift a finger or even twitching. He strained his eyes to look up, to a pair of eyes that held nothing, not even a shred of emotion that would mark his last breath. Something in that cold gaze chilled him, dug deep into the bone. Then it suddenly hit him, this was how Yuji felt when he was at death's door.

Odd-Eyes didn't have any energy left as his body started to dissolve into black dust. He didn't even have the energy to cry. The only thing he could do was thinking, regretting that he couldn't do more. He was so determined to live, but yet here he was, disappearing. He wouldn't have a future anymore. He still hadn't helped his family enough. There were still many things that he wanted to do, but his life was at its end.

 _"I guess...this is my...punishment...for the sins I have committed..."_

And then Odd-Eyes body completely dissolved into dust, being swept away by the cold night wind.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – LIMBO – MA'AT DOMAIN**

After everything that he had done, Odd-Eyes was positive that he will end up in burning hell the moment he died. That's why he was surprised when he found himself at a pure white space. There was nothing there. Everything was white without a single bit stain. The clothes he was wearing was the same one when he died, but lighter in color.

"This is..." Odd-Eyes looked around, trying to find anything other than himself. The last thing that he remembered was receiving the full brunt of Tsukasa's Infernoid Monsters' combined attack that literally ended his life. But what is this place? He doubted it was hell or heaven.

"Yes. You have died at Tsukasa's hand. Now you are within my domain, in between the two realms."

Odd-Eyes was startled when a giant majestic white dragon appeared from within a ray of light, staring down at him. Ma'at the Dragon of Harmony. This was the first time he had seen his true form.

"Nevertheless...why...?" Odd-Eyes asked.

"Because I brought your soul here. Before you passed completely, I brought your soul here and the heart that lodged with you." Ma'at revealed.

"Why brought me...here? For what reason?" Odd-Eyes asked.

"Choose." Ma'at simply answered, confusing the red-haired boy.

"What do you want me to choose?" He asked again at the white dragon.

"You are no human being. You are the offspring of Apophis, as such, when you're dead, you don't disappear immediately, but rather you are given free choice whether to pass or to be born once more as Duel Monsters." Ma'at revealed. Actually, in most cases, Apophis without any hesitation would brought the souls into his domain and change them into Duel Monster servants whether the souls wanted it or not. But since he rejected Odd-Eyes, Ma'at was able to bring the boy into his domain.

"If you wish so, I may revive you as Duel Monsters. Exceptionally strong soul as yours, are capable of becoming strong Duel Monster that may rivals Apophis." Ma'at offered the former Apophis offspring who looked down, immersing himself in thought.

"Rather than me...shouldn't you give this chance to the one who deserves it more...like...Yuji...?" Odd-Eyes said. He believed that he has no reason to exist and thought that by living, he was denying Yuji the life he was meant to be living. After ruining so many lives, he deserved to be punished more. Yuji should be the one given the second chance. The owner of his current body desired to live more as much as he did when they were on the verge of death.

"But he himself denied that chance and instead give it to you." Ma'at revealed.

"What?"

Ma'at moved its right wing, beckoning Odd-Eyes to look at the direction where his wing was pointing. Odd-Eyes' gaze hardened when he saw the one whom he momentarily mistook as the reflection of himself. No. This was real. He could feel his soul transparently. Yuji was smiling at him.

"Yuji...you're allowing me...to take this second chance?" Odd-Eyes asked. His voice was trembling.

Yuji didn't say anything and simply nodded. For that moment, Odd-Eyes felt there was no he way he could measure up. Before the soul of this pure boy, he and Apophis seemed so small and insignificant. No matter how much he acted similarly as Yuji in front of others following his role, he was still pale compared to the real person.

"There is no need for you to bear anything anymore. You have already suffered enough." Ma'at said as he now appeared behind Yuji, facing Odd-Eyes.

"And your new life as Duel Monsters won't be so simple. It's not that you will be able simply to be reborn, living your life and forget everything. Even if you are born anew, your memories will remain. The happy memories, the harsh memories, and you will fight once more." Ma'at told Odd-Eyes. Having Odd-Eyes by their side as Duel Monsters would give them advantage beyond expectations. He would give them more than enough power to seal Apophis, along with the others.

"It all depends on you. Make your choice." Ma'at stated.

Odd-Eyes looked at Ma'at and then at Yuji. He then closed his eyes, thinking of his parents and his comrades who were still alive, still fighting against Apophis. They still haven't enough power to defeat or even seal them. If he really could help them, he wants to help. Even if he won't be the same anymore, even if he became even more monstrous, as long as he can save the world he loved and the people he loved living in it, then he will take it.

Odd-Eyes' face turned resolute. He nodded. He will be reborn as Duel Monster.

"The choice is made."

Odd-Eyes' body was slowly surrounded by warm white golden light. Yuji then approached him, extending his hand at him. He was still smiling so kindly while opening his mouth.

 _"I never blamed you for my death. Not once. Whatever you have done in the past, don't let it chained you. I forgive you. Please take care of our family, in my place."_

Yuji's voice was so soft that Odd-Eyes thought he spoke it through his mind instead. Whether that was the case or not, Odd-Eyes got the message. He accepted Yuji's hand, shaking it, sealing their promise.

"I will."

Odd-Eyes body then was completely engulfed in bright white light. The light was blinding until it slowly took a form of a dragon. The golden color started dispersing once the form was solid, gradually revealing a dragon with red-colored scale, golden beak, spiked tail, and huge blue gem on its abdomen. Its most defining feature was its red and green colored eyes.

The flame dragon with different wondrous colored eyes.

Odd-Eyes Dragon.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Yura ~ Starve Venom~ -** Yura recounts her times with Yuno. Yura was an illegitimate child of count Akaba who got disown for being feared due to her rough way of dueling. Sensing her inner loneliness, Yuno challenged her to a Duel to open her heart.

* * *

 **Finally finished! And wow, this chapter reached 15,000 words! A new record! I didn't intend for this chapter to be this long, but it became like this as I continue writing. As you have read, and in case there's someone who is still confused, each of the dragons' chapters will be split into two POVs. The first half is from the POV of the real human Yuji, Yuzo, Yuhei, and Yura before and until their deaths. While the second half is from the POV of Odd-Eyes, Dark Rebellion, Clear Wing, and Starve Venom before and until they became the four dragons.**

 **Just to make it clear, Odd-Eyes is NOT the reincarnation of Yuji. When Yuji died, his soul passed on completely and then Apophis filled Yuji's empty body with a part of his own, which is Odd-Eyes, a completely different soul. All Apophis offspring are like that as I have explained early in the series. Odd-Eyes is simply using Yuji's identity per Yuno's request so that the others won't find out that the real Yuji had died.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	64. Yura - Starve Venom -

**Big thanks to** _ **Yuka Kuroshiro, tsukikami02, Playerhood18, ThePLOThand, HelenTheMoon, Ulrich362, GamingGuy84, dvdryms, Big duels, Elbarto4000, VioletStarVN, D3lph0xL0v3r, Unknowedz**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

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 **PRESENT TIME – ABROAD EVOLUTION – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuya frowned deeply after hearing Yuji's– Odd-Eyes' story. He tightly grasped his knees. He knew that their past won't be entirely a happy story, but this was worse than he imagined. If Odd-Eyes has that kind of past, how about the rest of the dragons? Yuya looked at Yuto and Yugo, and he knew they were wondering the same thing. They were both curious and afraid to hear their dragons' past.

"We are not the real Yuji, Yuzo, Yuhei, and Yura. The four of them had died back then as sacrifices for our birth. However, their memories are still here in their bodies that we are using. Like computer files, we can access it at any time. Honestly, sometimes we almost thought that we are the real ones because of these memories." Yuji admitted. Whenever he saw Yuji's memories, it was like he was the one who experienced it himself. It was like the memories belonged to him. He wondered how many times he almost lost himself.

"But we are not them. Even if we are using their bodies and have their memories, we are still Apophis' offspring. We are not and will never be the real Yuji, Yuzo, Yuhei, and Yura. We are simply borrowing their identities for the sake of appearance so no one would get suspicious of us." Yura reaffirmed. At the moment, they were still using the human names because they have to hide their identities from the public and Heidel. Although, after a while, they have stopped referring each other with their real names, especially since their other half were in dragon forms.

"If you ask me, we actually have adopted their names as our own now." Yuhei stated while placing his hands behind his head.

"True... It would be nice if we can get to know them in person rather than through memories." Yuzo confirmed.

The air started to feel depressing. The subject has brought long lingering feelings and regret from the four dragons. But they must continue. Each of their stories re important for everyone present to know.

"Let's continue the story. You all need to know everything." Yura stepped closer to the screen.

Now it was her turn to tell her history.

 **1,501 YEARS AGO – RYUJI INSTITUTION – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

A boy around 16 years old fell flat on his back as Yura defeated him in a Duel. Upon defeating him, the other children who were watching immediately looked at Yura in unease before running away. Two of the boy's friends helped him up before running away themselves. When she was younger, she was confused why they ran and stayed away from her. By now, she has already gotten used to it. She learned to stop caring about it.

"See?! I told you that she's too much!"

"She's far too high for us!"

"Does she really need to use that much power?"

"Don't go near her again!"

"How disappointing." Yura said while flinging her hair behind her.

She has already gotten used of everyone being scared of her. Either it was her fellow students, teachers, and even her own family.

"We can't handle her. Please take her in."

That was what Yura's father, Count Akaba, told Claire when he brought her into this institution. And immediately afterwards, he just left her without any word of farewell, and Yura herself didn't say anything. She didn't seem to care by the fact she has clearly been abandoned. They never liked her, and she never liked them to begin with anyway. The Akaba House was a famed noble family that had contributed in the military by producing strong Duelists. They were respected by both nobles and commoners in terms of Dueling skills. The same, however, could not be said to Yura.

Even though Yura was born to the Akaba family, she was an illegitimate child of Count Akaba and a local village woman. Her mother died when she was still 5 years old. Her father then took her in and she was properly recognized as Count Akaba's father. But her life was pretty complex ever since she moved to the Akaba Manor. Her step-mother and three half-brothers were cruel to her, and the servants were equally cold towards her. She could only depend on herself to survive in that house.

When her ability to communicate with Duel Monsters surfaced, she secretly began to learn Dueling. With the help of the Duel Monster spirits in the manor's garden, she slowly built her own Deck, since her parents refused to give her one. She sneaked into the underground Duel Ring every night to polish her skill.

"You know, if you dueled more gently, they won't become afraid of you that much."

Yura turned around to see Yuno standing behind her with both his hands on his pocket jacket while smiling at her like he did to everyone in this institution. She had heard about him when she was still enrolled in the Military Academy. Now that she met him in person, he was different from she expected. She has watched his Duel against Yuji three weeks ago and knew that he was certainly strong. But she doubted even he can satisfy her hunger and thirst for battle.

"If you're going to convince me to hold back, then forget it. I'm not doing it. It was their own fault for being weak." Yura said haughtily. She has enough with people telling her to hold back or lose on purpose against weaker opponents. What was the point of dueling only for her to lose on purpose? Where was the fun in that?

"I never said that. I'm just telling you not to be so rough on them." Yuno suggested.

"It was never my intention to be rough. My monsters and I are simply putting our hearts into our Dueling." Yura said while looking at her Deck, more precisely her ace monster.

"Then so far, how do you think about the Duelists in this institution?" Yuno asked.

"So far no one is able to satisfy me. Not even a bit. And all of them are wimps." Yura answered immediately. All the opponents she has defeated could only complain when she won. They all talked big but when she was close at defeating them, they beg for mercy.

Yuno made an understanding sigh. He had heard everything about Yura from Claire who recognized her at one of the noble parties. When Count Akaba left her here, Claire immediately did some digging into the girl's history since the count refused to share her the detail of the girl's disownment. Using her old connection when she was still a military general, she found more than she asked for.

When her father brought her to the Military Camp, she finally demonstrated her skill by boldly challenging and defeated every single Duelists of a whole squad who were considered one of the best. She didn't stop with just that. She then used her self-taught Dueling to defeat her three brothers and even their father in a Duel between nobles. Ever since then, no one in the house dared to bully her or even look mockingly at her in her presence. They would be fine as long as they didn't wrong her.

Yura didn't have a bad life. It wasn't especially good either. All she did everyday was live. And she didn't even question that. But her mere presence was too much for her family that they enrolled her into the Military Academy.

Yura initially had proven herself to be a useful asset for the military despite her young age. However, at the display of her exceptional skill, the other students were quick to think they could never be on the same level as her, losing their spirits. When there was no longer student in her year willing to duel against her or even go near her, her behavior started to loosen. She started challenging Duelists from senior years and even the instructors. Furthermore, she never held back. She was always serious in her every Duel and swiftly defeated her opponents regardless who they were. While she never injured her opponents, she still gave them a rough beating.

It didn't take long for them to fear her and view her as a problematic child, and that was how she ended up at the institution.

"You have the urge, don't you? There's no point in being a Duelist if it's just you and your monsters." Yuno pointed out, looking sharply at Yura and her Duel Monster spirits materializing around her that he could see.

For a moment, Yura was dumbstruck because her new instructor has seen through her. This was the first time someone was able to understand her. Maybe this was how Yuji being won over. It seemed her new instructor has the knack to know what his students were thinking at least. It was just as he said.

"Once I feel that excitement, there's no way I can quit. I can't hold my urge to Duel. I want to duel more. You can't duel by yourself. Duelist only shines when they're facing opponents. Of course, it's more fun that way. That's the point of Duel. And yet no one is strong enough for me. They give up partway through." Yura admitted. It irked her to see the way they were looking at her. It was like she was tormenting them.

"I still want to duel more. I want to duel more fiercely and more intensely. I want more Duels that will push me to pour my entire heart into it." That was all she wanted. She didn't challenge and defeat them out of spite or arrogance. She just wanted to do what she likes the most.

"Is it wrong to give it your all? Is it wrong to do what you love?" Yura said in softer tone. She didn't know why she was suddenly being all open like this to an instructor whom she barely knew.

Without saying anything, Yuno took her hand and started dragging her.

"Hey! What are you doing?! Let go!" Yura demanded while struggling to free her hand from Yuno's strong grip to no avail.

"I'm going to take you to somewhere fun." Yuno said with a smile that glinting a hidden plan.

 **1,501 YEARS AGO – SHOPPING DISTRICT – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

"Why are we here?" Yura asked. After she promised she won't run away, Yuno finally let go of her hand. She was confused when the man brought her into the shopping district. It wasn't unpleasant, in fact, it was indeed a fun place because there were lots of restaurants, cafes, and food stalls to try out.

"My sons are supposed to be waiting for me here." Yuno said while looking around for Yuji and Ryuji. He squinted his eyes as he scanned the shopping district. His eyes stopped when he spotted a red hair amongst the gathering crowd at a certain sushi restaurant.

When Yuno and Yura approached the restaurant, they noticed a board that said 'Eating Challenge! Complete 100 Plates and Gain 1 Year Free Eating Coupon!' Simply put, anyone who managed to eat 100 plates of sushi will get a coupon that allows them to eat there for free for a whole year. Apparently, Yuji was trying out that challenge, but from his paling face as he ate the tenth plate, he was at his limit.

"Yuji, what are you doing?" Yuno asked with a sweat drop while carrying Ryuji who just cheered his big brother.

"W-well...I thought it will be good if we can get that coupon...but it's no use...100 plates are just too much..." Yuji said while trying not to retch from too much eating. He gave up.

"Of course. They are making this ridiculous challenge because they knew no normal person would ever be able to finish 100 plates of sushi." Yuno sighed in exasperation at his son's stunt. That was the point of the whole challenge, to make people buy their sushi, and if they can't finish the 100 plates, they have to pay every plate they have finished. It was a tricky way to get more benefit.

"Unbelievable! We have a winner!"

Yuno (while still holding Ryuji) and Yuji immediately lost their footing when they saw Yura easily completed the 100 plates challenge in no time, earning her the coupon. Not only that, she even ordered for another 20 plates before the chef begged her to stop or else their restaurant will run out of rice. Yuno and Yuji gaped at how Yura was still able to stay slim despite having just finished 120 plates and she didn't even look sick.

"I did say no normal person." Yuno repeated what he said earlier. Yura was certainly not normal.

"Hey, since you're the one who brought me here, buy me three servings of takoyaki." Yura demanded while pointing at the stall. The 100 sushi plates were just the opening act.

"You still want to eat?!" Yuji stared at the girl in disbelief. Usually girls refrained eating so much because they don't want to get fat. But it seemed that won't be a problem for Yura. More like, she doesn't care if she gets fat.

"So, why did you bring me here again?" Yura asked Yuno while Yuji and Ryuji were ordering the takoyaki.

"Wait a moment. I want to speak with you, but your gluttonous appetite still shocks me. You're really something." Yuno said. Yuji and Ryuji have received their orders and back with the takoyaki. As Yura has requested, Yuji gave the girl three boxes of takoyaki.

While eating, Yura glanced at Yuji. She has had observed Yuji ever since she saw his first Duel. He was strong, but he was the opposite of her. He preferred to hold back and being seen as weak and a coward rather than seeing his opponents sad. Unlike him, she got by very well, for she preferred to be hated for who she truly is than to be liked for someone she isn't. It wasn't until his duel against Yuno he finally used his real Dueling.

"By the way, I didn't expect you to come here, Yura." Yuji said while enjoying his takoyaki.

"I was dragged here by your father." Yura said while pointing her thumb at Yuno who was wiping a sauce from Ryuji's face. Hearing him being called, Yuno turned his attention to her again with Ryuji sitting on his lap.

"Sorry for the sudden invitation, Milady. I can buy you another box as an apology if you want." Yuno offered. The boxes that they have now were bought by Yuji who used his own allowance.

"No thank you. This is enough." Yura declined. Yuno then chuckled, earning her confused look.

"Sorry. It's just, you turn out to be quite different from what people think of you...and as I expected." Yuno said with a soft smile.

"You're not thinking the same way as them?" Yura asked. People's opinion of her were mostly negative. They were ranging from downright scary, a bully, or just plain crazy because of her behavior. Not that she minded them.

"You have the haughtiness that seems typical of nobles. You appear to be pompous and arrogant in your conduct that makes people mistakenly believe that you think you are better than them. But they are wrong, this is not the case." Yuno has observed her for quite a while since she was one of the children who was placed under his care. And he knew that the girl was not as cold as she made herself out to be. What happened at the institution not long ago proved it.

"Oh? Then what do you think it is?" Yura asked as she finished the last of her takoyaki.

"I think this is mostly to keep up appearances rather than for ill-will. In other words, you don't want to be seen as vulnerable to others by convincing yourself you don't need them." Yuno knew he got a hit when he caught her body stiffened for a second. He was right about her.

She didn't stay after that. She immediately stood up, throwing the takoyaki boxes into the trash bin, and excused herself. Like most people, she didn't like it when someone was pointing out the truth. And it was a truth she refused to admit no less.

"Here, this is the payback for the takoyaki." She brought out the compensation money from her pocket. She was actually just joking when she asked for the takoyaki. She didn't expect Yuji to really buy it for her.

Yuji shook his head, refusing the money. "I'm treating my friend, so you don't need to pay me back." He said playfully.

Yura openly eyed the red-head who smiled brightly at her. Friends? Since when did they become friends?

"…Friends?" Yura uttered, gaining the other teen's attentions. "I never agreed becoming friends with you."

Yuji clapped his hands, as if he just realized that it was true. He was caught up with the moment and somehow forgot the fact that they just talked today.

"Well, how should I put it into words… There's this entertaining aroma coming from you." Yuji answered with thumb up like it was a compliment. He didn't even notice a vine popped on the violet haired girl's face. Yuno held back a snicker at the honest reply from his adopted son.

Yura giggled and then chuckled mockingly. "Sorry to say this but, I have no interest in becoming friends with you." She said straightly. The previous warm atmosphere became tense as the two teens becoming silent. Yura grinned eerily without any intention to apologize, and Yuji's face went blank at the cold words from the violet haired girl.

"We are far from becoming friends. I don't even know the first thing about you. It's impossible." Yura continued. "Bye, bye, then. See you tomorrow."

She started to walk to her way back to the institution. However, she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder and looked back to see Yuno was looking at her with surprisingly enthusiastic expression.

"Then, if we start to get to know each other from now on, will you become Yuji's friend?" Yuno said enthusiastically, his smile didn't leave his face. Behind him, Yuji was also having similar expression on his face. Even though he didn't know what happened, Ryuji also copied Yuji and his father's enthusiasm.

Yura was taken aback by their smile and enthusiasm. Even after all those harsh words, the both of them still responded it with smile and even still offering friendship? Just how optimistic can they be?

"No." Yura answered after ten seconds of thinking. And started walking, but Yuno followed her.

"Why?"

"Because I'm not interested."

"Why not?"

"Outside dueling, I'm fine by myself."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I learn to take care of myself alone since I was a kid."

"Don't you feel lonely to be alone?"

"I have my monsters."

"Do you think they will be happy?"

"I can deal with that."

"Won't you at least consider it?"

"Why are you so persistent?" The violet haired girl finally snapped, getting irritated by her instructor's nonstop questions and utter persistent.

"Old man, it seems you have grown older than your look since your brain can't even process my words. Before you went senile for good, just retire and move to the village where you can live the rest of your life in peace." Yura sarcastically told the Oracle, losing her patience. Yuji was watching from behind while holding Ryuji nervously.

Yuno glanced over the violet haired girl. He frowned inwardly when the girl turned to them, grinning creepily. Doesn't she know that smile was so fake that it's practically falling off? He wondered. He sighed and kept his smile, looking at the girl straight in the eyes.

"Sorry. I don't mean to get into your personal business while we barely know each other. But, I'm curious. Curious of that façade grin that you're always pulling off." He said bluntly. He watched as the grin slipped for about a millisecond before smoothing over again. But a calculating expression had entered the girl's eyes.

"I do not get…what you mean." Yura answered, looking puzzled.

"I told you, right? This attitude of yours right now, this is just you trying not to be seen as weak. This is just you trying to avoid the fact that you are lonely." Yuno pointed out. He placed a finger on her lips before she could make a retort.

"Yura, avoiding things like that doesn't make you strong. But more importantly, I'm being persistent here because I want to know the real you." Yuno admitted. He knew that Yura's way of talking was not an act, it was truly the way she talks. But he knew there was more of her that she has never revealed to anyone other than her monsters.

Yura didn't say anything and Yuno didn't wait for her reply. He gestured Yuji and Ryuji that they were going home.

"I really hope we can get along. See you tomorrow at institution, Yura!" Yuji waved as he left the shopping district with his father and younger brother.

As he turned, Yuno caught the look of surprise pass over Yura's face at Yuji's obvious sincerity. Yura stared at the retreating back, her grin fading. Contrary to popular belief, she wasn't all that clueless. She knew Yuno had seen straight through her smile and presence and had even called her out on it. No one had been able to do that before.

 _"How detestable."_ Yura thought. She didn't understand why she can't just ignore Yuno's words like she always did to other people. It was annoying and irritating her, so she shouldn't be thinking much about it.

Yura sighed exasperatedly. Perhaps five servings of gyoza will ease her irritation.

 **THREE DAYS LATER – 1,501 YEARS AGO – RYUJI INSTITUTION – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

"Enough. Please give it a rest..." Yura narrowed her eyes at her instructor who was sitting on the chair that he placed right across hers, separated by a single table.

"What do you mean? All I'm doing is doing my work as your instructor." Yuno said with that feigned clueless.

"And yet I am your only focus. Ever since that day." Yura stated in annoyed tone.

A day after their little hang out at the shopping district, Yuno has taken the liberty to personally tutoring her. She was positive that he was abusing his position to get close to her while leaving the other children to be taken care by Jonouchi and the other instructor. Yuji was also helping, so she has no excuse or a chance to escape from Yuno. Again, it was annoying. He was so persistent. On the other hand, his teaching did helpful in a way for her.

"Hmph. I've made my decision. I won't stop until you show more of your real self." Yuno said while folding his arms confidently. Yura twitched. The Oracle was being stubborn. He was serious and determined to get to her.

"You bet I'm stubborn." Yuno said as if he was reading her mind. "I can't help it. Especially when you act so cute like this."

"Are you trying to pick a fight here, Old Man?" Yura questioned. Perhaps any other girl would blush if being called cute, but not her. If someone called her cute, she could only think there was a hidden motive behind the nice act. Although, seeing the instructor's face, she couldn't see any lie behind the compliment, which irritated her more for some reason.

"Nope. But even if I do, it won't be a match. I will win." Yuno said, and that finally cracked her. Yuno was forming devil's ears and tail as he watched Yura's patience has been broken. That was what exactly he has been waiting for.

"Want to try me then? If I win, you will stop bothering me." Yura said as she raised her Duel Disk, standing up from her chair.

"And if I win, you'll do as I say? It's a deal?" Yuno also raised his Duel Disk. He has been prepared for it.

"I'll never back out on a deal. It's my policy and pride as a Duelist." Yura promised. Her policy as a Duelist was the winner get what they want while the loser loses what they have. The loser should concede to the words of the winner.

Yuji tensed when Yuno and Yura moved to the Duel Field. Everyone who were present stopped whatever they were doing when they saw their instructor and the most infamous child in the institution were clearly taking a stance to Duel. Despite Jonouchi's attempt to make them focus on their own lessons, they flat out ignored him, preferring to watch the Duel.

Yuji watched the two back and forth nervously while holding a piece of paper in his hands. It was the same adoption paper that Yuno had signed when the man decided to adopt him. Yesterday, his father has discussed with him of his decision to adopt Yura, adding them into their family. Yuji has no problem with that. He couldn't explain why, but he already liked Yura. And he always wondered how it feels to have an older or younger sister so having her into the family would be good.

The problem would be Yura herself. He also heard a bit about the girl's past, including her relationship with her family. Not forgetting how everyone in the institution was treating her. He actually had always wanted to approach and talk with her, but at that time he didn't have the guts to do it since he hardly spoke with girls. And considering her problem, he won't be able to talk with her anyway without dueling her first.

 _"The only way to talk with Yura and open her heart now is through Duel. If Dad can give her what she wants, she will reveal herself in this Duel!"_ Yuji silently cheered his father to open the girl's heart.

Both Yuno and Yura activated their Duel Disks, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first. From my hand, I summon Predator Plants Squid Drosera (ATK: 800/ DEF: 400 / LV: 2)." Yura summoned Squid Drosera in Defense Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Next I activate Continuous Magic: Predator Planter." I can Special Summon 1 Predator Plants Monster from my hand or Graveyard with its effects negated." Yura Special Summoned Predator Plants Moray Nepenthes (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4) from her hand in Attack Position in Main Monster Zone.

"I end my Turn." Yura concluded.

"My Turn. I activate the Ritual Magic: Vendead Undead Ritual! I release the Level 5 Vendead Carnation from my hand, and Ritual Summon! Descend! Level 5! Vendead Chimera (ATK: 2300 / DEF: 0 / LV: 5)!" Yuno summoned Chimera in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"On the turn that Vendead Carnation is released as a material for a Ritual Summon of a Vendead Monster, I can add one Ritual Magic from the Graveyard to my hand!" Yuno took back Vendead Undead Ritual from his Graveyard and immediately activated it for the second time.

"This card has another effect. By returning the banishing Level 5 Vendead Carnation from the Graveyard and Level 1 Vendead Broth from my hand, I can perform another Ritual Summon!" Yuno summoned Revendead Slayer (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 0 / LV: 6), his ace monster, in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone from the Deck.

"Battle! I attack Squid Drosera with Vendead Chimera!" Yuno declared his first attack. Chimera unleashed acidic blast that melted the plant monster as it screeched in oblivion. However, since the plant monster was placed in Defense Position, Yura didn't receive any damage from the attack.

"Next, I attack Moray Nephentes with Revendead Slayer!" Yuno declared his second attack. He also activated Revendead Slayer's effect, increasing its ATK by 300 by banishing Vendead Carnation, increasing its ATK to 2700. Revendead Slayer dashed forward, delivering barrage of fists against the Predator Plants monster at full speed so fast that even the fists were not visible to the eye, destroying the plant monster without a trace.

 **YURA LP: 4000 = 2900**

"At this moment, I activate Squid Drosera's effect! When this card leaves the Field, I can place Predator Counters on all of my opponent's monsters!" Yura declares, placing Predator Counters on the two Vendead Ritual Monsters.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuno concluded while eyeing the counters that have attached themsleves to his two monsters. Yura must have planned something with those counters. As his Turn has ended, Revendead Slayer's ATK reverted to normal.

"My Turn. During my Standby Phase, I have to pay 800 LP to keep Predator Planter in play." Yura revealed, keeping her Continuous Magic at the cost of some of her LP.

 **YURA LP: 2900 = 2100**

"Once again, I activate Predator Planter's effect to Special Summon a Predator Plants monster from my Graveyard." Yura revived Moray Nepenthes in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"And then from my hand, I summon Predator Plants Fly Hell (ATK: 400 / DEF: 800 / LV: 1)." Yura summoned Fly Hell in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Moray Nephentes.

"I activate Magic Card: Fusion. I fuse Moray Nephentes and Fly Hell on my Field. Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! Starve Venus Dragon (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8)!" Yura summoned her ace monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Starve Venus' effect. When this card is summoned only by using monsters on the Field as materials, it gains the ATK of all Special Summoned monsters on the Field." Yura added Yuno's Vendead Monsters' ATKs to Starve Venus, increasing the dragon's ATK to 7500.

"An ATK of 7500?!" Yuji exclaimed in surprise. He had heard that Starve Venus has a terrifying effect, but he didn't expect it to be able absorbing the total ATKs of all Special Summoned monsters on the Field. Furthermore, the ATK will be permanent.

"I activate the effect of Squid Drosera in my hand, by sending it to my Graveyard, Starve Venus now must attack all monsters with Predator Counters once each." Yura discarded her second copy of Squid Drosera, allowing Starve Venus to attack both Vendead Chimera and Revendead Slayer.

"So that's what the counters are for...!" Jonouchi couldn't helped but be impressed by the girl. With that kind of monster, that explained how she got her winning streak.

"Battle! I attack Vendead Chimera with Starve Venus Dragon!" Yura declared her attack. Starve Venus opened its tail's monstrous mouth and launched it at its first target, opening its mouth wide.

"Trap Card: Vendead Catridge! Until the end of this Turn, when Vendead monsters are attacked, the opposing monster's ATK is halved!" Yuno quickly opened his Reverse Card, lowering Starve Venus' ATK to 3750.

"Also, when a Ritual Monster is summoned using Vendead Carnation as material, it cannot be destroyed by Battle!" Yuno revealed. Starve Venus' tail bit Chimera with the intent to swallow it, but the Vendead Monster resisted, enduring the sharp fangs biting into its body until the mouth finally let go and retreated back.

 **YUNO LP: 4000 = 2550**

"Next I attack Revendead Slayer!" Yura continued with her second attack. Starve Venus once again launched its tail to swallow the Ritual Monster. But similar as Chimera, Slayer was able to prevent itself from being eaten by the tail's monstrous mouth until the tail gave up on swallowing its target, but still dealt a considerable damage.

 **YUNO LP: 2550 = 1200**

"I'm not done yet! I activate Quick-Play Spell: Predator Main Course! When DARK attribute monsters I control inflicts damage, I can inflict additional 400 damage to my opponent for each damage inflicted!" Yura activated the card from her hand. Since Starve Venus has attacked twice, the damage Yugo receive would be 800 damage. Starve Venus used its tail again, but this time to hit the Oracle, throwing him several steps back.

 **YUNO LP: 1200 = 400**

"I end my Turn." Yura concluded. She stared expectantly at Yuno. Usually, people would have already given up with this. That was how all her opponents so far did. However, she knew better that this won't be enough to make him stop. He was not made to the brigadier general for nothing.

"Do you know who the strongest warriors are?" Yuno asked while he started standing up. Yura's eyes flickered towards him, solely focusing on her mentor now. Interest glittered in her eyes.

"Time and patience." Yuno said. At her answer, Yura's forehead scrunched up slightly into a frown, but Yura didn't say anything because she knew the Oracle still has more to say.

"You're strong, but now you're too overconfident and impatient. You leave no room for time and your patience is numbered. I've seen your Duels, and it's clear that if your opponent doesn't satisfy, you just want to end everything quickly. You're demanding too much from your opponent while they are still growing. You leave them no room for improvement and that in turn also affecting you." Yuno pointed out. He had done a little personal investigation at the Military Academy where Yura used to attend, interviewing the students and instructors. Yura was always too eager for more and fiercer lessons without letting them catching a needed time break. It got on their nerves and eventually they couldn't handle her.

"And that is precisely why, you're going to lose to me in this Duel." Yuno said as he started his Draw Phase.

"My Turn! I activate Vendead Chimera's second effect that is gained from Carnation. I can release it to add a Vendead Ritual Spell from my Deck to my hand." Yuno tributed Chimera, adding Vendead Parade to his hand and immediately activated it.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Vendead Parade. I banish Vendead Chimera in my Graveyard and Vendead Core in my hand to perform Ritual Summon!" Yuno banished Chimera and Core from his Graveyard and hand, respectively, forming a magic circle with bluish flames surrounding as mist came out from the magic circle.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 7! Vendead Battlelord (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 0 / LV: 7)!" Yuno summoned his strongest Ritual Monster in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone from his Deck.

"I activate Vendead Cartridge's second effect. When this card is in Graveyard while I control two or more Vendead Monsters, I can release one Vendead Monster and lower my opponent's ATK by the same amount of ATK of the released monster." Yuno lowered Starve Venus' ATK to 4800 by releasing Battlelord that he has just summoned.

"But Starve Venus' ATK is still higher than your Revendead Slayer!" Yura pointed out.

"Also, I can add the released monster's ATK to another Vendead Monster I control." Yuno revealed, increasing Revendead Slayer's ATK to 5100.

"Now Revendead Slayer's ATK is higher than Starve Venus!" Yuji exclaimed excitedly.

"Also, I activate Magic Card: Shield in the Right Hand, Sword in the Left Hand! I can switch the ATK and DEF of all monsters on the Field!" Yuno activated the card from his hand.

"But your Revendead Slayer has 0 DEF! What is that supposed to accomplish?" Yura reminded. She made an annoyed expression, wondering if the Oracle was making fun of her.

"No. Vendead Monster summoned through Vendead Undead Ritual cannot be affected by Spell Card effects, which means Revendead Slayer won't affected by my Magic Card's effect." Yuno revealed as Revendead Slayer's ATK remained the same. Starve Venus, on the other hand, has its ATK and DEF amount switched, making its current ATK at 2000.

"No way!" Yura exclaimed as she looked at her weakened dragon. She turned at Revendead Slayer again when the Ritual Monster let out a battle cry. It was going to attack, and she has no means to defend herself.

 _"I'm going to lose...?"_ Yura thought. She had never lost even once against anyone so she never tasted defeat. The people she knew who have tasted defeat were discouraged and frustrated. How would she feel?

"Battle! I attack Starve Venus Dragon with Revendead Slayer!" Yuno declared his last attack.

Revendead Slayer gathered a spiral wind mass around its arm in order to create a miniature tornado. The Ritual Monster moved its right arm to the back before punching it forward at full speed, sending the black tornado at the Fusion Monster that went straight through it, destroying the dragon in the explosion.

 **YURA LP: 2100 = 0**

Yura fell on her knees as her LP was depleted. She felt suck out, her heart dropped into her stomach, and her temper boiled. Her monsters felt like they want to steam and moan and groan. So this is how it feels to lose.

"Time and patience are needed for people to become strong." Yuno paid no heed to whatever kind of face Yura was making and placed a hand on her shoulder. The girl was still looking down to the floor.

"This is your problem when you were still student at the military academy. You're always demanding for more one after another not long after one thing finished without considering the people around you. Not only that, while I can understand your excitement and urge, what you're doing only break their spirits instead of encouraging them." Yuno understood that Yura didn't mean anything bad. It was exactly as she said, she didn't mean to play rough. She was simply enjoying what she loved by giving it her all. The problem was, she didn't want to wait for the others to catch up to her. She demanded them to follow her pace. And when they tried, it only ended up with them losing their confidence.

"Didn't you say you want to duel stronger opponents? In that case, you must be patient and wait until they are strong enough for you." Yuno suggested to her. If only Yura restrained herself and waited for her opponents to grow, she wouldn't be so bored and frustrated.

"What?" Yura blinked, finally looking up to him.

"People have potentials. They can become stronger through proper continuous training. Each person depends; you can't just become strong in a day or so. But if you let them grow, doing their training properly, who knows how much stronger they become the next time you meet them. Think of it like this, you yourself need time until you can show your skill, right? That's the same for them. Give them time until they become opponents that will satisfy you." Yuno smiled and opened one eye at the surprise look on Yura's face, which outwardly didn't look surprise at all if you didn't understand her better. That must have never crossed her mind.

"By the way, about our deal, this is what I want from you." Yuno gestured Yuji to bring him the paper. Yuji handed the paper to Yuno and then the Oracle handed it to Yura. The violet haired girl read the paper carefully and her eyes slowly widened.

"You're serious about this...?" Yura asked while reading the adoption paper from the start again to make sure if she read it right.

"Claire and I have always wanted a daughter after we have two sons." Yuno confirmed. A few days after adopting Yuji, Claire started wondering how it feels to have a daughter as they now already have two sons. Claire's question rubbed on him too.

"You do know that I'm prone of attracting troubles, right?" Yura reminded. She has always been troubling people around her because of her fickleness. Initially, she was sad that no one seemed to bother to even try understanding her. She was sad they judged her before even knowing her. That was until she decided to stop caring. Whatever people think of her because of the result, she didn't let it bother her anymore. As long as her heart is free, she couldn't careless of how people view her.

"I know. You're a fickle girl who always live freely, no one is able to hold you down. I already realized this during my first few days as instructor here and observed you. Indeed, it can be troublesome to be so rebellious." Yuno remembered his rebellious stage when he was still around Yuji and Yura's age. He caused trouble for his parents a big time. If he was a handful to deal with, he was sure that Yura can be as handful or even more.

"If you know then why–"

"You're not so easily accepting the answers that are already there. Even if it's going to reach the same answer, you always digest that answer with questions and see things from every angles. You always see people for who they are regardless of status and the sorts. That is precisely why I like you, Yura." Yuno has liked Yura since he first observed her. She was indeed rough, but what he found her likeable was how she never judged people simply by something like status and such. And she also diligently taking care of the plants in the institution while no one bothered doing it. The way she was carefully taking care of the plants showed how much she appreciated their little lives. He found that cute.

Yura closed her eyes. He didn't listen to what people say. He acted too friendly. He didn't give up even after she rejected him. He was so stubborn. Strangely, however, she no longer felt irritated by this stubbornness of his. In fact, now, she felt relaxed.

"As long as you can give me enough food and read my personal space, then I'll be fine. Understood?" Yura mumbled but was loud enough for Yuno and Yuji to hear. When Yuno and Yuji were blinking in confusion, Yura sighed before facing them.

"I will be your daughter." Yura said as she signed the paper and showed it to the two of them.

"You will?" Yuji's eyes were shining in excitement.

"I'm simply fulfilling my end of bargain and I ask you to do the same...Dad." Yura told Yuno as she handed the adoption paper to him.

"D-Did you just call me 'Dad' already? Say it one more time! Again! Come on, Yura!" Yuno asked. It took a while for Yuji to call him 'Dad', but Yura called him only a few seconds after she agreed to become his daughter. Called him exaggerating and he didn't care, he was touched.

"I'm asking if you understand?" Yura simply replied passive face. Why were they so happy with her accepting to be adopted?

"Sure, my cute little daughter." Yuno pulled her into his arms, hugging her. For a moment, he felt her stiffened, but she soon loosened up.

As quickly as the expression came to her face, Yura looked away, a tint of pink dusting her pale cheeks.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – GARDEN – AKABA MANOR – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

A year after ahe gained a new family, a being known as Apophis the Dragon of Calamity, appeared and went rampage on the whole world with his offspring. It only took a few weeks and the world was close to reach the Armageddon. Most cities in every country were dystopian in appearance. Thanks to the blessing from Ma'at the Dragon of Harmony who was the nemesis of Apophis, in the form of Supreme King Deck, they were able to survive this far and managed to counterattack, but it was still not enough to kill Apophis and his offspring. Worse, a month ago, Yuno's father, Renka Mizushima, was killed. The Supreme King Deck then was passed to Yuno.

Yura and her brothers had tried their best to help their father and The Brotherhood, but they wondered how long they will last. Even with the joint effort of the whole armies in the world, they still weren't close enough to defeat Apophis and his offspring. If they can't kill them, Yuno proposed to find a way to seal them. That way, it would at least buy them some time to become stronger until they can kill Apophis and his offspring. But unfortunately, so far, they couldn't find the right method to seal them.

In the midst of this fierce war, Yura was disgusted by the lack of life in the ruins that were filled with nothing but debris everywhere. There were living people, but their destroyed surrounding didn't feel like they were living at all. Yuji was trying to give them hope through his performances. That would be nice, but she couldn't do something like that. She was no entertainer. The only thing she good at besides dueling and general chores was...

Yuno was staring in awe at the flower field in front of him.

The vibrant display of flowers covered the ground. Bold purple, soft pink and light lavender flowers sat right in front of him. There was a faint sound of busy bees rushing around to collect their pollen. The sweet smell of blossomed flowers filled the air. The purple petals felt like soft velvet against his skin. He couldn't believe it that in the middle of this destroyed building that used to be the manor of the Akaba House, the flower field was still safe and untouched. In fact, not only flowers, there were also other plants that survived like nothing had happened.

Yuno kneeled and was about to touch a purple-colored flower near him. He jumped in surprise when he heard his daughter's voice behind him.

"Those are poisonous flowers. I suggested you wash your hands right away after you touched it." Yura warned her father, carrying water canteen in her hands.

"Yura! You gave me a fright!" Yuno told his one and only daughter.

"What are you doing here, Dad?" Yura asked as she started watering the flowers while Yuno was watching her.

"I heard people saw you often came here even though there isn't supposed to be anything here. Who would have thought that you came here to take care of these plants? Not only the ones at the institution, but you're also taking the ones here." Yuno said. He knew that his daughter was very fond of plants, especially the carnivorous and poisonous ones.

In most of her free times, Yura indulged herself in her private garden, taking care of her beloved plants. She won't forgive anyone who mess up her garden. There was this one time Yuhei accidently stepped on one of her plants, she nearly have Starve Venus to consume him and it took the effort of Yuji and Yuzo to calm her. Speaking about Starve Venus and plant, it was a common misconception people mistook the 'Venus' part of Starve Venus' name from the planet Venus that represented girl in general, while in actuality, Yura revealed that the 'Venus' part came from the carnivorous plant Venus Flytrap.

"This place was my only safe haven when I was still living in this house. This was also the place where I met my Duel Monster spirits who guided me to slowly build my own Deck." Yura revealed as she planted new seeds, adding another addition of plant in her garden. While burying the seed, she reminisced her early she spent in the garden. She found peace there. She didn't need to deal with other people. She could play as much as she wanted with the spirits there.

"What?" Yura asked when she noticed Yuno was smiling so widely that it almost looked stupid on him.

"Nothing. It's just, seeing you taking care of the plants like this does show your girly disposition. But is there any need to take care of the poisonous ones?" Yuno asked. While he was happy to see more of cute side of his daughter, he wondered whether she was keeping the poisonous ones because they look pretty or for something else. For the sake of his sanity, he had decided to never ask why she liked the poisonous ones in the first place, and his sons also agreed with him on that considering her unusual tastes. Yuhei even had a theory that she used them to kill people in her spare times.

"Poison can be useful in their own ways. These plants were born carrying poisons for a purpose, for a meaning. If something were to happen involving these plants, the ones who are to blame are not the plants themselves, but the people." Yura reasoned. The plants never asked to be born to contain poisons within their bodies. It was never their intention to poisoned people with something they have in their bodies. It was people's own fault for their lack of knowledge or having the knowledge and misused them.

"They are indeed poisonous, but it doesn't mean their lives are meaningless." Yura added. Whatever being they are, every life that was born to this world must have its purpose. That includes these plants. "If we do it right, this poison can become a necessary medicine for us."

"I'm so proud of you." Yuno rubbed his daughter's hair fondly.

"Won't you cut it out, already? I'm not a kid anymore." Yura pouted.

"But you'll never be too older to become my cute daughter." Yuno retorted, which was the fact that she couldn't deny.

"Stupid." Yura pouted again.

"Then, after this is over, let's plant more everywhere we can, okay? Let's make this world a beautiful place with these plants. Oh, but make sure you make a sign that tells people which ones are poisonous." Yuno suggested. The world was in the mess right now, so once the war is over, filling the world with this kind of garden would be great for people. They have enough with ruins and debris that were void of lives.

Yura didn't say anything, but she agreed. That wasn't a bad idea. She loved planting, so she would be willing to plant more. She kept planting more plants in various places where she could, all the while dreaming of making this world, even just a little, a beautiful place where she and her family and others can live in peace again.

Sadly, this wish didn't come true.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – BATTLEFIELD – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

"Are you the children of the Oracle?"

Yura and her three brothers were approached by a blue haired tall young man with pale skin, heavy makeup that including white foundation on all visible skin, black eyeliner, and dark lipstick, and painted nails. He was wearing a single yellow leather-hooded cloak with a waist-high slit going up the back. It has a large silver zipper that fastens at the top and zips down to seal the coat. It has teal drawstrings for the hood decorated with a large teal bead hanging from the end and a teal chain ornament adorned with four large cylindrical silver beads that fastens to a loop on either side of the collarbone region.

They instantly recognized him. They never engaged him in a fight, but they have seen him several times in the battlefield. He was one of the six most trusted servants of Apophis. He had led many armies that annihilated theirs without mercy and what disgusted was the fact that they he seemed to enjoy all the blood that were spilled either from enemies or allies.

"You're Geist the Magical Musket." Yuji stated as he and his siblings readied their Duel Disks.

"Correct! It's an honor to be recognized by the precious children of the Oracle!" Geist replied cheerfully, clapping his hands.

"Can we get straight to the business? We know that you're not here just for introduction." Yura said coldly to the jester-like offspring.

"Yes. As much as I want to stay and have a long nice conversation with all of you..." Geist raised his Duel Disk and activated. His playful smile instantly turned into sadistic savage grin that promised pain and suffering to the four teens.

"Under His Excellency's order, you shall become sacrifices for our cause."

What happened next, Yura couldn't remember well. The next thing that happened was several arrows pierced her body. It didn't take long for her to fall to the ground. Her vision blurred. She couldn't see well, but she could hear her brothers were calling for her names in panic. Between her blurred visions, she saw Yuzo fell next and she saw red. Yuzo was just lying there, not making a single move. She didn't need to see to know that her other two brothers were thinking that the worst has happened to Yuzo. She was also thinking the same. She tried to reach for him, but her body won't listen to her. It was taking all of her strength to just stay awake.

When the last bit of her strength left her, she finally realized it. She was going to die. Yura gritted her teeth. She refused to let her life end like this. Not when her brothers, her family were still fighting. She didn't want to leave them like this. She still wanted to fight. She had a promise to fulfill.

 _"Darn it. Why am I so powerless...at a time like this...?"_

And then...nothingness.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – TEMPLE OF CALAMITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

When she first opened her eyes, she saw blood red moon on the night sky. She was lying on a stone altar. She sat up and saw there were three other people who were in the same position and condition as her. She looked at her hands and then tried to feel her body, feeling very much alive. A headache then attacked her as flashes of images that doesn't belonged to her entered her head. In that instant, she knew everything about the person whose body she had taken over.

Yura was the name of original owner of this body. Like all offspring, she was born through a sacrifice, and this Yura was the sacrifice to give birth to her. Once the original soul left, her soul was placed into the empty vessel in her stead, effectively making this body hers. She slowly removed herself from the stone altar, and so did the other three offspring who were born at the same time as her.

The moment they set their feet on the cold ground, a colossal dragon loomed over them. It wasn't just any dragon. It was their master, their very creator. They only have one purpose to be born. Their creator only has one purpose to give birth to them.

To serve the Dragon of Calamity.

Nothing more and nothing less.

That was the only reason for their existence.

The dragon then started giving the newly born offspring names. He looked down at her, beckoning her to stand up from her kneeling position. The other three offspring had been given a name. Now, it was her turn to get one.

"Born from the Duelist who hungers for fierce battle surrounded by poisonous plants, the name Starve Venom shall be given to you."

She simply nodded. She got it. Her name from now on was Starve Venom. The name came from this person and her dragon's hunger for battle and knowledge of poison. Speaking about the dragon...her hand reached to her Duel Disk where Yura placed her Deck that now belonged to her. She picked the card where she got her name from, Starve Venus Dragon.

She sensed the dragon's sadness.

It must be because it just lost its true master.

Yura has died. Her memories and feelings still remained in this body, so Starve Venom knew everything about her like she was Yura herself. This also goes for all Apophis offspring. Even though the real owner of the body has passed on, there were still remains of feelings and memories within the body. But of course, it doesn't make her the real Yura. Yura was Yura, and she was Starve Venom. They were two different people.

But yet, why she was itching to fight so much?

Why, even though it just lost its master, Starve Venus still desiring for more fight as much as she does?

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – BATTLEFIELD – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

The moment she stepped into the battlefield, that was when Starve Venom felt it for the first time. She understood it. She savored it. Dueling. It was the first time she felt that she was actually alive. She felt her life, and her soul. Duel was her blood, her flesh, her bones.

Dueling became something like breathing to her.

Dueling became a part of herself.

She couldn't live without it.

It doesn't matter who her opponent was, if it's a Duel where she can use all of her power, if it's a close life-and-death battle, all the better. Letting beings who have potential for growth, go then fighting them after they've grown stronger was her enjoyment. She met countless of humans who were like that. There were pathetic humans that she detested since they were so disappointing. But overall, she liked humans because even though they are weak, in their own weak ways, struggle and squirm and challenge them with burning passion.

That's why she didn't like it. Apophis' goal to enslave humanity would make it less exciting for her. Not only that, every single thing about the way he shows off his strength grates on her nerve. If humanity will be robbed off their potentials and became mere weak beings, then she'd rather have them destroyed completely than letting them live miserably under her so-called master.

She didn't understand why she must follow the orders given by him without question.

"Choose. Do you want to live or to die?" Yura asked to a member of The Brotherhood whom she held by the neck, choking him, but still allowed him to speak up.

"You want me to beg for mercy?!" The man spat out angrily as he was struggling against her grip.

"The answer is yes or no. Tell me your answer." Yura demanded impatiently as she strengthened her grip. The man gritted his teeth before he finally shouted out.

"Yeah! I want to live so I can become stronger and kill every single one of you!" He lashed at her while glaring so ragingly. Even at the face of death, his determination didn't diminish a single bit. Yura smiled she liked this guy.

"Good. If you have the determination, then you can go. I'm looking forward for us to fight again. You better become even stronger than before or else it won't be worth it." Yura told the man as she threw him back, sparing his life. If this man can become stronger and provide more fun the next time they find, it's worth letting him live now.

"Is that why you're fighting?"

Starve Venom blinked when she heard the familiar voice. She and the man turned to their side and saw Yuno with five of his men behind him. Two men went and help their injured comrade who has just been defeated and spared by Starve Venom. Yuno raised a hand, ordering them not to make any move as he stepped forward, getting closer to Starve Venom.

"Yuno of the Oracle." Starve Venom addressed the man whom she recognized from Yura's memories.

"You're fighting because you find it fun?" Yuno questioned without making any gesture to fight, and Yura did the same.

"To make it clear for you, what I enjoy is not taking lives, what I find enjoyable is the fighting, the dueling itself. The clash of wills and strengths boiled my blood, pushing my adrenaline, and I feel the excitement." Starve Venom admitted as she placed her hand on her chest, feeling the warmth.

"Now I understand what the owner of this body felt. Once I felt the excitement, I can hardly stop the urge to duel. I want to duel more with everything I have, and I'll become even stronger Duelist." Starve Venom stated. Dueling has been etched too deeply into her skin and flesh to be removed. It was like Dueling was her own self, her very life. She couldn't live without it.

"That alone won't be enough." Yuno replied sharply.

"I beg your pardon?"

"That alone won't be enough to make you strong. If you duel only for self-satisfaction, you'll never grow as a Duelist." Yuno explained. He eyed Starve Venom, and the girl still hasn't made any challenging gesture.

"Are you trying to say there's another factor that will make me stronger?" Starve Venom asked back, folding her arms while staring skeptically at the Oracle.

"The way you are now, I think you'll know soon enough. You'll understand more if you're not bound to Apophis as his dog and live a free life." Yuno turned his back on her, ordering his men to leave. Neither of them wanted to fight at the moment, so it better to just return. His man's safety and recovery were the most important.

"Live...a free life..." Starve Venom went deep in thought.

That's right. Why didn't she ever think about that? Yura, the original owner of this body, always has a free heart and life. She never let social standing or people's opinion of her to stop her choosing her own path. She had lived the way she wanted.

Why she can't be any different?

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – PARK – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

"What's wrong, Odd-Eyes?"

Starve Venom turned to the supposed younger amongst them all. She saw Odd-Eyes was lost in thought until Clear Wing snapped him by shaking his shoulder. They were on a mission to inspect the town where The Brotherhood's activities had been taking place more often in the town. Ever since their arrival, Odd-Eyes has been in pensive mood, as if something was greatly bothering him.

"Are you still thinking about 'freedom', Odd-Eyes?" Dark Rebellion asked the dichromatic-eyed offspring.

Starve Venom remembered then. Several weeks ago, Odd-Eyes suddenly started questioned about freedom. Not the freedom of the world or the humans, but their own. He voiced his doubt that they couldn't live their lives the way they wanted like other beings does. No one could answer that question, including herself.

"Does it never cross your mind? Why do we have...to listen to His Excellency's order? Why can't we make our own path? Is following His Excellency's every order, truly our only purpose in life?" Odd-Eyes voiced out the questions that he has been thinking deeply since that day.

"Freedom means...we can do anything that we like. Is it really wrong for us to think that?" Odd-Eyes questioned his fellow offspring who were born at the same time and place as him. At his question, they went silent.

 _"Believe me, Odd-Eyes. I know what you're feeling."_ Starve Venom said in her mind. She has also been wondering about it ever since her brief encounter with Yuno. No, she actually had always been wondering why she was following Apophis' order without question even though she disliked her creator?

An explosion interrupted them. They turned at the park and saw Tsukasa with several servants attacking. Odd-Eyes gasped when he noticed a few of the children whom he often played with were amongst the civilians who were running away. From the looks of it, they got separated from their parents. Soon after, Yuno, Claire, Celica, Abel and Jusis came in, defending the civilians. They fought fiercely, but the impact of the battles slowly reached the civilians. When it was getting closer, Odd-Eyes' body moved by itself, revealing his presence to everyone.

"Odd-Eyes, what are you doing?!" Clear Wing exclaimed, following the dichromatic-eyed boy along with the other two. They were ordered to be on standby, but Odd-Eyes has just defied the order given to them.

"Odd-Eyes?!" Yuno exclaimed in surprise.

"What are you guys doing? You're supposed to be on standby, waiting for my signal." Tsukasa told the four newest offspring.

"I...I'm..." Odd-Eyes trailed off. Now he was unsure what to do as everyone's attention were on them.

"It's Big Bro Yuji!" One of the children said.

Hearing this, Tsukasa made a sound of understanding. He looked sharply at the four, Odd-Eyes in particular.

"I have known about your little play with these brats in this town, Odd-Eyes. Not only him, I'm also talking to the rest of you. I have let it slide because this is just one of your ways to kill some time while you're bored waiting for your missions. But it's the time to end your little jaunt out of the house. Play time is over, now is time to kill them. His Excellency cannot allow you all to indulge yourself anymore."

Starve Venom and the rest felt uneasy and unnerved, both at the look Tsukasa gave to them and the look the civilians gave to them. For that moment, they didn't know what to do or to think. As Apophis' offspring, they should be listening and follow Tsukasa's order. However, something was stopping them, making them in doubt.

"There are times it's okay to be selfish."

Yuno and Celica stood in front of the four offspring while Claire, Abel, and Jusis stood defending civilians. Starve Venom and the other three were clearly surprised by their actions that seemingly were to protect them from Tsukasa. But then Yuno's words reminded her again of the way Yura lived. Yura had always possessed the courage and determination to take action along with her free heart. That brought the same question why didn't she do the same?

"Whoever they are, whatever they are, every living being can decide for themselves. Even if they are not humans, their lives are their own. They deserve to decide how they want to live. Not even Apophis has the right to bound them." Yuno glared at Tsukasa, unleashing murderous intent at the offspring should he dare to say a word that is saying otherwise.

"This is their life. Living freely or not, they alone are the ones who make the choice." Celica added as she turned to the four offspring behind her and Yuno. She didn't say anything to them, but it was easy for Starve Venom to know her unspoken question. What do they want to do?

Starve Venom and her two brothers were then surprised by the words that came out from Odd-Eyes' mouth.

"I want to live in my own way. I want to create my own path, out of my own free will."

It was like those words were the mantra. Listening to them, she now felt stupid for being so indecisive all this time. Any ounce of doubt she had has broken to pieces until there was nothing left in her after she listened to Odd-Eyes' declaration. She felt completely light now. And now, excitement filled her once more. The excitement to annihilate every single one of Apophis' army who will rob humans of their potentials and make the world a boring place if they are left to their own devices.

Starve Venus stood beside Odd-Eyes. She raised her Duel Disk and activated it, facing Tsukasa while licking her lips as her bloodlust surfaced.

"Exactly as he said, Tsukasa."

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – GARDEN – AKABA MANOR – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Another thing that she could understand from Yura was the love for plants, especially the carnivorous and poisonous ones. They were wonderful. If someone viewed her weird for liking them, she wondered back why they couldn't understand the aesthetic and usefulness of these plants. Besides, in war, there were times soldiers used poison to finish their enemies. They could do that with these plants. With her knowledge that she gained from Yura's memories, it would as easy as pies.

And the carnivorous plants can be used for security measures, stopping enemies from trying to sneak into their base or alerting them. With the guidance of the Duel Monster spirits, it's possible, and the thought excited her. She couldn't wait to try it out and show it to everyone.

"If you're going to take care of these plants, make sure to tie your hair first so it won't get dirty." Yuno said from behind her, tying her hair without waiting for her reaction.

"I can tell from these plants that you didn't take care of it as well as Yura. There are many mistakes here and there." Starve Venom said as she pointed out the mistakes, scolding him. After Yura died, Yuno was the one who took care of the plants in her place. Not only him, Celica and Claire were also helping. They didn't do a terrible job, but still not as good and perfect as Yura. Most likely due to their lack of knowledge in planting.

"You reall are just like Yura. The two of you are like a cat. It's cute how both of you act so irritated. It makes me wanna rub all over you!" Yuno said while hugging her from behind. He was clearly teasing her.

"Q-quit it! I'm not a kid!" Starve Venom protested. She actually didn't hate being hugged, but how Yuno always so abruptly hugging her was what bothering her.

"But you're just born six months ago, right? Despite your appearance and behavior, you're actually still six months old, meaning a kid." Yuno pointed out. Starve Venom really wanted to open her mouth to retort, but she couldn't because it was the truth. She couldn't do anything but pout.

"Hey now, don't make that kind of face. It's still cute, but I prefer you smiling." Yuno patted her head in return. He snickered when her expression didn't change. Teasing her was just so fun. And she also liked to tease the others anyway, so she just got what she deserved in a way.

"Just leave me alone and go back to your family. I'll be back before night." Starve Venom told him while trying to focus on the plants again.

"But you are my family too. I already told you this, but I'm not trying to make you Yura's replacement. I truly like you as yourself. If you run away when I try to be your family, then I've got no choice but to chase after you. I can't help but think that you'll understand if I chase you with love in my heart." Yuno replied with a calm smile this time. He returned to his mature man he is.

"Geez. You're as stubborn as always. I'm not the real Yura, I'm a fake, and you still want me as your family?" Starve Venom sighed in exasperation. He never stopped this ever since she and the other three decided to defect to his side.

"If I don't, I won't be chasing after you this far. And you are not a fake, you are your own real self. And I love you for who you are. You are fine with the way you are now, and perhaps you may even become better from now on." Yuno, without warning, carried her bridal style, causing her almost to fall from surprise but Yuno held her tight to him. Starve Venom couldn't say anything when he was smiling so brightly at her.

"You're so stupid. I can't understand you..." Starve Venom said while looking away from that smile that tickled her stomach. How could he smile so brightly like that when she was clearly rejecting him?

"But...I like you..." Starve Venom mumbled. She could understand now why Yura cared a great deal about this guy. Why she came to love him so much.

"Hm? Did you say something." Yuno asked, not hearing her mumble.

"I'm hungry. I want to eat." Starve Venom demanded. He was still irritating her though. And that made her starving.

"But didn't you just finish up a whole pot of sukiyaki earlier." Yuno said with a sweat drop. He didn't know whether she was influenced by possessing Yura's body, but Starve Venom has ferocious appetite that was even beyond a man's appetite like Yura did. He could have sword she would be able to finish a month's worth of food in just three days if she didn't restrain herself.

"I want to eat five more bowls." Starve Venom replied.

Starve Venom has decided. She will fulfil Yura's dream and promise in her place. She wished she could get to know her personally. She liked her by simply seeing her in her memories. She was positive they will get along well.

But just like Yura,

She couldn't fulfil them.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – GARDEN – AKABA MANSION – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Six months have passed. The battle against Apophis and his armies became fiercer than ever. Not only that, Yuno and the others were close to find out how to seal Apophis and his offspring in case they can't defeat them completely. This requires the help of all Link Monsters for it to work. Starve Venom and the rest were tasked to gather all Link Monsters spirits they could find.

She managed to just teleport the said monsters whom Yura used to play with at her garden. But by the time she arrived there, she was speechless as the once beautiful garden was not in flame. Not a single one of her plant was left. All of them have been set ablaze. Starve Venom saw red at the sight. She clenched her fists. Both Yura and herself had poured their hearts into making this garden, and now it has been destroyed.

"Who the hell did this...?!" Starve Venom asked angrily to no one in particular, gritting her teeth.

"I did."

Starve Venom narrowed her eyes as Dante emerged from the flames. He casually waved his hand at her as a greeting. Starve Venom didn't care a squat about that. She didn't need to ask what he was doing here or what his reason was to burn her garden. All she cared about was beating him to a pulp.

"Wow! That's one scary face you're making, Starve Venom-chan! Why don't we have a little bit talk before–"

"Take out your Duel Disk, fool. I'll kill you." Starve Venom interrupted hatefully. She didn't know much about Dante since they rarely talked or even met due to their respective mission, but he just successfully earned her hatred. She has no intention to let him get away with this.

"Never thought you'll be this furious. But anyway, His Excellency has ordered for your death, so I'm not leaving until your death is assured. This is nothing personal, but an order." Dante raised his Duel Disk and activated it.

"That makes the two of us. I have no intention to live until you're a dead meat." Starve Venom activated her Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! From my hand I summon Brrow – Huntsman of Dark World (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 800 / LV: 4)!" Dante summoned Brrow in Attack Position.

"And then I activate Continuous Magic Card: Wicked Canon." Dante activated his Magic Card, but he didn't explain its effect. Starve Venom assumed that she would know as the Duel progress.

"I set 3 cards and end my Turn." Dante concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Predator Plants Ophrys Scorpio (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 800 / LV: 3)." Starve Venom summoned Ophyris Scorpio in Attack Position.

"When Ophrys Scorpio is Normal or Special Summoned, I can send a Predator Plants Monster from my hand to Graveyard to Special Summon a Level 3 or lower Predator Plants Monster from my Deck." Starve Venom discarded Predator Plants Stapelia Worm (ATK: 100 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 4) from her hand and then Special Summoned Predator Plants Darling Cobra (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 3).

"When Darling Cobra is Special Summoned, I can add a Fusion Card from my Deck to my hand." Starve Venom added a Fusion card into her.

"I activate Fusion from my hand. I Fuse Ophrys Scorpio and Darling Cobra. Fusion Summon! Appear! The poisonous dragon with hungering fangs! Level 8! Starve Venus Dragon (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8)!" Starve Venom summoned her ace Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack Brrow – Huntsman of Dark World with Starve Venus Dragon!" Zarc immediately made his first attack. Starve Venus launched its tail, swallowing Brrow with its monstrous mouth.

 **DANTE LP: 4000 = 2600**

"At this moment, I activate Wicked Canon's effect! I can send a Wicked Doctrine Card from my Deck to Graveyard!" Dante sent Wicked Doctrine – Anger into his Graveyard.

"I end my Turn." Starve Venom concluded.

"My Turn! I summon Zure – Knight of Dark World (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 4)!" Dante summoned Zure in Attack Position after setting two cards facedown.

"I end my Turn. Come on, do something more interesting. Aren't you the most bloodthirsty one amongst the four?" Dante requested, encouraging Starve Venom.

"You're really asking for early death, aren't you?" Starve Venom retorted bitterly.

"Why are you protecting humans, Starve Venom? I can't understand that. You're especially fond of the Oracle and the others who are supposed to be our enemies." Dante asked.

"Having them is what make this life and world fun than having Apophis rule this world and enslaved the humans. I can't think anything more boring than the world you guys are trying to make." Starve Venom snorted, grinning arrogantly at the Dark World user.

"It's a shame. You are one of His Excellency's favorites. It can't be helped. This Duel must end soon." Dante stated while shaking his head in pity at her answer.

"As you wish! My Turn! From my hand, I summon Predator Plants Cephalotusnail (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4!" Starve Venom summoned Cephalotusnail in Attack Position. At that moment, Dante activated his facedown card.

"Trap Card: Darkness Half! I target Zure to halve its attack and then special summon two Dark Tokens (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 3) in Attack Position to your Field!" Dante halved Zure's ATK to 900 and then forcefully placed two Dark Tokens on Starve Venom's empty Main Monster Zones.

"And then I activate another Trap Card: Dark Tournament! All my opponent's monsters must attack this turn, but no monsters will be destroyed!" Dante opened his second Trap Card, forcing Starve Venus, Cephalotusnail, and the two Dark Tokens to attack.

"Trap Card: Dark Enlightenment! When a DARK Monster I control is targeted for attack, the damage is negated and instead I will receive 200 damage for each attack until the end of this Turn!" Dante opened his last Reverse Card. As there were four monsters that attacked Zure, Dante received 800 damage in total.

 **DANTE LP: 2600 = 1800**

 _"Inflicting damage to himself, what is he planning?"_ Starve Venom wondered warily.

"I activate Wicked Canon's effect again four times!" Dante sent Wicked Doctrine – Anguish, Wicked Doctrine – Hatred, Wicked Doctrine – Doubt, and Wicked Doctrine – Sadness from his Deck to his Graveyard.

"I end my Turn." Starve Venom concluded.

"This is what I have been waiting for!" Dante exclaimed, alerting Starve Venom who prepared herself for whatever is going to come. "You have gotten into my trap, Starve Venom!"

Starve Venom didn't say anything to that. She has suspected that he was aiming for something by inflicting damage to himself, but she couldn't figure out what. She didn't know a thing about his Deck since she rarely interacted with him or even heard of him. She knew almost nothing about Dante.

"I activate Wicked Canon's last effect! I banish it together with all the Wicked Doctrine cards in my Graveyard to special summon Dark World Monster that can only be summoned using Super Fusion! Come forth, the ruler of the world of darkness! Colorless – Chaos King of Dark World (ATK: 4000 / DEF: 3500 / LV: 12)!" Dante summoned Colorless in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"A Level 12 Monster with 4000 ATK?!" Starve Venom exclaimed.

"I activate Colorless – Chaos King of Dark World's effect! When this card is special summoned through Super Fusion or Wicked Canon's effect, I can inflict 600 damage for each DARK monsters my opponent controls!" Dante activated Colorless' first effect. Colorless thrust its sword at Starve Venom. As she was controlling four monsters, he received 2400 damage.

 **STARVE VENOM LP: 4000 = 1600**

"This is the end. I attack Starve Venus Dragon with Colorless!" Dante declared.

Colorless' eyes glowed briefly before it flew forward, pointing its sword straight at the Fusion Dragon. It didn't take long until the sword stabbed through the dragon's abdomen. However, Colorless didn't end it with just that. It kept pushing forward until the Dark World Fusion Monster finally went through the dragon's body and aimed for its real target, Starve Venom. Before Starve Venom could react, she was already being raised up by Colorless' sword. The sword pierced through her chest, almost stabbing her heart.

 **STARVE VENOM LP: 2200 = 0**

Colorless then threw her to the ground. The sword missed her heart, but it was still a fatal wound. Blood won't stop spilling out from her chest. Starve Venom didn't have any energy left as her body started to dissolve into black dust. The only thing he could do was angry. She was furious. She felt her entire body boiling with rage. She died before she could fulfil her promises. She died before she could experience more from the world. She died before she could defeat every single last one of Apophis and his armies.

 _"Not..yet...! I'm not satisfied...yet! I still want to...fight!"_

And then Starve Venom's body completely dissolved into dust, being swept away by the cold night wind.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – LIMBO – MA'AT DOMAIN**

After everything that she had done, Starve Venom was positive that she would end up in burning hell the moment she died. That's why she was surprised when she found herself at a pure white space. There was nothing there. Everything was white without a single bit stain. The clothes she was wearing was the same one when she died, but lighter in color.

"What is this place...?" Stave Venom looked around, trying to find anything other than herself. The last thing that she remembered was receiving the full pierce of Dante's Colorless – Chaos King of Underworld's sword that literally ended her life. But what is this place? She doubted it was hell or heaven.

"Yes. You have died at Dante's hand. Now you are within my domain, in between the two realms."

Starve Venom was startled when a giant majestic white dragon appeared from within a ray of light, staring down at him. Ma'at the Dragon of Harmony. This was the first time she had seen his true form.

"That doesn't explain why I am here." Starve Venom shrugged.

"Because I brought your soul here. Before you passed completely, I brought your soul here and the heart that lodged with you." Ma'at revealed.

"Why brought me here? For what reason?" Starve Venom asked.

"Choose." Ma'at simply answered, confusing the violet-haired girl.

"Choose? What do you want me to choose?" She asked again at the white dragon.

"You are no human being. You are the offspring of Apophis, as such, when you're dead, you don't disappear immediately, but rather you are given free choice whether to pass or to be born once more as Duel Monsters." Ma'at revealed. Actually, in most cases, Apophis without any hesitation would bring the souls into his domain and change them into Duel Monster servants whether the souls wanted it or not. But since he rejected Starve Venom, Ma'at was able to bring the girl into his domain.

"If you wish so, I may revive you as Duel Monsters. Exceptionally strong soul as yours, are capable of becoming strong Duel Monster that may rivals Apophis." Ma'at offered the former Apophis offspring who looked down, immersing herself in thought.

" _Before I died, I thought how I'm still not satisfied and still want to fight more. But now that I think about it, perhaps I deserve this. Before I joined Dad and the others, I have made people suffered, taking many lives, even though I have doubts…"_ Starve Venom shook her head, declining the offer.

"So you don't mind dying?"

Starve Venom blinked at the voice. The voice that was similar with hers. The same in fact. Ma'at moved its right wing, beckoning Starve Venom to look at the direction where his wing was pointing. Starve Venom's gaze hardened when she saw the one whom she momentarily mistook as the reflection of herself. No. This was real. She could feel her soul transparently. Yura was staring questioningly at her. She was waiting for her to answer her question.

"Sure." Starve Venom told Yura while closing her eyes.

"Well, aren't you calm. You'll disappear. Vanish entirely without a trace like you are never here to begin with." Yura said while walking closer to Starve Venom.

"I committed a sin and I must be punished for it. I have had enough. I was able to meet Dad and the others. I was able to help them. They can do it even without me–"

Starve Venom was dumbstruck when she received a hard punch from Yura, causing her to fall on her butt. The punch was so hard that she spit out blood. She looked up at Yura incredulously to find the girl was looking annoyed at her.

"Don't say that you have enough! You have the chance to start over, to help our family more than you were an offspring and you won't take it? Are you stupid?!" Yura grabbed Starve Venom by her collar and raised her up.

"Even if I have the chance to be reborn, I'm not strong enough! But you, you have better chances at helping Dad and the others more than me as a Duel Monster! If you really want to help, if you really care for them, then take that damn chance!" Yura shouted at the former offspring who was listening to her every word with shock. She then let go of her, pushing her back from her.

"I have been watching you. The two of us are really similar. You wish for the same thing as I do. But right now, the one that Dad and everyone needs is a force that can fight against Apophis and his armies. It has to be you." Yura bumped her fist onto Starve Venom's chest.

"I have already lived 14 years, but you have only lived for less than a year. You still need to learn and experience more of the world." Yura added while tilting her head to Ma'at who was still waiting for the answer.

"There is no need for you to bear anything anymore. You have already suffered enough." Ma'at said as he now appeared behind Yura, facing Starve Venom.

"And your new life as Duel Monsters won't be so simple. It's not that you will be able simply to be reborn, living your life and forget everything. Even if you are born anew, your memories will remain. The happy memories, the harsh memories, and you will fight once more." Ma'at told Starve Venom. Having Starve Venom by their side as Duel Monsters would give them advantage beyond expectations. She would give them more than enough power to seal Apophis, along with the others.

"It all depends on you. Make your choice." Ma'at stated.

Starve Venom looked at Ma'at and then at Yura. She then closed her eyes, thinking of her parents and her comrades who were still alive, still fighting against Apophis. They still haven't enough power to defeat or even seal them. If she really could help them, he wants to help. Even if she won't be the same anymore, even if she became even more monstrous, as long as she can save the world she loved and the people she loved living in it, then she will take it. But more than anything, she still wanted to fight more. She wanted to fight more, becoming stronger, and then she can protect more of her loved ones.

 _"That alone won't be enough to make you strong. If you duel only for self-satisfaction, you'll never grow as a Duelist."_

Starve Venom opened her eyes as she remembered Yuno's words. She got it know. She realized now what he meant. She knew now what she was lacking. She couldn't believe it took her this long to understand what her father meant. Duelist can truly become stronger when fighting for something or someone other than themselves and self-satisfaction from the victory brings them. Only by having someone to protect, a Duelist can unleash their true potential.

Starve Venom's face turned resolute. She nodded. She will be reborn as Duel Monster.

"The choice is made."

Starve Venom's body was slowly surrounded by warm white golden light.

Starve Venom's body then was completely engulfed in bright white light. The light was blinding until it slowly took a form of a dragon. The golden color started dispersing once the form was solid, gradually revealing a dragon with violet-colored scale, darkish golden beak, spiked tail, monstrous mouthed protrusions, and yellow and green-colored orbs on several parts of its body.

The poisonous dragon with insatiable hunger.

Starve Venom Fusion Dragon.

 **PRESENT TIME – ABROAD EVOLUTION – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuya, Serena, and Dennis in particular were staring at Yura, at Starve Venom Fusion Dragon. Her past was even more painful than Yuji's. It was hard to listen to her story, but now they understood her better than ever.

" _I see… No wonder Starve Venom so loyally follows Yuri for all these years. She understands what he had gone through more than anybody else..."_ Serena thought while remembering her early days with Yuri whenever he was playing with Starve Venom and also how protective Starve Venom was of her master when she confronted them during the battle against Zarc.

 _"She, Yura, and Yuri are very much alike. Deep down in their hearts, they wanted to be...saved...?"_ Yuya trailed off in his thought when it suddenly hit him. He remembered Johan's words about Winged Kuriboh, who was now sitting on Serena's lap.

 _"A person chosen by Winged Kuriboh means mean he or she has goodness inside them, or they are someone that needs to be saved."_

Seeing Yuri's condition now, and from what he heard, Yuri was in a state of shock. Even before this, Yuri had been behaving strangely like something was bothering him so much. And Apophis said that he found Yuri's weakness, which resulted with Yuri's current condition. Whatever this weakness he was talking about, it broke Yuri so hard that he became unresponsive.

 _"Could it be...this is what Johan-san meant?"_

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Yuzo ~ Dark Rebellion ~** Yuzo recount his story. Yuzo was a Duelist descending from a family of Duel Knight that personally protects the Imperial Family and also Jusis' student. However, to avoid friction between siblings, Yuzo was adopted into Yuno's family and enrolled into the institution under Jusis' suggestion. Understanding Jusis' intention, Yuno challenge Yuzo to help him.

* * *

 **First of all, to anonymous reviewer** _ **Jason**_ **, please write all your questions and comments in one review instead of writing them one by one. It feels like spamming if you write your question in one review each, so I'm going to delete some of them after this. And answering some of your questions:**

 **1\. They concealed their real voices.**

 **2\. Dante was trying out the Umbral Deck since it was given by Apophis for him, but in the end decided to stick with his original Deck because he thought it suits him more.**

 **3\. Spoiler, so no answer.**

 **4\. Tsukasa already removed the collar when Yuri was unconscious in the middle of ritual.**

 **5\. What kind of changes you are referring to? Be specific, please.**

 **Sorry for the delay. The next two chapters would be the same, please be patient. I'm trying my best to update at usual time.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	65. Yuzo - Dark Rebellion -

**Big thanks to** _ **tsukikami02, Elbarto4000, Ulrich362, Big duels, D3lph0xL0v3r, Yuka Kuroshiro, dvdryms, Playerhood18, GamingGuy84, Jason**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter**

* * *

 **PRESENT TIME – ABROAD EVOLUTION – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"I take it that the four of us using the same Deck as the four of you is not a coincidence either?" Yuto asked, referring to himself and his counterparts and the four dragons. The four dragons were using the same type of Decks as them. After hearing their last name, it was difficult to think that them using the same Decks were a mere coincidence.

"Yeah. When we reincarnated as Four Heavenly Dragons, we're still carrying our respective Decks within us. And when Zarc got split along with us and the original dimension, our cards resurfaced and are now in your possession."

"But if your Decks are ours now, then what about the Decks that you're using right now?"

"The Decks we are using now are cards that didn't resurface when we got split. Not all of the cards came out and choose to be with you. These cards remained within us."

"But still, I never thought you're a part of Kurosaki bloodline. Most of Kurosaki Duelists from generations are using Winged Beast type Deck." Shun stated.

"I guess that is my cue to tell my story now." Yuzo stepped forward.

Yuto quickly tensed up due to worry mixed with curiosity of Dark Rebellion's past.

 **1,501 YEARS AGO – KUROSAKI MANOR – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Yuzo was standing in his messy room. The books, broken glasses, and various objects decorating his room were on the floor after he threw them, slamming them out of rage until he settled down.

Yuzo was the child of Duke Kurosaki's mistress, an unacknowledged heir. Yet, he was also his only child. Needless to say, the only child he may be, a half-blood commoner can never succeed the Dukedom. However, Yuzo's latent ability to communicate with Duel Monster was strong. He was able to master his ability and applied it to his Dueling at the age of 9. Thus he was pampered and praised. People were saying that even though he was a half-blood, he might be able to become the next Duke as long as the Duke's wife is still unable to conceive heir.

It seemed as though that even after dozens of years, the Duke's wife can never conceive a child despite her various efforts. And thus, everybody treated Yuzo like the one and only pureblooded heir. Yuzo has what it takes to take over the family. People called him a prodigy that rarely born within the Kurosaki Family history. Yuzo then took it upon himself to carry out his family's main duty to become a Duel Knight that protecting the Imperial Family. Yuzo was raised with a strong sense of duty to become the future knight of the Imperial Family.

However, a month ago, the Duke's wife finally gave birth to a son. To prevent a blood feud, Yuzo was given up for adoption. His dream, the prospect to become the Duel Knight vanished along with this incident.

"I guess that you have already been informed."

Yuzo turned to the door. Jusis, his Dueling teacher ever since he was a child, was standing with his hand on the door in a knocking motion.

"Master Jusis." Yuzo fully turned to his teacher.

"I have heard everything. Duke Kurosaki has asked me to arrange the adoption for you." Jusis told his student while slowly approaching him. When he was right in front of Yuzo who looked down for he didn't want Jusis to look at his miserable face, Jusis pulled him to his chest, his one hand rubbing his student's hair. Yuzo was too exhausted to reject this gesture.

"I would love to take you in, but it'll only make it more difficult for you if you entered another Duke's family. People won't stop talking bad about you." Jusis told his student with hardened face that the teen couldn't see as his face was still buried on Jusis' chest.

"But don't worry. I know the perfect place for you. Perhaps even much better than this place." Jusis pulled Yuzo away, smiling down at the boy who was looking at him with confusion.

 **1,501 YEARS AGO – RYUJI INSTITUTION – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Yuzo couldn't understand why his teacher brought him to the famous Ryuji Institution and introduced him to his best friend, the famous brigadier general Yuno of the Oracle. His teacher told him to try staying in this institution for a month. Out of respect for his teacher, Yuzo reluctantly entered the institution. His new life in the institution was not bad but it wasn't good either. Almost a month has passed, but he was still bitter with the last incident. To be disowned by his family even though he did nothing wrong...

His bitterness caused him to inadvertently vent it to the other children and instructors in the institution. He didn't mean to, and no one was harmed or anything, but his cold behavior was still a problem for the others. It finally reached to the point where Yuno personally confronted him. The new instructor had heard everything from Jusis. His best friend had also told him to take care of the boy. And when Jusis said that, Yuno knew that what he meant by taking care of Yuzo was not as an instructor. His house was big enough for one or two more people, so he didn't mind.

"I understand how you feel. Duke Kurosaki's decision was too cruel. But it was necessary decision. You're too strong and too clever. If compared to your newborn brother, you're definitely better. And that is a problem." Yuno started to speak once it was only him and Yuzo in the field. Though, Yuji, Yura, Ryuji, and Jonouchi were secretly watching from the upper floor.

"If he knew that you were his older brother, he would have a serious case of insecurity. Also the people would compare the two of you, causing foul rumors to surface. All this without a doubt will have serious repercussions for the Dukedom. And between you and your younger brother, there would be strife and hatred. In the worst situation, a blood feud might come about." As much as Yuno wished he could deny this possibility, it was a fact. Conflict between family members over family succession that leads to the successors trying to kill each other is common to happen within nobilities, and Kurosaki Dukedom is not an exception to this.

"Your very existence harbors the possibility for all of that to happen. You are strong enough to be able to overshadow the pureblood younger brother. Therefore, you were disowned. Pretending that you had never existed was also necessarily evil." Yuno knew that bringing this up would only adding salt to Yuzo's wound, but the boy must face this fact even if it was unfair for him.

"If you do not exist as the son of the Duke, the people won't need to make unnecessary comparison and there won't be internal strife. It's the same for your younger brother too. If he doesn't know of your existence, he would be able to grow up without being overshadowed by you. And so, she will be able to guide the Dukedom in the correct direction. All of this is for the sake of avoiding conflict. Please be understanding." Yuno finished with that. He has said enough. And now he waited for the boy to finally lash out his feeling.

"I cannot understand!" Yuzo yelled angrily. As Yuno expected, that snapped him.

"I am the heir! I want to stay there! I you want to take me away, then you must resort to force! I do not obey the commands of the weak!" Yuzo raised his Duel Disk, glaring at his instructor.

Yuno sighed, smiling calmly. "That kind of thinking isn't good. Being strong doesn't mean a thing unless you use your power to help the weak." He replied while raising his Duel Disk. Finally it came to this, just like his other two adopted children.

"Only the weak would say something like that!" Yuzo furiously retorted as he activated his Duel Disk, and Yuno also activated his, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"My Turn! I activate Ritual Spell: Undead Fighter Awakening! I can tribute monsters from my hand or Field to Ritual Summon an Undead-Type Ritual Monster from my hand with Level equals to the total Levels of the tributed monsters!" Yuno sent his Vendead Bones (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 200 / LV: 4) and Vendead Crane (ATK: 800 / DEF: 400 / LV: 2) to his Graveyard, beginning the ritual as the altar emerged from the ground.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Revendead Slayer (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 0 / LV: 6)!" Yuno summoned his ace monster in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Yuno concluded.

"My Turn! Draw!" Yuzo eyed Yuno. He had heard about Yuno, but he didn't acknowledge his abilities who was praised to the skies as the Oracle. Throughout his stay here, all Yuno did was giving simple lessons to everyone and nothing more beyond that. He had heard that he defeated Yuji and Yura, but that was just it. Even if he was his master's best friend, he couldn't understand why they think so highly of the Oracle.

"I summon Phantom Knights Flick Burning (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 500 / LV: 4)!" Yuzo summoned Flick Burning in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"When I control exactly one Phantom Knights Monster, I can Special Summon Phantom Knights Haunting Spirit (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1300 / LV: 4)!" Yuzo summoned Haunting Spirit in Attack Position beside Flick Burning in the Main Monster Zone.

"I overlay Flick Burning and Haunting Spirit! Xyz Summon! Ascend! Rank 4! Dark Parhelion Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Yuzo summoned his ace monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Dark Parhelion's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can halve my opponent's monster's ATK until the end of this Turn!" Yuzo used both of his dragon's Overlay Units, lowering Revendead Slayer's ATK to merely 600.

"Battle! I attack Revendead Slayer with Dark Parhelion Dragon! False Sunrise!" Yuzo declared his attack immediately. Dark Parhelion extended its wings that let out black light and flapped it. The black light engulfed Revendead Slayer, destroying it.

 **YUNO LP: 4000 = 2100**

"I set two cards and end my Turn!" Yuzo concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Revendead Slayer's effect that it gained from Vendead Bones! When it was the only monster on the Field and destroyed by Battle, I can Special Summon it!" Yuno revived Revendead Slayer in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Zombie Atrocity! I banish 2 Undead-type monsters in my Graveyard and add their ATKs to an Undead Monster I control!" Yuno added Vendead Bones and Vendead Crane's ATKs to Revendead Slayer, making the Ritual Monster's current ATK to 4700.

"Battle! I attack Dark Parhelion Dragon with Revendead Slayer!" Yuno declared his counterattack.

"Double Trap: Phantom Knights Cloud Gauntlet! I can negate the destruction of a monster I control!" Yuzo opened two of his three Reverse Cards, summoning black-colored gauntlets with golden trimmings and blue smokes that caught Revendead Slayer's barrack of fists, protecting Dark Parhelion.

 **YUZO LP: 4000 = 1800**

"At this moment after the damage calculation, Cloud Gauntlets become Overlay Units for Dark Parhelion!" Yuzo resupplied his ace monster's Overlay Units, allowing Yuzo to use its effect again on his next Turn.

"So not only you negate your ace monster's destruction, but you even add its Overlay Units again. Impressive." Yuno nodded approvingly.

"Do you think this is the time to compliment me? You'll be finished on my next Turn!" Yuzo retorted, not buying the genuine compliment.

"I end my Turn." Yuno concluded simply.

"My Turn! I use both of Dark Parhelion's Overlay Units to lower your Revendead Slayer's ATK!" Yuzo once again used up all of the Overlay Units and decreased the Ritual Monster's ATK to 600.

"Also, I activate Flick Burning's effect in the Graveyard! By banishing it, until the end of this Turn, all Reverse Card my opponent controls cannot be activated!" Yuzo sealed Yuno's Reverse Card, chaining it.

"And I activate Haunting Spirit's effect, to discard a card and then increase Dark Parhelion's ATK by 500!" Yuno discarded a card from his hand and then increased his dragon's ATK to 3000.

"This is the end for you! Battle! I attack Revendead Slayer with Dark Parhelion Dragon! False Sunrise!" Yuzo declared attack again. Dark Parhelion unleashed its black light again. However, this time, Dark Parhelion followed the black light with a pierce of its fangs, creating a massive explosion. If the building was not made from special material, it would have already been destroyed.

Yuzo thought it was already his victory and expected to see his instructor lying on the floor. He had made sure the attack won't leave permanent damage or even bruises. It would only take a while for Yuno to recover after that last attack.

"Your reputation is definitely true. A moment of distraction and even a first-rate knight would lose to you."

Yuzo gasped in disbelief when the smoke dispersed and revealed Yuno still standing with his LP still remained and a Trap Card opened beside him.

 **YUNO LP: 2100 = 900**

"What?! How?! You shouldn't be able to activate your Reverse Card!" Yuzo questioned.

"I used the Revendead Slayer's effect that I got from Vendead Crane. When my opponent activates an effect that targets Spell or Trap that I control, I can negate it." Yuno revealed when Vendead Crane was used as a Material for Ritual Summon, the Ritual Monster can gain an effect that negate an effect that targeting his Trap and Magic Cards.

"With your effect negated, I can activate my Trap Card: Black Moon to halve the damage of a DARK Monster I control." Yuno tilted his head to his opened Trap Card. Once he activated the monster effect, he quickly opened his Trap Card to protect himself.

"Tch. I end my Turn." Yuzo clicked his tongue in frustration.

"Being in the family of noble is too much for you." Yuno started while scratching the back of his head with that calm smile of his.

"You still can't let go of what happened, and began to feel jealousy towards others who were able to achieve their aspirations. Ultimately, your escape is lashing out at others." Yuno pointed out the fact to the boy. And like any other guy, he hated it when the truth he was trying to deny was being pointed out.

"There are many paths that you have yet to see because you're blinded by your inability to let go of your situation. I'm going to make you see that." Yuno calmly interrupted Yuzo before he could speak. He knew that he had hit the boy's nerve further, and the boy must face it if he wants to move on.

"My Turn! I activate Black Moon's effect. By banishing it, I can return an Undead-type Monster that I banished back to the Graveyard." Yuno returned Crane back from the Banish Zone to the Graveyard.

"Next I activate Ritual Spell: Mild Death! By banishing a monster on my Field or in my Graveyard, I can Ritual Summon a DARK Ritual Monster with Level exactly equal to the total levels of the banished monster!" Yuno banished Revendead Slayer and Crane to form a new magic circle that unleashed black flame. From the black flames, a figure emerged, absorbing the flames into its own body.

"Ritual Summon! Ascend! Level 7! Revendead Deadly Killer (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 0 / LV: 7)!" Yuno summoned Deadly Killer in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Revendead Deadly Killer's effect! When this card is summoned using a Ritual Monster as material, it can make up to 3 attacks!" Yuno revealed. Since Revendead Slayer was a Ritual Monster, Deadly Killer now can make three consecutive attacks, though two was more than enough with Yuzo's current Field.

"What–?!" Yuzo was dumbstruck.

The Phantom Knights user took a step back as Deadly Killer was running towards him and his dragon, both hands were holding bloody knives that would remind anyone of Jack the Ripper. Deadly Killer's swift was fast and surprisingly smooth, not making any noise. When Deadly Killer has finished the job, Dark Parhelion was already exploded and Yuzo was thrown back to the wall behind him, depleting all of his remaining LP.

 **YUZO LP: 1800 = 0**

Yuno approached Yuzo who was leaning his back on the wall while still sitting, waiting until he recovered from the last attack. He lowered his head when Yuno was looming over him. What he didn't expect though, Yuno handed an adoption paper to him. It was adoption for him. Yuzo understood now. Jusis couldn't take him in, so he entrusted the task to his best friend, Yuno.

"Yuzo, I know this whole situation is devastating for you. It's not a bad thing to chase your dreams. But focusing on one dream will prevent you from seeing other opportunities. Don't be so blinded by your hurt that you risk everything you have. It may seem like a hopeless path to take, but we will find a way. Don't sacrifice tomorrow to save yesterday."

Yuno extended his hand for Yuzo to take.

"I will show you the many possibilities that you can take that you haven't seen, perhaps even better than your previous dream. I will help you find a new dream."

Yuzo was skeptical that Yuno will be able to help him. But, it was just as he said. If he continued like this, it would only bring him nothing but bitterness. The horrible feeling in his chest won't disappear. He didn't want to continue like this. Yuzo looked up. He still has doubt, but he reminded himself that this person in front of him was his teacher's best friend and the person he trusted the most. Yuzo trusted his teacher more than anybody. If his teacher believed in this person, then he will try to do the same.

Yuzo took Yuno's hand.

Thus, he was adopted by Yuno, and became someone who had never existed in the Kurosaki Dukedom. At that time, his younger brother was a newborn, and he was blameless for everything. However, for a month or so, Yuzo still hated his younger brother. But after that, he had completely left that feeling because he was completely satisfied to be with his new family. And from then on, he was able to help his father in forming The Brotherhood.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – REFUGEE CAMP – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

A year after he gained a new family, a being known as Apophis the Dragon of Calamity, appeared and went rampage on the whole world with his offspring. It only took a few weeks and the world was close to reach the Armageddon. Most cities in every country were dystopian in appearance. Thanks to the blessing from Ma'at the Dragon of Harmony who was the nemesis of Apophis, in the form of Supreme King Deck, they were able to survive this far and managed to counterattack, but it was still not enough to kill Apophis and his offspring. Worse, a month ago, Yuno's father, Renka Mizushima, was killed. The Supreme King Deck then was passed to Yuno.

Yuji and his siblings had tried their best to help their father and The Brotherhood, but they wondered how long they would last. Even with the joint effort of the whole armies in the world, they still weren't close enough to defeat Apophis and his offspring. If they can't kill them, Yuno proposed to find a way to seal them. That way, it would at least buy them some time to become stronger until they can kill Apophis and his offspring. But unfortunately, so far, they couldn't find the right method to seal them.

"Working hard as always, Yuzo." Yuno told his eldest son who was sitting on his working desk with stack of papers.

Yuzo became the second-in-command in The Brotherhood. Though young, he was highly capable. Yuzo has set up hundreds of 'nets' all over the country that allowed him to track the activities of Apophis and he was highly organized and efficient. In battle, Yuzo acted as the strategist, directing the other members' attacks. His knowledge of his adversary was second to none. He was an expert in small group combat, and he has a keen military intelligence and excellent political sense.

"Dad! You shouldn't be moving too much! You're still injured!" Yuzo immediately stood from his seat, offering a chair for his adopted father to sit on. He frowned seeing the bandage covering his father's shoulder and collarbones.

"I'm fine. The injuries are not so bad. And I just want to check on you for a bit. It's already late and you're still working. Take a rest." Yuno told Yuzo. His eldest son has always been the most diligent and responsible out of his children. The boy would take over his work if he thinks he was overworking himself. He also scolded his younger siblings and even sometimes took care of them like a mom. Yuhei even nicknamed him 'The Second Mom' and usually teased him with that every time Yuzo started acting like a mother hen.

"I already finished my work. I just lost in thought." Yuzo said as he sat back again at his chair, showing Yuno a photograph on his table.

"Is this...?" Yuno trailed off when he saw the photo. It was the photograph of Yuzo's father, stepmother, and a baby in Yuzo's stepmother's arms.

"Yes. My little brother. I'm thinking of visiting him soon." Yuzo admitted, which surprised Yuno who was blinking at him.

"I had decided since a year ago, around a month or so after you adopted me. I had decided not to drag it anymore." Yuzo revealed. He had hated his younger brother whom he thought was the one who caused him to be banished from Kurosaki Dukedom. But after he became satisfied with his new family, he gradually accepted that his younger brother was innocent. He was not someone he shouldn't hate. And even if they have different mother, they were still siblings related by blood.

"I knew all along that worrying wouldn't do me any good. The way I was, I couldn't have even taken the first step. So I decided not to take it any longer. I mean if all you do is cry about what could have been, you're wasting your life." Yuzo had known it was pointless to keep clinging to his old dream, but he refused to let it go because he didn't want to be completely cut off from his family. But if he hadn't, he wouldn't have been able to meet the current family he had. Still, he wants to get to know his younger brother. Even if they can never be become siblings like they are supposed to be, he still wants to know him.

"I'm glad you realized that." Yuno smiled proudly at his eldest son, patting his back.

"You're the one who helped me realized it, Dad. Honestly, at first, I didn't like you quite a bit. But now, I'm really grateful to you. If it weren't for you, Master, and the others, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't be this happy." Yuzo expressed his gratitude to his father. Ever since he fully accepted his new family, he asked himself whether he would be this satisfied had he stayed at the Kurosaki Dukedom. Yes, they were not related by blood, but it didn't matter to him. He loved his current family. This was his real family.

"That's why I want to continue to fight by your side and protect as many people as I can together with you, until we can restore our homeland, and fill them with smile again."

Yuzo had made his new dream, a dream that he shared with his family.

Unfortunately,

He couldn't fulfill it.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – BATTLEFIELD – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

"Are you the children of the Oracle?"

Yuji and his three siblings were approached by a blue haired tall young man with pale skin, heavy makeup that including white foundation on all visible skin, black eyeliner, and dark lipstick, and painted nails. He was wearing a single yellow leather-hooded cloak with a waist-high slit going up the back. It has a large silver zipper that fastens at the top and zips down to seal the coat. It has teal drawstrings for the hood decorated with a large teal bead hanging from the end and a teal chain ornament adorned with four large cylindrical silver beads that fastens to a loop on either side of the collarbone region.

They instantly recognized him. They never engaged him in a fight, but they have seen him several times in the battlefield. He was one of the six most trusted servants of Apophis. He had led many armies that annihilated theirs without mercy and what disgusted was the fact that they he seemed to enjoy all the blood that were spilled either from enemies or allies.

"You're Geist the Magical Musket." Yuji stated as he and his siblings readied their Duel Disks.

"Correct! It's an honor to be recognized by the precious children of the Oracle!" Geist replied cheerfully, clapping his hands.

"Can we get straight to the business? We know that you're not here just for introduction." Yuji's only sister said coldly to the jester-like offspring.

"Yes. As much as I want to stay and have a long nice conversation with all of you..." Geist raised his Duel Disk and activated. His playful smile instantly turned into sadistic savage grin that promised pain and suffering to the four teens.

"Under His Excellency's order, you shall become sacrifices for our cause."

What happened next, Yuzo couldn't remember well. When he saw his younger sister got hit by several arrows and fell to the ground. He was filled with rage at Geist and launched his attack. However, not only Geist was able to negate it, he reflected the attack back to him. There was a huge hole on his right shoulder and waist. His entire body could only feel pain. It hurt so much that he couldn't even scream. He fell to the ground, not so far from his sister. He couldn't see anything but the dark night sky above him. He then felt his body became colder by each passing seconds. And then it was suddenly hit him.

He was sad, and he hated to admit this was his end. He finally had found a new dream that he wanted to fulfill far more than his old dream. But more than that, he was furious. He won't forgive Apophis and his armies who had destroyed their homeland. He won't forgive them for taking away their happiness and peace. He wished he could continue to fight until Apophis is defeated, but he can't. All he could do now was praying for his father, mother, and comrades, wishing them luck.

 _"I'm sure you can do it... Defeat…Apophis…"_

And then...nothingness.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – TEMPLE OF CALAMITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

When he first opened his eyes, he saw blood red moon on the night sky. He was lying on a stone altar. He sat up and saw there were three other people who were in the same position and condition as him. He looked at his hands and then tried to feel his body, feeling very much alive. A headache then attacked him as flashes of images that don't belonged to him entered his head. In that instant, he knew everything about the person whose body he had taken over.

Yuzo was the name of original owner of this body. Like all offspring, he was born through a sacrifice, and this Yuji was the sacrifice to give birth to him. Once the original soul left, his soul was placed into the empty vessel in his stead, effectively making this body his. He slowly removed himself from the stone altar, and so did the other three offspring who were born at the same time as him.

The moment they set their feet on the cold ground, a colossal dragon loomed over them. It wasn't just any dragon. It was their master, their very creator. They only have one purpose to be born. Their creator only has one purpose to give birth to them.

To serve the Dragon of Calamity.

Nothing more and nothing less.

That was the only reason for their existence.

The dragon then looked down at him, beckoning him to stand up from his kneeling position. He did and waited for his master to continue whatever he was going to say or do to him.

"Born from the Duelist with heart desiring revolution who mastered the dragon born from the darkness, the name Dark Rebellion shall be given to you."

He simply nodded. He got it. His name from now on was Dark Rebellion. The name came from this person and his dragon's rebellious nature. Speaking about the dragon...his hand reached to his Duel Disk where Yuzo placed his Deck that now belonged to him. He picked the card who where he got his name from, Dark Parhelion Dragon.

He sensed the dragon's sadness.

It must be because it just lost its true master.

Yuzo has died. His memories and feelings still remained in this body, so Dark Rebellion knew everything about him like he was Yuzo himself. This also goes for all Apophis offspring. Even though the real owner of the body has passed on, there were still remains of feelings and memories within the body. But of course, it doesn't make him the real Yuzo. Yuzo was Yuzo, and he was Dark Rebellion. They were two different people.

 _"So why do I feel this is wrong...?"_

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – ROOFTOP – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Dark Rebellion was confused. He was doing his job precisely as his master has ordered him to do, but he felt there was something missing, and something inside him was screaming that this was wrong. He thought seeing Yuzo's memories would help him understand these bizarre feelings he has. From those memories, he remembered something about Yuzo. When he accepted the work given by the Oracle after he was adopted by the latter, Yuzo just took it. At first it was just something to do for him. He worked without thinking too much about it. Then, slowly, Yuzo found pride in his work. He also found a new dream.

"Pride… Dream…" Dark Rebellion mumbled while watching the soldiers who were gathering below him. He was sent on a spying mission, gathering information about his enemies. He was the most quiet of everyone; mission like this was always easy for him. He just needed to observe things unnoticed and then return to make a report.

"Never expected to see a Duelist of your caliber being so clumsy."

Dark Rebellion gasped when he realized that Yuno was on the roof, standing not too far from him. Dark Rebellion immediately made more distance between them, warily eyeing the Oracle who was number one on the list of enemies to be destroyed. However, he didn't see any gesture or movement that indicates a will to fight. Yuno kept standing there and staring at him like he was the one waiting for him to move or start the fight. His mission was only to spy on the enemies and avoid engaging a fight.

"It seems you're so lost in thought that you didn't even notice my presence." Yuno stated without making any move and still stayed in his place.

"Have you seen me in your vision? That's why you knew I'm here?" Dark Rebellion questioned the Oracle.

"Yes. I knew that you'd be here tonight. And you're currently confused." Yuno confirmed. The last part though, was what got Dark Rebellion's attention.

"I have spoken to your comrades who are using my children's body. They are as confused as you, wondering what freedom is. From them, I now understand that all of you believes that serving Apophis is the only reason to your existence." Yuno explained, making his point clear.

"That is the fact." Yuzo stated with a frown. Ever since he and the others were born, that was exactly they have been doing. Their master was equal to a parent, and it was natural for children to obey their parent. That was the fate that had been set for them.

"I've seen many things with my gift. And from my experience, I caught a glimpse of humanity not only defying fate but searching for a new path." Yuno said, referencing his wife's words. She had constantly being amazed by his efforts in trying to change the outcome of his vision if it truly can be avoided. From that, she realized that there was a way for humans to change fate while still fulfilling their destiny in life.

"A new…path?" Dark Rebellion uttered. He then remembered a moment from Yuzo's memories. Yuzo at first was someone who preserved with his aspirations and has the strong constitution to follow his goal. However, he bitterly had to throw away his dream but eventually tried to become flexible and adapt to the situation around him, which led him to find a new way of life, a new goal.

"You believed that your purpose in life has been decided even before you were born. And the only one, who has that right, is the one who gave birth to you, Apophis. That is what all of you believed." Yuno continued.

"Are you trying to say that we are wrong about that?" Dark Rebellion questioned skeptically.

"My point exactly. You can't just accept one person's word without fully understanding it while ignoring the other possibilities. You're limiting your horizon, which is a shame. The real question though, you can't, you don't want to, or you never think about defying your given purpose?" Yuno questioned back, pointing at Dark Rebellion. As he expected, Dark Rebellion didn't – couldn't answer to his question.

"Now that you know this, you can think about it, without depending on Apophis or anyone else for answer." Yuno didn't say anything after that and left Dark Rebellion on the rooftop.

Dark Rebellion decided to go back to the base and gave his report. There was no way he could stay after Yuno has found out about him. Throughout his way back, Dark Rebellion couldn't stop thinking of the question the Oracle had directed to him.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – PARK – RUINS OF AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

"What's wrong, Odd-Eyes?"

Dark Rebellion turned to the supposed younger amongst them all. He saw Odd-Eyes was lost in thought until Clear Wing snapped him by shaking his shoulder. They were on a mission to inspect the town where The Brotherhood's activities had been taking place more often in the town. Ever since their arrival, Odd-Eyes has been in pensive mood, as if something was greatly bothering him. Dark Rebellion remembered then. Several weeks ago, Odd-Eyes suddenly started questioned about freedom. Not the freedom of the world or the humans, but their own. He voiced his doubt that they couldn't live their lives the way they wanted like other beings does. No one could answer that question, including himself.

"Are you still thinking about 'freedom', Odd-Eyes?" Dark Rebellion asked the dichromatic-eyed offspring. Yuno had told him about their predicament, but he didn't question them because he was too busy wondering of what Yuno had told him himself until Odd-Eyes was the one brought it up.

"Does it never cross your mind? Why do we have...to listen to His Excellency's order? Why can't we make our own path? Is following His Excellency's every order, truly our only purpose in life?" Odd-Eyes voiced out the questions that he has been thinking deeply since that day.

"Freedom means...we can do anything that we like. Is it really wrong for us to think that?" Odd-Eyes questioned his fellow offspring who were born at the same time and place as him. At his question, they went silent.

An explosion interrupted them. They turned at the park and saw Tsukasa with several servants attacking. Odd-Eyes gasped when he noticed a few of the children whom he often played with were amongst the civilians who were running away. From the looks of it, they got separated from their parents. Soon after, Yuno, Claire, Celica, Abel and Jusis came in, defending the civilians. They fought fiercely, but the impact of the battles slowly reached the civilians. When it was getting closer, Odd-Eyes' body moved by itself, revealing his presence to everyone.

"Odd-Eyes, what are you doing?!" Clear Wing exclaimed, following the dichromatic-eyed boy along with the other two. They were ordered to be on standby, but Odd-Eyes has just defied the order given to them.

"Odd-Eyes?!" Yuno exclaimed in surprise.

"What are you guys doing? You're supposed to be on standby, waiting for my signal." Tsukasa told the four newest offspring.

"I...I'm..." Odd-Eyes trailed off. Now he was unsure what to do as everyone's attention were on them.

"It's Big Bro Yuji!" One of the children said.

Hearing this, Tsukasa made a sound of understanding. He looked sharply at the four, Odd-Eyes in particular.

"I have known about your little play with these brats in this town, Odd-Eyes. Not only him, I'm also talking to the rest of you. I have let it slide because this is just one of your ways to kill some time while you're bored waiting for your missions. But it's the time to end your little jaunt out of the house. Play time is over, now is time to kill them. His Excellency cannot allow you all to indulge yourself anymore."

Dark Rebellion and the rest felt uneasy and unnerved, both at the look Tsukasa gave to them and the look the civilians gave to them. For that moment, they didn't know what to do or to think. As Apophis' offspring, they should be listening and follow Tsukasa's order. However, something was stopping them, making them in doubt.

"There are times it's okay to be selfish."

Yuno and Celica stood in front of the four offspring while Claire, Abel, and Jusis stood defending civilians. Starve Venom and the other three were clearly surprised by their actions that seemingly were to protect them from Tsukasa. But then Yuno's words reminded him again of the way Yuzo lived. Yuzo was able to find a new path in life and found pride in that new path. How about him? Has he ever taken pride in what he was doing? No. From the very beginning he always felt it was wrong. And that thought still hasn't changed. If that's how he feels, then why didn't he stop?

"Whoever they are, whatever they are, every living being can decide for themselves. Even if they are not humans, their lives are their own. They deserve to decide how they want to live. Not even Apophis has the right to bound them." Yuno glared at Tsukasa, unleashing murderous intent at the offspring should he dare to say a word that is saying otherwise.

"This is their life. Living freely or not, they alone are the ones who make the choice." Celica added as she turned to the four offspring behind her and Yuno. She didn't say anything to them, but it was easy for Dark Rebellion to know her unspoken question. What do they want to do?

Dark Rebellion and his other two siblings were then surprised by the words that came out from Odd-Eyes' mouth.

"I want to live in my own way. I want to create my own path, out of my own free will."

Dark Rebellion felt he has been struck by those words. He understood now. What he truly wants. Soon, Starve Venom stood beside Odd-Eyes. She raised her Duel Disk and activated it, facing Tsukasa while licking her lips as her bloodlust surfaced. Not only that, Clear Wing also followed the suit, making a challenging gesture towards Tsukasa and his servants. He never thought about a path of his own because he had given up too fast. He was afraid that if he didn't follow Apophis' orders he will be left with nothing. He let his fear got a good grip on him that he couldn't see the bigger picture.

Dark Rebellion was the last one to stand beside his siblings, challenging Tsukasa and his servants.

"This is our answer."

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – BIRDCAGE – KUROSAKI MANSION – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Dark Rebellion was watching Jusis speaking with Duke Kurosaki who were with his wife and baby son. They were at the large birdcage where the Kurosaki Family kept their pet birds. The cage was as big as a house. From Yuzo's memories, falconry had always been a part of the family's tradition. Yuzo has learned falconry himself since young age, and even has Pregerine falcon as his personal falcon, which he reluctantly had to leave behind after he was banished from the family.

And now, the same falcon was landing on his right shoulder. Animals' instinct was sharp. The bird knew that he wasn't his previous master, but for some reason it still chose to sit on his shoulder. The bird has accepted him. It made him happy. And the knowledge Yuzo has embed in him helped to understand better about the bird and how to interact with it.

"He likes you as much as he liked Yuzo." Yuno commented as he stood beside Dark Rebellion.

"Really?" Dark Rebellion asked while trying not to seem so triumphant.

"If he doesn't, he won't sit on your shoulder." Yuno replied before staring at Jusis and the Kurosaki Family. "Did you tell them that you're not the real Yuzo?"

"Yeah. For someone who had banished his own son, he strangely didn't look pleased to know Yuzo's death." Dark Rebellion noted. From Yuzo's memories, he could tell that Yuzo didn't think so kindly of his father after he banished him. Even though Yuzo knew there was a reason, that still didn't stop him from having ill feeling against his own father.

"Duke Kurosaki cares for both of his sons, both Yuzo and his younger brother. His action may seem cruel, but he made that decision to prevent his two sons from killing each other. It was a hard decision for him too. He knew he can't see Yuzo again after this, so in exchange he asked me to give him an update about his growth. He at least wanted to know that his older son has grown wonderfully." Yuno explained. After Yuno officially adopted Yuzo, the Duke had personally visited his house and spoke to him in private, asking, begging even for Yuno to secretly tell him his son's daily activities. He couldn't become part of his son's life anymore, but he still wished to know him. Yuno understood and did as he was asked.

"Yuzo forgave him in the end and would like to know his younger brother. If the Duke know this, that should give him a bit of relief. Especially, his decision back then led him to meet you." Dark Rebellion said as he turned to Yuno, smiling at him.

"I know this is not much of a consolation, but the whole year he spent with you as a family is the best thing that had ever happened to him in his life. I'm not mocking Duke Kurosaki, but Yuzo had considered you more as a family, as his father, more than when he was still staying at the Kurosaki House." Dark Rebellion revealed. From Yuzo's feelings and memories, Dark Rebellion understood that to him, Yuno, Claire, his siblings, and his comrades were the most important thing to him in the whole world.

"And I also feel the same. If it were not for you, I would never think of forming a path of my own. I would have been nothing more but Apophis' obedient servant who can't think for himself. You gave me a wakeup call. You also accepted me even though I'm not a human. For that, I'm grateful to you, Dad." Dark Rebellion admitted. He had always thought what he did under Apophis' orders were wrong, but his fear chained him down. Yuno gave him courage to walk his own path, separated from Apophis.

"From now on, I will fight together with you, and bring back the peace to this homeland, just as Yuzo wished."

Dark Rebellion made his vow from that moment. That was the least he could do atone for the wrong he had done.

However, he didn't get to fulfill it,

For his life ended at his enemy's hand.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – VILLAGE – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Six months have passed. The battle against Apophis and his armies became fiercer than ever. Not only that, Yuno and the others were close to find out how to seal Apophis and his offspring in case they can't defeat them completely. This requires the help of all Link Monsters for it to work. Just now, he finished teleporting the last of all Link Monster spirits in a small village. He also evacuated the villagers along the way. While he doesn't know the procedure in sealing Apophis and his armies, he believed in his father and Ma'at and humanity's potential.

"Everybody has been evacuated. The Link Monsters have also been teleported. Now all that I need is to get out of here..." Dark Rebellion murmured as he scanned the village, making sure no one was left behind.

"I'm afraid I won't let you get out of here alive."

Dark Rebellion was alerted when a man with short blond hair, blue-green eyes and a scar across his forehead and nose. He wore a blue vest with a cross design lined in white, a gray coat with an emblem on the sleeves, black gloves and boots and a silver chain with a tag.

"Rowan." Dark Rebellion immediately recognized the man. He had taken various missions with him when he was still working for Apophis.

"His Excellency has ordered me to eliminate you. I have nothing against you, but anyone who betrayed His Excellency must not be allowed to live!" Rowan activated his Duel Disk, challenging Dark Rebellion.

"I also have nothing personal against you, but for everyone's sake, I won't hesitate to end you here!" Dark Rebellion activated his Duel Disk as well, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! I set 3 cards and end my Turn!" Dark Rebellion concluded. He eyed Rowan. Even though he had taken missions together with Rowan, he never actually saw Rowan dueled, so he didn't know about his Deck. But he did know that Rowan was a Ritual user like Yuno.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Knight of the End (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4)!" Rowan summoned Knight of the End in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"When this card is summoned, I can send a DARK-Attribute monster from my Deck to the Graveyard." Rowan sent Ritual Djinn Demolisher (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 600 / LV: 3) from his Deck to his Graveyard.

"I activate Ritual Magic: Ritual of Salvation to perform Ritual Summon." Rowan revealed his Ritual Spell Card, but before he performed Ritual Summon, he pressed the screen of his Duel Disk that showed Djinn Demolisher in the Graveyard.

"When I'm about to Ritual Summon, I can banish Ritual Djinn Demolisher from my Graveyard as 1 of the monsters required for the Ritual Summon." Rowan banished Djinn Demolisher, allowing its spirit to appear by Knight of the End's side as a white altar bathed in light appeared on the Field. Both monsters became flames that lit the altar.

"I use Knight of the End and Djinn Demolisher! Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 7! Beautiful Goddess of Salvation – Northwemko (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 7)!" Rowan summoned Northwemko in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack directly with Northwemko!" Rowan declared attack.

"Double Trap: Phantom Lags! I can halve the damage and summon these cards as Trap Monsters!" Dark Rebellion lessened the damage he took and then summoned two Phantom Lags (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 2) in Attack Position.

 **DARK REBELLION LP: 4000 = 2650**

"I end my Turn." Rowan concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Double Shadow! I can double the Level of DARK Monsters I control!" Dark Rebellion doubled his two Phantom Lags' Level into Level 4.

"I overlay my two Level 4 Double Lags! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Dark Parhelion Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Dark Rebellion summoned his ace monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Dark Parhelion's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can halve my opponent's monster's ATK!" Yuno declared, pointing Northwemko as is target.

"Unfortunately, Ritual Monster summoned using Demolisher as material cannot be targeted by card effects!" Rowan revealed as Northwemko deflected the lightning with a simple swing of its staff.

Dark Rebellion quickly took out a card from his hand. "Then I activate Quick-Play Spell: Nightmare Strength! I can increase the ATK of a DARK monster I control by 700!" He increased Dark Parhelion's ATK to 3200 as the dragon was enveloped by dark shadow.

"Battle! I attack Northwemko with Dark Parhelion! False Sunset!" Dark Rebellion declared attack. The Xyz dragon flew straight towards Northwemko, pointing its shining fangs at the Ritual Monster.

Rowan opened his facedown card. "Trap Card: Djinn Protection! Ritual Monster summoned using Ritual Djinn monster as material cannot be destroyed by battle!" Djinn Demolisher's spirit appeared again, blocking Dark Rebellion's fangs with its barrier, protecting Northwemko.

"But you'll still take damage!" Yuto reminded as Rowan skidded backwards from shockwave, receiving 500 damage.

 **ROWAN LP: 4000 = 3500**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Dark Rebellion finished. The effect of Nightmare Strength was also finished, reverting Dark Parhelion's ATK to normal.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Djinn's Magical Lamp! I can add a Ritual Djinn monster from my Deck to my hand." Rowan added Ritual Djinn Presider (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4) into his hand.

"I summon Ritual Djinn Enforcer (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 500 / LV: 4)!" Rowan summoned Djinn Enforce in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Northwemko.

"I activate Djinn Enforcer's effect. When this card is summoned from my hand, I can add 2 Magic or Trap Cards into my hand." Rowan added one Magic and one Trap into his hand.

"Battle! I attack Dark Parhelion Dragon with Northwemko!" Rowan declared his first attack. Northwemko raised its staff and twirled it up, gathering energies from the winds and auras before pointing it at the Xyz Monster, unleashing grayish blast at Dark Parhelion.

"Trap Card: Phantom Wing! I negate my monster's destruction and increase its ATK by 500!" Dark Rebellion opened his facedown card, negating Dark Parhelion's destruction and increase its ATK to 3000, backfiring Northwemko's attack back to the Ritual Monster.

Rowan took out a card from his hand. "Trap Card: Djinn Support! I can activate this card from my hand by releasing a Djinn Monster I control! I negate the attack and inflict damage to my opponent equal to the attack of the released monster!" He negated Northwemko's attack by releasing Djinn Enforcer and then inflicted 1800 damage to Dark Rebellion.

 **DARK REBELLION LP: 4000 = 2700**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Rowan concluded. He faced Dark Rebellion with a questioning look. "Why did you betray us and choose to side with the humans, Dark Rebellion?"

"Humans have the right to live and choose for themselves. But more than that, I do not take pride in my work as Apophis' servant and I think what you are doing is wrong." Dark Rebellion answered.

"Serving His Excellency, being his offspring should be an honor itself. Humans themselves were the ones who gave birth to His Excellency with their dirty negative thoughts. They brought this upon themselves." Rowan replied, snorting at Dark Rebellion's answer.

"Don't speak as if all humans were responsible. I won't deny the existence of humans who caused Apophis to be born, but Ma'at is the proof that there are still good humans in this world. I'm fighting for the sake of those humans and for my own path that I have chosen." Dark Rebellion reaffirmed his resolve and immediately started his Draw Phase.

"My Turn! When I control an Xyz Monster, I can special summon Phantom Knights Dusk Shade (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 800 / LV: 4 / PS: 3) from my hand!" Dark Rebellion summoned Dusk Shade in Attack Position.

"When Dusk Shade is special summoned, I can special summon a Level 5 or lower Phantom Knights Monster from my Deck!" Dark Rebellion summoned Phantom Knights Black Horse (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 1900 / LV: 5) in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Shadow Armament! I release my two Phantom Knights Monsters and add their combined ATKs to a non-Phantom Knights Monster that I control!" Dark Rebellion released Black Horse and Dusk Shade, increasing Dark Parhelion's ATK to 5600.

"Battle! I attack Northwemko with Dark Parhelion Dragon!"

Dark Parhelion Dragon accumulated blue energies into its mouth, preparing for a blast. Dark Parhelion spread its transparent black wings and raised its chest. The dragon then shot a powerful fiery blue blast from its mouth towards Northwemko, burning the Ritual Monster into nothing, leaving Rowan without any monster on his Field.

 **ROWAN LP: 3500 = 600**

Rowan quickly stood up and opened his facedown card. "Trap Card: Cost Draw! When I receive more than 2000 damage, I can draw until I have 5 cards in my hand!" He drew until he has 5 cards in his hand.

"I end my Turn." Dark Rebellion concluded, eyeing Rowan warily. He noticed a glint in Rowan's eyes when he saw the cards he has drawn. He is going to do something in his next Turn with those cards.

"I apologize in advance that I must end your freedom, your dream, and your life in this Turn." Rowan told the Xyz user.

"What do you mean?" Dark Rebellion asked, but Rowan simply started his Turn.

"My Turn! By discarding a Level 5 or higher monster, I can special summon Dark Grepher (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Rowan summoned Dark Grepher in Attack Position after discarding Ritual Djinn Presider from his hand.

"And then I activate Ritual Magic: Ritual of Destruction. Once again when I'm about to Ritual Summon, I can banish Ritual Djinn Monster from my Graveyard as 1 of the monsters required for the Ritual Summon." Rowan banished Djinn Presider that he has sent to the Graveyard to use it as a Material.

"I use Dark Grepher and Ritual Djinn Presider! Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 7! Demon King of Destruction – Garlandolf (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 7)!" Rowan performed another Ritual Summon, summoning Garlandolf in Attack Position. When Garlandolf was summoned, the cold air suddenly thickened and Dark Parhelion became restless, roaring at the Ritual Monster.

"I activate Garlandolf's effect. When this card is Ritual summoned, all face-up monsters on the Field with DEF less than or equal to this card's ATK are destroyed and this card received 100 ATK for each destroyed monster!" Rowan revealed. Garlandolf crossed its arms in front of its face as dark energies were gathering around its body. It lowered its arms to reveal its glinting eyes before finally opening its arms, unleashing the energies throughout the area. As one monster destroyed, it gained 100 ATK. Its ATK was increased to 2600.

"What?!" Dark Rebellion exclaimed in disbelief as his dragon was destroyed just like that, being sliced by the energies.

"I also activate Quick-Play Spell: Djinn's Gift. I increase Garlandolf's ATK by 800 by discarding a Djinn Monster from my hand." Rowan discarded the second copy of Djinn Demolisher, increasing Garlandolf's ATK to 3400.

"Your life ends now, Dark Rebellion."

Rowan declared his final attack. Garlandolf blew Dark Rebellion away with its deadly blast, sending him to a house behind him. The impact was so strong that the house fell apart, burying the badly burned Dark Rebellion. From the small hole of the debris that held him down, he saw his hand started turning into black sand. He was going to die. For all his talk atoning his sins and fulfilling Yuzo's dream, he did a sucky job doing that. He was dying now, unable to fulfill neither one.

 _"Is this...the price for...wanting a freedom...?"_

And then Dark Rebellion's body completely dissolved into dust, being swept away by the cold night wind.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – LIMBO – MA'AT DOMAIN**

After everything that he had done, Dark Rebellion was positive that he would end up in burning hell the moment she died. That's why she was surprised when he found himself at a pure white space. There was nothing there. Everything was white without a single bit stain. The clothes he was wearing was the same one when he died, but lighter in color.

"What is this place...?" Dark Rebellion looked around, trying to find anything other than himself. The last thing that he remembered was receiving the full brunt of Rowan's Garlandalf's blast that burned his entire body and that literally ended his life. But what is this place? He doubted it was hell or heaven.

"Yes. You have died at Rowan's hand. Now you are within my domain, in between the two realms."

Dark Rebellion was startled when a giant majestic white dragon appeared from within a ray of light, staring down at him. Ma'at the Dragon of Harmony. This was the first time he had seen his true form.

"In your domain? So this is your world? But why am I here?" Dark Rebellion asked.

"Because I brought your soul here. Before you passed completely, I brought your soul here and the heart that lodged with you." Ma'at revealed.

"Why would you bring me here?" Dark Rebellion asked again.

"Choose." Ma'at simply answered, confusing the boy.

"Choose? What do you want me to choose?" He asked again at the white dragon.

"You are no human being. You are the offspring of Apophis, as such, when you're dead, you don't disappear immediately, but rather you are given free choice whether to pass or to be born once more as Duel Monsters." Ma'at revealed. Actually, in most cases, Apophis without any hesitation would bring the souls into his domain and change them into Duel Monster servants whether the souls wanted it or not. But since he rejected Dark Rebellion, Ma'at was able to bring the boy into his domain.

"If you wish so, I may revive you as Duel Monsters. Exceptionally strong soul as yours, are capable of becoming strong Duel Monster that may rivals Apophis." Ma'at offered the former Apophis offspring who looked down, immersing himself in thought.

"Can you give this choice to Yuzo instead? He deserved this chance more than me." Dark Rebellion requested to the Dragon of Harmony.

"No. You must be the one to take that chance."

Dark Rebellion stiffened at the voice. The voice that was similar with his. The same in fact. Ma'at moved its right wing, beckoning Dark Rebellion to look at the direction where his wing was pointing. Dark Rebellion's gaze hardened when he saw the one whom he momentarily mistook as the reflection of himself. No. This was real. He could feel his soul transparently.

"The dream, wish, feelings, everything within you are not something that you borrowed or copied from me. They are your own. You always thought of fulfilling these wishes in my place, but these are actually your own wishes, your own goals. We are simply having the same wishes and goals." Yuzo told Dark Rebellion. Because his memories were still in his body, Dark Rebellion had mistakenly thought the dreams and wishes of his own were Yuzo's. They didn't come from his memories, but from Dark Rebellion's own will.

"Even if I take this chance, I'm not strong enough help our family fight against Apophis. But you can do it. You can help them and fulfill your goals." Yuzo patted Dark Rebellion's shoulders and held them tight. He hardened his gaze at Dark Rebellion, silently encouraging him.

"There is no need for you to bear anything anymore. You have already suffered enough." Ma'at said as he now appeared behind Yura, facing Starve Venom.

"And your new life as Duel Monsters won't be so simple. It's not that you will be able simply to be reborn, living your life and forget everything. Even if you are born anew, your memories will remain. The happy memories, the harsh memories, and you will fight once more." Ma'at told Dark Rebellion. Having Dark Rebellion by their side as Duel Monsters would give them advantage beyond expectations. He would give them more than enough power to seal Apophis, along with the others.

"It all depends on you. Make your choice." Ma'at stated.

Dark Rebellion looked at Ma'at and then at Yuzo. He then closed his eyes, thinking of his parents and his comrades who were still alive, still fighting against Apophis. They still haven't enough power to defeat or even seal them. If he really could help them, he wants to help. Even if he won't be the same anymore, even if he became even more monstrous, as long as he can save the world he loved and the people he loved living in it, then he will take it. And more than anything, he wants to return the happiness and peace to his beloved homeland so that everyone can smile again.

Dark Rebellion's face turned resolute. He nodded. He will be reborn as Duel Monster.

"The choice is made."

Dark Rebellion's body was slowly surrounded by warm white golden light.

Dark Rebellion's body then was completely engulfed in bright white light. The light was blinding until it slowly took a form of a dragon. The golden color started dispersing once the form was solid, gradually revealing a dragon with purple-colored scale cladded in metallic dark armor with mechanical wings that has two purple-colored orbs. Its most defining feature, however, was its strong metallic fangs.

The rebellious dragon from the darkness.

Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon.

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 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Yuhei ~ Clear Wing~** \- Yuhei is the only son of a famed Sawatari Enterprise who is known as troublemaker for rejecting the next position to become chairman and has a personal grudge against all nobles and their hostility towards the commoners to the point of being biased. To make him develop an understanding, Yuno takes him in.

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 **This chapter finished earlier than and not as long as I expected. But still, I can't promise for the next one. About Yuzo's ace monster's name, Dark Parhelion Dragon, the 'Parhelion' part came from sun dog,** **in** **meteorology** **, is an** **atmospheric** **optical phenomenon** **that consists of a bright spot to the left or right of the** **Sun** **. Only three chapters left until these flashbacks will finish and then the story will move to the next arc.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	66. Yuhei - Clear Wing -

**Big thanks to** _ **Playerhood18, VioletStarVN, Ulrich362, dvdryms, Unknowedz, GamingGuy84, Yuka Kuroshiro, Guest, Jason, Big duels, D3lph0xL0v3r, Elbarto4000, tsukikami02**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **1,501 YEARS AGO – STREET – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Yuhei was laying on the ground, covered in mud, as a group of three men in suits that can only be afforded by people from nobility were looking at him mockingly. He returned their mocking look with a snicker, mocking them back, which earned him another kick. One of the men then grabbed him by his shirt, lifting him from the ground.

"You brat, how dare you cheating on our bet and took all the money! You're really asking for a death sentence, huh? Do you know who we are? Our Family is one of the strongest in the nobles, so you better watch what you're doing!"

Yuhei only snickered more as he faced them apathetically. "So what? That is part of the game. You use anything to win. Aren't you nobles never fair to us commoners? You adults are either dumb or have no brains." He said. He already had fun by looking at the faces of the losers whom he beat on the bet and he successfully took away their money. It was more satisfying to see that than the money.

This enraged the three men. The man who was grabbing him pointed a knife toward his head. He is so ready to stab the knife to the boy's face and send the boy to the next life. Yuhei didn't even flinch at the knife pointed toward his head. He quickly kicked the man who was holding him by his groin and then kicked him again to his two friends, causing them to stumble back to the ground. Yuhei prepared his Duel Disk, challenging them for a Duel, as the three men were also Duelists like him.

You're really asking for a death sentence huh, brat?"

"Although, he is already done anyway when he cheated."

"Let's finish him off quickly."

The four were ready to commence the Duel when the three men's face suddenly dilated and they slum down on their faces to the ground, unconscious. Behind them, his new instructor at the Ryuji Institution, Yuno of the Oracle, was standing with a reprimanding look on his face. The Oracle has hit the men on their nerves, knocking them out cold for a while.

"Either you are bold or out of your mind to cheat like that during the bet against those adults. Never in my life I ever saw a boy at your age to have such guts." Yuno offered a handkerchief for Yuhei to wipe his blood and mud, but Yuhei slapped it away.

"This is not a place where a civilian, let alone a kid, to be wandering around." Yuno scolded the white-haired boy calmly.

"Shuddup! It's none of your damn business!"

Yuhei walked towards his D-Wheel that was quite in a beat-up shape and needed to be fixed. Yuno understood then. That must be why he participated in the illegal game of bet, and even went as far as cheating the nobles. But most nobles were cheating themselves, so they were even. Yuhei didn't wait for Yuno and rode off, leaving Yuno alone at the street with the three unconscious noblemen.

He then remembered Yuhei's D-Wheel. It was beat-up only because these noblemen messed it up after Yuhei won against them. Just form a glance, he could tell that Yuhei took care a great deal of his D-Wheel and properly tune it. He had heard that Yuhei built it himself. As expected from the son of the head of Sawatari Enterprise.

The Sawatari Enterprise was the empire's prominent heavy industrial enterprises, recognized throughout the country. During the middle ages, the organization originated as a machinery workshop having a long-run business relationship with the Imperial Army. They slowly and then rapidly boomed its business to new height covering from machineries to heavy arms manufacture. The organization was found and headed by Yuhei's father until his death and now was headed by Yuhei's uncle.

"I have promised that I will guide him to the best of my ability. But he is unexpectedly even harder to handle than Yura and Yuzo." Yuno stated to himself with a sigh.

"Indeed, he is."

Yuno almost jumped from shock when he found that his wife was already by his side, staring at the way where Yuhei had ridden off.

"Stop doing that! How long you have been there?!" Yuno protested. His wife has this habit of seemingly appearing out of nowhere. When people realized it, she was already there, no one could sense her presence. There were times he could tell she was there, but he was more often couldn't.

"Doing what exactly? I have been standing here ever since you arrived here." Claire replied, genuinely confused by Yuno's reaction.

"You– Never mind. We can talk about that later. Yuhei comes first." Yuno quickly changed the subject.

Despite his behavior, Yuhei was actually a good boy. He stood as a person to his own rights shared by true friends. Hence, he became the rebellious heir doings things that are ignoble against the traditional teachings of the organization, much to the infuriation of his uncle. According to Yuhei's uncle, Yuhei's father was a man of principle. He chafed at his son's rebelliousness and refusal to look and behave like a traditional heir to the organization. He had a certain pride, even being stubborn to the point that he will only admit defeat when forced to yield. Still, he was a man of his word and expects fairness in all dealings. The previous head admitted that his stubborn personality was one quality he shared with his son.

Yuhei's father died in an airship crash. He protected Yuhei during the crash, saving his son at the cost of his life. His uncle then took Yuhei in. Noticing something was not right with the crash, Yuhei's uncle did some investigation and found out from his brother's recordings and documents before the crash that a customer from nobility has been extorting him to do illegal firearms customization for a massive deal. Yuhei's father had enough and declined any more requests from the said noble family and intended to destroy the weapons but got killed before he could do the job. All the evidences have been erased, and since they were nobles, it was close to impossible to charge them without concrete evidence.

Overhearing the truth, Yuhei came to despise the institution of nobility ever since. He was upset and enraged that he couldn't get justice for his father, and his way to cope with his loss and anger was indulging himself in his Riding Dueling where he challenged and defeated every single noble who was participating without mercy. He also participated in illegal games even though he could have just asked his uncle for allowance and lives in his house. But instead, Yuhei chose to live at an apartment with his own money he got from the games and part-time work. It was both another one of his coping mechanisms and he also didn't want to trouble his uncle by being related to him. And they also have different view about nobles.

Despite his uncle's efforts to take care of him, he still couldn't open Yuhei's heart and change his view. In the last ditch of effort, his uncle enrolled him into the Ryuji Institution as one of the children Yuno must take care of.

"Talking to him won't be enough. He must experience and see with his own eyes that not all nobles are what he thinks they are." Claire pointed out. From her observation, Yuhei has always preferred practical lesson than theoretical, which means the boy, learned more through direct experience than speech.

"I know. I have a plan, though he won't like it for sure. I maybe even have to step in like I did to all our adopted children." Yuno scratched the back of his head while recalling how he officially adopted Yuji, Yura, and Yuzo before.

"And looks like we're going to add another one into our family." Claire said as she handed a letter to Yuno. The content of the letter softened her husband's gaze and he made a sad expression. Claire could understand. She also felt the same when the enterprise head asked her directly.

"His uncle has given me his approval. All he wants is the best for Yuhei-kun, and this is the last solution he has left." Claire informed while remembering the enterprise head's bowing form.

Yuno looked determinedly at the direction where Yuhei has gone.

"Then we must not disappoint him."

 **1,501 YEARS AGO – RYUJI INSTITUTION – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Yuno and Jonouchi gathered 10 of the children placed under their care, including Yuhei, Yuji, Yura, and Yuzo. Yuno and Jonouchi frowned as some of the children were still trying to make a distance due to difference in their social status. They clearly didn't pay attention to the rules of this institution when they entered.

"For today's lesson all of you will form a team. And for the sake of fairness, there will be no distinction between the nobles and commoners. We have already told you that social status doesn't matter in this place, everyone is equal, but there are still some who can't get it into your heads so we are forced to do this until all of you understand." Yuno announced without beating around the bush, making his intention crystal clear to everybody. As he expected, the children were instantly murmuring in shock and uneasiness at the thought of having to mix up with the people of different status.

"With all due respect, it's ludicrous to intermix nobles and commoners like this. I refuse to work shoulder to shoulder with those arrogant stuck-up hedonists." Yuhei didn't beat around the bush either, making his deep-seethed hatred clear to everyone without a care.

"You're just kids whether you like it or not, can't you just get along well?" Jonouchi suggested, feeling a headache to deal with this problem.

"As if that's gonna be possible! This is not as simple as making a cup ramen!" Yuhei protested firmly, stomping his foot.

"Fool." Yura snorted.

"Huh?" Yuhei heard the girl, turning his attention her fully with a glare.

"I just find the irony of your behavior rather humorous." Yura said sarcastically.

"You...I don't remember your name, but I do remember you're a noble who got disowned because of your misconduct. Still thinking highly of yourself, aren't you? Why don't you grace this lowly commoner with your name?" Yuhei sneered at the former noble girl, making an intimidating gesture that would have scared ordinary people. This didn't deter Yura in the slightest. In fact, she found it more idiotic.

"I don't need to. It's not like I expect the name of an arrogant, stuck-up hedonist to lodge itself in that little hard head of yours, cretin." Yura replied mockingly, grinning when the boy's face gone red with rage.

"What was that?! Say that again! I dare you!" Yuhei clenched his fists and tried to reach for the girl.

"W-wait! Violence is no good!" Yuji quickly placed himself between his adoptive sister and Yuhei, moving in almost autopilot. At the same time, Yuzo was blocking Yura, giving the girl a reprimanding look.

"Do you really need to worsen the situation?" Yuzo questioned his sister. Seriously, when she didn't like something, she often pours oil into the fire for either her own amusement or to make the said people whom she has problem with 'know their places.'

"I merely was pointing out the fact." Yura defended herself.

"Sis, please be quiet for now and just begin our task, okay?" Yuji pleaded before the situation could get any worse. Unfortunately, his sister won't have that.

"Only if he'd be able to give an analysis without any of the pro-noble bias I'm certain to inject." Yura retorted as she glanced briefly at Yuhei condescendingly.

"You're really picking a fight me aren't, you?" Yuhei cracked his knuckled. He didn't care if she is a girl, he is so going to beat her up.

Yuno grasped Yuhei's hand tight before the boy could make a move towards Yura.

"Enough. I'm not trying to take Yura's side here, but Yuhei, you're certainly allowed your views to cloud your ability to see things objectively. You're not thinking straight because of your prejudice." Yuno told the boy. Yuhei growled and quickly freed his hand from Yuno's hold, glaring at the instructor.

"Oh, shut up! What do you know anyway! I don't want to hear that from you who is getting all friendly with the nobles by sucking up to them! I bet you're actually giving them special treatment behind our back!" Yuhei accused bitterly. He never liked his instructors. They all talked big about equality in the institution, but then still gave special treatment to the noble children. And Yuno was married to a noblewoman, so he was no different.

"This is worse than I thought. Very well, how about we do it like this, let's have a Duel." Yuno proposed, raising his Duel Disk.

"A Duel?"

"Here we go again..." Yuzo sighed as he was reminded how he got adopted by his father.

"Yes. If I win, you will listen to what I say. If you win, I will make sure you don't have to be associated with the nobles in this place anymore." Yuno offered. With Yuhei's current state of mind, he won't listen to whatever he or anyone say. A discipline is needed for him to make him listen. He has hoped it wouldn't come to this, but he has no choice.

"Heh. That's more like it. I'm gonna beat the crap out of ya, a noble's dog, and end this farce once and for all!" Yuhei was more than eager to accept the challenge, activating his Duel Disk and begin the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'll go first! When there is no card on my Field, I can activate the Magic Card: Speedraw. With its effect, I can draw two cards, and send one Speedroid from my hand to the Graveyard." Yuhei drew a card and then sent Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice to the Graveyard.

"Then, I summon Speedroid Double Yoyo, and using its effect, I Special Summon Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice from my Graveyard!" Yuhei summoned Double Yoyo in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone and then revived Tri-Eyed Dice that he just sent in Attack Position beside Double Yoyo in the Main Monster Zone.

"All right! Let's do this! I'm tuning the Level 4 Double Yoyo with the Level 3 Tri-Eyed Dice! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 7! Clearwing Speed Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Yuhei summoned his ace monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I set three cards and end my Turn." Yuhei concluded.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Revendead Born! I tribute monsters from my hand whose total Levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster I'm going to summon." Yuno used Vendead Hellhound, Hell Salamander, and Core as his tributes.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 7! Vendead Battlelord (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 0 / LV: 7)!" Yuno summoned Battlelord in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"If Vendead Battlelord is Ritual summoned using Vendead Core as material, it cannot be targeted by card effects." Yuno revealed, meaning that it won't be affected by Clearwing Speed Dragon's effect. Yuhei made an annoyed face at that. He made the right decision to use Core as material.

"If Vendead Battlelord is Ritual summoned using Vendead Hellhound, I can target 1 Spell or Trap Card my opponent controls and banish it!" Yuno pointed at Yuhei's set card on the left, banishing it. Yuhei clicked his tongue at the move.

"Battle! I attack Clearwing Speed Dragon with Vendead Battlelord!" Yuno declared battle. Battlelord raised its broadsword and swung it down. But before the sword could make contact with the Synchro dragon, Yuhei opened his first Reverse Card.

"Continuous Trap: Burning Sonic! For one time, I can negate the battle, and increase the ATK of the targeted Clearwing Speed Dragon by 500!" Yuhei negated the attack, increasing his dragons' ATK to 3000. A wall made of flames blocked Battlelord's broadsword. In retaliation, Yuno took out a card from his hand before his monster could be destroyed.

"Quick-Play Spell: Reversal Attack! Both of our monsters' ATKs are switched!" Yuno increased switched Vendead Battlelord and Clearwing Speed Dragon's ATKs, making his monster's ATK higher than the dragon.

"Then, I'll counter that! I activate the effect of the Continuous Trap: Burning Sonic! By sending Burning Sonic into the Graveyard, I can negate the effect of Reversal Attack!" Yuhei discarded his Trap immediately, switching back the ATKs of both monsters.

"But your dragon will still be destroyed!" Yuno reminded as since the Trap has left the Field, Clearwing Speed Dragon's ATK reverted to normal, lower than his Battlelord's ATK.

"Trap Card: Dragon Shot! I negate the destruction of a Dragon-Type Monster I control and both of us will receive damage!" Yuhei opened his second Reverse Card, allowing his ace monster to block Battlelord's broadsword with both its arms. The backlash of the attack then pushed back both Yuhei and Yuno, inflicting them damage.

 **YUHEI LP: 4000 = 3800**

 **YUNO LP: 4000 = 3800**

"I set a card and end my Turn–" Yuno was about to end his Turn when Yuhei suddenly interrupted.

"Hold it! During this timing, I can Special Summon Speedroid Demon Magnet. During the End Phase of the turn my opponent Special Summons from the Extra Deck, if I have no monster, I can Special Summon it!" Yuhei summoned Demon Magnet in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Its ATK is zero. Seems pretty harmless, right? Go ahead and attack it on the next turn if you want! Due to its Monster Effect, the battle damage will be reflected back to you, and you'll end up destroying yourself!" Yuhei warned his instructor cockily, confident that he has the upper hand. Yuno didn't react to that and simply ended his Turn.

"My Turn! I summon Speedroid Shave Boomerang (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 0 / LV: 4)!" Yuhei summoned Shave Boomerang in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Shave Boomerang's effect! Once per Turn, I can target 1 Monster on the Field to change this card to Defense Position and that target lose 300 ATK! I choose Clearwing Speed Dragon!" Yuhei pointed at his own ace monster as Shave Boomerang changed into defensive.

"He targeted his own monster?!"

"There must be more to this."

"He might be an idiot, but his skill in Duel is topnotch."

"I activate Clearwing Speed Dragon's effect! When this card is targeted by a monster effect, I can negate it and destroy that monster and it gains ATK equal to that monster's ATK until the end of this Turn!" Yuhei increased his dragon's ATK to 4500.

"Battle! I attack Vendead Battlelord with Clearwing Speed Dragon!" Yuhei declared attack. Clearwing Speed Dragon's wings unleashed a strong wave of winds that cut the black dragon until it was disintegrated into nothing while its controller was blown away by the wind as he received damage.

 **YUNO LP: 3800 = 2000**

"Trap Card: Hands of the Grave! When an Undead-Type Monster I control is destroyed, I can destroy a card on my opponent's Field! I choose Speedroid Demon Magnet!" Yuno immediately opened his Trap following Battlelord's destruction, destroying Demon Magnet, which saved Yuno the trouble of getting rid of it through force in the next Turn.

"Tsk. So you have that kind of trick under your sleeve to get rid of Demon Magnet. But I'm still going to win either way! I end my Turn." Yuhei declared smugly as he ended his Turn.

"You're furious. And unfortunately it was unjustified." Yuno started while wiping the dust from his clothes.

"Huh?! You still talk big even in this situation, noble's dog?!" Yuhei spat back bitterly.

"You're grieving for our father and you can't take it that the one who took your father away from you didn't get what they deserve. Your hatred needed to be directed at someone, anyone. First you blamed the pilot. Then the plane company. Then the noble who set up the accident. In the end, you just hate nobility as a whole. Everything about them. You desperately wanted the strength to win against them. To show how right you are and how wrong they are." Yuno continued. The boy has been suffering hardship due to the noble's action more than Yura and Yuno. But that still didn't give the boy to say everything he has said a while ago to the people who had done nothing wrong to him. Having made a promise to his uncle, he will open Yuhei's eyes.

"Clouded by grief and hatred, you fail to see the goodness in others. Even if I have to use force, I will make you open your eyes and see reality." Yuno decreed as he began his Draw Phase.

"My Turn! I activate Vendead Battlelord's effect! When this card used Vendead Hell Salamander as material and is destroyed, I can return all the Ritual materials to my hand." Yuno summoned back Hell Salamander, Core, and Hellhound back to the Field in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Night of the Living Vendead! I banish Vendead monsters on my Field whose total Levels are equal or more than the Ritual Monster I'm going to summon! Ritual Summon! Vendead Battlelord!" Yuno summoned the second copy of Battlelord in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Vendead Cross Soul! When I have Vendead Monsters with the same name on the Field and Graveyard, I can add the ATK of the Vendead Monster I control equal to the Vendead Monster in my Graveyard!" As Yuno has another Battlelord in his Graveyard, Yuno increased the Battlelord's ATK that he was controlling to 5400.

"Battle! I attack Clearwing Speed Dragon with Vendead Battlelord!" Battlelord raised its broadsword and swung it down, destroying the Synchro Monster into half and pushed Yuhei back from the backlash of the explosion.

 **YUHEI LP: 3800 = 1100**

"But I still have LP! I will finish you off on my next Turn!" Yuhei retorted.

"There will be no next Turn for you! I activate Vendead Cross Soul's second effect! I can banish the targeted Vendead Monster in my Graveyard to make a second attack!" Yuhei banished Battlelord in his Graveyard, allowing the Battlelord he was controlling to attack one more time.

"What?!"

"I attack directly with Vendead Battlelord!" Yuno declared. Battlelord swiftly threw Yuhei back with the back of its sword, dealing the final blow that depleted the boy's remaining LP.

 **YUHEI LP: 1100 = 0**

Yuhei immediately struggled to stand up. He gritted his teeth in frustration and anger for losing against someone who was closely related to the nobles. He was ready to lash out his anger, but he didn't get to as Yuno gave him a hard slap on his face, reddening his left cheek. Before he could protest, Yuno held him by his collar, stopping the boy from saying anything.

"Deep down, you should have known it. You're just taking out your anger on people who didn't deserve it. People who had done nothing wrong. They may be different social classes, but people are still individuals. Not all human beings are exactly the same. You need to get together and see people's kindness instead of just focusing on their bad sides." Yuno told the boy while tightening his grip on the boy's collar to emphasize his words before letting him go.

"Starting from today, you will stay with me and my family. You will attend your trainings with your mixed group whether you like it or not and you will learn from working with them. That is what I want for my victory in this Duel. Your pride as a Duelist won't say no, now that you have lost, won't you?" Yuno added, not giving the boy any room for discussion. He cannot be so kind and lenient to Yuhei. If he did, the boy would simply brush him off ad slack off without a care. But with this, the boy won't be able to object, not unless he wants to lose his pride as a Duelist.

With great reluctance, Yuhei accepted his lost and complied to Yuno's condition. He has officially been adopted into the Oracle's family. He was still furious and refused to try getting along with any of them or so that's what he said in his mind.

Little that he knew that was the first big step he made in his life.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – RIDING DUEL TRACK – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

A year after he gained a new family, a being known as Apophis the Dragon of Calamity, appeared and went rampage on the whole world with his offspring. It only took a few weeks and the world was close to reach the Armageddon. Most cities in every country were dystopian in appearance. Thanks to the blessing from Ma'at the Dragon of Harmony who was the nemesis of Apophis, in the form of Supreme King Deck, they were able to survive this far and managed to counterattack, but it was still not enough to kill Apophis and his offspring. Worse, a month ago, Yuno's father, Renka Mizushima, was killed. The Supreme King Deck then was passed to Yuno.

Yuhei and his siblings had tried their best to help their father and The Brotherhood, but they wondered how long they would last. Even with the joint effort of the whole armies in the world, they still weren't close enough to defeat Apophis and his offspring. If they can't kill them, Yuno proposed to find a way to seal them. That way, it would at least buy them some time to become stronger until they can kill Apophis and his offspring. But unfortunately, so far, they couldn't find the right method to seal them.

In his stress from the continuous battle and finding a way to seal Apophis, Yuhei decided to refresh his brain by doing what he liked the most, riding on his D-Wheel. From the very beginning, he never had any intention to succeed his father as the head of Sawatari Enterprise. His long dream was to become a Professional Riding Duelist. He had always dreamt to become one ever since he first watched and tried Riding Dueling.

D-Wheel riding and Riding Duel are a combination of exhilaration, fear, relaxation, and pleasure that changes you forever. It's physical and emotional pleasure, with a layer of anxiety and adrenaline. Whenever he rides on his D-Wheel, he noticed smells in a way that he didn't when he travels by car, or even by bicycle. Part of it is because his senses were already heightened to begin with. Part of this is because he is traveling faster than a bicycle, so the smells change more frequently. Part of it is the fact that he has a large volume of air rushing by, so there are more molecules for his nose to pick up. Either way, for better or worse, he smells everything. Grass, trees, the ocean, exhaust, pollution, everything.

When driving a car, people somewhat closed off, both protected from and thus immune to the rest of the world. On a D-Wheel, he essentially has no protection, so he starts caring about everything in your environment that can affect you. Potholes, road kill, even puddles. It completely permeates his thoughts until he arrives at his destination. This isn't necessarily a bad thing to him. All of these emotions are fueled by adrenaline, which feels good. While on the road, he learned to live in a semi-permanent state of hyper-awareness.

"I knew that I will find you here." Yuno said to Yuhei who was waving at the Riding Duelists who joined him a while ago. Yuno noticed that the Riding Duelists were both commoners and nobles. Before excusing themselves, they seemed to be having fun together. In this time of crisis, it was a pleasant scene to see.

"It's my complete victory!" Yuhei said proudly while jabbing his chest and grinning widely.

"I know that we are in the middle of war, but it doesn't mean you can't try to be happy. It is precisely at time like this you have to remember how it feels to have fun so once the peace is restored, you'll be enjoying your daily lives again." Claire revealed herself from behind Yuno, wiping the dust sticking on Yuhei's face with her handkerchief until Yuhei did it himself.

"Are they your friends?" Yuno pointed at the Riding Duelists earlier.

"Yeah. We met two weeks ago while I was riding here. I urged them to duel with me so they can relax a bit." Yuhei explained.

Two weeks ago in this place, they came while mourning for their lost families a few days before. When they saw him Riding Dueling, it crossed their minds to start riding too, but they were unsure because they didn't feel it was right to have fun and let go of their families so fast. Yuhei argued that moping around and mourning wouldn't make their dead families happy either, reciting his father's teaching that the dead ones wishes for the happiness of the living. At first, they were a bit edgy, but the gradually got along and often hung out together whenever they have free times or want to clear their minds.

"Dad, Mom, thanks…" Yuhei suddenly said, facing both of his adoptive parents.

"For what?" Yuno asked, blinking.

"A year ago I really messed up. I could only thinking bad things about the nobles and refused to accept there are other sides of them. But I realized now that ultimately I have had to acknowledge that nobles and commoners are the same human beings. Not all commoners are good people and not all nobles are unworthy of respect."

"Yura might not have done much change in my opinion. But getting to know you, Mom, Yuzo, and Jusis-san showed me there are nobles who lived up to that name. That's why, thank you. I'm glad now that you adopted me."

Claire couldn't contain the surge of happiness coming into her. Doting mother mode!

"I'm the one who should be thanking you, Yuhei. You really are a good boy. I am so proud!" Claire hugged her middle son tightly from behind and gave a little peck on his forehead.

"M-Mom! Cut it out! It's embarrassing!" Yuhei said while blushing. Despite his embarrassment, it wasn't unpleasant though. His mother died when he was too young and he barely remembered her, so Claire's motherly affection was welcomed. She was warm and he loved her.

"If only you're like this all the time, I'm sure you can get along with your sister." Yuno remarked.

Even though Yuhei has been adopted and they officially became siblings, Yuhei and Yura have a rather poor sibling relationship compared to their other siblings. Yura has the tendency to tease him, and being so hotheaded, Yuhei easily accepted her bait. Yuno had lost count of how many times Yura pulled pranks on Yuhei and surprisingly always succeeded in every one of them, which led to Yuhei chasing around Yura. At the very least, they didn't hate each other. In Yuji's opinion, the constant pranks and argument between the two are their ways to show sibling loves. Yuno and Yuzo wanted to disagree with that, but they decided to keep quiet to prevent further speculation or the sort.

Yuhei looked at Yuno like the old man had grown another head.

"Are you kiddin' me?! I might accept that not all nobles are bad – wait, no, this has nothing to do with whether she's a noble or not! That arrogant, self-centered, creepy girl can go choke on poisonous plants of hers! She's always mocking me for spending so much time with my D-Wheel, or telling me I need to study more when she does nothing but fill her greedy stomach with snacks–"

"Oh? Then perhaps I can introduce you to one of my favorite plants."

Yuhei jumped back when he heard the voice interrupting him from his rant. And just as he expected, his older sister who often was not right in her mind was standing not so far beside their mother. Yura was grinning creepily like always, but this time Yuhei could sense a sinister aura coming from her. Usually, that means she was not so pleased. Anyone who managed to push her button ended up being hung upside down while her carnivorous plant seeming ready to eat him or her up or having a case of food poisoning that will force him or her to stay on bed for weeks.

"She's here! The greedy poisonous plant freak!" Yuhei pointed his finger accusingly at the Predator Plants user. She stepped forward, prompting him to step back.

"It seems I have gained much weight lately from too much eating." Yura said while rubbing her tummy, which was still as slim as ever despite her ferocious appetite.

"Why don't we have a little...exercise to lower my weight, brother dear?" Yura's grin widened as she took out her custom-made thorn whip, lashing it at the Speedroid user. Yuhei paled at that and took it as his cue to leave.

"I'm outta here!" Yuhei rode on his D-Wheel and took off in full speed, leaving his parents and sister in the dust. However, this didn't stop Yura.

"Oh no, you don't!" Yura summoned Starve Venus and directed the dragon to chase after her younger brother. The dragon complied and chased the Riding Duelist with equal speed while Yuno and Claire smiled in amusement at their children's antic.

Yuhei began to laugh without them knowing as they were behind him. Right now, he was enjoying the moment. Ever since his real father's death, he closed himself off to almost everyone and did stupid things to make himself feel better, while it was actually only made him feel worse. But ever since Yuno adopted him, his life started to become brighter.

But sadly,

This didn't last long.

It came to an end so quickly.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – BATTLEFIELD – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

"Are you the children of the Oracle?"

Yuhei and his three siblings were approached by a blue haired tall young man with pale skin, heavy makeup that including white foundation on all visible skin, black eyeliner, and dark lipstick, and painted nails. He was wearing a single yellow leather-hooded cloak with a waist-high slit going up the back. It has a large silver zipper that fastens at the top and zips down to seal the coat. It has teal drawstrings for the hood decorated with a large teal bead hanging from the end and a teal chain ornament adorned with four large cylindrical silver beads that fastens to a loop on either side of the collarbone region.

They instantly recognized him. They never engaged him in a fight, but they have seen him several times in the battlefield. He was one of the six most trusted servants of Apophis. He had led many armies that annihilated theirs without mercy and what disgusted was the fact that they he seemed to enjoy all the blood that were spilled either from enemies or allies.

"You're Geist the Magical Musket." Yuji stated as he and his siblings readied their Duel Disks.

"Correct! It's an honor to be recognized by the precious children of the Oracle!" Geist replied cheerfully, clapping his hands.

"Can we get straight to the business? We know that you're not here just for introduction." Yuji's only sister said coldly to the jester-like offspring.

"Yes. As much as I want to stay and have a long nice conversation with all of you..." Geist raised his Duel Disk and activated. His playful smile instantly turned into sadistic savage grin that promised pain and suffering to the four teens.

"Under His Excellency's order, you shall become sacrifices for our cause."

What happened next, Yuhei couldn't remember well. When he saw his older sister got hit by several arrows and fell to the ground, he was filled with rage at Geist. To make it worse, Geist then delivered the finishing blow to his oldest brother when he attempted to counterattack. There was a huge hole on his right shoulder and waist. Yuhei couldn't think straight after that and only wanted to kill Geist. However, his state of mind led to his doom. He only realized it at the moment too late when he lost his left arm. His entire body could only feel pain. It hurt so much that he couldn't even scream. He couldn't see anything but the dark night sky above him. He then felt his body became colder by each passing seconds. And then it was suddenly clear to him that he was going to die.

He was sad and angry. He finally had found a new happiness in a form of a new family. He knew that it won't last forever, but he thought that at least it would last for many years to come. But no, everything was shattered only a year later. He won't forgive Apophis and his armies who had destroyed their lives. He won't forgive them for taking away their happiness and peace. He wished he could continue to fight until Apophis is defeated, but he can't. All he could do now was praying for his father, mother, and comrades, wishing them luck. His senses were too dull to even feel anything. His thought rewound to the time when the whole family decided to have a riding Duel. It was the best moment of his entire life after he lost his real father. They promised they would do it again next time. But now, there will be no next time for them.

 _"I wish…I can ride with them…one more time…"_

And then...nothingness.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – TEMPLE OF CALAMITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

When he first opened his eyes, he saw blood red moon on the night sky. He was lying on a stone altar. He sat up and saw there were three other people who were in the same position and condition as him. He looked at his hands and then tried to feel his body, feeling very much alive. A headache then attacked him as flashes of images that don't belong to him entered his head. In that instant, he knew everything about the person whose body he had taken over.

Yuhei was the name of original owner of this body. Like all offspring, he was born through a sacrifice, and this Yuhei was the sacrifice to give birth to him. Once the original soul left, his soul was placed into the empty vessel in his stead, effectively making this body his. He slowly removed himself from the stone altar, and so did the other three offspring who were born at the same time as him.

The moment they set their feet on the cold ground, a colossal dragon loomed over them. It wasn't just any dragon. It was their master, their very creator. They only have one purpose to be born. Their creator only has one purpose to give birth to them.

To serve the Dragon of Calamity.

Nothing more and nothing less.

That was the only reason for their existence.

The dragon then looked down at him, beckoning him to stand up from his kneeling position. He did and waited for his master to continue whatever he was going to say or do to him.

"Born from the Duelist with heart desiring excitement who possessed the dragon with radiating wings, the name Clear Wing shall be given to you."

He simply nodded. He got it. His name from now on was Clear Wing. The name came from this person and his dragon's beautiful wings. Speaking about the dragon...his hand reached to his Duel Disk where Yuhei placed his Deck that now belonged to him. He picked the card who where he got his name from, Clearwing Speed Dragon.

He sensed the dragon's sadness.

It must be because it just lost its true master.

Yuhei has died. His memories and feelings still remained in this body, so Clear Wing knew everything about him like he was Yuhei himself. This also goes for all Apophis offspring. Even though the real owner of the body has passed on, there were still remains of feelings and memories within the body. But of course, it doesn't make him the real Yuhei. Yuhei was Yuhei, and he was Clear Wing. They were two different people.

 _"So why do I feel there's something lacking...?"_

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – RIDING DUEL TRACK – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Clear Wing didn't know why, but he ended up at the track where Yuhei and his friends usually have a Riding Duel together. Nothing has changed in this place. He blinked as he spotted Yuhei's D-Wheel. That's right; Yuhei left his D-Wheel there on the day he was killed. That time, Yuhei expected to ride with his friends again the next day, which didn't come true as he was killed by Geist a few hours afterwards. Curiously, Clear Wing touched the D-Wheel and sat on it.

"Yuhei!"

Clear Wing jumped when he heard the familiar voices. Yuhei's friends came and mistook him as Yuhei. He was using his body after all. Looks like they didn't know yet of Yuhei's death. To avoid suspicion, Clear Wing decided to play along. It wasn't difficult since Yuhei's memories of them were strong inside him. He could pretend to be Yuhei with ease around them.

"Let's have a race! Not a Duel, but a normal race with our D-Wheels! It's been a while since we have a normal race!" One of Yuhei's friends challenged him.

"Uh, I…" Clear Wing never rode a D-Wheel even if he has Yuhei's knowledge on how to riding it. Thinking and doing it directly were two different things. He wasn't sure he could do it. But he couldn't decline as Yuhei's friends pushed him to be on standby.

Trying his best to apply the knowledge from Yuhei's memories, Clear Wing began his first time riding a D-Wheel. He was surprised when he got the hang of it quick. But what surprised him was the sensation he felt when riding the bike. Honestly? He didn't think it could be described. Intense might be a good word. All of his senses are magnified. All of his emotions are doubled. He feels nothing but alive.

It was like he has an IMAX vision. No windows or pillars to block his view. Everything comes pouring in to his eyeballs with no limitations. He smelled and consequently tastes everything. Whatever he passed, he smelled intensely. The wind is just packing those molecules up his nose and every whiff of grass just jammed up there. He will never smell things like he do on a bike. And he meant that in a good way. He felt every nuance of weather. Temps. Moisture. Everything. Moving through a tree lined section of road, you will feel that 2-degree drop, and it will make him smile. He heard white noise. The wind, his D-Wheel, it all combines into this generic sound. And his mind tried to make sense of it. Turn it into music like he'd never heard before.

He felt a combination of fear, exhilaration, relaxation, and pleasure. And best of all... there will be this moment where everything comes together. He stopped thinking of the next turn. Stop focusing on the details. And he will feel like his machine and himself have just become one. A zen-like state will settle on his shoulders and he will just glide through the world, a part of it, immersed in it, in total harmony.

Riding D-Wheel is wonderful. No wonder Yuhei loved it.

"So you're also doing the same thing."

Clear Wing gasped when Yuno arrived with Claire. Yuhei's friends all greeted them politely. Even though the couple knew who he was, they didn't say anything and acted like he was the real Yuhei. Once all of Yuhei's friends went home, Clear Wing was left alone with Yuno and Claire, ready to Duel. However, the couple raised their arms, indicating they meant no harm or has no intention to fight him. For some reason, Clear Wing decided to do the same.

"How does it feel? Do you like the taste of freedom?" Yuno asked.

"Freedom?" Clear Wing asked. The term was alien to him.

"Feeling of not bound by anything or anyone. You can do anything, as you like; everything is made from your own decision. You can decide your life by yourself." Claire continued.

"Not bound by anyone… Deciding my own life…" Clear Wing wondered. He never thought of that. Now that it came to his mind, working under Apophis always gave him the feeling of anxiety and felt like he was carrying a heavy luggage that went heavier by the day. Until now, his life was decided by Apophis. He moved the way Apophis wanted him to.

"Are you really okay living the rest of your life being his puppet that can do nothing but obey him?" Yuno questioned. He, however, didn't wait for Clear Wing's answer and turned his back on him, leaving the track.

"Perhaps doing more rides with D-Wheel will help you clearing your mind." Claire suggested while pointing at Yuhei's D-Wheel. Both she and Yuno have given him permission to use their deceased son's D-Wheel, giving it to him.

"Freedom…" Clear Wing murmured as he looked at Yuhei's D-Wheel.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – PARK – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

"What's wrong, Odd-Eyes?"

Clear Wing turned to the supposed younger amongst them all. He saw Odd-Eyes was lost in thought until Clear Wing snapped him by shaking his shoulder. They were on a mission to inspect the town where The Brotherhood's activities had been taking place more often in the town. Ever since their arrival, Odd-Eyes has been in pensive mood, as if something was greatly bothering him. Clear Wing remembered then. Several weeks ago, Odd-Eyes suddenly started questioned about freedom. Not the freedom of the world or the humans, but their own. He voiced his doubt that they couldn't live their lives the way they wanted like other beings does. No one could answer that question, including himself.

"Are you still thinking about 'freedom', Odd-Eyes?" Dark Rebellion asked the dichromatic-eyed offspring. Yuno had told him about their predicament, but he didn't question them because he was too busy wondering of what Yuno had told him himself until Odd-Eyes was the one brought it up.

"Does it never cross your mind? Why do we have...to listen to His Excellency's order? Why can't we make our own path? Is following His Excellency's every order, truly our only purpose in life?" Odd-Eyes voiced out the questions that he has been thinking deeply since that day.

"Freedom means...we can do anything that we like. Is it really wrong for us to think that?" Odd-Eyes questioned his fellow offspring who were born at the same time and place as him. At his question, they went silent.

An explosion interrupted them. They turned at the park and saw Tsukasa with several servants attacking. Odd-Eyes gasped when he noticed a few of the children whom he often played with were amongst the civilians who were running away. From the looks of it, they got separated from their parents. Soon after, Yuno, Claire, Celica, Abel and Jusis came in, defending the civilians. They fought fiercely, but the impact of the battles slowly reached the civilians. When it was getting closer, Odd-Eyes' body moved by itself, revealing his presence to everyone.

"Odd-Eyes, what are you doing?!" Clear Wing exclaimed, following the dichromatic-eyed boy along with the other two. They were ordered to be on standby, but Odd-Eyes has just defied the order given to them.

"Odd-Eyes?!" Yuno exclaimed in surprise.

"What are you guys doing? You're supposed to be on standby, waiting for my signal." Tsukasa told the four newest offspring.

"I...I'm..." Odd-Eyes trailed off. Now he was unsure what to do as everyone's attention were on them.

"It's Big Bro Yuji!" One of the children said.

Hearing this, Tsukasa made a sound of understanding. He looked sharply at the four, Odd-Eyes in particular.

"I have known about your little play with these brats in this town, Odd-Eyes. Not only him, I'm also talking to the rest of you. I have let it slide because this is just one of your ways to kill some time while you're bored waiting for your missions. But it's the time to end your little jaunt out of the house. Play time is over, now is time to kill them. His Excellency cannot allow you all to indulge yourself anymore."

Clear Wing and the rest felt uneasy and unnerved, both at the look Tsukasa gave to them and the look the civilians gave to them. For that moment, they didn't know what to do or to think. As Apophis' offspring, they should be listening and follow Tsukasa's order. However, something was stopping them, making them in doubt.

"There are times it's okay to be selfish."

Yuno and Celica stood in front of the four offspring while Claire, Abel, and Jusis stood defending civilians. Starve Venom and the other three were clearly surprised by their actions that seemingly were to protect them from Tsukasa.

"Whoever they are, whatever they are, every living being can decide for themselves. Even if they are not humans, their lives are their own. They deserve to decide how they want to live. Not even Apophis has the right to bound them." Yuno glared at Tsukasa, unleashing murderous intent at the offspring should he dare to say a word that is saying otherwise.

"This is their life. Living freely or not, they alone are the ones who make the choice." Celica added as she turned to the four offspring behind her and Yuno. She didn't say anything to them, but it was easy for Clear Wing to know her unspoken question. What do they want to do?

Clear Wing and his other two siblings were then surprised by the words that came out from Odd-Eyes' mouth.

"I want to live in my own way. I want to create my own path, out of my own free will."

Clear Wing felt he has been struck by those words. He understood now. What he truly wants. Soon, Starve Venom stood beside Odd-Eyes. She raised her Duel Disk and activated it, facing Tsukasa while licking her lips as her bloodlust surfaced. He remembered again the feeling Yuhei had when he made his first step that broaden his mind and opened his heart. He remembered the feeling when he has a Riding Duel with Yuhei's friends and how he felt when he was riding D-Wheel. He wanted to feel more of them.

Clear Wing took a stand against Tsukasa together with Odd-Eyes and Starve Venom, and shortly after followed by Dark Rebellion.

They have made their choice.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – RACING TRACK – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Clear Wing was sighing in envy as Yuhei's friends were having fun riding while he must stayed on the bench because he was having a slight cold so Yuno forbid him to ride a D-Wheel for a while until he healed. He wished he got well quickly so he can join his friends in riding his D-Wheel. His body was itching for the sensation and feeling the wind.

Now he understood more how Yuhei felt. When he rides D-Wheel, he's truly putting himself at the mercy of the rest of the world. His life can be snuffed out as quickly as flipping off a light switch. Now, this isn't to say he's nervous all the time either. But rather he is, at all times, keenly aware of his own mortality. And quite frankly, he should be. Once he starts relaxing or acting carelessly, it's over.

He stopped trusting people to act rationally.

This is a key part of the D-Wheel experience. All those small things that happen on the road which people don't think much about? D-Wheelers noticed them, and were constantly making lots of small decisions accordingly. He noticed the big things, the small things, and everything in between. "Is this guy in front of me texting? Is that guy going to pull out of his parking spot? The pavement in this lane sucks, is it safe to switch? Is that car going to cross my path to exit? When is this truck moving over? Am I out of his blind spot yet?" He might feel like the king of the road, but he learned quickly that cars & trucks weren't thinking about him at all. He learned to analyze other people's agendas and try to predict their behavior.

When he rode, it felt like freedom. The D-Wheel accelerated and handled easily, so he felt confident, and even cocky. Riding has become one of the greatest joys of his life. He'd recommend it to anyone looking for a new sense of fun, adventure, and practicality.

"You know, watching them would only make you wanting to ride even more. Go back inside and take a proper rest if you want to get well quickly." Yuno told Clear Wing who was watching the race between his friends excitedly.

"But staying in bed is boring. I can understand how Yuhei felt now whenever he is not allowed to ride. The waiting is killing me." Clear Wing remarked. His hands were making motions as if he was riding his D-Wheel. Yuno chuckled at that. Clear Wing's eyes then softened.

"Hey, Dad…after this is over, can we…have a Riding Duel together? Us, the whole family?" Clear Wing asked. He remembered the time when Yuhei and his whole family did a Riding Duel together. He remembered it to be the best moment in Yuhei's life. It wasn't like he was trying to fulfill Yuhei's wish in his place. He also wanted to experience it.

"I also…want to feel what Yuhei felt when he had Riding Duel with all of you. Is it okay?" Clear Wing asked. His voice was softer than ever. Yuno was surprised, but looking at Clear Wing's sincere face, he couldn't say no.

"Of course. Let's have a Riding Duel together." Yuno ruffled Clear Wing's hair, and for once he didn't do anything to stop him.

"But first, you have to get well. Starve Venom has already made a soup for you." Yuno gestured Clear Wing to return inside. But when Clear Wing heard Starve Venom was the one who cooked, he shook his head.

"No way! Who knows what kind of poison she put into the soup!" Clear Wing rejected the idea of eating Starve Venom's soup.

"Oh?"

Clear Wing shuddered when cold air chilled his body. He slowly turned to see Starve Venom carrying her homemade soup in her hand with that menacing grin of hers.

"Here I thought to be nice to you since you are sick right now. But I see that you prefer the evil me? Understand. You'll get exactly as you want then." Starve Venom's eyes glinted even more.

Before he knew it, Clearwing's body was already tied with Starve Venom's whip as she loomed over him.

"This is not one of my poisonous plants. But here! A full bowl of hot soup!"

Clear Wing screamed as he was forced to swallow the whole soup in one go that was enough to knock him out. Yuno has to carry him back inside and tucked him on his bed. He finally rests properly. While asleep, Clear Wing was dreaming. He dreamed the day he has his long-awaited Riding Duel with his whole family. It was only a dream, but it felt real. He felt truly happy. He couldn't wait t experience it in reality.

Sadly,

That day never come.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – STREET – AMOSIS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Six months have passed. The battle against Apophis and his armies became fiercer than ever. Not only that, Yuno and the others were close to find out how to seal Apophis and his offspring in case they can't defeat them completely. This requires the help of all Link Monsters for it to work. Just now, he finished teleporting the last of all Link Monster spirits in the area. While he doesn't know the procedure in sealing Apophis and his armies, he believed in his father and Ma'at and humanity's potential.

"It's a shame that you're choosing the wrong side, Clear Wing."

Clear Wing stopped his D-Wheel the moment he heard the voice behind him. He glared at the owner of the voice who emerged from the dust, revealing himself as Shing. He already activated his Duel Disk, and Clear Wing didn't need to ask what his business he has in this place.

"You're lucky that I arrived here first before Neon. If she is here first, you're at her mercy. And believe me, being liked by her is not a good thing." Shing said. He and Neon had argued who will take the task to assassinate Clear Wing. Since neither of them back down, they settled with a race; the one who arrived first will be the one to take on Clear Wing.

"I can take care of myself just fine!" Clear Wing retorted as he activated his Duel Disk that was still attached to his D-Wheel.

"Yeah. No more talking. I want to finish this quickly, so let's go straight to the Duel, shall we?" Shing stated, taking a battle stance.

"That's exactly what I want!" Clear Wing concurred, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! From my hand, I summon Speedroid Bamboo Horse (ATK: 1100 / DEF: 1100 / LV: 4)!" Clear Wing summoned Bamboo Horse in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"When Bamboo Horse is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Speedroid Monster from my hand, but only Speedroid Monster can attack this Turn. I Special Summon Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice (ATK: 300 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 3)!" Clear Wing summoned his pyramid-like Monster in Attack Position beside Bamboo Horse.

"I Tune Level 4 Bamboo Horse with Level 3 Tri-Eyed Dice! Come forth! Level 7! Clearwing Speed Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Clear Wing summoned his ace Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I set two cards and end my Turn!"

"My Turn! When I control no monster, I can special summon Evil Cell of the Inverz (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) from my hand!" Shing summoned Evil Cell of Inverz in Attack Position.

"When I control no Magic or Trap, I can special summon Scout of the Inverz (ATK: 200 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) from my hand, but in exchange I can's special summon other monster this Turn!" Shing summoned Scout of Inverz in Attack Position as well.

"I release Scout of the Inverz to Advance Summon Inverz Giraffa (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 0 / LV: 7)!" Shing tributed Scout of Inverz, summoning Inverz Giraffa in Attack Position. As the former has left the Field, he can special summon again.

"I activate Inverz Giraffa's effect! I can target a card my opponent controls and send it to the Graveyard!" Shing pointed at the Synchro Monster. Inverz Giraffa summoned countless of bugs that swarming towards Clearwing Speed Dragon.

"I also activate Quick-Play Spell: Inverz Seal! Until the end of this Turn, my opponent's monster cannot activate its effect!" Shing added.

Clear Wing opened his first facedown card. "Trap Card: Soul of the Winds. When a WIND-Attribute monster I control is targeted by an effect that will make it leave the Field, I can negate that effect and summon a Speedroid Counter (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)." He enabled his ace monster to dodge the swarm of bugs and then summoned a Speedroid Counter in Defense Position.

"I also release Evil Cell of the Inverz to Advance Summon Inverz Horn (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 0 / LV: 9)!" Shing once again performed Advance Summon, summoning Inverz Horn in Attack Position.

"I activate Inverz Horn's effect. Once per Turn, I can pay 1000 LP to destroy a monster on the Field." Shing decreased his own LP by 1000 to allow Horn to destroy Clear Wing's monster.

 **SHING LP: 4000 = 3000**

Shing pointed at Clearwing Speed Dragon again. Inverz Horn flapped its wings, sending a brown-colored dust towards the Synchro Monster who visibly got weakened when made contact with it.

"I activate Soul of the Winds' second effect. I banish it to negate destruction!" Clear Wing banished his Trap Card, allowing Clearwing Speed Dragon to endure the dust until it disappeared.

"Battle! I attack Predator Token with Inverz Giraffa!" Shing started his attack, destroying Clear Wing's Predator Token. As it was in Defense Position, Clear Wing didn't receive any damage.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Shing ended his Turn, confusing Clear Wing. That's all?

"You could have attacked my dragon with Inverz Horn." Clear Wing stated. Inverz Horn has higher ATK than Clearwing Speed Dragon, so it's supposed to be possible for Shing to destroy his dragon.

"I'm playing safe. That's all." Shing replied with Clear Wing looking at him skeptically.

"Heh! Then I'll make you regret it! I will finish you off soon with my dragon!" Clear Wing declared confidently while his dragon roared in agreement.

Shing snorted and then smiled. "If your dragon can do anything by that time that is." He replied.

"What do you mean?" Clear Wing questioned.

"Duel first, talk later." Shing dismissed. Prolonging the talk means the longer the Duel will take. He wanted to go back as fast as he can, so he wanted to end this Duel quickly.

"My Turn! I activate Quick-Play Spell: Speedroid Cart! I can increase the ATK of a monster my control by 400 for each Speedroid Monsters in my Graveyard!" As he has two Speedroid Monsters, Clear Wing increased his dragon's ATK by 800, making its current ATK 3300.

"Battle! I attack Inverz Giraffa with Clearwing Speed Dragon!" Clear Wing pointed at Shing's other Advance Monster. Clearwing Speed Dragon disintegrates the inverz Monster with its blow of winds, sending Shing several steps back.

 **SHING LP: 3000 = 2300**

"I end my Turn." Clear Wing concluded, smiling confidently at Shing. "Huh! You need more than just these bugs to defeat us!"

"Then I just need to summon a bug that can overpower your dragon. My Turn! I summon Inverz All-Purpose Form (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 0 / LV: 2)!" Shing summoned the black-colored bug-like monster in Attack Position.

"Inverz All-Purpose Form can be treated as 2 tributes for the tribute summon of a Inverz Monster. I release Inverz All-Purpose Form to Advance summon Inverz Gazus (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 0 / LV: 8)!" Shing summoned Gazus in Attack Position.

"When Inverz Gazus is Advance summoned, I can destroy all Magic and Trap cards on the Field." Shing destroyed his own set cards in his Magic and Trap Zone before taking out a card from his hand.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Inverz Vision! I can inflict 400 damage to my opponent for each Magic and Trap Card that got destroyed!" As two cards were destroyed, he inflicted 800 damage to Yuri, causing the boy to stumble back a bit from the attack.

 **CLEAR WING LP: 4000 = 3200**

"I end my Turn." Shing concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand, I Summon Speedroid Shave Boomerang!" Clear Wing summoned Shave Boomerang and activated its effect to increase Clear Wing's ATK to 4500. Clear Wing didn't hesitate to unleash his next attack with his powered up dragon, destroying Inverz Gazus.

 **SHING LP: 2300 = 600**

"I activate Trap Card: Inverz Advance's effect in Graveyard! I banish it to special summon an Inverz Monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position!" Shing banished the Trap he just destroyed and then revived Inverz All-Purpose Form back to his Field. It cannot be destroyed due to the Trap Card's effect until the end of this Turn.

"I end my Turn." Clear Wing finished, reverting his dragon's ATK to normal. He was unnerved when Shing suddenly smiled.

"Now it's time to fulfill my mission! I summon Bait of the Inverz (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1900 / LV: 4)!" Shing summoned the Bait in Attack Position.

"I release Inverz All-Purpose Form to Advance summon Inverz Mantis (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 0 / LV: 5)!" Shing summoned Inverz Mantis in Attack Postiion.

"When an Inverz Monster is Advance summoned while Gatekeeper of Inverz is on the Field, I can normal summon a monster in addition to my Normal summon this Turn." Shing Normal summoned Inverz Caller (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 0 / LV: 4) in Attack Position from his Deck in addition after he Normal summoned Bait of Inverz earlier.

"I overlay Bait of the Inverz and Inverz Caller! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Inverz Roach (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 0 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Shing summoned Inverz Roach in Attack Position.

"An Xyz Summon?!" Clear Wing exclaimed in shock.

"When Bait of Inverz is used as a Material for Advance, Xyz, Fusion, or Synchro Summon, the summoned monster gain ATK equal to its ATK and it can negate the effect of a monster my opponent control until the end of Battle Phase!" Shing added Bait of Inverz's ATK to Inverz Roach, increasing its ATK to 3400. Inverz Roach was covered in overwhelming dark green aura.

"Battle! I attack Clearwing Speed Dragon with Inverz Roach! Begone from this place, Clear Wing!" Shing declared as Inverz Roach spread its wings and summoned countless roaches by its side, all of them were covered in the same dark green energies. Together, they flew towards Clearwing Speed Dragon, crushing the Synchro Monster the ground. The dragon roared in pain as the green energies disintegrate its body until there was nothing left. Clear Wing got blown back from the crash.

 **CLEAR WING LP: 3200 = 2300**

"It's time to finish this Duel." Shing pointed at his Inverz Roach. "I activate the Bait's effect. I banish it from Graveyard to add its ATK to an Inverz Monster I control and increase my LP by the same amount. Shing increased Inverz Mantis' ATK to 3700 and recovered his LP.

 **SHING LP: 600 = 2100**

Shing's eyes stayed on Clear Wing who was lying with his back against his D-Wheel without any card on his Field. He was completely at Shing's mercy.

"I attack directly with Inverz Mantis!" Inverz Mantis readied its arm blades, flying at Clear Wing.

Clear Wing couldn't feel anything after that. His body was thrown high to the air as the attack hit him, which also destroyed his D-Wheel. As quickly he got thrown up, he immediately plummet to the ground, his head hit the ground first, causing huge amount of blood to came out from his head, making a puddle of blood. Shing didn't need to check on him and just left the dying Synchro user.

 **CLEAR WING LP: 2100 = 0**

Clear Wing didn't have any energy left as his body started to dissolve into black dust. He was regretting that he couldn't do more. He was so determined to live his dream, but yet here he was, disappearing. He couldn't live to fulfill the day where he and his family have a Riding Duel together. There were still many things that he wanted to do, but his life was at its end.

 _"If only...I was stronger…"_

And then Clear Wing's body completely dissolved into dust, being swept away by the cold night wind.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – LIMBO – MA'AT DOMAIN**

After everything that he had done, Clear Wing was positive that he would end up in burning hell the moment she died. That's why she was surprised when he found himself at a pure white space. There was nothing there. Everything was white without a single bit stain. The clothes he was wearing was the same one when he died, but lighter in color.

"What the heck...?" Clear Wing looked around, trying to find anything other than himself. The last thing that he remembered was receiving the full brunt of Shing's Inverz Roach's blast that threw and crushed him that literally ended his life. But what is this place? He doubted it was hell or heaven.

"Yes. You have died at Shing's hand. Now you are within my domain, in between the two realms."

Clear Wing was startled when a giant majestic white dragon appeared from within a ray of light, staring down at him. Ma'at the Dragon of Harmony. This was the first time he had seen his true form.

"So I'm kinda not fully dead yet? Why I'm here anyway?" Clear Wing asked.

"Because I brought your soul here. Before you passed completely, I brought your soul here and the heart that lodged with you." Ma'at revealed.

"Why you brought me here?" Clear Wing asked again.

"Choose." Ma'at simply answered, confusing the boy.

"Choose what?" He asked again at the white dragon.

"You are no human being. You are the offspring of Apophis, as such, when you're dead, you don't disappear immediately, but rather you are given free choice whether to pass or to be born once more as Duel Monsters." Ma'at revealed. Actually, in most cases, Apophis without any hesitation would bring the souls into his domain and change them into Duel Monster servants whether the souls wanted it or not. But since he rejected Clear Wing, Ma'at was able to bring the boy into his domain.

"If you wish so, I may revive you as Duel Monsters. Exceptionally strong soul as yours, are capable of becoming strong Duel Monster that may rivals Apophis." Ma'at offered the former Apophis offspring who looked down, immersing himself in thought.

"Just accept the offer already!"

Clear Wing stiffened at the voice. The voice that was similar with his. The same in fact. Ma'at moved its right wing, beckoning Clear Wing to look at the direction where his wing was pointing. Clear Wing's gaze hardened when he saw the one whom he momentarily mistook as the reflection of himself. No. This was real. He could feel his soul transparently.

"Yuhei…?" Clear Wing said the name with disbelieve.

"Do you really need to think twice to accept the offer? You can go back and help Dad and the others to fight back! Do you want to let that bastard Apophis have his way?! I'm not satisfied until I kick his butt!" Yuhei walked to Clear Wing and slapped his back, causing the latter to wince.

"But I'm not strong enough! You are even stronger than me as Duel Monster, so take the damn offer! Kick his butt in my place! I won't forgive you and haunt you if you just slacking off, you hear me?" Yuhei told Clear Wing while continuously pointing his finger right between Clear Wing's brows as his own form of encouragement.

"There is no need for you to bear anything anymore. You have already suffered enough." Ma'at said as he now appeared behind Yuhei, facing Clear Wing.

"And your new life as Duel Monsters won't be so simple. It's not that you will be able simply to be reborn, living your life and forget everything. Even if you are born anew, your memories will remain. The happy memories, the harsh memories, and you will fight once more." Ma'at told Clear Wing. Having Clear Wing by their side as Duel Monsters would give them advantage beyond expectations. He would give them more than enough power to seal Apophis, along with the others.

"It all depends on you. Make your choice." Ma'at stated.

Clear Wing looked at Ma'at and then at Yuhei. He then closed his eyes, thinking of his parents and his comrades who were still alive, still fighting against Apophis. They still haven't enough power to defeat or even seal them. If he really could help them, he wants to help. Even if he won't be the same anymore, even if he became even more monstrous, as long as he can save the world he loved and the people he loved living in it, then he will take it. And more than anything, he wants to feel it again, the wind, the sensation that he felt when he was riding his D-Wheel together with his family.

Clear Wing's face turned resolute. He nodded. He will be reborn as Duel Monster.

"The choice is made."

Clear Wing's body was slowly surrounded by warm white golden light.

Clear Wing's body then was completely engulfed in bright white light. The light was blinding until it slowly took a form of a dragon. The golden color started dispersing once the form was solid, gradually revealing a legless dragon with pure white scale with mechanical beautiful green wings that was its most defining feature.

The dragon with radiating wings.

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon.

 **PRESENT TIME – ABROAD EVOLUTION – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Kinda similar back when City was still divided into Commons and Tops… I was like that…" Yugo said after hearing Clear Wing's story. Yuhei was like his dark-self who hated the Tops for their unfair privilege. He had gotten over with it now, but hearing the story reminded him of the hatred he had during those times.

"But everything is fine now. Don't fret too much about it. That's in the past now." Clear Wing told Yugo with his cheerful wide smile, which made Yugo did the same in return.

"There are still lots of things that needed to be explained, especially about Ma'at. But rather than us, Dad knows more." Odd-Eyes said, referring to Yuno who was currently at Heidel's custody.

"We still have Yuji and the others' memories, but there's a time gap before we were revived as dragons, and Dad was the one who knows more about it." Yuzo explained.

"You're Ma'at's reincarnation, right? Can't you access his memories?" Starve Venom questioned Yukiya.

"Unfortunately, Ma'at has been unresponsive ever since we escaped from the temple." Yukiya told the bad news. He had tried to contact Ma'at's soul inside him, but there was not respond from the Dragon of Harmony.

"That's right…" Yuya stood from his seat despite his injuries, addressing to everyone in the room including the ones who were watching through the holographic screen who now were looking at the Pendulum user in charge.

"Let's start forming a plan to rescue Yuno-san and the others."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Dragon of Harmony –** Yuno recounts his first meeting with Ma'at 1,500 years ago and the war against Apophis.

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 **Wow! This story has finally reached 1000 reviews! My second success after** _ **Bonds of Pendulum**_ **! Only two chapters left and we will move on the story to the next arc. It's about time to settle things for our poor Yuri-kun who is still in unresponsive state.**

 **To** _ **tsukikami02**_ **: Of course, I have watched episode 46 VRAINS, I followed the series and watched the new episode every week (Especially now with the appearance of Soulburner and Flame!), but I have no plan to include a duel against Apophis in the flashback chapters because I don't want to spoil more of his Deck and true power just yet.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	67. Dragon of Harmony

**Big thanks to** _ **tsukikami02, Unknowedz, Lord yuri, Jason, Ulrich362, GamingGuy84, Mask D, dvdryms, Playerhood18, Big duels, D3lph0xL0v3r, Elbarto4000**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

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 **PRESENT TIME – ROOM – RAMSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuno has just explained how the Four Heavenly Dragons were originally Apophis' offspring who were born through the sacrifices of his four adopted children. However, they ended up doubting Apophis and defected to humanity's side. Yuno had a bit reservation with their presence since they were using his adopted children's bodies, but he eventually accepted them as his children as well. To this day, he still regretting for he sent them to the missions that led to their deaths. He also revealed his adopted children's relation to some of them who shared familial bloodline. This surprised Yusho and Leo in particular who were connected to Odd-Eyes and Starve Venom in a way.

"I see. It's not just Zarc's will that led Yuya to me and my wife. But it's also Odd-Eyes' bond with his family." Yusho was quite happy knowing that. After all, if it weren't for that connection, he won't be Yuya's father.

"After the destruction, humanity must start almost from the scratch again. It's not so surprising why there's not much record about Apophis and the sort." Leo remarked while thinking deeply at the shocking information.

"You still don't know how Apophis is able to surface into the world 1,500 years ago?" Akira asked.

"Unfortunately, no. Not even Ma'at knows. We didn't try to look into it because we're too much preoccupied in defeating Apophis, and afterwards we're making sure that Apophis will stay asleep. To this day it's still a mystery how Apophis awakened early in the first place." Yuno sighed exasperatedly, covering his eyes with his hand for a moment. He wondered if it was because of old age that the thought of trying to find out the cause of Apophis' awakening years ago never crossed his mind.

"How about Ma'at? How did you meet him and gained the Supreme King Deck?" Reira asked curiously. She wondered how much information she could take. For many things to be revealed at the same time was quite overwhelming, but she still wishes to know more.

"My father and I found him around three days after Apophis emerged to the world and wreak havoc. I didn't receive the Supreme King Deck though. My father was the first user of the Deck. I got it only after my father died." Yuno revealed while recalling his first meeting with the white Dragon of Harmony.

It wasn't exactly a bad meeting. Meeting Ma'at was a pleasant one since he gave them the chance to seal Apophis and allow them to live in peace for 1,500 years before the Dragon of Calamity awakened again in the present day.

What made the memory bittersweet was his father, whose health started to get worse not long after meeting the dragon.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – FOREST – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Apophis' appearance into the human realm caused corrosion throughout many countries. Following the corrosion were Apophis' offspring who mercilessly killed anyone on sight. The first day, they killed 3000 people. The second day, all armies in Cantidel, be it nobles or commoners, joined forces. They fought side by side against Apophis armies, but still the death toll rose to 6000. The third day, Apophis's terror had spread outside the country to the other countries and quickly the entire world joined forces. The death toll continued to rise, surpassing 10000.

If it were not for The Brotherhood's quick action, the death toll would have been ten times higher. It was thanks to Renka and Yuno who had organized the civilians and the military regardless of nationalities when it started they were able to lessen the casualties and protected the domains they have in their countries. Still, they were in a bind. If they continued with the current situation, it will be only a matter of time their country falls completely.

"This is the place where strange phenomenon has been happening?" Renka asked his son as they looked at the pathway into the forest.

"Yes. I have also seen this in my vision. We're going to meet someone here. I don't know if this someone is an enemy or ally, but I don't think this should be ignored." Yuno told his father. A few days ago, he has a vision that showed him inside this very forest there was a strange phenomenon where not a few amounts of Kuriboh spirits were gathering there, bathed in golden light. Despite the many destructions, this forest seemed remain untouched. Yuno also saw a white figure within this forest.

"Dad, you should go back. I can handle this myself." Yuno suggested to his father.

"Nonsense. I'm not leaving you. We have already given the orders to our men. They can handle it. And if something happens, we'll be notified immediately." Renka firmly refused to budge, insisting to accompany his son. Yuno couldn't convince him once he was like this.

The father and son entered the woods. The place was strangely felt serene even though everywhere they go lately there was only fear or horror. Animals and spirits both were pretty much lively, unlike the places they knew where they only saw dead bodies. They stopped when they saw Kuriboh spirits were gathering at one spot. When they took a look, both Yuno and Renka were dumbstruck to see a pristine white dragon bathed in golden light and surrounded by the spirits was there in slumber. They were speechless. As oppose to Apoophis, this dragon was like the most beautiful thing they have ever seen.

The dragon stirred, sensing their arrival, and slowly opened its eyes. Yuno and Renka tensed, going on defensive as the dragon awakened. The white dragon eyed them from head to toe. Its eyes like they were seeing them through their very souls. Renka opened and closed his mouth, not knowing what to say until he clenched his fists and stepped forward, facing the dragon.

"Who are you? Are you the same as Apophis?" Renka asked. His son was surprised but decided not to say anything.

"I am Ma'at. Apophis and I are born to oppose each other. He represents darkness and chaos. I, represent light and peace. Humans have given birth to us based on those wills." The white dragon, introducing himself as Ma'at, revealed.

"Humans gave birth to you? What do you mean?" Yuno finally spoke, standing beside his father to face the white dragon.

It was then Ma'at revealed everything about himself and Apophis. Their origin, their purpose, everything that eventually led up to this. However, Ma'at himself didn't know how Apophis managed to awake earlier than he did and surface to the world. It shouldn't be possible unless there was someone who was aware of their existence and open a path for Apophis to surface into the world. Not only that, within three days, Apophis has grown stronger with the negative energies he gained from the terror he inflicted on humanity. Ma'at, on the other hand, was rather weaken due to his premature awakening.

"Then, you can't stop him? Is there no way to stop him?" Yuno asked in almost desperate tone. If Apophis was born from humanity's negative emotions and gained power from them, it would be next to impossible to stop him. In this current situation that was close to the end of the world where people almost devoid of hope, Apophis has infinite amount of power to resupply himself.

"There is one possibility, actually. In fact, maybe this is the only way." Ma'at revealed, though he looked quite uneasy. This was merely a possibility, a gamble perhaps.

"How? What is this possibility?" Renka questioned, feeling hopeful. No matter how small it was, as long as there was hope, he would take it. In this situation, they can't be picky.

"I will give my power to you in a form of a Deck." Ma'at answered.

"A Deck?" Yuno blinked.

"In my present state, I have no chance against Apophis. It would take a long time for me to gain strength above his and by that time the world might as well already under his reign. But if I divide and change my powers into a form of a Deck that you can use to fight, it is possible my power to grow stronger in faster rate than Apophis." Ma'at explained. With his power, this was the only solution he could think of. Giving his power to human would be more effective rather than fighting Apophis in his current state that would only ensure his and humanity's defeat. But with this, he can give humanity the chance to fight back.

"That is only possible if humans with pure hearts like you are the ones holding the Deck. Just as Apophis gains power through humans' negative feelings, I gain power through humans' positive feelings. As long as your heart stay strong and doesn't fall into Apophis' influence, humans like you are the ones whom I can entrust with my power." Ma'at told Renka and Yuno. But simply holding this power would make them the main target of Apophis. No doubt they would become the enemies' main priority to be killed. His power was the only thing that can kill Apophis and his offspring permanently. Whoever will hold his power will bear the burden of the safety of the entire world.

"But still, in the end everything depends on you. How you use my power, how strong you are and how far you can make this Deck grow, they will depend the outcome. Do you accept?" Ma'at turned to Renka. While Yuno has what it takes to hold his power, Renka has more experience. He only needed to look into his eyes to know everything about him.

"No matter how small the chances are, I will take it. Please lend me your strength, Ma'at." Renka raised his hand towards the white dragon, accepting the role.

Ma'at leaned down, tilting the side of his face to Renka's palm and closed his eyes. His body then slowly dispersed into particles of golden light that surrounded Renka's body. When Renka realized it, he was holding his Deck in his hand and Ma'at was nowhere to be seen. There was only him, his son, and the Kuriboh spirits there.

"Look what we have here."

Renka and Yuno quickly activated their Duel Disks when they heard the voice. The Kuriboh spirits were huddling behind them in fear. The once serene atmosphere turned freezing cold when they were facing the man in front of them. He was wearing the same orange-colored cloak similar as Apophis' offspring. He has a shaved head and thin brown eyes. There were scars on his head and the right side of his face.

"I came here because I sensed the distasteful presence of that Ma'at. But it's just you guys. Maybe because the Kuribohs were gathering here I mistook their presence of that hateful Dragon of Harmony." The offspring while staring coldly at the Kuriboh spirits, prompting them to huddle behind further.

"If I remember it right, you're Walter, one of the offspring who was responsible in annihilating the population at Amosis City." Yuno recognized the man from his subordinate report who survived the battle against him.

"Oh? I have become famous in such a short notice. I am so pleased." Walter replied before activating his Duel Disk. "I have nothing against you, but His Excellency has ordered me to kill anyone who won't submit to him, and you are one of those people."

Yuno was ready to take him on, but his father then raised a hand, stopping him. Renka stepped closer to Walter. He briefly glanced at Yuno and nodded at him. Yuno didn't need to ask. His father wished to try the power Ma'at gave to him and told him to stand down. Yuno was reluctant, but his father was strong, so he would put his faith to him.

"You're not coming at me all at once?" Walter asked when he noticed Yuno deactivated his Duel Disk.

"I alone am more than enough." Renka replied, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! I set a card and end my Turn." Renka concluded.

"You're just setting a card? I hope you're not underestimating me." Walter sneered at the old man.

"I'm always serious when life is at stake. Now come at me." Renka challenged boldly.

"I summon Umbral Ghoul (ATK: 1800/ DEF: 0 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Walter summoned Umbral Ghoul in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Umbral Ghoul's effect! By reducing its ATK to 0, I can Special Summon an Umbral monster with 0 ATK from my hand!" Walter Special Summoned Umbral Unform (ATK: 0/ DEF: 0 / LV: 4) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Umbral Ghoul.

"I overlay my two Level 4 DARK monsters! Xyz Summon! Number 66: Supreme-Key Beetle - Master Key Beetle (ATK: 2500/ DEF: 800/ RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Walter overlayed Ghoul and Unform to summon Master Key Beetle in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack directly with Master Key Beetle!" Walter declared attack immediately. Master Key Beetle used its horn to tackle Renka, pushing him several steps back.

 **RENKA LP: 4000 = 1500**

"Trap Card: Wolf in Sheep's Clothing! I can Special Summon a Dark Spider (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) from my hand and another Dark Spider from my Deck!" Renka opened his Reverse Card immediately after receiving the attack, summoning two Dark Spiders in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Walter concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Field Spell: Spider's Web Site. Now when my opponent attacks with a non-Insect-type monster, that monster will be switched to Defense Position at the end of the Damage Step and its Battle Position can't be changed until the end of my opponent's next turn." Renka activated his Field Spell, filling the Field with dozens of spider webs.

"And next, I tribute my Dark Spiders to Advance Summon Earthbound God Uru (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10)!" Renka summoned Uru in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone. The moment Renka summoned it, he felt a stinging pain in his chest, but ignored it in favor to continue the Duel.

Yuno blinked at the spider-like monster that his father just summoned. This was the first time he ever saw the monster. He never remembered his father has had that monster. Was it a new monster that he got recently?

"Using Earthbound God Uru's effect, I can attack my opponent directly!" Renka declared Direct Attack via its own effect. Uru used one of its eight feet to tackle Walter, throwing him back almost the same way as Walter's Key Beetle tackled Renka in the previous Turn.

 **WALTER LP: 4000 = 1000**

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Renka concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Rank-Up Magic: Numbers Dark Space! I can Special Summon a Numbers Monster from the Extra Deck whose Rank is two times higher than the Numbers Monster I use as Material!" Walter used Master Key Beetle and the card itself as Xyz Materials, sending them into the Overlay Network.

"Rank-Up Xyz Change! Appear! Rank 6! Chaos Numbers 5: Perishing-Gloom Dragon - Chaos Chimaera Dragon (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / RNK: 6 / ORU: 2)!" Walter summoned his strongest monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone, replacing Master Key Beetle.

"I activate Magic Card: Umbral Sacrifice! I can use two Umbral Monsters in my Graveyard as Overlay Units for an Xyz Monster I control and lower my opponents monster's ATK by 500!" Walter used Umbral Ghoul and Umbral Unform from the Graveyard, adding them as Chaos Chimera Dragon's Overlay Units, making the Xyz Monster currently has 4 Overlay Units. Also, Uru's ATK was decreased to 2500.

"Chaos Chimera's ATK becomes equal to the number of Xyz Materials attached to it times 1000!" Walter increased Chaos Chimera's ATK to 4000.

"I activate Chaos Chimera's effect! During Battle Phase, I detach an Overlay Unit to banish 1 random card from my opponent's Deck so this card can make one attack!" Walter detached an Overlay Unit, which consequently decreased Chaos Chimera's ATK to 3000. But it still has higher ATK than Uru and now it can attack.

"I activate Equip Spell: Cursed Iron Wall! I equip this card to Chaos Chimera. Due to this card, Chaos Chimera gains a new effect. I can negate the effect of a monster on the Field!" Walter sealed Uru's effects, allowing him to target the Earthbound God Monster for an attack.

"Battle! I attack Earthbound God Uru with Chaos Chimera!" Walter declared attack with his dragon. Chaos Chimera opened its maw, shooting its burning flame towards the weakened Earthbound God monster. Before the flame could burn it, Renka opened his Reverse Card.

"Trap Card: Spider's Black Web! I negate the destruction of an insect monster I control!" Renka protected Uru by summoning a black-colored web that covered Uru's entire body, blocking the flame from burning it, though Renka still suffered damage.

 **RENKA LP: 1500 = 1000**

"I end my Turn. So this is the extent of the famous Brotherhood. Not such a big deal, aren't you? As long as I have Chaos Chimera equipped with Cursed Iron Wall, your Uru cannot activate its effect. On my next Turn, you'll be done!" Walter told Renka.

"The Duel is not yet determined as long as I still have my Deck and my LP. My Turn! Draw!" Renka began his Draw Phase. When he looked at the card that he drew, he blinked when he realized it was a card that was not in his Deck before. A Supreme King Monster. He never heard of the archetype before. The card then glowed for a brief moment, sending a surge of power and knowledge into Renka's body.

 _"This must be it. This must be the card from Ma'at's power."_ Renka thought. He turned to Walter again. It's the time to test the Deck himself.

"I summon Supreme King Servant Dragon Helmard (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1300 / LV: 4)!" Renka summoned Helmard in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Uru.

"That monster is...!" Walter's eyes widened in shock upon seeing the monster cladded in golden light. He only knew one being possessing the purifying power that he and all offspring detests. It was the only power to kill them for good.

"That's the card given by Ma'at?!" Yuno exclaimed, catching Walter's attention.

"Ma'at? So he really was here?! He gave you that card?!" Walter's expression turned into panic.

"When Helmard is Normal Summoned from hand, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Supreme King Servant Dragon from my Deck!" Renka summoned Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwurm in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I overlay Darkwurm and Helmard! Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Supreme King Servant Dragon Darksidious (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Renka summoned Darksidious in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"An Xyz Monster?!" Yuno exclaimed in shock.

"I activate Darksidious' effect! By detaching all of its Overlay Unit, it gains ATK equal to a DARK Monster I control!" Renka added Uru's ATK to Darksidious, increasing the latter's ATK to 4900. Walter didn't even get a chance to react as Renka immediately declared his attack.

"Battle! I attack Chaos Chimera Dragon with Supreme King Servant Dragon Darksidious!"

Darksidious flew towards Chaos Chimera Dragon and Walter. With its claws, it skewered Chaos Chimera to shreds and then crushed Walter to a tree behind him, depleting his remaining LP. Walter didn't get to scream from the pain. His body slowly turned into black sand and blown away by the wind, not leaving a remain of his existence.

 **WALTER LP: 1000 = 0**

"They're…Supreme King Monsters…? Amazing…" Yuno uttered in astonishment. He almost lost his footing from the shock. This was Ma'at's power. Walter disintegrated and disappeared just like that. There is still a hope to defeat Apophis and his armies after all. They still have the chance to fight back.

Yuno gasped when his father staggered and fell to the ground.

"Dad!" Yuno rushed to his father immediately. He was unconscious. Yuno checked for his heartbeat and breathing.

 _"He is simply too tired. He will recover eventually."_

Yuno held his father closer in his arms when Ma'at materialized from the Deck, his body was transparent.

"Ma'at!"

 _"Giving my power like I did equals losing my life. I apologize I can't help you more. My soul shall watch over you and pray for peace and happiness to return to this world."_

Ma'at slowly become even more transparent. Now that he has given all of his power into the Supreme King Deck, he can no longer maintain his existence in this world. Unless there were enough people to believe him, a part of his soul can return to this land. He wished he could fight directly by humanity's side against Apophis, but his premature awakening didn't allow him. Still, he will believe in humanity's potential. They can overcome this.

 _"Great power always comes with great responsibility. You must stay true to your conviction and never lose hope. Do not forget that."_

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Yuno took his father back to the HQ where he laid his father on the bed in his room. Yuno gently opened his father's jacket and shoes to make it more comfortable for him to sleep.

"I exhausted myself. I'm still not used to this Deck so it worn me out. But I'll master it soon. If something happens to me, you'll be the one to use this Deck." Renka told his son jokingly, but Yuno didn't take the joke well when seeing his father's pale face.

"Don't say something like that when you just said you're going to master it! Just take a proper rest, Dad." Yuno tucked a blanket to warm his father's body. He remembered his father was still wearing his belt and removed it too, placing it on the table beside the bed. He then looked at his father's Deck Case. It reminded him of the Duel.

"By the way, Dad, I don't remember you have that Earthbound monster before. Where did you get it?" Yuno asked. If his father has that Earthbound God Uru long before, why he never told him all this time? The Earthbound God Monster was also the same archetype that Claire has. They even have similar effects.

"A superior of mine when I was still at the military gave it to me. I think he is still in military as a trainer though." Renka said while closing his eyes, trying to relax his body and psyche.

"Your superior?"

"Yes. He was a Supreme Commander back in my days. Supreme Commander Aberforth. I heard he also gave several Earthbound Monsters to other people that he thinks has the potential. If I recall, Claire also has one, right?" Renka said. Back when he was still at the military, the Supreme Commander gave the card to him under condition that it must not be used unless it was absolutely necessary. When he heard that Claire also has the same card, he asked where she got it and she confirmed that she also received it from the same person under the same condition. He assumed there were still more of those Earthbound God cards that the Supreme Commander gave to other people he deemed worthy.

"I need to rest for a bit. Can you tell the others that we're going to have a meeting tomorrow? We need to tell them about Ma'at and this Supreme King Deck." Renka requested his son. The fatigue has caught up to him. He felt so sleepy.

"Yeah. I'll do it right away. Sleep tight, Dad." Yuno patted his father's hand before leaving the room, allowing his father to rest.

Renka opened his eyes for a bit. When he turned to the table, he could have sworn he saw his Earthbound God Uru was emitting a black aura. He blinked and wiped his eyes and saw the black aura was not there. Renka dismissed it as his imagination. He was seeing things due to this exhaustion. That just proved how much rest he needs.

"Now that I think about it...ever since I got the Earthbound card…my body feel strange… But maybe it's just old age catching up to me…" Renka mumbled before he yawned and slowly fell asleep comfortably in his bed.

Unbeknownst to him, the Earthbound God Uru once again emitted black aura.

 **THREE MONTHS LATER – 1,500 YEARS AGO – MORGUE – THE BROTHERHOOD CAMP – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Yuno did not think about the way the wooden chair was digging painfully into his back. He didn't think about how uncomfortable he was, with his right knee hugged to his chest and his face pressed against his knee, his clothes and hair still soaked to the bone from the rain. He didn't think about the cloth covered lump on the table, or the soft, hushed tones that surrounded him.

Jusis and his children had tried to talk to him when he got back. He wasn't sure which of them it was, he couldn't remember. He couldn't remember when or why they had stopped trying to talk to him, but he was glad. His chest was so tight...he felt so sick...if he tried to speak, he would probably throw up. Yuno lifted his head up, ever so slightly, but he didn't look at anyone. He didn't look at anything except the cloth spread over the lump on the table.

His father was dead.

By a stroke of misfortune, they encountered Apophis himself in the battlefield. After three months, Renka had finally mastered the Supreme King Deck. However, it still wasn't enough to defeat the Dragon of Calamity. Not only that, his father had an ailing health for the past three months. He noticed his father having difficulty breathing and even standing throughout the battle against Apophis. That, coupled with the injuries he suffered from receiving Apophis' continuous attack, his father lost his life. Yuno couldn't do anything but watched his father got killed. He was too busy fighting against the small fries. If only he could support his father, this might not happen.

"Lord Oracle..."

Yuno blinked when his father's Deck, the Supreme King Deck was presented to him. He looked up and saw Abel looking at him with as much grief as he was from Renka's death. The second prince placed the Deck on the palm of his hand and then Abel placed a hand on his shoulder.

"This might sound cruel of me, but you can't let your grief to take over you. Now that Lord Renka is gone, you're the next person who can use the Supreme King Deck. Lord Renka himself said it. You have a duty to lead everyone now." Abel tightened his grip on Yuno's shoulder. His hand was trembling. He was holding back his grief. As a prince, he mustn't let his people seeing him in his weak moment. They need a strong figure to keep walking forward.

Yuno looked at the Supreme King Deck in his hand. Ma'at had told them before that in the end, whether this Deck grow stronger or not depends on the user. And the most important was to keep his heart strong and never lose hope. If he uses this Supreme King Deck with this horrible feeling etching in his chest and mind, the Deck won't become stronger, let along winning against Apophis. Even though he was a Pro Duelist, Brigadier General of Cantidel Imperial Army, and leader of The Brotherhood, he was still a human being. He couldn't put aside his grief for his father so easily–

 _"Don't let your grief clouding your mind, that you forget about the people who are still alive. If your eyes can't see clear, you'll lose more of them."_

Yuno gasped softly when he heard the voice in his mind. There was no mistaking it, that was Ma'at's voice. His soul was watching him like he had promised when they first and last met. Even though he couldn't be there to help them directly, the Dragon of Harmony was still trying to guide him, to make sure he won't lose his way.

Yuno abruptly stood up from his seat, startling everyone. Their shushing voices instantly quieted down the moment the Oracle stood up. When he turned his face up, they didn't see grief or despair, but a newfound determination.

"Use my webs to summon all soldiers above the third level! It doesn't matter which country they belong to. Request their assistance." Yuno told Yuzo. While he was surprised by his father's sudden order, Yuzo did as he was told and immediately headed back to the HQ. This was an urgent matter so he must be quick. All of them must be quick.

"Also, notify all my intelligence agents. No matter how small the matter is, everything must be reported to me!" Yuno turned to Yura who also accepted the order without question and headed to the south where the agents were stationed at the moment.

"Jusis, Yuhei, Yuji, the three of you are in charge of evacuation." Yuno told his best friend and his two remaining sons.

"And for the rest of us, not just Cantidel, but all of the countries that have been affected, if need be, you may mobilize the fourth army. The second battalion of security are to ensure the smooth flow materials and aid into the neighboring countries!" Yuno commanded with such a force in his voice that nobody even thought of questioning him. They all saluted and immediately worked as they were ordered.

"Prince Abel, I have a favor to ask of you." Yuno turned to the second prince who was still standing beside him.

"Yes. If there's anything I can help you with, just say it." Abel replied. Inside, he was proud of his comrade who managed to focus on the present situation. Once the situation was handled, he will give him enough space and time to grief until he feels better.

"I need you to use your network to contact and gather as many people who has strong abilities to communicate with Duel Monster spirits and knowledgeable of any old magic or the sort. Perhaps we can find out another alternative to defeat Apophis." Yuno requested. It wasn't like he has no confidence in himself or the Supreme King Deck, but it's better to have various alternatives than one.

 _"I won't disappoint you, Dad. Please watch over me."_

 **TEN MONTHS LATER – 1,500 YEARS AGO – VILLAGE – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Jusis was on a mission with Yuzo – no, Dark Rebellion, in a village to evacuate the surviving villagers and teleported the Link Monster spirits to their place. They split up to make the job easier, but soon dread filled his chest when he saw a huge explosion not so far from where Dark Rebellion has gone to. He had transported all the Link Monster spirits, so his mission was finished. He rushed as fast as he could to reach the place, praying that nothing happened to the young Xyz user.

But he was too late.

By the time he arrived, Dark Rebellion, buried in the rubbles, has turned into black dust swept by the winds before he could even move down to help him. Jusis fell onto his knees. He clenched his fist and punched the ground, not caring if his hand got injured. He failed again. First, he didn't protect Yuzo, and now he didn't protect Dark Rebellion even though he had promised his best friend.

 _"I shouldn't have told him to split up! I should have been by his side! How can I face Yuno now?!"_ Jusis cursed himself. He and Dark Rebellion might be not as close as he did with Yuzo, but he cherished Dark Rebellion as much as he cherished his dead student. And Yuno was already having hard time enough losing his father and four adopted children, and now he lost more of his children.

"There's still someone here, huh?"

Jusis wiped a tear form his eye to look down from the rubbles. His eyes narrowed at an offspring of Apophis, signed by the orange-colored robe he was wearing, staring up at him. Jusis' hostility intensified. There was no way a low-class servant would be enough to defeat Dark Rebellion. It has to be either Apophis himself or his offspring.

"Are you the one who killed Dark Rebellion?" Jusis asked with barely contained anger. He was itching for the kill.

"Not me. Rowan did. But I'm here to make sure he is really dead. From your expression and what you said just now, it's not necessary. It's good that he is dead. Now the four of them won't get in our way again." The offspring stated nonchalantly.

"The four of them...? You don't mean...Odd-Eyes and the other two are also...?!" Jusis' face paled at the thought. He hoped this was just another lie made up by the offspring to provoke him. But the offspring's face was saying otherwise. Jusis then saw red. He jumped from the rubble, standing across the offspring with his Duel Disk raised.

"I'm not letting you get away." Jusis said sharply with rage, activating his Duel Disk.

"It's rude calling people 'you'. I have a name, Fynn. Call me that from now on. Though you'll be dead soon." Fynn said while activating his Duel Disk too, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! I activate Pot of Greed!" Fynn drew 2 more cards from his Deck.

"I activate Field Spell: Mechanical Reactor. Once per Turn, both players can add 1 Machine-Type Monster from Deck to the hand as long as they control a Machine-Type Monster." Fynn revealed.

"I summon Magic Reactor AID (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 900)!" Fynn summoned AID in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I set three cards and end my Turn." Fynn concluded.

"My Turn! I summon Holy Lightning – Wings (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1800/ LV: 4)!" Jusis summoned Wings in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"As my opponent Normal Summon a monster, I can activate Trap Card: Hidden Soldiers! I can Special Summon Trap Reactor RR (800/1800) in Attack Position!" Fynn activated his first face-down card, summoning RR in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside AID.

"I activate Holy Lightning – Wings' effect to Special Summon another Holy Lightning Monster!" Jusis summoned Holy Lightning – Book (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Wings.

"I activate Holy Lightning – Book's effect! I send a Magic Card from my hand to the Graveyard and Special Summon a Holy Lightning Monster!" Jusis discarded a Magic Card to summon Holy Lightning – Sword (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Book.

"I overlay Holy Lightning - Wings, Holy Lightning - Book, and Holy Lightning – Sword! Xyz Summon! Appear! Numbers 102: Holy Lightning – Glorious Halo (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 3)!" Jusis summoned his ace monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack Magic Reactor AID with Glorious Halo!" Jusis declared Battle Phase. Glorious Hole pointed its golden arrow at AID. Target locked, Glorious Hole shot its bow, sending a shining arrow with destructive power towards the Machine monster.

Fynn quickly opened his second face-down card before the attack connected.

"Trap Card: Fake Explosion Penta! When a monster declares an attack, my monster cannot be destroyed and I can Special Summon a Level 5 Monster from my hand!" He enabled AID to endure the arrow that impaled onto its body before removing it and then Fynn summoned Summon Reactor AI (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 5) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Trap Card: Delta Reactor! I send Summon Reactor AI and Magic Reactor AID to the Graveyard to Special Summon Giant Bomber Airraid (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 8)!" Fynn opened his last Reverse Card, sending AI and AID to summon one of his strongest monsters in Attack Position I the Main Monster Zone.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Jusis concluded.

"My Turn! I summon Black Bomber (ATK: 100 / DEF: 100 / LV: 3)!" Fynn summoned Black Bomber in Attack Position beside Airraid in Main Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack Glorious Halo with Giant Bomber Airraid!" Fynn declared attack, pointing at the Xyz Monster. The Machine Monster flew with both hands ready to crush Glorious Halo. Unfortunately, that won't work on the Numbers Monster.

"I activate Glorious Halo's effect! By detaching all of its Overlay Units, I can negate its destruction, and halve the damage I'll take!" Jusis used all of his ace monster's Overlay Units, allowing Glorious Halo to block Airraid's attack and lessened the damage its master took.

 **JUSIS LP: 4000 = 3750**

"Not bad. I end my Turn." Fynn commented as he finished.

"That won't be enough to take me down! My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Holy Children's Prayer! I can attach cards that are previously used as Overlay Units to the Xyz Monster I control." Jusis attached all of Sword, Book, and Wings in the Graveyard back to Glorious Halo as Overlay Units. Now Jusis could use its effect again.

"I activate Glorious Halo's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can negate the effect of a monster my opponent controls and halve its ATK!" Jusis pointed at Fynn's Airraid, sealing its effect halve its ATK to 1500.

"Battle! I attack Giant Bomber Airraid with Glorious Halo!" Jusis declared his counterattack. Glorious Halo once again shot its arrow, this time pierced through the Machine monster's body and destroyed it.

 **FYNN LP: 4000 = 3000**

"Holy Children's Prayer has another effect! When the monster that got attached with the Overlay Units through this card's effect destroy a monster, I can destroy a card my opponent controls!" Jusis obviously chose Black Bomber, destroying it. Now Fynn's Field was empty. If he keeps this up, he can win in the next Turn. Or so he thought at that moment until Fynn revealed his ace in the hole.

"At this moment, I activate Trap Card: Contaminated Earth! When a Level 8 Monster and 1 other monster I control are destroyed and sent to Graveyard, I can Special Summon 1 Earthbound God monster from my hand, Deck, or Graveyard but it cannot attack or activate its effect this Turn!" Fynn summoned Earthbound God Chacu Challhua (ATK: 2900 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 10) in Attack Position int he Main Monster Zone.

"An Earthbound God Monster?!" Jusis exclaimed in shock. He thought that only the retired Supreme Commander Aberforth has the archetype and distributed it to the people he deemed worthy. He highly doubted the Supreme Commander gave it to an Apophis offspring.

 _"Wait, Apophis offspring are born through human sacrifices and then use their bodies as vessels. Then this body Fynn is using must be the original owner of Chacu Challhua who got killed as a sacrifice..."_ Jusis reached the conclusion. That was the only logical explanation as to why Fynn has that monster.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Jusis concluded. He eyed Chacu Challhua warily. He had seen Renka and Claire's Earthbound Monsters and they were powerful. This monster must be as much as a threat as theirs. He must not let his guard down.

"My Turn! I summon Darksea Rescue (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)!" Fynn summoned Darksea Rescue in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Level Haunt! I can give a Level to an Xyz Monster my opponent controls." Fynn changed Glorious Halo's Rank 4 to Level 4.

"I activate Continuous Trap Card: Basara! Now by Tributing a monster once per turn, I can destroy a monster my opponent controls that has a higher Level than the monster Tributed and inflict 800 damage to the destroyed monster's controller." Fynn tributed Darksea Rescue that he just summoned, destroying Jusis' Glorious Halo and inflicting 800 damage to Jusis.

 **JUSIS LP: 3750 = 2950**

Jusis immediately opened his face-down card.

"I activate Rank-Up Magic: Seraph's Fall! I can Special Summon a LIGHT Xyz Monster with one Rank higher than the destroyed Xyz Monster I control! Rank-Up Xyz Change! Appear! Rank 5! Chaos Numbers 102: Unholy Lightning - Noble Daemon (ATK: 2900 / DEF: 2400 / RNK: 5 / ORU: 2)!" Jusis summoned Noble Daemon in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone, replacing Glorious Halo.

"Your struggle is futile! My Chacu Challhua has superior effect than yours! Battle! I attack directly with Chacu Challhua!" Fynn declared. Chacu Challhua tackled Jusis who was protected by Noble Daemon from being flattened to the ground, sending them to the nearby rubbles. If it were not for his Xyz Monster protecting him, he would have suffered critical damage from the attack.

 **JUSIS LP: 2950 = 50**

"I end my Turn." Fynn finished. "Why don't you just give up? Your LP is only 50 while I still have 3000. And my Chacu Challhua has stronger effect than your Noble Daemon. If you surrender now, I'll make your death quick."

"You can stop right there. I have no intention to give up to the likes of you. Besides, how can you be so sure that your monster's effect is superior than mine when I haven't even revealed it?" Jusis sneered at the offspring.

"What?"

"Your monster only immune to Spell and Trap effects, which means it can be affected with Monster Effect! My Turn! I activate Noble Daemon's effect! When this card uses Glorious Halo as Xyz Material, I can detach an Overlay Unit to target a monster my opponent's monster! That monster's ATK becomes 0 and its effect is negated!" Jusis sealed Chacu Challhua's effect and reduced its ATK into nothing.

"What?! Impossible!" Fynn exclaimed in dismay as his strongest monster got weakened.

"With your effect sealed, now Chacu Challhua can be targeted for an attack!" Jusis pointed out, making Fynn growled in anger. Jusis then blinked when Noble Daemon's body was surrounded by white light. He noticed Fynn was looking at him incredulously and he realized that his own body was also surrounded by the same white light. He then felt something was hovering him. He looked up and saw a huge white dragon with transparent body above him.

"Impossible! That's Ma'at?!" Fynn exclaimed with trembling voice.

"Ma'at? The white dragon that Yuno told us before?" Jusis remarked while looking back to the white dragon.

 _"Your friend has given you a blessing of my power. Now, you have what it takes to defeat the offspring for eternity."_ The white dragon told him. Jusis still hasn't fully comprehend how Ma'at's spirit appeared here and now, but one thing that he was positive of was he now has what it takes to permanently finish off the offspring in front of him.

"Battle! I attack Chacu Challhua with Noble Daemon!" Jusis declared.

Noble Daemon twirled its sharp spear above it before flying in full speed towards the bigger Earthbound God Monster. At its weakened state, Chacu Challhua couldn't do anything but stand while Noble Daemon sliced its body, exploding the Earthbound God Monster along with its master.

 **FYNN LP: 3000 = 100**

"As a monster was destroyed while I control a Holy Lightning monster, I activate Trap Card: Wrath of Holy Lightning to inflict 1000 damage to my opponent!" Jusis added, opening his final Reverse Card. Noble Daemon unleashed rain of spears at the burning Fynn, impaling his body as he burned down until nothing remained of him.

 **FYNN LP: 100 = 0**

Jusis sighed, falling onto his knees. He looked up again to face Ma'at, but the Dragon of Harmony has disappeared. He then heard his name being called. Claire and the others were coming at him. Jusis frowned as he saw his best friend's wife's worried face.

 _"How should I tell her...about Dark Rebellion and the others...?"_

 **EVENING – 1,500 YEARS AGO – BEDROOM – MIZUSHIMA RESIDENT – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Claire opened her eyes and found herself lying on her bedroom at her house. She turned to her side to see Yuno and Jusis staring at her worriedly. She remembered then. When she approached Jusis back at the village, Jusis told her about what happened to Dark Rebellion and the others. She didn't want to believe it, but soon reports came that confirmed her children's death. She once again lost her adopted children at the same time. This was similar when she lost Yuji and the others. She was so overwhelmed by the news that it was too much for her. The next thing that happened, everything became dark, and now she was here.

"I heard you collapsed." Yuno said with his hand on her head.

"I'm fine. It's just a fatigue. I'll be okay after a full night rest." Claire tried to sit up, but Yuno pushed her back to the bed.

"No. Take a break for a few days. You're stressed out. I can tell that even if you don't tell me." Yuno told her. His face and voice were serious, demanding her to rest properly.

"I can say the same to you. You've been pushing yourself too hard lately." Claire retorted. She pushed herself up, leaning closer until her forehead hit Yuno's.

"You're not the only one who is having hard times accepting what happened to our children. I know how much they meant to you, and you know how much they meant to me. We're both sad, Yuno. I'm as much as angry like you do for not able to protect them." Claire told him. Yuno didn't show it much because he must act strong to set an example to his people, but Claire, Jusis, and everyone who was personally very close to him knows how much he was suffering right now. They have lost their children again. The same thing has been repeated. And they have only known them for half a year, even lesser than Yuji and the others.

"Claire…" Yuno pulled back. His strong act faltered as he finally wept in his wife's arms. Claire didn't say anything and simply held him close while Jusis patted his best friend's back to comfort him until Yuno calmed down.

"I'm your married best friend, after all. I know you well." Claire said with a smile, wiping Yuno's tears from his face. Years has passed since they were married, but Claire could sense that Yuno's love for her was more to that of a best friend than a woman he loves. In the end, despite her best efforts, the person Yuno loved the most was still Celica. She couldn't blame him. Who wouldn't love a woman as great as her? She couldn't hate Celica for that. But she didn't mind with this.

"Hey, if you're talking about best friend, I'm the first one here, you know." Jusis interrupted, round his arm around Yuno. A spark started between the Holy Lightning user and Fortune Lady user with Yuno trapped between them. The two of them then turned to the Oracle.

"Yuno dear, please choose which one is better?" Claire said with a sweet smile that wasn't so sweet at all.

"Cut it out. There's no way I can choose between the two of you." Yuno separated the two, pinching their cheeks. Soon, the three of them burst into a chuckle.

"Both of you must live for Ryuji's sake. He is the only one the two of you have left. Protect him well. I'll help you too." Jusis told Yuno and Claire. This was the only way he could think to make up for his failure in protecting Yuzo and Dark Rebellion. They must be wishing for the same thing.

"We will. Now, take a bath and then sleep. Don't forget to give Ryuji a good night kiss first. Jusis, make sure he's not going to work again." Claire slapped her husband's back and pushed him from the bed to Jusis. Hours in the battlefield drenching in sweats made their bodies stink so bath is necessary for them. Ryuji was supposed to be asleep already, but it's possible that he was secretly waiting for his father to come back.

"Roger that." Jusis said while dragging Yuno by the back of his collar.

"I will rest immediately. I promise this time. You go on ahead. Good night." Yuno greeted his wife goodnight before closing the door, leaving her alone.

Claire slumped back to the bed and closed her eyes, ready to continue her rest. She now realized how tired she was. Come to think of it, lately she felt her body was easier to get exhausted. She felt her body weakened more than usual at certain times. She wondered if this was the after-effect of overworking herself. Her body couldn't take it anymore and gave her a warning through the exhaustion. Maybe that was the case. Taking Yuno's offer, Claire went asleep again, hoping for a good dream.

Unbeknownst to the sleeping Claire, her Earthbound God card was emitting black aura.

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 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Birth of the Dragons –** Yuno recounts how he got the Four Heavenly Dragons and his present ace monster Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon.

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 **First of all, sorry for the late update. I was busy again in the real life. The next chapter will be the last of this flashback and then the story will move forward again. The next chapter maybe will take a while too to be updated. Please be patient. Thank you for your understanding.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	68. Birth of the Dragons

**Big thanks to** _ **Playerhood18, jason, Ulrich362, tsukikami02, Unknowedz, Shiva of Helheim and Miracles, GamingGuy84, dvdryms, D3lph0xL0v3r, UST Colbalt Diamond, Big duels**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

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 **1,500 YEARS AGO – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

The time has finally come.

They have finally found it.

They have finished it.

The way to defeat Apophis and his armies.

Even though they said 'defeat', they won't exactly kill them. They can't because their current power won't be strong enough to achieve that feat, which who knows will take how long to reach that point. And by the time that happen, the world probably has already been conquered by Apophis. They can't wait that long. Therefore, they came up with an alternative way: sealing Apophis and his armies in an artificially made dimension, away from the real dimension where they are living. After countless researches, they have finally found the way to create an artificial dimension and seal Apophis and his armies within it.

Their idea is to use Apophis' power against himself. They will turn it from his power into the seal. That's the crux of the dimension seal. After activating it, no matter how much power is released from within the seal, it will be converted into strengthening the seal and so the seal will cause it to accelerate. After the seal is formed it will hold its shape and start contracting.

They found two formation seals to trap Apophis. However, even though they completed two seal formations to use against Apophis, one of them is useless because it would take too much time to get the desired effect. The other, though effective needs a lot of preparations, people, equipment, and requires over 10,000 Link Monsters the least cooperating in sync. After much discussion, they finally settled to use the second method, seeing it as the only possible and less risky solution.

If it's not at the situation where the end of the world is near, it would have been impossible for all of them to gather.

The only problems now were to maintaining the seal formation until it was completed and to weaken Apophis. They have no doubt that the enemies will do whatever it takes to stop them from completing the seal, so they have to stop them from interrupting the ones preparing the seal, stalling times until the seal is finished and trap Apophis into it. And Apophis must not notice this or else he'll take matters into his own hands and that would be the end for them.

And so, they formed a plan. While people and all Link Monsters are creating the seal, the rest will protect them from any incoming enemies until the completion of the seal. As for Apophis himself, Yuno, being the bearer of Supreme King Deck that was the fragments of Ma'at's power, is the only one capable of fighting toe-to-toe against him. The chances of him defeating Apophis is still slim, but as long as he can stall Apophis long enough until he is trapped, then it's fine by him.

"Gather some willing troops. There is a little time to launch a counterattack." Yuno told a few Duelists who departed immediately as he ordered before Yuno himself turned to the second-born prince of Cantidel.

"Prince Abel, allow the third troop into the forge and let them work on weapons and armor." Yuno told the prince with commanding tone. Under normal situation, people would have protested by how he was ordering the prince, but in this dire circumstance, no one made any objection, including the prince himself who was more than willing to assist the Oracle.

"Nervous, Lord Oracle?" Jusis patted Yuno's back from behind, causing the latter to stiffen a bit from the sudden touch.

"Aren't you the one trembling there, Colonel?" Yuno teased back to his best friend who snorted.

"As if. I'm eager than ever. This is the true final battle after all." Jusis replied with confident smile. He raised his hand and Yuno did the same. The two then clasped their hands together, grinning at each other before letting go.

"We will end this war today. The seal won't last forever, but at least we can use those times to build up more strength that can overpower Apophis and then defeat him for good." Yuno said. This won't be everlasting peace, but at least it would give humanity times. He didn't know how long the seal would last, but he will use how many times they have to become stronger until they overpower Apophis or find another way to end him permanently.

"That's why we have to make sure that we can weaken Apophis." Jusis huffed.

"Wait, 'we'?" Yuno blinked. Jusis responded by pointing behind him. When Yuno followed to where his finger was pointing, Celica, Claire, and Jonouchi were standing there with the same look that Jusis was giving to him.

"There's no way you're taking on that giant dragon alone. We'll help you. Having more people will give more time to stall Apophis and more chances to weaken him." Jonouchi bumped Yuno's chest with his fist to emphasize his determination to go with him. Both Renka and Yuno had helped him a lot for years, and he hadn't done anything enough to repay them. This time, he will be useful for Yuno by helping him in his fight against Apophis.

"And before you object, do know that regardless of what you're going to say, we'll follow you anyway." Claire placed a finger on Yuno's lips, stopping him from protesting their decision. She moved aside to allow Celica to speak with Yuno, giving the woman a push on her back.

Celica smiled briefly before her face turned serious, staring straight into Yuno's eyes.

"This is not just your battle, Yuno. This is everyone's battle, with or without Supreme King Deck." Celica told the Oracle. Ever since Yuno received the Supreme King Deck, he came to think that directly confronting Apophis is his duty alone as the one who inherited Ma'at's power. Without him realizing, he has been carrying the burden alone. She won't be surprised if he became suicidal.

Seeing each of his friend's determined face, Yuno couldn't say no. Even if he doesn't give them his permission, they would follow him anyway. There was no point in trying to convince them. Yuno sighed. That was enough answer for Celica and the others. He relented to their demand.

"How are we going to Apophis?" Jonouchi asked.

"We will make our way to the rendezvous point separately. That will attract less attention. Besides, you must lead your own troops to the attack first before you go. So the five of us will meet at the rendezvous point." Yuno led them to a table with the map of the battlefield, pointing at each area where each of them will start.

"And where is this rendezvous point?" Claire asked while looking at the map.

"At a hospital that also served as our emergency base of operation. It's not too far from where Apophis is, but it's well-hidden and can't easily be found by the enemies." Yuno pointed at the blue-colored 'X' that signed the location of their base.

"Got it. We'll meet up there." Jusis nodded, followed by the rest. Fighting Apophis would be the hardest one, but they were sure they would be okay if they were together. The fate of the world is at stake, so they can't afford to lose.

"Lord Oracle, the troops have assembled." A man reported.

Yuno and the rest went to where the troops have gathered. Celica and Jusis went to Abel's side while Jonouchi and Claire went to the troops they were leading respectively. Yuno stood in front of them, facing them all.

"The Lord wishes to address us before we leave. Lend him your ears." Abel ordered the troops who most looked quite uneasy by the upcoming battle. No one could blame them.

"I know you have all been worried after the death of the previous leader. Thank you for following and believing in me. We humans and Duel Monster spirits subsist on nature, our work keeps the land full of life, and we cannot survive without the world's blessing." Yuno addressed to the troops. When he took over Renka's position, some people were not so enthusiastic and even disappointed. Despite Yuno's achievement, there were some who still doubted him due to being less experienced compared to his father. The first few weeks were quite difficult for him.

"Yet, we are also greedy and have tainted the world with our corruptions, which gave birth to the Dragon of Calamity. As the result, now he taints our world with blood and uses force to violate our land. Countless lives have been lost and we carry the burden of those lost lives." Even though Yuno had heard everything from Ma'at of how Apophis was born, he didn't fully comprehend it until he observed closer of his surroundings in these dark times, how it affected negatively on them, both humans and spirits.

"We must take responsibility for the creation of the devil. Fear not. Those that have died here, the prayers of my father and those who have sacrificed their lives to bring back peace to this world will protect us." Yuno thought of each person he remembered had fallen in this war. And when he did so, the troops also did the same, remembering their families and friends whom they have lost, and that in turn ignited their determination to protect what they have left.

Yuno raised his Duel Disk up, activating it. The troops all followed the suit.

"Let us reclaim our freedom and peace!"

Yuno and everyone let out battle cries, their hearts as one.

Their Duel Monster spirits materialized, joining them.

There was no turning back.

They will free their world.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – SOUTH BATTLEFIELD – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

A bitter wind swept the hillside and the ground was slick with rain. The lucky few wore thick leather armor, the rest only sweaters of wool. The menfolk stood in formation, four rows were all they had, their eyes trained on the road to see how many the Dragon of Calamity would send. They heard the boots long before they saw the mass of orange uniformed bodies lead by a horseman bearing a flag. Their answer had come. This is what it meant to challenge the Dragon of Calamity, no excuses, no mercy. Every face blanched and the messenger fled to the village with the order to evacuate. This was never a battle they could win, only a sacrifice to buy time…or that was what they thought until the Oracle's speech.

There was no point fighting to reclaim their freedom if they don't have the will to win.

"Charge!"

Everything happened so far. Their bones were breaking and popping as a sea of enemies crashed into them. Their bones were snapping and shattering as a flood of monsters broke their lines. Their bones were cracking and crunching as a horde of beasts smashed into them, hurtled into them. Their bones were splitting and splintering as a plague of offspring careered into them. But they immediately fought back as fiercely together with their own monsters.

After leading her troop and defeated half of the enemies, Celica made her way to the rendezvous point as planned, her men opened a path for her to go. She ran through the partially burning forest within the town. She heard another running steps and made a stop, preparing for an enemy to come. She blinked when from the way beside her, her only living blood family came out.

"Brother?!" Celica was surprised when she found her brother.

"Looks like your troop is near mine. I'm glad to see you, sister." Jusis said with a smile. Despite the situation, he was happy to see his sister. They can't relax yet though.

"Let's go to the rendezvous point. Yuno and the others are waiting there!" Celica remarked. Before both siblings could take a step, a voice halted them.

"Do you mind telling me where this rendezvous point is, dear Luis siblings?" Neon emerged from between the trees with her Duel Disk raised.

"You!" Jusis glared at the offspring.

"Yes. Me! I'm sure you know who I am and fully aware that avoiding Duel from me is impossible. You can try to run, but I can assure you that it will end much worse for the two of you." Neon licked her lips maniacally, activating her Duel Disk.

"I'm afraid to admit it, but there's no escaping from her, Brother." Celica said, activating her Duel Disk as well.

"It's been a while since we dueled as a team, let's show her our teamwork, sister." Jusis replied as he activated his Duel Disk as well, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! During my Main Phase I can discard 1 Demon Roar God Monster to special summon Demon Roar God Beast Nozuchi (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 800 / LV: 2) from my hand!" Neon discarded Lurrier to special summon Nozuchi in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"When Demon Roar God Lurrie (ATK: 200 / DEF: 400 / LV: 1) is discarded to the Graveyard, I can special summon it!" Neon summoned Lurrie that she just discarded in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Nozuchi.

"And then I summon Tuner Monster, Demon Roar God Beast Chawa (ATK: 200 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1) from my hand!" She summoned Chawa in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone from her hand, alarming Celica and Jusis of what's going to come.

"I tune Nozuchi and Lurrie with Chawa! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 4! Demon Roar God Beast Kudabbe (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 1100 / LV: 4)!" Neon summoned Kudabbe in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone before setting 2 cards and ended her Turn.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Erial, Priestess of the Nekroz (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 4)!" Celica summoned Erial in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"When a Nekroz Monster is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon Creed, Priest of the Nekroz (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4) from my hand!" She summoned Creed in Attack Position beside Erial in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Reincarnation Technique of the Nekroz! I can Ritual Summon a Nekroz Monster whose Level is exactly equal to the total Level of a monster tributed!" Celica revealed the Ritual Spell in her hand, releasing Erial.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 4! Nekroz of Unicore (ATK: 2300 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4)!" Celica summoned Unicore in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"As long as Nekroz of Unicore is on the Field, all face-up monsters summoned from the Extra Deck cannot activate their effects." Celica revealed while pointing at Neon's Synchro Monster.

"Sealing my Kudabbe's effect? Not a bad move, but won't that mean that your older brother's monster will have his monsters' effects negated as well?" Neon said while tilting her head to the Holy Lightning user.

"No need to worry about me. I have that covered." Jusis replied calmly. He wasn't bothered by Celica's monster's effect, which piqued Neon's interest.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Celica concluded.

"My Turn! I summon Holy Lightning – Wings (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1800/ LV: 4)!" Jusis summoned Wings in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Holy Lightning – Wings' effect to Special Summon another Holy Lightning Monster!" Jusis summoned Holy Lightning – Book (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Wings.

"I activate Holy Lightning – Book's effect! I send a Magic Card from my hand to the Graveyard and Special Summon a Holy Lightning Monster!" Jusis discarded a Magic Card to summon Holy Lightning – Sword (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Book.

"I overlay Holy Lightning - Wings, Holy Lightning - Book, and Holy Lightning – Sword! Xyz Summon! Appear! Numbers 102: Holy Lightning – Glorious Halo (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 3)!" Jusis summoned his ace monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Equip-Spell: Holy Lightning's White Armor! I equip this to Glorious Halo. Now, it won't be affected by my opponent's monster effect, which means Nekroz of Unicore's effect doesn't work on me." Jusis protected his ace monster from his sister's monster's effect, allowing him to use Glorious Halo's effect.

"Heh…so the two of you have thought that far. I should have expected that from siblings. It would be delightful taking down the both of you together." Neon licked her lips in expectation. Her expression leaning towards what people would call deranged, which quite unnerving for the Luis siblings.

"I end my Turn." Jusis concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Triple Roar! I draw 3 cards!" Neon drew 3 cards from her Deck and immediately activated one of them.

"Next I activate Continuous Magic: Demon Roar God's Seminar! Every time a Demon Roar God Monster is summoned to the Field, I can add 1 Roar Counter to this card and draw a card." Neon activated the first card she drew before she picked the second.

"And then, I activate Continuous Magic: Demon Roar God's Gathering. Every time a Demon Roar God Monster leaves the Field, I can add 1 Roar Counter to this card." Neon activated the second card she drew.

"I activate Magic Card: Foolish Burial! I can send a monster from my Deck to my Graveyard!" Neon opened one of her two Reverse Cards. She discarded Demon Roar God Krus from her Deck into her Graveyard.

"When Krus is discarded, I can special summon 1 Level 4 or lower Demon Roar God monster from my Graveyard!" Neon revived Nozuchi in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I release Nozuchi to Advance Summon Demon Roar God Dianaira (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 100 / LV: 8) from my hand!" Neon summoned Dianaira in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"From my hand, I summon Demon Roar God Urstos (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 200 / LV: 4)!" Neon summoned Urstos in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone, leaving her hand empty again.

"I activate Urstos' effect! While I have 2 or less cards in my hand, all face-up Demon Roar God monsters on my Field gain 400 ATK!" Neon increased Kudabbe's ATK to 2600, Dianaira's ATK to 3200, and Urstos' ATK to 1900.

"I won't let you! I activate Glorious Halo's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I halve the ATK of a monster my opponent controls and negate its effect! I choose Urstos!" Jusis halved Urstos' ATK to 750. Since its effect was also negated, Kudabbe and Dianaira's ATK were lowered to 2200 and 2800, respectively.

"Then I attack Nekroz of Unicore with Dianaira!" Neon declared, pointing at the Ritual Monster. Dianaira dashed so fast that when they realized it, Dianaira was already in front of Unicore, its right arm crushed through the Ritual Monster's abdomen, destroying it.

 **CELICA LP: 4000 = 3500**

"I end my Turn." Neon concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Nekroz Splash! I pay 500 LP, to Special Summon a Level 5 Nekroz Monster from my Deck!" Celica summoned Exa – Warrior of the Nekroz (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 5) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

 **CELICA LP: 3500 = 3000**

"I activate Ritual Spell: Nekroz Serenity! I tribute Exa to Ritual Summon a Nekroz Monster with the exact Level from my hand! Ritual Summon! Appear, Nekroz of Catastor (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 5)!" Celica summoned Nekroz of Catastor in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack Demon Roar God Kudabbe with Nekroz of Catastor!" Celica declared attack, prompting Catastor to move.

"I activate Nekroz of Catastor's effect! At the start of Damage Step, if a Nekroz Monster I control battles an opponent's face-up monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck, I can destroy it!" Celica revealed as Catastor clashed against Kudabbe. Catastor's claw blades skewered the Synchro Monster before landing a strike against Neon, throwing her back.

 **NEON LP: 4000 = 1800**

Neon wiped the blood coming out from her mouth, chuckling softly as her eyes narrowed at Celica.

"I end my Turn." Celica finished before turning to her brother. "This is your chance. Finish her, Brother."

"Yeah. You've done well. Now it's time to settle this Duel." Jusis cracked his knuckles before nodding at his ace monster that was ready to follow its master's order.

"My Turn! I activate Glorious Halo's effect! I detach all of its Overlay Units to halve your monsters' ATKs and negate their effects!" Jusis detached the second Overlay Unit; halving Dianaira's ATK to 1400 and sealed its effect, making the Demon Roar God Monster the perfect target for his Xyz Monster.

"Battle! I attack Demon Roar God Dianaira with Glorious Halo!" Jusis declared. Glorious Halo pointed its arrow at Dianaira. It drew its bow as far as it could go, using more power and force than it usually does. It then released its bow, shooting the arrow straight at Dianaira. The arrow was covered in spiraling bright yellow light, like a lightning strike.

Seconds before the arrow hit, however, Neon grinned as she opened her facedown card.

"Trap Card: Demon Roar's Noblesse! I negate the destruction of Demon Roar God Monster I control, halve the damage and its Level!" Neon halved Dianaira's Level to 4 and halved the damage. Dianaira caught Glorious Halo's arrow with its bare hands, stopping it before it could pierce its chest right where the heart was usually located. The arrow still tried to go forward for a while, causing Dianaira's hands to bleed and lost some of its fingers until the arrow completely disappeared.

 **NEON LP: 1800 = 750**

"I end my Turn." Jusis clicked his tongue. He was so close. "I'm sorry, Celica. Even though you have went all the way to make the chance for me."

"It's okay! We'll just attack again on our next–"

"There will be no next Turn." Neon interrupted Celica, alarming the siblings.

"My Turn. I summon Tuner Monster, Demon Roar God Lupis (ATK: 200 / DEF: 400 / LV: 2)." Neon summoned Lupis in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Dianaira.

"I tune Dianaira and Urstos with Lupis! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 10! Demon Roar God Leviathan (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 10)!" Neon summoned her ace monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Lupis' effect! I banish it from Graveyard to negate the effect of Special Summoned monsters my opponent controls until the end of this Turn!" Neon banished Lupis, sealing Nekroz of Cartastos and Glorious Halo's effects. The two monsters' bodies were surrounded by black aura that weakened them.

"I also activate the second effect of my two Continuous Magic Cards, Demon Roar God's Seminar and Demon Roar God's Gathering!" Neon turned to her two Continuous Magic Cards.

"Demon Roar God's Seminar will lower the ATK of monsters face-up on the Field other than Demon Roar God monsters by 200 for each Roar Counter placed! And then, Demon Roar God's Gathering will increase the ATK of Demon Roar God's monsters by 200 for each Roar Counter placed!" There were 9 counters in total, which means Celica and Jusis' monsters lost 1800 ATK while Neon's monster gained the same amount. Celica's Nekroz of Catastor's ATK became 400, Jusis' Glorious Halo's ATK became 700, while Neon's Leviathan's ATK became 4800.

"An ATK of 4800?!" The Luis siblings exclaimed together in panic.

"With both of your monsters' current ATK, either of you are done for. Even if one of you survives in the next Turn, you can't defeat my dear Leviathan here. Now, which one should I should first~?" Neon pretended like she was choosing, but she actually has already decided her target. Her eyes rested on Celica, alerting Jusis.

"I always prefer handsome men than pretty women. I'm afraid that this is the end for you, Miss Celica." Neon's eyes glinted menacingly at the Nekroz user. She giggled at the pale look on the girl's face. Both hers and Leviathan's bodies were covered in thick sinister black aura that sucked out the lives of their surrounding environment. The trees, grass, they all withered away the moment that black aura touched them.

"Battle. I attack Nekroz of Catastor with Demon Roar God Leviathan!" Neon declared attack.

Leviathan flapped its red wings and flew towards the dragon. Leviathan's hands were covered in deep crimson aura with the monster's hands formed into fists. It flew towards Celica and her Ritual Monster. Celica couldn't move. It was like something was paralyzing her body. But she knew for sure that if she received this attack, she was done for. The very candle of her life would be extinguished. She closed her eyes tight with her arms in front of her face, ready to feel the blow.

But she then felt a hand on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and saw her older brother right beside her and pushed her from her spot as Leviathan was closing in. Jusis now faced the attack and opened his first facedown cards.

"Trap Card: Cross Damage! The battle damage is inflicted to both players!" Jusis declared. But he wasn't finished with that. He then opened his last facedown card while he looked at his sister. Jusis' body then slackened in relief that his sister would be safe. He smiled at her with sadness in his eyes. Celica's eyes slowly widened in horror as she realized what will happen if this continue.

"Brother! No! Stop! Don't do it!" Celica pleaded desperately, but it was already too late.

"Trap Card: Holy Lightning's Protection! I can negate a battle or effect damage on one target!"

Jusis turned to his sister as a glowing circle appeared above her, forming a barrier that will protect her from any kind of attack. Celica punched the barrier, trying to break free to reach for her brother to no avail. Tears started to form as she saw Leviathan and Catastor clashed. Their clashing powers became self-destruction for the two, creating huge explosion that engulfed both Jusis and Neon. Celica choked her scream from the shock as she saw her brother's form blown up and then plummeted to the ground, lying motionlessly with burns and severe bleeding.

 **NEON LP: 750 = 0**

 **JUSIS LP: 4000 = 0**

"BROTHER!" Celica finally screamed as she scrambled to her feet once the barrier dissolved, allowing her to reach her brother. She brought her brother into her arms, not caring how heavy he was. She gasped when she heard a strained voice from the opposite side of the field. Neon was starting to stand up despite the severe injuries, which was as worse as Jusis. Celica wondered for a second how she was still alive, but she then remembered that Neon was not a human.

"That's so close… Never thought he would aim for mutual kill. Too bad it was all in vain since I'm going to recover soon." Neon sneered at Jusis, causing Celica to glare at the Demon Roar God user.

"I'm outta here. You can chase after me if you want. But then you'll leave your brother die all alone." Neon told Celica with delightful tone, shrugging dismissively at Celica's rage towards her.

"The face you're making right now is very cute. I hope I can see it again. Later, Celica-chan."

With that, Neon left the field, and Celica didn't make any attempt to chase after her. She has something more important to focus on. She pulled her brother closer. He was heavier than he looked. She could barely prop him up in her arms, especially with the blood making her hands slippery—she clung to him anyway. There was no letting go. There was absolutely no letting go.

Jusis groaned softly. He tried to smile, and that was the worst part of it. His teeth were flecked with blood—but the smile looked so peaceful. She didn't like that look. It was like he was trying to comfort her, while he was the one who's dying—

Dying.

Her brother was dying.

She choked on her scream and it never released. His hand fumbled weakly for hers, resting on top of it.

"Celica," he mumbled. "Celica...it's okay...it's okay..."

"It's not!" she screamed. "It's not! It's not! No, please, you can't—you can't die, Brother, you can't die."

There was nothing else in the world anymore. Not the torn-up forest, not the fires still glowing in the buildings, not the people shouting in the distance. Nothing except her and her older brother in the middle of the field, his body curled against hers as she tried desperately to hold him up.

"It can't end like this! Please, Brother! This isn't fair!" Celica said, her voice turning up into a shriek.

Her tears were flowing so thickly she couldn't even see his face anymore. "Brother, I'm begging you, you can't go, please. Aren't we going to hang out again after this is over? The three of us, Yuno, you, and I, we will hang out like we used to when we were you. You have to stay—"

Jusis' eyes were slowly fluttering shut. She shook his shoulders, perhaps a little too roughly, but she could barely breathe, much less regulate her movement. He tried to smile again, but there was fear in his eyes. He curled up weakly against Celica's chest, and Celica drew him closer, wrapping one arm around his head to cradle against her.

"You can't go," She cried. "You can't go..."

"I-I'm sorry," Jusis said back.

He was struggling to speak now, the blood staining through his robes. His hand curled weakly into her tunic, staining more blood into the white fabric.

"I'm...I'm sorry... I'm trying to—but I'm...I'm scared, Celica..." Jusis mumbled as tears began to flow down from his eyes as well. He knew that this was the end for him. He couldn't keep his promise to his sister and best friend. At least he could save his sister. As long as she and the others were okay, then he would be content.

"It's okay, I'm right here. I'm right here, I'm right here—" Celica hugged him tighter.

"L-let's...let's see each other...again...promise...?" Jusis mumbled.

"I promise! I'll never—I'll never forget you, I'll never—"

His hand was uncurling from her tunic. She fumbled for him, but his head was already starting to loll over, his body slackening in her grip. She grabbed at him, but his body was so heavy and limp it was all she could do to hold him up. She pawed at the side of his face with one hand, tried to turn his head towards her, but—but there was nothing in his eyes. They were staring at nothing, nothing at all, and they were empty.

He was—

She thought, maybe, that she had screamed. That was the only thing that could account for the air that was gone from her lungs, or the way that her heart shrieked in her chest and thrummed in her ears. But she couldn't hear it. She couldn't hear anything. She couldn't see anything except for her brother's limp, unseeing face, couldn't feel anything except for the weight of his slackened body in her arms.

Her hearing came back like a faint snap, and she could hear her own voice, her own scream ripping out of her throat. Her chest roiled with all of the pent-up emotion, hers and the ones that she had accepted, swirling and twisting until she thought she would choke.

She screamed one more time, and this time, the sky answered her with a roar of thunder.

She thought, vaguely, that she had made this, because the sky had been clear only moments ago, and the way the clouds swirled over her head almost perfectly matched the roiling in her chest and stomach. Another scream, and the sky opened.

She didn't even feel the rain as it pounded down over her head, pouring down her head, soaking her hair to the back of her neck, and washing into her tears.

"Brother..."

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – NORTH BATTLEFIELD – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

The village is littered with weapons, carnage and blood. Red, gray and silver are the new colors of what was once a small, small village, which has now become the stage of a long, destructive battle. The air which would normally carry the sound of working people and large tools is now merely a canvas for the stench of death and the cries of the dying, enough to destroy whatever courage is left in the survivors.

Two trained armies fight each other for control of the area, but the battle is in nobody's favor yet. The dead of one side are abundant and lay in heaps around the village and the faces of the fighters are hopeful with boots stepping firmly and eyes searching their surroundings, they take on their enemies.

With a lack of confidence in a positive outcome the other side does whatever it can in order to try to defeat their enemies. Some have succumbed to bloodlust and are recklessly charging towards the enemy with only the aim to kill all, while others seem to be fairly unaffected by the terrors around them.

The toll on both nature and humanity is heavy. It'll likely take decades before this village will have recovered. It's clear metal, blood and bodies have taken the place of gardens, gardens and parks.

Every mind was as much a battlefield as the sand at their feet. Before the invaders beached their vessels, each soldier had time for their minds to bid farewell to far away lovers and children while trying to wipe all emotion clean away, to focus on the task at hand. Every gaze lay resolutely ahead, none able to take in the emotion of their friends as well as their own. When the cry came they launched forwards without delay, the grains shifting under their boots were their homeland and to see the foreign warriors upon it was all the motivation their hearts required.

Yuno and Claire ran as fast as they could after separate themselves from their troops, which have already been informed prior to enact their plan. Jonouchi reported that he has arrived at the hospital and was on standby, waiting for the rest of them to come.

"How about Celica and Jusis?" Claire asked as they were running.

Yuno shook his head. "They haven't contacted me yet, so maybe they're still on their way. We'll meet up at the hospital, so let's just focus on getting there as fast as–"

"You won't reach that rendezvous point."

Yuno and Claire stopped when Tsukasa suddenly landed across them, blocking their path. They didn't need to think a way to avoid the offspring since it was impossible to avoid fighting against him. He was different from the servants that they were fighting earlier. He was one of Apophis' strongest Duelists. While they didn't expect to face him so soon, this perhaps would be a good opportunity to lessen their enemies before fighting Apophis himself.

"We have been married for years, but never once we dueled together as a team, dear. Mind trying it now?" Claire suggested as she activated her Duel Disk.

"I'm positive we will do well as a team." Yuno replied, activating his Duel Disk as well, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first. From my hand, I summon Vendead Rat (ATK: 500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 2)!" Yuno Striges in Attack Position.

"And then I activate Field Magic: Vendead Night. Once per Turn I can discard 1 card to add 1 Vendead Monster from my Deck to my hand." Yuno discarded a card and then added a new Vendead Monster into his hand.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Revendead Origin! I release Vendead Rat on my Field and discard Vendead Revenant in my hand to perform Ritual Summon!" Yuno used Vendead Rat and Vendead Revenant as materials. From the ground in front of Yuno, there was a small crack that slowly expanded and broke. A hand emerged from the earth, followed by another hand that forcefully making a path.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Revendead Slayer (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 0 / LV: 6)!" Yuno summoned Revendead Slayer, who has fully emerged from the ground, in Attack Position, the Undead-Type Ritual Monster made a challenging gesture to Tsukasa with its hand.

"I set 1 card and end my Turn." Yuno concluded.

"My Turn! I Normal Summoned Fortune Lady Lighty (ATK: ? / DEF: ? / LV: 1)!" Claire summoned Fortune Lady Lighty in Attack Position.

"Due to the first effect of Fortune Lady Lighty, its ATK and DEF are equal to her Level times 200!" Claire increased Fortune Lady Lighty's ATK and DEF to 200.

"I set a card and end my Turn!" Claire concluded.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Infernoid Adamelech (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 0 / LV: 8)!" Tsukasa banished Infernoid Satan (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) and Infernoid Beelzebub (ATK: 0 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 2) from his hand to summon Adamelech in Attack Position.

"I set 3 cards and end my Turn!" Tsukasa concluded.

"My Turn! I activate the effect that Revendead Slayer got from Vendead Revenant! Once per Turn, I can target a monster my opponent controls, and banish it!" Yuno chose Tsukasa's Adamelech, but then Tsukasa opened his first facedown card.

"Trap Card: Purgatory of Azure Flame! I can special summon Infernoid Monster from my hand ignoring its summoning condition, but its effect is negated until the end of this Turn!" Tsukasa summoned Infernoid Astaroth in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone right after Adamelech got banished from his Field.

"Then Battle! I attack Infernoid Astaroth with Revendead Slayer!" Yuno declared. Revendead dashed forward, crushing Astaroth with its barrage of fists, destroying the Infernoid monster in a matter of seconds.

 **TSUKASA LP: 4000 = 3400**

"I end my Turn." Yuno concluded.

"My Turn! I activate the second effect of Fortune Lady Lighty! It increases its Level by one!" Claire raised Lighty's Level to 2, which also increased its attack to 400.

"I tribute Lighty, in order to Advance Summon Fortune Lady Earthy (ATK: ? / DEF: ? / LV: 6)!" Claire summoned Earthy in Attack Position. Due to the first effect of Earth, its ATK and DEF becomes equal to its Level times 400, making its current ATK and DEF at 2400.

"I activate Lighty's final effect! I can Special Summon Fortune Lady Darky (ATK: ? / DEF: ? / LV: 5) from my Deck!" Claire summoned Darky in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Darky's effect! This card's ATK and DEF are equal to its Level times 400!" Claire increased Darky's ATK and DEF to 2000.

"Battle! I attack directly with Fortune Lady Darky!" Claire declared. Fortune Lady Dark flew towards Tsukasa while twirling its sharp dark scythe and ready to slash the offspring into half. However, Tsukasa then activated his Reverse Card.

"Trap Card: Mad Feast of Purgatory! I send 1 Purgatory Spell or Trapfrom my hand or faceup on the Field to Special Summon up to 3 Infernoid Monsters from my Deck whose total Levels equal 8, ignoring their summoning conditions!" Tsukasa summoned Infernoid Lucifugus (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 0 / LV: 3) and Infernoid Asmodai (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 0 / LV: 5) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Then I attack Infernoid Lucifugus with Darky!" Claire changed her target to Lucifugus who has lower ATK, slashing the Infernoid Monster into half without mercy.

 **TSUKASA LP: 3400 = 3000**

"And next, I attack Infernoid Asmodai with Earthy!" Claire declared her second attack. Earthy's weapon's gem glowed bright that extended its energy into the blade part. Earthy made a slashing motion, sending energy wave at Asmodai that exploded the Infernoid Monster.

 **TSUKASA LP: 3000 = 2800**

"For our first time, I think we did pretty well." Claire commented, smiling pleasantly at her husband.

"We need to do more Tag Duel together after this." Yuno said with a chuckle. He wondered why it never occurred to him to duel as a team with his own wife. If he knew they would be in sync like this, he would have asked her far earlier.

"After this?" Tsukasa said coldly with a growl upon hearing them. He glared at the couple, unleashing his killing intent that he had been holding up until now. The killing intent was enough to make Yuno and Claire took a step back from the shocking pressure.

"You're really underestimating me, aren't you? You're so sure that you'll survive from his Duel. Don't get cocky, vermin." Tsukasa stated angrily as he began his Draw Phase. His body started to get covered by black aura as his killing intent intensified, sending surge of unnerve to Yuno and Claire. He immediately activated the card that he just drew.

"I activate Continuous Magic: Void Dream of Purgatory's effect. I send this card to the Graveyard to Fusion Summon an Infernoid Monster from my Extra Deck using monsters on my hand or side of the Field as materials!" Tsukasa banished Infernoid Beelzebul and Infernoid Nehemoth from his hands.

"Demon of the purgatory, reduce your enemies to ashes with your burning flames! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 10! Infernoid Belial (ATK: 3300 / DEF: 3600 / LV: 10)!" Tsukasa summoned Belial in Attack Position. The demon monster howled hatefully at its opponents.

"I activate Infernoid Belial's effect! When this card is Fusion summoned, both players must send 3 cards with Level or Rank 8 or higher from their Extra Decks to their Graveyards, and at the end of this Turn, those monsters are banished!" Tsukasa revealed, grinning a little at Yuno.

"What?!" Yunotook a step back from shock. From the looks of it, Tsukasa has no loss from sending his own monsters to the Graveyard. The same, however, couldn't be said to him. Lots of his strongest monsters from Supreme King Deck are Level or Rank 8 and above. Tsukasa must have known this and that's why he summoned the monster. Gritting his teeth, Yuno reluctantly sent his Extra Deck Supreme King monsters. He silently apologized to his monsters for discarding them.

"I also activate Continuous Trap: Hole of the Purgatory. Once per Turn when cards are discarded to the Graveyard due to Infernoid monster's effect, I can destroy monsters on my opponent's Field equal to the total cards discarded and my monster gains 300 ATK for each monster destroyed!" Tsukasa activated another card, increasing Belial's ATK to 4200 as three cards were discarded. This, in turn, also destroyed both Yuno and Claire's monsters, leaving their Monster Zones empty.

"No way!" Claire exclaimed in dismay.

Tsukasa then turned to Yuno who was the holder of Supreme King Deck, their main threat. He must be eliminated immediately at all cost before he become too dangerous for them.

"You're going down first, wretched Warrior of Ma'at! Battle! I attack directly with Infernoid Belial!" Tsukasa declared.

Following its master's order, Belial dashed forward at the Oracle with one hand extended and formed a fist. Its whole body covered in burning flames and black-colored aura that made both Yuno and Claire felt sick just by looking at it. Yuno couldn't avoid this attack. It would easily reach him even if he tries to evade it. Claire knew this, and that's why she had prepared for something like this. Out of everyone, Yuno, who was using the Supreme King Deck, must not be killed. He was their hope to win this war.

"I activate Trap Card: Direction Shift! When my opponent declares an attack, I can change the target of the attack!" Claire opened her facedown card, changing Belial's target. Belial changed its course from Yuno to Claire who was facing the attack head-on, knowing it was unavoidable.

"Claire!" Yuno shouted as he immediately rushed to her, but Belial was faster than him despite its size.

"You have to win, Yuno!" Claire told her husband right before Belial's fist hit her. Without any of them knowing, within her Deck, Earthbound God Assla Piscu was glowing dark, thinly covering Claire's body as she was hit and thrown back before it disappeared.

 **CLAIRE LP: 4000 = 0**

"CLAIRE!" Yuno quickly rushed to his wife, scooping her into his arms. He leaned his hear into her left chest to check her heartbeat. Her heart was still beating, but her body was covered in injuries that needed to be treated fast and her breathing was slow. He quickly pulled out a medical kit, giving her a first aid.

"Stay with me, Claire! You'll be all right! Don't fall asleep! Just look at me! Focus on me!" Yuno said in panic as he treated her to the best of his ability. He was not an expert in medical treatment, but at least he knew what he must do in giving a first aid.

"It's useless. There's no way a mere lowly human like her can stay alive after receiving the full power of my attack. She may still be alive now, but she'll die eventually. Just forget in treating her." Tsukasa told the Oracle while staring at him in amusement at his futile attempt to save his wife.

"Shut up! You don't know how strong she can be, so don't you dare mocking her!" Yuno yelled furiously at Tsukasa as he finished giving the first aid. He carefully placed Claire leaning on a tree before facing Tsukasa again.

"And what can you exactly do in this situation? I have destroyed all of your precious monsters that can defeat my Belial. You have no chance against me." Tsukasa sneered.

Claire was struggling to stay awake, staring at her husband who was facing against Tsukasa again. Her chest a fiery pain, her head thick with fluff, and it was all she could do to stay awake. She couldn't move—her vision was starting to patch out already. She fumbled weakly for him. Claire wanted to reach for him, wanted to tell him it was all right. But she couldn't speak. She tried to reach for him again. She didn't want to leave him like this.

 _"You can still fight with him."_

Claire gasped weakly when her blurry eyes slowly saw a transparent white dragon looking down at her. From his appearance, it wasn't difficult for Claire to recognize the dragon as Ma'at that Yuno and Renka had told her months ago. The Dragon of Harmony who granted the Supreme King Deck, the chance to counterattack Apophis and his armies that allowed them to live to this day. She had also heard that he has the ability to allow humans to be reincarnated as Duel Monsters if they wish so.

 _"I'm...going to die...?"_ Claire asked Ma'at through her mind.

 _"Yes. But not immediately. You still have a chance to survive and recover, but still your lifespan would be short. Something has been sucking your life energies for years without you realizing it."_ Ma'at revealed to her, which surprised the Fortune Lady user.

 _"Then...why are you here?"_ Claire asked again. If she wasn't going to die so soon, for what reason he appeared in front of her?

 _"To give you a choice, just like I gave a choice to your Apophis offspring children."_ Ma'at answered calmly as four flames with different colors; red, violet, blue, and green appeared on each of his sides.

 _"If you allow it, I can extract a part of your soul and make that soul a Duel Monster for your husband."_ Ma'at offered to the former general whose eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Ma'at.

 _"Will that...help Yuno...win against Tsukasa?"_ Claire asked as she tried to stay awake at least until she was sure of what she heard.

 _"Alone, no. But with them, all of you together can defeat him."_ Ma'at referred to Claire and the four souls beside him. That was enough for Claire to know. She didn't need a second thought. Neither she nor Yuno have the time for that.

 _"I accept, Ma'at."_

And then, all of a sudden, Yuno's Main Deck and Extra Deck were shining, surprising Yuno and Tsukasa. They felt it. Ma'at's power, stronger than the other Supreme King cards, was emitting from them. Yuno gasped when he saw Ma'at's spirit above him, bathing him in golden light as he felt surge of brand new power within the Deck.

 _"This is the last of my visage that I can give to you. And it won't last long. Once this war is over, once Apophis is sealed, this power will disappear together with me. Use it wisely."_

Ma'at told Yuno before he disappeared. Yuno could feel not only Ma'at's presence, but also other presences that brought tears to his eyes. Odd-Eyes, Dark Rebellion, Clear Wing, Starve Venom, and Claire, he could sense them all. They were trying to help him. He only has this one Turn to turned the tide entirely. He won't waste this one Turn.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Supreme King's Contract! I pay half of my LP to Special Summon two Supreme King Monsters from my Deck!" Yuno summoned Suprem King Servant Dragon Darkmillium and Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkwurm from his Deck.

 **YUNO LP: 4000 = 2000**

"I activate Supreme King Servant Dragon Darkmillium's effect! I can use this card as replacement material for Xyz, Fusion, Synchro, and Ritual Summon of a Dragon-Type Monster!" Yuno revealed, causing Tsukasa to snort.

"You don't have any strong monster left in your Extra Deck that is enough to defeat my Belial!" Tsukasa reminded.

"No! You should have realized that I have gained new powers from Ma'at, and people that I loves who are now helping me!" Yuno retorted while he opened his arms as Fusion Vortex appeared above him.

"I fuse Darkmillium with Darkwurm! Servants of the almighty dragon! Now become one, from a hell under your petals, give birth to a new terror! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 8! Starve Venom Fusion Dragon (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8)!" Yuno summoned Starve Venom in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"Impossible! Starve Venom?! You're reborn?!" Tsukasa stared incredulously at the Fusion dragon who was roaring hatefully at him. It shouldn't be possible for her to be reincarnated since His Excellency has disowned them. Unless...

 _"It must Ma'at's doing!"_ Tsukasa cursed the Dragon of Harmony.

"I activate Starve Venom Fusion Dragon's effect! When this card is Fusion Summoned using monsters on the Field as materials, it gains that ATK of all Special Summoned monsters on the Field!" Yuno activated Starve Venom's effect, prompting Starve Venom to bite the Infernoid Monster with its fanged protrusions and absorbed its power, increasing her ATK to 7000.

"Battle! I attack Belial with Starve Venom Fusion Dragon!" Yuno declared attack without hesitation. Starve Venom sent more of its protrusions to devour the Infernoid Fusion Monster, opening its maw wide open for a meal.

"That won't work! Due to Hole of Purgatory's effect, I can banish two Infernoid Monsters in my Graveyard to switch my opponent's monster's ATK and DEF!" Tsukasa banished the first two Infernoid Monsters in his Graveyard, switching Starve Venom's ATK from 7000 to its DEF, 2000. If the attack continues, Starve Venom will be destroyed and Yuno will take damage instead.

"Continuous Trap: Damage Force! I can halve my LP to destroy a monster I control to negate the attack and inflict the difference between the monster's original ATK and DEF as damage to my opponent!" Yuno opened his last facedown card, sending Starve Venom to the Graveyard and then inflicted 800 damage in exchange to Tsukasa. Starve Venom's spirit hit Tsukasa directly, causing him to kneel from the pain.

 **TSUKASA LP: 2800 = 2000**

"Heh. In the end this is the new power amounts to. It's stil inferior to mine. Even as Duel Monster, your children are useless." Tsukasa laughed mockingly.

"Don't you dare mock my children with that dirty mouth of yours. I'm still not done."

"What?"

"When the monster that is summoned using Darkmillium as material leaves the Field, I can Special Summon Darkmillium and the other monster used as material!" Yuno summoned back Darkmillium and Darkwurm back to the Field, and immediately activated Darkmillium's effect.

"I tune Darkmillium with Darkwurm! Spread those wondrous and beautiful wings. Strike down our enemies at light speed! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 7! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Yuno summoned Clear Wing in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Vendead Rat's effect. When I Special Summoned a Monster from Extra Deck, I can banish this card from my Graveyard to summon a Vendead Ritual Monster." Yuno revived Revendead Slayer in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Revendead Slayer's effect. When this card battles, I can banish a Vendead monster from my Graveyard to increase its ATK by 300!" Yuno increased Revendead Slayer's ATK, but then turned to Clear Wing.

"I activate Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effect! When a Level 5 or higher monster activates an effect, I can negate the effect, destroy that monster, and add the destroyed monster's ATK to it!" Yuno destroyed Revendead Slayer, adding its ATK to Clear Wing, making the dragon's current ATK 4900.

"Battle! I attack Infernoid Belial with Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Yuno declared his second attack. A repeat then occurred. Tsukasa once again activated his Continuous Trap's effect to switch Clear Wing's ATK with its DEF, which prompted Yuno to activate his own Continuous Trap to negate the ATK and inflict the difference between Clear Wing's ATK and DEF as damage to Tsukasa, inflicting 500 damage this time.

 **TSUKASA LP: 2300 = 1800**

"I once again summon back Darkmillium and Darkwurm, and use the former's effect to overlay Darkmillium and Darkwurm! Fangs of rebellion from the pitch blac darkness, rise up against the foolish oppresion! Xyz Summon! Descend! Rank 4! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Yuno summoned Dark Rebellion in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Dark Rebellion's effect! I detach an Overlay Unit to halve the ATK of a Level 5 or higher monster that my opponent controls and add the lost ATK to Dark Rebellion!" Yuno halved Belial's ATK to 2100 and increased Dark Rebellion's ATK to 4600.

As they did with the previous two battles, the moment Yuno's Dark Rebellion attacked, Tsukasa switched its ATK and DEF and then Yuno used his Trap to destroy Dark Rebellion to negate his own attack and inflict another 500 damage to Tsukasa.

 **TSUKASA LP: 1800 = 1300**

"Starve Venom, Clear Wing, Dark Rebellion...I take it the next one would be..." Tsukasa trailed off as he figured out what monster Yuno will use next.

"Correct! I release Darkmillium and Darkwurm to Advance Summon Odd-Eyes Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Yuno summoned Odd-Eyes in the Main Monster Zone in Attack Position.

"You're the one who killed Odd-Eyes, right? Then this will be the revenge time." Yuno stated while staring coldly at the Infernoid user with barely contained anger.

"At this moment, I activate Darkmillium's effect! By banishing a Supreme King Servant Dragon Monster from my Graveyard, I can double the monster's ATK!" Yuno banished Darkwurm from his Graveyard, doubling Odd-Eyes' ATK to 5000.

"Battle! I attack Belial with Odd-Eyes Dragon!" Yuno declared attack again.

"You're so stubborn! No matter how many times you do it, it won't work!" Tsukasa said in annoyance. He was getting bored with all of these replays. He activated his Trap, discarding the last of his Infernoid Monsters from his Graveyard to switch Odd-Eyes Dragon's ATK and DEF. And as he expected, Yuno used his Trap again to negate the attack and inflict another 500 damage to him.

 **TSUKASA LP: 1300 = 800**

"Give it up already! You may have lowered my LP to 800, but I can tell that you no longer have any monster in your Extra Deck left, and that Odd-Eyes Dragon is the last monster you summoned from hand, which has already been destroyed. You have nothing anymore!" Tsukasa yelled. He has reached the limit of his patience. He just wanted to end the Duel now, so it would help him very much if Yuno just stop his futile struggle since he will lose anyway.

"No. I won't let my children's efforts to be wasted in vain. I will defeat you right here and right now with my true ace in the hole entrusted by Claire!" Yuno showed the last card in his hand and activated it.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Darkness' Light! By banishing two DARK Monsters from my Graveyard with Levels equal or more than the Ritual Monster, I can perform Ritual Summon!" Yuno banished Odd-Eyes Dragon and Darkmillium. Pentagram-shaped magic circle appeared with torches on each star. A portal began to open from the pentagram along with a roar coming from within the portal

"Awake from your slumber and drag your enemies into deepest bowels of the earth! Ritual Summon! Appear! Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8)!" Yuno summoned his new ace monster in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone from his Deck. He looked at Mad Abyss and smiled. He felt Claire. The dragon was a reincarnation of a part of her soul that she offered for his sake. But his wife is not dead yet. She was hanging by a hair at the moment. He must end this Duel quickly and take her to the hospital.

"You have used up all of your Infernoid Monsters in your Graveyard, so you can't activate the second effect of your Hole of Purgatory anymore!" Yuno pointed out, which meant Tsukasa can't switch his monster's ATK and DEF anymore. Furthermore, due to Dark Rebellion's effect, Belial's ATK was only at 2100. Still, he knew it won't be enough to defeat Tsukasa on this Turn. To make sure he would deplete all of Tsukasa's remaining LP...

"I activate Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon's effect! Once per Turn, when my opponent controls a Level 5 or higher Monster, it gains 600 ATK for each Monster in both players' Graveyard and Banished Zone! Soul Survive!" Yuno declaed. Mad Abyss howled as the spirits of the monsters whom it gained ATK from appeared on the Field and went into the dragon.

"What…?!" Tsukasa was visibly shocked by the sudden turn of events. He has no monster left in his Graveyard. He couldn't activate Hole of Purgatory's effect to switch the ATK and DEF again.

"I told you, that I'm going to end this right here and right now! Battle! I attack Infernoid Belial with Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon! Earthbound Chain Blitz!"

Mad Abyss summoned chains that bound Tsukasa's Fusion Monster, completely stopping the Infernoid monster's movement who was desperately struggling against the chains, which only tightened the chains' hold on it more. Mad Abyss used its skeleton protrusions to slash the Infernoid Monster, destroying it and blew Tsukasa away from the impact of its explosion.

 **TSUKASA LP: 500 = 0**

Tsukasa was barely survived from the attack. If he hadn't defended himself, it would have killed him for good. Still, the attack gave him severe damage. If he didn't retreat now, he would die from his injuries. But honestly, rather than his injuries, he was more concerned that his pride as a Duelist has been thoroughly crushed. It was the first time he felt so enraged and humiliated.

"D-damn you...! I'm going to remember this! Mark my words! You're going to pay with your life one day! I will definitely kill you!"

With that curse, Tsukasa teleported away from the battlefield, leaving Yuno alone with his wife.

"Claire!"

Yuno scooped Claire into his arms, carrying her. He checked her heartbeat again, and it was still beating, but weak. Yuno summoned Clear Wing and rode on it, directing the dragon to fly as fast as he could to the rendezvous point. Throughout the whole way, Yuno kept his hold on his wife tight.

"Hang in there! I'll get you to the hospital soon! You'll be fine! I won't let you die!"

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – HOSPITAL – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGNAL DIMENSION**

When Yuno arrived at the hospital, Claire was quickly brought to the emergency room. He waited with Jonouchi at the waiting room. But not long after, Celica then arrived, bringing her older brother's dead body. The three of them brought him into the morgue. Jonouchi left Yuno and Celica alone as they wept, crying for Jusis together until the doctor entered and told them that he must explain something regading Celica's condition. Claire decided to stay with Jonouchi at the waiting room while Yuno followed the doctor to the hall where he explained everything.

"You can't find what's wrong from her? What do you mean?" Yuno asked in confusion after hearing what the doctor said.

"Your wife's health is clearly deteriorating, but we can't find the cause. It's like it just happens naturally." The doctor informed him. After treating her injuries, he found Claire's condition growing weaker but couldn't find what the cause of the deterioration no matter how many tests they have conducted.

"B-but, she'll be okay if she continues to receive treatment, right?" Yuno held the doctor by his shoulders. His voice was very desperate. He just lost Jusis, and if he loses another one of his best friend, he doesn't know if he can bear it.

"I'm afraid since we don't know the cause, stopping the deterioration is..."

Seconds later, another doctor from before came and told them that Claire's room was prepared. Yuno followed him to a small area in the hospital, where the lighting was low to try and mimic the comfortable feeling of one's own bedroom. There was a window but any light it could give to the room was blocked by these dark color drapes. The only other door to this room was on the far right, almost near a corner, possibly leading to a bathroom.

Claire's bed was placed right up next to the wall in the middle of the room. The bed had small wheels that replaced some parts of the legs, showing how they moved Claire into this room despite all the machines she's hooked up to. The hospital had put her in pajamas to make her comfortable and a comforter was over her motionless body. An oxygen mask that's connected to this weird looking machine was placed over Claire's mouth as the woman regained her consciousness.

"Yuno..." Claire turned to her husband who was standing beside her bed. She could tell from his look that the doctor has explained everything. Ma'at has also told her, and she must make it clear to Yuno.

"No matter what kind of treatment or medicine given to me, I'll never get well." She told him, which made Yuno frowned deeply.

Yuno grasped his wife's hand tightly. "W-what are you saying?! Don't give up so early! There has to be a way–"

"Ma'at said so." Claire interrupted, causing Yuno to went silent as she continued.

"When a part of my soul became Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon while I was unconscious, he came to me. He sensed that without me realizing something has been sucking my life energy for years, and this is the result. It's kind of like a curse." Claire didn't know why, but she had a feeling that was the case. She had been feeling weak lately even though she was physically and mentally healthy. Of course, no doctor or medical check-up will figure it out.

"A curse?" Yuno repeated in question.

"We don't know what or who sucked my life energy, but it has disappeared after I lost that Duel. However, it was already too late for my body. The damage has already gone too far. I only have about 5 or 7 years left to live..." Claire revealed, and that made Yuno's face pale.

"5 or 7 years? T-that's...so short... You can't see Ryuji grow up into a fine man within that time, you know... And haven't we planned a lot of things together?" Yuno hoped he heard it wrong. How could this happen to her? Just what it was that sucked her life that now she only has 5 or 7 years to live? This was too much. This was unfair.

"It's fine. I have accepted this. One good thing that came from this, I can still be by your side as your Duel Monster. The current Mad Abyss only has 30% of its real power. Once I'm gone, the remaining power and soul will go to it, completing the reincarnation." Claire smiled, trying to assure Yuno, even though she knew it won't.

"That doesn't make me feel better. I never wanted this." Yuno told her as his grip on her hand tightened. A tear started to form in his right eye.

"You'll still have Celica, Prince Abel, Jonouchi-kun, and everyone else by your side..." Claire said while wiping Yuno's tear, still smiling softly.

"Celica is irreplaceable. No one can replace her. You're not a replacement, Claire. Just as no one can replace Celica, no one can replace you. Nobody." While it was true he could never let go his love for Celica, he never considered Claire as her replacement. He loved Claire whether as his best friend, and he would love to be with her always for who she is, not as anyone's replacement.

"It's not just the two of you, the others are the same. Each and every one of them are irreplaceable to me. Dad, Yuji, Yura, Yuzo, Yuhei, Odd-Eyes, Dark Rebellion, Starve Venom, Clear Wing, Jusis... I have already lost so much. I can't lose you too... Even if you'll be reborn as Duel Monster, it will be different..." Yuno buried his face on the bed while still holding his wife's hand. His body was trembling at the thought of losing her. This war has taken many things precious for him. He knew that the price for freedom is high, but how much he must lose until it was over?

"I know. But the damage has been done. My death is inevitable. All of us must accept the inevitable outcome." Claire forced herself to sit up. She leaned close to Yuno and gave him a kiss on his forehead before placing her forehead with his.

"Even as a Duel Monster, will you accept me?" Claire asked softly, prompting Yuno to hug her.

"Do you really need to ask the obvious?" Yuno returned her smile. It was still a sad smile, but genuine one nonetheless.

"I believe that now we have much more important matter to deal with than this conversation. You have to go together with Celica. I'll be waiting here. We have to win, so that we can open the path to the future for Ryuji." Claire told him. They have lost so much, and now what remains for them is their son. In the middle of this war, they tried their best to make him happy and avoid him from seeing the horror of war as much as they could. They can't let Ryuji to continue living in horror and fear. They want to open the bright blue sky and fill the world with beautiful peace once more for their son to live on.

"Yeah. I'll be back for sure. I won't let everything we have done go to waste."

Yuno vowed. He won't lose. He can't. He had lost so much. He won't let their sacrifices to be in vain.

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – BATTLEFIELD – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Yuno and Celica finally succeeded in significantly weakening the Dragon of Calamity. Now they have perfectly captured that Dragon of Calamity in a dimension seal formation which took forms of magic circles circling the colossal black dragon that stopped his movement while he was struggling to get free.

"Lord Oracle, the spiritual output from every group is steady! We can begin at any time!" A man informed Yuno from the transmitter in his ear while Yuno and Celica were standing side by side facing against the trapped black dragon with their monsters.

"Everyone, everything will depend on this moment! Bring forth your courage and full power to defeat the Dragon of Calamity!" Yuno announced to all his men through his Duel Monster's power that conveyed his voice to them.

The magic circles then began shining bright as chains appearing and bound Apophis. All Link Monsters in the world gathered together and reinforced the seal with their powers combined together, forming the final seal necessary to create the artificial dimension and enclose Apophis inside it. All that left was waiting until enough spiritual powers were gathered into the seal.

"Don't stop the flow of spiritual power! Everybody! Focus your energies into this one seal! Don't forget that this will decide mankind's fate!" Celica encouraged as she and Yuno also helped in forming the seal.

The Link Monster's bodies shined blue, unleashing blue light that showered the entire Cantidel. It was so bright that it could be seen throughout the whole world, the whole dimension. Apophis let out a cry as its body began to become lighter in color. The negative energies were leaving his body.

"Activate the final seal and capture formation!" Yuno ordered.

Apophis roared painfully as bright blue light enveloped the entire country, blinding everyone within the country. Apophis unleashed the last of his power in final desperate move to free himself, creating a huge clash that blew away Yuno and Celica away. When the two of them awakened, Apophis was gone together with the Link Monsters. But what surprised him the most was he, Celica, and Jonouchi, who was near them, have shrunk. They looked at their reflection and found they have reverted to their teenage selves. Yuno and Celica reverted to their 15 years old selves while Jonouchi reverted to his 17 years old self.

While they were curious of what happened to them, the happiness that Apophis has been successfully sealed overwhelmed them more.

"Our long suffering has come to an end for the time being. There is always a chance for Apophis to reawaken from this seal in the future. Until that time comes, we have to build our strength, become stronger so that when Apophis awakens, they will meet his true end."

Yuno announced to everyone who can listen to him, urging them to spread the news of their victory.

"I promise peace will return. Send out a prayer to those who gave their lives for our glorious victory."

Humanity and their allied Duel Monster spirits rejoiced.

They have finally achieved their freedom.

 **A WEEK LATER – 1,500 YEARS AGO – BORDER – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

"This is it. This is where we depart." Yuno told his wife and son.

To ensure that Apophis would be out of reach, they decided to move the whole Cantidel into the artificial dimension where Apophis has been sealed. Any record of the existence of Cantidel Empire would be erased. Lesser people know about Apophis, the safer they would be. People have been given a choice whether to stay in Cantidel and moved to the artificial dimension or remain in the original dimension. They have warned them that going to the artificial dimension means they can't return to the original dimension anymore. Unexpectedly, there were more than many decided to stay in Cantidel and departed to the artificial dimension. Yuno and Jonouchi were two of those people. They have responsibility to protect the seal.

"It's for the best. With your curse, it would only be painful if you stay with us. And you have to protect the seal. We don't want another Armageddon to happen again." Celica looked down at her now shrunk married best friend. It was a bit weird when she first found out about Yuno's curse, but she then got used to it.

"Yeah. I won't let that happen. At least not until Ryuji has grown up into a family man." Yuno promised while patting Ryuji's head affectionately.

"Regardless of how much time I have left, I will live to the fullest. I'll make sure to help our son grow into a fine young man before my time comes. And even if that happens, your mother and grandmother are still around to help." Claire assured Yuno. While living the rest of her life with Yuno won't be bad, she and Yuno agreed that they want their son to see and learn more of the world, the much wider world in original dimension. They don't want to limit their son in the smaller artificial dimension. And it would be more painful for Yuno, who was quite an immortal, to live with them. It would be a torture for him to continue to live while his family dies early.

"If it's you, I know you can take care of our son just fine." Yuno said with confidence for Claire.

"You better do your job right. I'll always keep my eyes on you as Mad Abyss later on." Claire replied while winking at him.

"Aren't you a male as Mad Abyss? It doesn't bother you to be reborn as a guy?" Yuno asked teasingly, which Claire replied with a shake of head.

"Not at all. Even though it's not as how I imagined it would be, I'm always curious how it feels to be a guy. Besides, that'll make it easier for you to view me as a guy friend, right?" Claire smiled widely before the two of them laughed together.

Yuno kneeled at his son, hugging him, and Ryuji hugged back tighter than him.

"Stay well, Ryuji. Be good to your mother." Yuno pulled Ryuji form his to face his son.

"You're really have to leave, Daddy?" Ryuji tried his best not to cry, but it was still hard not to tear up at the thought of parting with his beloved father.

"Yes. Daddy has to stay here so all of you can live happily. Please understand. Daddy can't stay with you anymore, but Daddy will never forget you. Daddy is sure you can become a Professional Duelist one day. Train hard and have fun Dueling." Yuno wiped the tears that started to fell and drenched Ryuji's cheeks.

"This is Daddy's treasured Deck. Take good care of it, okay?" Yuno gave the Supreme King Deck to his son, placing it on his palm. Ryuji wiped his face and accepted the Deck whole-heartedly, nodding at his father.

"Yes! I will become a strong Duelist like Daddy and Mommy! I'll make you proud!" Ryuji promised, huffing determinedly.

"We already are." Yuno hugged his son again.

Claire gave her husband and son time before approaching Claire who just said her goodbye to Abel and their second son. Claire also decided to stay at Cantidel together with her first son who must succeed the imperial family, while she was sharing the same responsibility as Yuno to watch over the seal.

"Celica." Claire called out. Upon seeing her, two of them hugged each other.

"Claire. Are you sure you're not staying? If it's about the curse, don't you think it's better if you stay here?" Celica asked worriedly.

"This is for the best. Both of us have made the decision." Claire replied. She then held both of Celica's hands into hers, making the soon-to-be Imperial Adviser looked up at her.

"Once I'm gone, please take care of Yuno. You have the same curse as him, so you're the only one who can accompany him." Claire told Celica with underlying message that Celica noticed.

"But we..."

"We were married, but in his heart, Yuno always loves you. That feeling hasn't changed even now. You're the one he loves the most. If you still feel the same way, then please stay by his side. The two of you deserve happiness together." Claire interrupted before pulling Celica into a hug again. This time, she whispered into her ear.

"Do know and remember that I have always accepted you, Celica." Claire whispered softly. Celica was too surprised to say anything. Claire smiled at her for one last time before leaving the Nekroz user, going back to spend the last few hours with her family before they part ways, unaware of the sad look Celica was giving to her.

"Claire..."

 **PRESENT TIME – ROOM – RAMSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Afterwards, as you have known, Cantidel became artificial dimension and split from the original dimension. Five years later, I sensed a change in Mad Abyss and realized that Claire had died. Celica and I then continued to live while trying to find a way to permanently kill Apophis while watching over the seal. But we never thought that Prince Kurt would do this, nor we realized he is a reincarnation of Apophis." Yuno finished his story. He took a deep breath, suddenly feeling tired after telling his story.

"That explains why Link Monsters does not exist in the original dimension. All of them have moved to this artificially made dimension." Yusho remarked with deep interest.

"A necessary process to keep Apophis' seal in check...until Prince Kurt broke it that is." Yuno said with a sigh and noticed the Emperor frowned at the mention of his son's treachery.

"About the Supreme Commander Aberforth your father mentioned, is this referring to the same Supreme Commander that we know?" Leo asked. The mention of the name stuck in his head. Considering the man with the same name was imprisoning them, it was understandable.

"No. The one who gave the Earthbound God cards to my father and Claire was Heidel's ancestor. They were lost during their battles though. Maybe it fell or they dropped it in the middle of the battle. I can't blame them." Yuno answered. After the war against Apophis, Claire fund she had lost her Aslla Piscu and couldn't find it anywhere. She concluded she dropped it somewhere during the last battle. She decided not to look for it since it would take too much time and she somehow felt better without it.

"Earthbound God is not an archetype that can be find just anywhere. Is there any record or the sort that tells a family member of Aberforth staying in the original dimension aside from Heidel's direct line?" Reira asked, remembering Sergey from Synchro Dimension a year ago was using the same archetype that was given by Roget.

"I don't know. I never see the record. We keep records of who stayed in this dimension and who stayed in the original dimension before we separated, but the one who has access to that record would be Lechter." Yuno said.

"As much as I am curious with the Earthbound God cards, I think we can put that aside and focus on how to get out from this predicament. We must contact Yuya and the others as soon as possible." Yusho changed the topic back to their main problem at hand.

"You should contact them tomorrow night. The Commander won't be present tomorrow night because he has business back at the Capital." Akira suggested.

"There are two devices. Other than Yuno-san, who else should go?" Reira asked as she looked at the devices.

"I will. I can explain everything that I know about Heidel's plan." Leo volunteered.

"Any objection?" Yuno looked at everyone. Not hearing any word from them, Yuno noded.

"Then it's settled. Tomorrow night, the one who go will be me and Leo. We will try to finish up everything as soon as possible and then return here." Yuno said while standing up from his seat, wearing the device to his wrist.

" _I'll make sure this will end once and for all."_

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Fragile Courage –** Yuri is taken to the underground network of LINK VRAINS under Sara's care to recover. She offers him help to find a way to return to his body once it's retrieved, but Yuri refuse to return to the real world.

* * *

 **And finally, this is the end of the flashback chapters. Starting the next chapter, will move on with the story and finally will continue with our poor Yuri problem!**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	69. Fragile Courage

**Big thanks to** _ **Ulrich362, Yuka Kuroshiro, Big duels, tsukikami02, D3lph0xl0v3r, Playerhood18, GamingGuy84, dvdryms, VioletStarVN, Jason, UST Colbalt Diamond, Unknowedz, FanFicReader1824**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter**

* * *

 **UNDERGROUND – LINK VRAINS – CANTIDEL – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

To keep Yuri save in case he is still being targeted, Ray decided to take Yuri to the underground network of LINK VRAINS. It is a vast and twisted network area located in the depths of the cyberspace of LINK VRAINS. The underground is home to an undefined number of criminals, bugs, some Duel Monsters, and serves as the primary location of LINK VRAINS' black market, with dealers in wares who will sell both power-ups and powerful data for already exorbitant prices, which only rise. It is literally under the main space of LINK VRAINS.

Ray found this place when she was still trapped. Finding it as a useful place to hide, Ray decided to build a hideout there. With her skill and Haruna's help, it was easy to make one and difficult for anyone to penetrate it. It was thanks to this place she and the others were able to be out of Apophis' radar and smoothly carried out their plan until now. Ray's hideout took a form of underground bunkers. There were 3 bunkers in total with each one connected to one another like roots. Ray took Yuri to the second bunker where she and the others usually were having a practice Duel together.

"You'll be safe here." Ray told Yuri who sat down on the corner and still looking down.

"Don't worry. We won't let anything happen to you until we got your body back. I will do my best to help you return to the real world. Everyone else is doing the same." Ray kneeled so she was on Yuri's level and tried to take a look on his face, but he looked down further.

"No." Yuri suddenly said.

"Excuse me?" Ray asked while blinking her eyes in confusion.

"I don't want to go back." Yuri said in low voice but firm tone. His answer, however, was her main concern.

"What? What do you mean? Why you don't want to go back? Don't you want to be with Yukiya and the others again? You can't stay here forever." Ray softly told the violet haired boy. She touched his knee, and immediately let go when she felt him flinching. She frowned further as he buried his face into his knees, refusing to face her.

Ray then remembered when they saved Yuri before Apophis could turn him into his servant. Yuri's face was pale and she noticed a tear track, which meant he must have been crying. Yura said that he was in a state of shock. It must have been a horrifying experience to make the usually confident, calm, sarcastic Yuri so shocked that he fainted and cried. When he woke up, he looked so...hollow. There was still light in his eyes, but she felt if he continues to be in this state, he'd completely become empty. He didn't even respond to Yura, his own ace monster Starve Venom.

"We'll leave him for a moment."

Ray snapped out from her thought when Yura came in. She gestured Ray to get out of the room and leave Yuri alone. When Ray was about to insist that they couldn't leave Yuri, Yura held her hand tight while looking at her half-pleadingly. It was extremely rare for Yura to make that kind of face. And since Yuri is involved, she asks a favor without a good reason. Although reluctant and not fully understood, Ray conceded to Yura's request and left Yuri alone in the room.

When they were out of the hideout, Ray was surprised to see Serena and Dennis, not even bothering to use their avatars, were waiting for them. Yura must have brought them here.

"Hello. Serena-chan. Dennis-kun." Ray greeted the two.

"Hello. It's nice to meet you, Ray. No, I mean Sara." Dennis responded while Serena simply nodded her head in acknowledgement.

"Yes. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." Ray replied.

"How is Yuri? We want to see him." Serena asked, looking at the entrance to the secret bunker.

"He is physically fine...but I can't say the same for his mental condition." Ray said uneasily. She had seen some of her past life memories when she first contacted her past life's soul. And one of those memories was the connection of each counterpart with one another. She knew how close Serena and Dennis are with Yuri. It would hurt them to see their friend in his present state.

"His mental condition? Is something wrong with him?" Serena asked worriedly. She knew that something was very wrong with Yuri when he didn't react to anything they were saying after they returned. But form the look on Ray's face; his problem was much worse than she thought.

"It'll be easier to understand if you see him directly..." Yura told Serena and Dennis. Her eyes shifted to Ray, sending a silent communication, and Ray understood. Yura told her to leave Yuri alone was so that she could tell Serena and Dennis about Yuri's condition. And since the two of them were here to see Yuri, Ray knew they would want privacy.

Ray allowed Serena and Dennis into the bunker accompanied by Yura while Ray waited outside.

As they walked to where Yuri is, Serena and Dennis felt both worried and uneasy. They never saw Yuri behaved the way he was during the meeting. Yuri was always the strongest in both hearts and body out of three of them. When they saw him in the monitor, it was almost like they were seeing a completely different person. They stopped when they saw him. Yuri laid on his side, curled up in corner, where the light from the hole above could not reach him. His hands curled up when he heard Serena's voice.

"Go away, Serena, Dennis," he said. "I don't want to see you."

Serena and Dennis looked at each other, frowning even more. There was no way Yuri would be in this state if it was only about his body being stolen. He was defeated by Apophis, but a mere defeat won't take him down like this. The only thing they could think was something else happened during the Duel against Apophis.

"Well, we want to see you." Dennis kneeled as he spoke to his childhood best friend. But even then, Yuri won't look at him. Still, Dennis continued. "Don't be so depressed, we will get your body back and then you can–"

"I don't want to go back." Yuri pulled himself tighter into the corner.

"Huh?" Serena and Dennis made a questioning sound.

"I don't want to go back. Let me stay here in this stupid room. Let me waste away until I die." Yuri said coldly without even looking, still burying his face on his knees. He didn't budge from his position even when Serena held him by his shoulders and shook his body.

"What?! What nonsense are you talking about?! There's no way we'll let you stay here forever!" Serena said, almost shouting at Yuri. This was the last thing she expected to come out from his mouth and the thing she never wanted to hear the most. What he said was equal to wanting commit suicide. Yuri of all people said wanting to die? Just how bad Apophis broke him when anyone else can't?

Dennis was thinking the same as Serena. Still, he tried not to panic. They mustn't pry on Yuri too much as his mind was in a delicate state. They must do this carefully and slowly. Dennis sighed softly before speaking to Yuri again.

"Yuri, I don't know what happened between you and Apophis, but you can just talk to us. We'll figure something out together–"

"...I hate you." Yuri interrupted, shocking Serena and Dennis. Yuri's lips curled and he curled himself tighter against the wall. "Don't speak like you understand. Even if I tell you, you'll never understand. No one does."

"Yuri...do you seriously saying that...?" Serena asked with trembling lips. She never saw him so vulnerable like this. Back when they dueled at Zarc's mindscape, he did have a break down but his calm disposition still remained. Now, there wasn't even a tiny shred of confidence or arrogance or determination in his eyes. And most importantly, there was no will to live. It was like he is slowly drowning into dark bottomless lake. There was nothing at all there. He was close to being an empty vessel.

"Go away. Don't show your face to me ever again." Yuri told them and that was it. He spoke no more.

"Yuri, you–!" Serena was ready to speak again until Dennis held her shoulder firmly. She turned to him and he shook his head.

"Forcing him won't do any good. I think it'll make things worse. Let's leave him be for now. There's no point in talking to him when we don't know the problem." Dennis told her. Even though his voice was calm, his face was telling otherwise. He was as much as hurt with Yuri's condition. This hurt even more than when Yuri descended into madness last year and he failed to stop him.

"We'll be back whether you like it or not." Serena told Yuri before walking out.

"See you later, Yuri." Dennis said as he followed Serena and Yura.

All the way up out of the bunker, neither Serena nor Dennis nor Yura spoke a word. The Moonlight user and Entermage user were too stunned to say anything. Yura couldn't blame them. If this goes on, Serena and Dennis will lose their best friend forever, and Yura will lose her most beloved master.

"Apophis has done a marvelous job in breaking him through his weak point." Yura started to speak after staying silent the whole time.

"Starve Venom. No, for the time being, you'll go by the name Yura, right? Do you think you can help him?" Dennis asked. His eyes were clearly pleading that she knows a way to help Yuri.

"I have been with him since he was born. I know what his problem is, but I'm not the perfect person to pick up the broken pieces and restore him." Yura answered. Even though she has been by her master's side ever since her previous master Zarc got split, she was not the right person to help him. She understood his feeling. She had felt the same too as 1,500 years ago and 23 years ago she had harmed people for her own selfishness like he did. Usually, people who understood the other person's feeling is the one who can help. But in this case, there is a slight difference. What Yuri needs to come out from his shell is not someone like her. But…

"Then...what should we do?" Serena asked, finally breaking from her silence. She was too worried to even feel frustrated. She wasn't hurt by what Yuri said to her and Dennis. Even though he said he hate them and didn't want to see their faces again, rather than out of malice, it was more like he was trying to push them away just like he did to her when she asked about his strange behavior before. For once, she was completely clueless as to what to do with her childhood best friend.

Yura didn't answer Serena's question until they were fully out of the bunker.

"Speaking with the people who must know about this. People who probably can help him."

With that, Yura, Serena, Dennis, and Ray logged out.

 **MEETING ROOM – LANCERS HIDEOUT – MOUNTAIN – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Carl has given them a great help. He allowed them to borrow one of his secret bases that only known by a very few people that Carl trusted, as their base of operation. It was hidden deep in the mountain and protected by invisible barrier projected from the base. The base even has a hangar for transportations, allowing the Lancers' airship, Evolution, to land without a problem. Once arriving at the prepared hideout, Yuya decided that they need a break. After the fierce battle at the temple, they deserved that much. Most of them have either returned to their respective room or doing anything that would relax their bodies and minds.

The same, could not be said to Yuya and the others though. After hearing Serena and Dennis intended to meet Yuri not long after the meeting ended, Yuya, Yuzu, their counterparts, and Yukiya decided to stay and waited for their return. Thirty minutes later, Serena and Dennis finally opened their eyes, having logged out from LINK VRAINS. They were expecting good news from them, but Serena and Dennis' expressions were saying otherwise. Yura came in shortly and be the one to explain what happened at the bunker.

"Yuri don't want to return to his own body or the real world?!" Yuya exclaimed in dismay. He momentarily stood up before the pain on his foot forced him to sit again while looking at Yura.

"Why?! What's gotten into him?" Yugo asked as well, demanding answer. He couldn't believe what he just heard. The grinning bastard that he and everyone knew was a guy who hardly give up. Something like this shouldn't be enough to break his spirit. Also, he was a type who dislike certain loses, and this should be one of those loses. He should have wanted revenge against Apophis. Were they really talking about the same Yuri?

"We don't know. Yuri won't say anything. But...he looks...depressed..." Dennis said dejectedly.

"Do you think this has something to do with the ritual? It messed up his mind?" Yukiya voiced his question. He had heard from Ma'at that there were some rituals that have a side effect for the practitioners. And since this was Apophis' ritual and it was done in his main temple no less, it won't be weird that the ritual has severe effect on Yuri's mentality.

"Well, Apophis mentioned that they dueled and he broke Yuri by using his weakness. Maybe he did something to Yuri while dueling him?" Yuya wondered, recalling what Apophis said to him back at the temple before he escaped.

"That's right. He must have done something so horrible that even Yuri broke down like that..." Serena clenched her fists tightly. Her stomach felt it was going to boil as surge of anger went into her very veins and mind. She wanted to strangle both Apophis and Kurt with her bare hands right now.

"Yura, didn't you rescue Yuri together with Kurosaki and Ray? You know what Apophis did to Yuri?" Yuya asked, turning to the human Starve Venom, prompting the others to turn to her as well.

Yura didn't answer right away. She eyed each one of them sharply. When she spoke, instead of answering the question, she instead gave her own question to them.

"Let me ask you this, have you forgiven my master for everything he had done during the war last year?" Yura asked while crossing her arms. As she expected, this brought confusion to them. Although, she noticed Dennis was the only one whose reaction was slightly different. She rested her eyes quite long on the Entermage user before turning to everyone again.

"What's with the sudden question?" Yuzu asked, not seeing the point of it in this situation.

"Yeah. What does that have anything to do with this?" Yugo also asked. Weren't they discussing how to help Yuri? This wasn't the time to talk about what happened last year.

Yuya stared at Yura with confused expression like most of them. Looking at Yura, she wouldn't ask this question if it's not important. It must be having something to do with Yuri's current condition. He pondered what is connection. And that was when he noticed Winged Kuriboh sitting on Serena's lap, as depressed as she was worrying for Yuri. He recalled what Johan had told him. And then, he recalled his own predicament when he fought against Geist. How the guilt from killing the Doctor nearly consume him.

 _"Guilt..."_ Yuya's eyes slowly widened in realization. He stood up again, carefully this time so he won't feel the pain form his injured foot. "Wait, is that what this is about? Yuri doesn't want to go back because..."

"...he feels guilty for what he had done last year..." Dennis finished. His face was somber when said it.

At that, the atmosphere dropped. Everyone went silent. All of a sudden, everything that Yuri had done last year and up until now came into their minds. And then it hit them, that they never actually settled that properly in full. Yura knew what they were thinking, and so she continued.

"Apophis knew of this and exploited that. He ruthlessly attacked him where it hurt him the most. And no thanks to that, now Master cursed his own existence and thinks it's better if he just off himself." Yura revealed. Yuri didn't say anything to her. She didn't need to ask what he was thinking. She had been by his side practically ever since he was born to know his thought without needing to exchange words with him.

The revelation made them all pale.

"T-that's not right! He can't do that!" Yuya yelled, slamming his hands on the table in disagreement.

"Which is why, back to the earlier question: Have all of you forgiven him?" Yura asked once more. And again, as she expected, no one can answer to that question. They looked away when she turned to them. They were in doubt.

"You're not even sure yourself. I guess that's the answer." Yura said as she removed her back from the wall and made way to the door to leave the room.

"Try to think carefully about this. Whether you forgive him or not. Whether you want him to return or not. And most importantly, what is Yuri to you. Everything depends on that."

Yura told them before she closed the door, leaving Yuya and the others to ponder their feelings in regard to the Predator Plants user.

 **WORKSHOP – LANCERS HIDEOUT – MOUNTAIN – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

After the talk with Yura, everyone left the room one by one. Yugo and Rin decided to take a look at the workshop where their D-Wheels were being placed. Seeing it got dirty from their battle at the temple, they decided to clean them. Unusually, however, they clean their D-Wheel in silence. Normally, Yugo would strike up cheery conversation or humming happily, but now he didn't even say anything. Rin was the same. If it weren't Yugo, she would be the one to start the conversation or humming. This time, both were too busy focusing cleaning their D-Wheel. Rather, they tried to focus themselves on their D-Wheels.

It wasn't until Yugo spoke finally the silence ended.

"Hey, Rin..." Yugo started as he stopped his work, making Rin to stop too and turned to him.

"What was I even hoping for?" Yugo slowly turned to Rin but didn't exactly facing her. His eyes were on the ground as he thought about Yuri and what Yura has told them. Yugo remembered everything Yuri had done in the war. Remembering them was enough to cause his rage to resurface. The fact that he kidnapped Rin, hurting Yuya and the others, carding Jack, it made him furious and reminded him of how much he hated Yuri. But now, he found himself has a mixed feeling.

"Did I want him to apologize? Seriously, I dunno what to think about him now..." Yugo could only think of Yuri as heartless jerk until he knew of his past that allowed him to see Yuri in a new light. Even so, his anger towards his Fusion counterpart was still there. But now, he felt rather relax and has no reservation having Yuri around. It won't be strange if people think they have gotten along. He himself might have thought that was the case if it were not for Yura's question. If he had forgiven Yuri, he would have told her he did. But yet, when she asked, he couldn't say anything back.

"I think all of us can understand that, Yugo. We have...a bad start with Yuri. He helped us against Zarc, but we still had misgivings after everything he had done. It's natural." Rin told Yugo. She wouldn't say she hate Yuri even after knowing he was the one who kidnapped her since she knew so little about him. Rather than hate, she was more afraid of him back then. After he joined them, while she sensed a change in Yuri, she was still uncomfortable around him.

"What about now? Do you forgive him? Do I forgive him? All of us?" Yugo asked her. He didn't like this complicated feeling he has. He didn't know whether he has forgiven Yuri or not. Why didn't he know? Why was he so confused when it was supposed to be his own feeling?

Rin placed her hand on top of Yugo's and leaned her forehead to his. "The same as you. I'm not sure myself. Honestly, I never think about that until Starve– Yura said that." The whole month they spent together after arriving in Cantidel, when she saw the way Yuri blending with them, everything that happened in the past was gone. For a moment she thought she has forgiven him. So why did she hesitate when Yura asked them?

"What's with this gloomy atmosphere? You're gonna make the D-Wheels cry."

Yugo and Rin blinked before noticing Sawatari was watching them from behind the table where they put their tools. Yugo and Rin quickly moved away from each other with tinge of pink on their cheeks before composing themselves.

"Oh, it's just you, Sawatari." Yugo said plainly, earning him a twitch from the Abyss Actor user.

"Hey! What do you mean 'it's just you'?!" Sawatari protested at the lack of respond that he got. Before Sawatari could protest more, a hand was smacking him from behind, silencing him.

"Can't you read the mood that they are in trouble, Monkey?" Yuhei told Sawatari with reprimanding look. Sawatari pouted before processing the nickname attached to him.

"Don't call me a Monkey, Clear Wing!" Sawatari protested again with his arms above his head, preparing for another strike from the human Clear Wing, but it never came.

"It's Yuhei for now." Yuhei said as he pushed Sawatari aside to approach Yugo and Rin, sitting in front of both of them.

"What's up with the two of you? Where all the energies you have a while ago?" Yuhei asked. He came because he heard Yugo and Rin were tinkering their D-Wheels. Being a Riding Duelist himself and missing their D-Wheels, Yuhei came to help and finally have the long-awaited chat with his master and his master's crush, only to find them so uncharacteristically gloomy.

"Well..." Rin then told them the brief version of what Yura has told them and what was bother her and Yugo for this whole time.

"Man, do you guys really need to make it so difficult?" Sawatari said with a sigh while scratching the back of his head, staring at Yugo and Rin like they were children who can't fill in the easy questions in the test sheet.

Yugo sharpened his gaze at Sawatari. "This is not a simple problem, Sawatari. You know what he had done to us." He said with slightly offended tone.

"Hey, tell me what you think about him the first time. Don't hold back." Yuhei suddenly said. He crossed his legs while staring at the two expectantly, waiting for their answer. Yugo, ever the fastest, answered first.

"A sick grinning carding maniac bastard with freakin' creepy smile." Yugo summed up what he thought of Yuri that time. It was hard not to remember what the Fusion counterpart had done to him as he said this, especially the humiliation his Fusion counterpart gave to him in their last Duel. Now that he thought about it, he hasn't got his payback for that Duel. The guy thoroughly defeated him. Just remembering it irked him. It felt like Yuri was there laughing at him condescendingly like he usually did.

"He was scary and dangerous." Rin simply said. Her lost against him and captured by him were something that she never wanted to experience ever again. It was one of the most terrifying experiences she ever had in her life. While she held no grudge against him as she was already satisfied with the life she has now, remembering that made her want to punch him at least once.

"Well yeah, I know that. That guy can be freaky at times that it scares me. I can get a good night sleep after knowing he was exiled." Sawatari said with a nod, earning him another smack from Yuhei who gave him a look that saying 'Quiet, I didn't ask you.'

"What about now? What do you think about him now?" Yuhei turned to them again.

"I guess he is not as sick as he was... But he is still annoying! Always making fun of me by mispronouncing my name and his plant pranks or telling me I need to study more because he thinks I'm too stupid! In short, he is still an arrogant, self-centered, creepy grinning bastard!" Yugo answered with a bit pout. However, while he was still constantly angry with Yuri for his mockeries, pranks, and sarcasm, that anger was more out of annoyance rather than out of spite. And honestly, rather than seeing Yuri the way he was now, he preferred to him to mock him like he always did.

"You're the one being worked up too much, Yugo. That's why he keeps pranking you." Rin sighed in exasperation, earning her protests from Yugo, which she ignored.

"But yes, he is not as bad as before...I think. He gets along well with Serena and Ryo-san. And I don't feel uncomfortable to be around him anymore." Rin admitted. If she was sure of something from spending times a whole month in this dimension, she didn't like Yuri but she didn't hate him either.

"There you have it." Yuhei said, shrugging. "What we're trying to say is not about what he had done or if you have forgiven him or not. It's actually very simple. Do you want him back or not?"

Yugo and Rin looked at each other. Everything that happened between them aside, they didn't need to think much when faced with this question.

"I'm not satisfied until I pay him back for everything a thousand folds. I can't do that if he drops dead!" Yugo exclaimed, standing up.

"I can't bear to see him like this." Rin answered, standing up as well.

"Why make it so complicated then? If you want him back, then take him back! Is that not good enough for you? If he has any problem, then talk about it after you drag him out from that stupid hole of his! Simple as that!" Yuhei pushed Yugo and Rin to the door, urging them to gather everyone and go to where the Fusion counterpart is.

"You're usually fast in taking action! Where's that spirit now, Yugo?!" Yuhei encouraged his master, bumping his fist against Yugo's chest while grinning widely.

Yugo and Rin couldn't help but smiled as well. While they were still confused, they were sure of themselves that they didn't want Yuri to stay in LINK VRAINS forever. As much as it was weird to hear despite everything they have said about him,

They want Yuri back.

 **LIBRARY – LANCERS HIDEOUT – MOUNTAIN – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

After leaving the meeting room, Yuto returned to his own room but he felt restless just staying in his room without doing anything, so he decided to take a look at the library. The library was quite big for one you would find at a hideout. The Phantom Knights user then noticed Ruri descending the stair after she picked up two books, placing them at a pile of book on the table nearby. Yuto blinked. It wasn't like Ruri hates reading, but he never saw her borrowing and reading so many books in a day unless it's for something very important.

"Ruri, what are you doing?" Yuto asked, approaching her.

Ruri was startled for a second that she almost dropped the books she was holding until she realized it was Yuto.

"Just picking some books." Ruri answered, placing the books back on the table to properly face her boyfriend.

Yuto glanced at the book and blinked again when he saw the titles. The Savage Garden, Cultivating Carnivorous Plants, Pitcher Plants of the Philippines, The Meaning of Flowers, Encyclopedia of Plants & Flowers. Never mind about the last two books, the first three books were not something that Ruri would read.

"I only know one person who likes to read this kind of book." Yuto said as he picked one of the books that was placed on the top that titled 'The Savage Garden'. There were only two people amongst them who used Decks that fitting the book's description. Heck, perhaps the Decks were based on the book if he could say.

"Yes. I thought maybe this will make Yuri feel better a little." Ruri admitted while glancing at the book. While she has heard that Yuri was in unresponsive state, she thought it won't hurt to try to stimulate reaction from him by offering him books to read or speaking something that he likes.

"If you're worried about him like this, does that mean you forgive him?" Yuto asked. Yura's question glued into his head. He has been thinking about it ever since he left the meeting room, but he couldn't find the answer.

"I...I don't know as much as you do, Yuto." Ruri took a seat on the chair and beckoned Yuto to sit too on the chair beside hers.

"Maybe I did forgive him or maybe I'm doing this because I just don't want to see Serena and Dennis so depressed...I'm not sure. I never thought about our past problem with Yuri until earlier." Ruri was confused. When she first saw Yuri's condition during the meeting, she didn't like it. And then when she saw Serena and Dennis returned looking dejected, she thought they'll cheer up only if Yuri recovered. And this brought another question: Was she doing this because she truly worried for Yuri or she was just doing this simply to help Serena and Dennis?

"We have been thinking about Fusion Summoning and Academia, so I was surprised when I didn't even take him into account when we discussed about it before..." Yuto said. Recently, he spoke with Ruri and their friends regarding their deep lingering hatred against Academia and Fusion Summoning. They have already forgiven Dennis and Sora, but how come he never thought about Yuri who was for this whole month has been by their side? He was not different from them, so why didn't he think about him?

"Whenever I'm thinking how Yuri kidnapped you, I feel so angry at him. That hasn't changed. But, thinking about him spending the rest of his life in LINK VRAINS is not right to me." Yuto admitted. The thought of Yuri kidnapped Ruri still managed to make him boiling to this day. But he didn't want Yuri to keep staying in LINK VRAINS like this, especially knowing that it was due to his guilt over what happened last year. Even though all these times he looked like he didn't care, Yuri was actually feeling guilty, regretting his actions to them. Knowing that pained him for some reason.

"He was a formidable opponent. Remembering the Duel I had with him last year terrified me. He was terrifying. Now, I don't think he is as bad as he was. There are some things that are still unsettling to me, but I think he is starting to change for good..." Ruri didn't want to do the same Duel she had against Yuri last year. It was by far the worst Duel she had to experience. She was wary of Yuri since then, though she sympathized with him once knowing his past. This whole month, she noticed that the aura around him has gotten warmer compared to before. The way he interacted with Yuto and the others felt natural like they were like that from the very beginning. Like true brothers. She didn't feel wary of him as much as before.

"To other people, if we're thinking like this, maybe they'll take it as us forgiving him, but I just can't think of it that way. What if we're actually just don't want to admit that Geist and Neon said was true? We're not thinking about him, we just don't want to let them have their ways?" Ruri was worried. She didn't want to do this out of pity or to prove their enemies wrong without actually thinking about Yuri himself. That won't be right. It would be insincere of them.

"He regretted his actions and tried to atone it. But the way he is atoning is not atonement at all." Shun suddenly came in with Yuzo beside him. Behind them were Sayaka and Allen who came along after hearing Yuto and Ruri were here.

"Yuzo! Shun!"

"Sayaka! Allen!"

"We heard everything from Yura. From your faces you are confused." Yuzo said while leaning to the table.

"What about you?" Yuto asked, directing the answer to Shun, Sayaka, and Allen.

"To me, he is no different from Sora and Dennis. He is not easily forgiven. But him spending the rest of his life in LINK VRAINS is not something I will accept. It'll be no different than when Dennis tried to card himself. He is just running away from taking his responsibility. I won't let that happen." Shun answered. While his voice and tone were cold, Yuto and Ruri didn't sense any spite from him.

"I agree with Shun. He has to pay for his crimes. And he can't do that if he keeps staying in LINK VRAINS. We gotta pull him out by any means necessary!" Allen exclaimed, sharing the same opinion as Shun.

"I can't say for sure. I don't know him like all of you do. Rather than us, I think it all rests on you and Yuya and the others. You have spent more times with Yuri than we ever had." Sayaka answered. She never personally interacted with or directly see what Yuri had done and only knew from what Yuto, Ruri, and Shun told her. She can't say that she like him considering he was the one who kidnapped Ruri, but she didn't hate him either because from how Yuto and Ruri spoke of their days together in this dimension before their arrival, they seemed to have no problem having Yuri around them.

Yuzo stood in front of Yuto and Ruri, eyes looking straight at theirs, making the two to look at him back.

"Yuto, Ruri, do you want Yuri to stay in LINK VRAINS until he dies?" Yuzo asked. At his question, Yuto and Ruri flinched before the two stood up from their chairs at the same time so abruptly that the chairs fell down as they spoke loudly.

"No!" Yuto and Ruri almost yelled together. Thankfully, there was no one else other than them in the library to be bothered by their high voice. This startled Allen and Sayaka while Shun merely smiled at their reaction as if having expected that. Yuzo also smiled.

"Then aren't you thinking too much about this when you already have the answer?" Yuzo said with a raised eyebrow.

"Eh?" Yuto and Ruri voiced together.

"You actually already have the answer in your heart the moment you answered my question just now." Yuzo emphasized. Even if they knew the necessity of forgiveness, if they do not accept it wholeheartedly, it was meaningless. Without them realizing, their respond and their faces actually have already answered the question regarding forgiving Yuri.

Yuto and Ruri looked at each other as they pondered. After the war, those who had harmed them and many people have been punished and they were left to atone for their crimes. A year went by and they went on with their lives. But the sorrow never truly went away and they always felt a sense of emptiness because there were some unanswered questions. Before coming here, they met Yuri every once a month and never actually talked about what happened between them. They thought they have settled it back in Zarc's mindscape, but they actually haven't. Yuzo knew of this.

The human Dark Rebellion glanced at Shun too. Shun felt almost the same way as they do. They must face Yuri directly and let out their entire feelings. There will be anger and sorrows that will come from them, Yuto in particular. And that would be a healing experience. It will allow them to let go of the anger and see the world differently. It wouldn't change what had happened, but it would bring them back to a point where they can now forgive him. That may sound strange to some people, but he had learnt that forgiveness is about both sides letting go of the stuff that holds them back so they can live a happy and fulfilling life.

Yuzo fully understood that. His siblings and he had learnt it from experience.

 **HANGAR – LANCERS HIDEOUT – MOUNTAIN – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuya decided to take a walk at the hangar where their airship was placed. He said walk, but he didn't really care about the airship or other transportations there because his mind was thinking about Yuri and what Yura told them. He has no doubt everyone was thinking about it too as much as he did. It never crossed his mind whether he had forgiven Yuri or not. Back then when he and the others confronted Yuri inside Zarc's mindscape, he hoped he can forgive Yuri one day. Now a year has passed, and he didn't know.

 _"This is my own feeling, so why is it so difficult for me to answer? Why it's so confusing?!"_ Yuya leaned to the wall, feeling exhausted all of a sudden. _"Do I...think about Yuri at all? Wanting to forgive him, maybe it's not because I really want to?"_

"Found you." Yuzu said as she approached Yuya with Sora and Gongenzaka beside her. "We're worried so we looked for you."

"Yuzu..." Yuya's eyes softened as he looked at his friends.

"I, the man, Gongenzaka, will help as much as I can so you can tell me what's troubling you." Gongenzaka told his childhood best friend, placing his hands on Yuya's shoulders. To his worry, Yuya looked up to him momentarily but he then looked away to the side.

"Am I just being a coward trying to intoxicate myself with my own benevolence as an escape from facing the fact?" Yuya suddenly said as he gently let go of Gongenzaka's hands from his shoulders.

"I wonder if I'm trying to look for a reason to forgive Yuri just to satisfy my own conscience." Yuya frowned further as he continued until Yuzu held his hands.

"Yuya, you need to stop that. You're not that kind of person. We know that much. And if you're talking about earlier, the others and myself are also thinking hard about it." Yuzu said soothingly and honestly.

"You got that right."

Yuya and the others turned to a new voice that came in. The human Odd-Eyes waved a hand as he was approaching them.

"Yuji." Yuya called his ace monster with the borrowed name as the latter requested.

"Still thinking about Yuri?" Yuji asked, having heard everything from Yura who told not only him but the other two as well.

"We are still thinking…if we have forgiven him or not. When I remembered how he hurt Yuzu and how he carded Dad, I'm furious. When I remembered that I thought I couldn't forgive him. Even now, just remembering what he had done makes me want to punch him." Yuya felt ashamed of himself. He said he wanted to forgive Yuri, but yet here he was bringing up what happened in the past while Yuri right now was regretting his action so much that he wants to die. Does this mean all these times he was being a hypocrite?

"Then what about me? Not just me, but also Dennis, Battle Beast, Grace, Gloria, we had also hurt a lot of people in the last war." Sora reminded, referring to himself and all Academia members who had committed the atrocities that brought sufferings to countless people.

"T-that's different!" Yuzu exclaimed, but Sora shook his head.

"How are we different? Because we didn't card your father like Yuri did? Because we didn't hurt Yuzu like Yuri did? Because we didn't card as much people as Yuri did?" Sora tilted his head in question.

"That's..." Yuzu couldn't answer that. He was right. It doesn't matter of how many people they have carded or whom they have hurt. It doesn't change the fact that they have hurt a lot of people with their own hands.

"The point is, what Sora, Dennis, Academia and Yuri had done were the same. But now we are friends. There's no bad blood between us. That means everything is settled between us, right? But you haven't properly settled it with Yuri." Gongenzaka cleared the point, understanding what Sora was trying to tell them. He then turned to Yuya.

"Yuya, I have heard some things from Yukiya. I apologize if it's callous of me, but you should be able to understand Yuri's position. How it feels to regret something that it's difficult to forgive yourself." Gongenzaka told Yuya. He actually didn't want to bring up this problem, but he thought this might be could help Yuya to find his answer. He has heard from Yukiya a moment before they landed. How Yuya was feeling guilty for killing the Doctor. At that time, Gongenzaka admitted he was horrified by Yuya's action, even after knowing that Yuya wasn't actually aware of his action until he saw the Doctor's body. But now he thought rationally, Yuya had saved his and Tsukikage's life. If it were not for that, he probably wouldn't be standing here. While it wasn't the best way to save his life, he was still nevertheless grateful of his best friend for saving him.

Yuya's eyes widened a bit in realization. That's right. Yuri was quite in a similar position as he did. When he remembered how he had killed the Doctor, he was overwhelmed by guilt and sorrow. For a moment he even thought that the only way to pay for life he had stolen was by paying it with his own life. The feeling of guilt and self-hate that you would think it's better to die, Yuya could understand that. But compared to him, Yuri has it worse. The sin that Yuri was bearing was far heavier than his. And that makes it all the more difficult for Yuri to forgive himself.

"Yuya, Yuzu, I think the two of you need to stop wondering about have you forgiven Yuri or not. I think that's not what's the most important for the both of you now." Yuji interrupted, turning everyone's attention to him.

"Not the most important for the both of us?" Yuzu repeated in confusion. If they want to help Yuri, the best medicine would be forgiveness is it not? People would feel relieved when they have done something wrong and apologized and then the person involved forgiven him. That happens often in daily lives as well so how this would be any different?

"Yuya, Yuzu, for the whole month we have been together in this dimension. During those times, how do you feel when you're around Yuri? Does it ever crossed your mind about his wrongdoings the whole time you hung out together?" Yuji asked, reminding them of their days ever since they arrived in this dimension before the night of the ballroom.

Yuya and Yuzu then remembered each moment that they spent with Yuri. One thing that stuck in their mind the most was when they helped Yuri picking new ribbon for Serena at Amosis City. That was the first time they saw Yuri being all flustered. The way he nervously entered and walked around the shop, the way he was annoyed when the two of them were 'flirting', the way he was embarrassed when he overheard their teasing, and the most memorable was when he smiled so genuinely when picking the ribbon for Serena.

That was the first time they saw Yuri so humane. They could never forget that.

"No. For this whole month, I never thought about it. Even if I did, it's just simply to tell Yuno-san and the others about our experience and nothing more than that. I…I'm just having fun like I would usually do with my friends. I enjoyed our times together." Yuya answered sincerely. Never once he thought badly of Yuri during this one whole month. It was like Yuri has always been a part of them from the very beginning. He felt totally comfortable around Yuri. He enjoyed every moment he spent together with him.

"Yes. I just enjoyed our times together like nothing ever happened between us. It was fun." When Yuzu saw Yuri's reaction at the shop that time, she thought it was very cute of him. She even admitted that it only he was like that from beginning she would have liked him more. Whenever she saw him and Serena together, she could see the happiness in Yuri's eyes, that brought relief to her. She was happy for him. There were times she was still not quite right with him, but she never felt alarmed or such around him anymore.

"That's why I don't like it. I don't want to see him like he is now. I want him to return to how he usually is with us." Yuya felt pain in his chest when he saw Yuri's condition and heard what troubled him so much, especially he at least knew part of his pain.

"Don't you see? You already have your answer." Yuji said with a small smile, taking both of Yuya and Yuzu's hands into his.

"Never forgetting what happened in the past doesn't mean you don't forgive. Forgiving doesn't mean you forget what happened in the past. It is because you keep remembering what happened between you in the past that now you're able to learn to reach this moment in the present."

As Yuji firmly but still gently gripped Yuya and Yuzu's hands, the two of them understood. They remembered what Yuya said before during his Duel against Yuri. How despite the hurt and sufferings they have endured, they still gained happiness, a lot of irreplaceable things that they would considered blessings. And that made each of them their precious moments in time. And Yuri was one of them.

Whether they have forgiven Yuri or not, now it doesn't matter to them anymore.

All they want now is to have Yuri back to them.

Unbeknownst to them, Yukiya and Sara were watching the whole time from behind the airship. They initially wanted to approach Yuya and Yuzu, but Yuji, Sora, and Gongenzaka beat them to it. And since they were having a serious conversation, they felt it won't be good to interrupt them, and thus, they decided to wait until they were done. It wasn't good to eavesdropping on conversation, but they thought this would be fine.

"You're not going to them?" Sara asked, turning to Yukiya who shook his head in respond.

"No. I think they'll handle this better than I am." Yukiya said as he smiled proudly at his friends, particularly Yuya.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Magician Who Dance Under the Moonlight –** Dennis and the others confronts Yuri and insisting on bringing him out. Persistently refusing to leave, Yuri tries to drive them out by force, prompting Dennis to face him head-on.

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 **Sorry for the long wait. I finally finished this chapter. I actually wanted to include a conversation between Serena and Dennis before ending the chapter, but I decided to save it for the next chapter. And after several considerations regarding each chapter length, to make sure it won't be too long or too short, I have decided to make this fanfic longer than I originally planned. Writing so many things and include it in one chapter at once would take a whole lot times, so I think it would be the best to divide it one by one so it won't feel so cramped either. Can't tell at what chapter this fanfic will end though. That's a secret XD**

 **For** _ **Jason**_ **'s question, that will be answered in later chapter.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	70. Magician Dance Under the Moonlight

**Big thanks to** _ **tsukikami02, HelenTheMoon, Ulrich362, Playerhood18, Yuka Kuroshiro, Unknowedz, D3lph0xL0v3r, dvdryms, Big duels, VioletStarVN, Lillypup, Jason, GamingGuy84, lord yuri, Logan**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

* * *

 **EVENING – FOREST – LANCERS HIDEOUT – MOUNTAIN – CAPITAL – CANTIDE EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Serena and Dennis didn't know what kind of wind that urged them to go outside, but here they now, finding themselves at the entrance of their hidden base watching the beautiful full moon in the night sky. If only there were moonflowers around here then it would remind them of the little garden they have in their childhood and Yuri's private garden in the island where he was exiled. While the exile was not exactly a good a thing, they found the island an enjoyable place to stay. Yuri himself seemed content with the place he was living during his exile. The thought made them sighed again.

Serena told herself stupid for not noticing Yuri's inner struggle. She wondered why it never crossed her mind that if he changes for the better then of course he would feel guilty. Anybody would. She was by his side during all those times ever since the war ended but she didn't notice even a slightest bit. No, even after that, she knew Yuri has been acting weird and she didn't realize anything from that behavior. Even though she had promised that she would show him many wonderful things that were more worth it than carding people, now Yuri instead was wishing to die.

" _Maybe because…the sins I'm bearing…are nothing compared Yuri. That's right, I can't understand him because the burden he bears is much heavier. He had hurt many lives for his own amusement. Now that he realized his mistake, all those sins that have been piling up are hitting his back all at once without mercy…"_ Serena realized Yuri's predicament and then frowned. Now that she knew, it made it even more difficult to reach Yuri. She never harmed people for her own pleasure like Yuri did, so she couldn't fully understand how much Yuri was suffering right now. She doesn't know how it feels to feel so guilty that she wants to die.

"Kurikuriku…" Winged Kuriboh caressed Serena's face with its fur, sensing her turmoil from the difficult expression she was wearing. Serena pulled Winged Kuriboh into her embrace in gratitude. Even though it was also saddened by Yuri's behavior, it's still trying to comfort her.

Dennis, meanwhile, was wondering whether he could help Yuri or not. He knew and understood how Yuri felt. After all, he too, had hurt people's life for his enjoyment, thinking it as merely a hunting game. When he realized he was wrong, immense guilt and regret attacked him in folds. He apologized and was trying his best to atone for his every wrong. Now that he knew what Yuri was suffering from, he knew how to help him. However,

" _Can I do it? I failed last time. Will I make any difference this time?"_ Dennis was in doubt as he remembered the last time he tried to save Yuri from his dangerous mind in the war last year. At that time, he tried to save Yuri, and it ended miserably not only with his loss but also drove Yuri into bigger madness. What if he repeated the same thing? What if he only made it worse like before?

"What are you guys doing here?"

From the forest, Battle Beast emerged. He was sweating all over and wiped the ones on his face and neck with his towel. Serena and Dennis looked behind him, expecting Kachidoki to follow, but he wasn't. Battle Beast was alone, which was rare since he was mostly with Kachidoki and hardly separated from him ever since they decided to go on a journey together last year.

"Oh, BB. We're just taking some fresh air…" Dennis answered. It wasn't exactly a lie since both he and Serena did need some fresh air to clear their minds.

"How about you? You're not with Kachidoki?" Serena asked. She didn't know much about Battle Beast other than from the rumor she heard when she was still learning at Academia and from Kachidoki's message.

"Doing some exercise. Isao already went to sleep first." Battle Beast replied before taking a gulp of his sport drink, finishing it all up.

Dennis sweat dropped. "Just this afternoon you fought like dozens of Apophis' army and that is not exercise for you? You have extraordinary muscles there." He didn't know whether to be impressed or dumbstruck by the amount of stamina that Battle Beast and Kachidoki have. Then again, they were specialized in martial arts.

"Don't mind me. You two look like you're having a big problem here." Battle Beast voiced his concern for the two of them instead. "Let me guess, it's about Yuri? I have heard a bit from Isao about you three."

"Our faces are saying it, aren't we?" Serena shrugged, which Battle Beast replied with a nod. Knowing Battle Beast's history as Academia Duelist like them, perhaps he can help. With that in mind, Serena explained everything to him about Yuri's problem. And as she expected, Battle Beast's expression wasn't that of sympathy, but awareness.

"I can understand a little of Yuri's predicament. Wanting to atone for the sins you have committed and hating yourself for those sins that I can understand. He is on the whole different level though." Battle Beast stated with somber expression as he remembered his past actions.

"We know. I know..." Dennis mumbled, placing a hand on his chest where he felt a dull pain.

"How do you...overcome that? Overcoming your guilt?" Serena asked pleadingly, hoping Battle Beast has the answer to save Yuri before he became nothing but an empty shell.

"I think all of us from Academia who have committed those sins already knew the answer. When I realized my errors, my entire being is filled with nothing but guilt, regret, and desire to atone for my sins. The only thing that I could think is by helping Isao who had saved me." Battle Beast replied before walking closer to Serena and Dennis until he was standing beside them and looking at the full moon.

"But even then, I kept thinking it's still not enough. I haven't atoned enough. And then I started to think how much I hate myself. Throughout a given day, I experience a barrage of sadistic thoughts so smoothly and so frequently that I hardly notice I'm under attack. I am my own worst enemy to put it simply." Battle Beast had a hard time forgiving himself for his sins. He thought countless times how he didn't deserve the happiness he received and pushing himself to keep focusing on his atonement as a way to punish himself. The sins kept haunted him like plague. It went as far as he almost got himself killed during his journey with Kachidoki.

"Even when people forgive me, I still started to think that I don't deserve the life I have now after everything I did. And that was when Isao saved me again." Battle Beast slowly smiled as he recalled Kachidoki who had pulled him up from his self-hatred.

"Despite everything, he still accepted me. He wanted me by his side as his partner, as his friend. He made me realize just because I myself experience these self-hating thoughts do not mean that they make up my real and honest point of view." Battle Beast remembered when as clear as day when Kachidoki told him how much he wants to have him by his side as his best friend. It was then Battle Beast realized he actually just pitied myself that he lost perspective and failed to exercise the self-compassion that is essential to pursuing his goals and living his life to the fullest. At that moment, he finally had forgiven himself.

"It's not because Yuya and the others have forgiven us, but it's because they have accepted us that we are able to move forward and stop-hating ourselves. And it is because we are able to acknowledge and accept ourselves that we are here right now." Dennis suddenly spoke without turning to Serena or Battle Beast, quite startling them. Dennis didn't pay their surprise any heed. He knew what Battle Beast was trying to say.

"The past cannot be changed. No matter how much you indulge in the feelings of guilt, it will not help you to time travel into the past and do things differently. You must fully accept the fact that you're feeling guilty. Don't deny or resist the feeling. In order to get through this moment in your life, you have to be honest and open with yourself about your true feelings. That is the only way you will be able to correct things and move forward with your life." Dennis continued. People make mistakes. They are a person, and they will, therefore, make mistakes. They won't always make the right decisions, they won't always say the right things, and they certainly won't always do the right thing. Mistakes are a part of life; they are a part of growth, and an important component of their development process as human beings. They have to embrace this. He didn't know about the others, but it took him months to realize this.

"What Yuri need is not forgiveness, but acceptance. Both from others and from himself." Dennis summarized the solution for Yuri's problem. When he apologized and tried to atone for his past actions, he was prepared to receive rejections, especially from those he had hurt. That's why he was shocked and relieved when they opened their arms for him, giving him the chance to start over with them. The burden on his back, slowly, one by one, was lifted. And here he was now.

"Kurikuriku!" Winged Kuriboh latched itself to Dennis and squealed as if agreeing with him. Dennis chuckled and ruffled its fur.

 _"Winged Kuriboh chose someone that needs to be saved. This must be it. This has always bothered Yuri ever since Winged Kuriboh chose him. No, even before that, and Winged Kuriboh sensed that. Yuri needs someone to save him..."_ Serena now has realized Winged Kuriboh served as an important purpose.

Battle Beast smiled at them. He didn't need to ask to know that they have their answer. All that left is…

"Then what is holding you back?" Battle Beast questioned the two. "Now that you have your answer, why are you still here? You know that every second is crucial, so what makes you so hesitating when Yuri needs your help?"

Dennis and Serena looked at each other in realization. Serena hesitated because she wasn't sure she has the right to try to convince Yuri since she couldn't fully understand his feeling. Dennis hesitated because he wasn't confident with his own abilities after his previous failure in reaching his best friend. They were being held back by their own insecurities while their friend was still suffering at this moment. They already have their answer now, so how long they're going to hesitate?

"Let's go, Serena." Dennis said, walking towards the base first with Winged Kuriboh on his shoulder. He smiled back at Serena. "We're going back to his side, right?"

Serena blinked and silent for two seconds before smiling back at Dennis and followed him back into the base.

"Yeah!"

They will save Yuri for good this time.

 **MEETING ROOM – LANCERS HIDEOUT – MOUNTAIN – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

When Dennis and Serena returned to the living room, they were surprised to see Yuya and the others were there too with Yura. The human Starve Venom seemed to have stayed here the whole time as if expecting them to return at any minute. If she did, she was right as here they are now. Yuya and the others were also didn't seem surprise to see them returned. Serena and Dennis could see the resolve in their eyes. The two of them smiled. Looks like they have the same thought. As Yuri's friends, they were happy for him.

"You all came back. Have you reached your answer?" Yura asked, turning everyone's attention back to her. She actually already knew the answer since they were showing it so clearly and their very presence in this room was the proof of it. But still, she wanted to hear it directly.

"Honestly, we don't understand yet... But there is one thing we are sure of." Yuzu said without an ounce of doubt. She couldn't say she has forgiven Yuri, but she didn't hate him either. Thinking Yuri was not there with them, it felt like something was missing.

"Yuri is one of us and we want him back." Yuya answered on everyone's behalf.

"You don't even know but you still want him to return?" Yura asked with a raised brow and tilted her head to the side a little.

"It's because we don't that we want him to return the way he usually is so we can talk things through and settle it once and for all." Yuto answered this time. They have so many things to talk about. They can't do that if Yuri is like this.

"I'm happy to hear all of us are thinking the same thing, but I don't think all of us going to pick him up would be a good idea." Dennis spoke up. As much as he wanted them all to go together to show Yuri how much they want him to return, Yuri needed a little briefing first before facing them all.

"Right. If we go all at once, he might feel overwhelmed by our presence instead. He is very sensitive right now." Rin agreed. Speaking with him normally was already hard enough, speaking with him while he is in his most sensitive state without careful consideration may push him to isolate himself further instead.

"I'm sorry, but can you leave this to us? Please?" Dennis pleaded to the rest.

"I have no objection. You're the closest to him and understand him more than any of us. You have more chances in making him listen." Ruri said with a nod.

"If I'm going now, the first thing I'll do would be punching him, so you guys go on ahead and then I'll punch him." Yugo gave his agreement in his own words. Rin sighed at the partial dishonesty from Yugo.

"Why is your plan often involves punching him, Yugo? Don't be so barbaric. At least hold back your punches." Rin scolded while pinching Yugo's left cheek. Yugo's punch is worth five punches, so he must hold back or else he will leave a heavy bruise and lump.

"Are you dissuading me or encouraging me to punch him?" Yugo asked with a sweat drop. She scolded him for being barbaric, but yet when she said to hold back his punches was like telling him it was okay to punch Yuri as long as he holds back.

"We all have something we want to tell him, but since we're talking about who is speaking to him first, the people who has that right would be Serena and Dennis." Yuzu also has no objection with the two Academia Duelists going first. However, she then glanced briefly to Yuya, nudging him. Yuya looked back at her and nodded, stepping forward.

"I'd like to go too. I have something I want to tell him no matter what. And I-I also understand how he feels..." Yuya requested. He wanted to meet Yuri as soon as possible. He wants to talk with him as quickly as possible. He knew exactly what he must do to help Yuri. Just like the way Yukiya had saved him, he wants to save Yuri too.

Yuzu and the rest didn't make any gesture or the sort to reject his request. Yuya himself and Yukiya have told them his problem with the Doctor, including what he had done. Both Yuya and Yuri had killed and must carry the burden of the lives they have taken. Other than Dennis and Serena who were Yuri's childhood friends, Yuya who understood how it felt to carry the life that they have stolen can help Yuri how to overcome it.

"Okay then. Let's go." Serena pulled Yuya to them so they were standing side by side, facing Yura.

"I'll ask you again. You are sure about this, aren't you?" Yura asked for the second time as she wore her Duel Disk.

"Yes." Yuya, Serena, and Dennis answered together.

Yura sat on the couch, leaning her back like she was relaxing as she logged into LINK VRAINS. Yuya, Serena, and Dennis also wore their Duel Disks and sat on the sofa next to each other, following Yura into the bunker where Yuri was.

"Into the VRAINS."

 **SECOND BUNKER – RAY'S HIDEOUT – UNDERGROUND – LINK VRAINS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuri felt like years have passed since he stayed here while in reality it has only been a few hours. Yuri didn't care either way. He just wanted to disappear as soon possible somehow. He didn't see any point to continue living anymore. No one wants him around. He disappearing will solve everyone's problem. They won't have to worry he will hurt them again. There will be no demon to haunt them in their lives again. They can live happily. He thought for a moment to at least apologize first before he disappeared, but he decided not to because there was no point in apologizing. Why bother trying when they won't forgive him anyway? Besides, he would never ask for forgiveness. It was something he didn't even dare to ask.

This all began after his first Tag Duel with Serena against Yuya and Yuzu last year. After that Duel, he began to feel something light in his chest. Ever since then, Serena and Dennis' visit became something he looked forward every day. When he realized it, his days, his life, became more colorful. Just by simply having the two of them by his side made him feel completely at ease. And then his life became bright after he arrived in this dimension. Those days he spent together with Ryo, Serena, Yuya, and their counterparts were utter complete bliss that he never felt in his entire life.

However, the moment he realized that happiness, the horrible black smoke inside him started oozing out. That black smoke felt so horrible and he tried to push it away from him. He tried to ignore it and not letting it bothered him. But then that dream came. Those nightmares haunted him every single night ever since then. That was when he realized what these feelings that have been loading in his chest. The more he has those nightmares, the more he realized that he was unworthy for them and has no right to be with them.

The Duel against Apophis has confirmed that.

"They don't deserve someone as dirty as me... And I don't deserve someone as good as them... They shouldn't be wasting their times with someone like me... I'll only become reminder of their suffering..." Yuri mumbled as he buried his face into his knees. He stayed that way like he did since afternoon. Only when he heard footsteps that he reacted.

"Hello again, Yuri." Dennis greeted.

"I told you I don't want to see you ever again. Leave." Yuri said coldly. He took a peek at them and realized this time Yuya came with them. He didn't even use his avatar like them. Seeing Yuya made him feel even worse, remembering what he did to him and his father.

"And we have told you that we'll come back here whether you want it or not." Dennis reminded him.

"You can't stay here forever, Yuri. And you can't die either." Serena told him. This time, she has complete control of her emotions, so she won't lash out at him.

"This is my life. I can do whatever the hell I want with it. And I want to die, so I'll do that." Yuri replied with a tinge of firmness in his tone. He didn't want them here. It only made him feel worse. He just wanted them to leave him alone. Why won't they do that?

"You know that's not right. That's not what you really want." Dennis took steps forward until he was right in front of him. "I know what you're thinking Yuri, and that's why I'm doing this. I'm going to get you out of this bunker and then we'll find a way to get your body back."

"I want to stay here."

"No you're not."

"No one would miss me even if I die!" Yuri finally shouted. He had enough with this. How many times does he have to tell them that he doesn't want to return?

"Don't be ridiculous! I thought I made this clear! I don't want you to disappear! It was only because of you that I am here!" Dennis finally yelled as well, grasping Yuri's arm tightly in respond. Yuri flinched at the touch and that was when he lost it.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Yuri stood up, freeing himself from Dennis' grasp and pushed him away with a strong force.

"I have enough! I have enough of living! No matter what I do, deep inside I'm always the same! I'll always be the same!" Yuri felt like he was going to hyperventilate. His breathing started becoming erratic. He covered half of his face with his hand as he stood and touched his Duel Disk. It came to this after all. To make them understand, he must use force.

"Whenever we have disagreement or having a fight, we always settle it through Duel. Let's do this like we always did." Dennis said with a sigh. He knew and has prepared for this, but this won't be something he'd enjoy, not with Yuri like this.

{FIELD SPELL: MOUNTAIN'S PEAK}

The pure white bunker changed into the top of a rocky mountain at night with the full moon covered by black clouds. Action Cards scattered across the Field, beginning the Duel.

 **[ACTION DUEL!]**

"I'll go first. With Scale 1 Predator Plants Genlisea Toad and Scale 8 Predator Plants Spider Orchid, I Set the Pendulum Scale!" Yuri formed the Pendulum Scale. While Yuri began his Turn, Dennis reached for Action Card, but Yuri didn't make any move to take it ahead of him, which confused the others.

"He's not going for Action Card?" Yuya wondered.

"Either he is too tired to get one or he doesn't need them." Serena guessed.

"With this I can simultaneously Summon Level 2 to 6 Monsters. Pendulum Summon! Come forth!" Yuri summoned 2 Monsters to his Field: Predator Plants Fly Hell (ATK: 400 / DEF: 800 / LV: 2) and Predator Plants Cephalotus Snail (ATK: 1300 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4), both of them in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"And then from my hand, I Summon Predator Plants Cordyceps (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)." Yuri summoned Cordyceps in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone, leaving his hand empty.

"I activate Genlisea Toad's Pendulum Effect. Once per Turn I can Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck using Monsters on my Field as Materials ignoring its Summoning condition. I Fuse Fly Hell and Cordyceps!" Yuri began his summoning chant as his two Monsters entered the Fusion Vortex.

"Beautiful flowers with insect-alluring fragrance, become a new power and destroy those who oppose you with your dripping venom until your hunger is satisfied! Fusion Summon! Level 7! Starve Venemy Dragon (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 1)!" Yuri summoned his Fusion-Pendulum Monster in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"You're not going to do anything?" Yuya asked Yura who was standing on his right side while Serena was on his left side.

"The one who can save Master is not me. It must be you or the others. Someone who has the same feeling as you guys is what Yuri needed, not someone like me who has been with him since the very beginning and helped his wrongdoings." Yura answered. She might had had experienced what Yuri has right now. However, she also had accompanied Yuri and inflicted pain and suffering on many people together with him. She, who was his accomplice, is not the one who can save him.

"How about you, Serena? You're not joining the Duel?" Yuya asked, turning to the other girl on his other side.

"No. I want to, but… I think out of all of us, Dennis is the only one who can reach Yuri. He experienced what I didn't experience. And that experience, is what allowed him to understand Yuri more than I do in his current state. I will believe in Dennis." Serena said with certainty. Dennis had experienced what Yuri has and he overcame it. If it's the current Dennis, he can do it.

"Yeah. Me too." Yuya said, also placing his trust on Dennis.

"My Turn! From my hand, I Summon Entermage String Figure (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)!" Dennis summoned String Figure in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone. As he did this, he also picked another Action Card.

"And then I activate String Figure's other Effect! I can use this card to Fusion Summon a Fusion Monster with Monsters on my Field or hand as Materials! I Fuse String Figure and Damage Juggler in my hand!" Dennis placed his Monsters into the Fusion Vortex as he began his chant.

"Acrobat that freely manipulates even the pain! Merge with the infinitely form-changing strings that connect people and become a new witch that spurs the sky! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 7! Entermage Trapeze Force Witch (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 7)!" Dennis summoned his Fusion Monster in the Main Monster Zone.

Yuri raised a brow at Force Witch and Dennis' move. "Isn't this the same first move you're using against me when we fought at the Jungle Training Area last year? Do you think you can win using the same strategy?" He reminded. Back then he thoroughly defeated Dennis. Just remembering that gave a bitter taste in Yuri's tongue.

"Nope. This is just the first move. And also, I have no intention to lose this time." Dennis said confidently. He failed last time, but he won't this time. His friend's life was at stake more than before. He can't afford to lose in this Duel. If he is going to lose, then at the very least he will open his heart first. But again, he has no intention to lose.

"Battle! I attack Cephalotusnail with Force Witch!" Dennis declared Battle Phase, motioning Force Witch to hold onto its trapeze, swinging in the air.

"I activate Force Witch's Effect! When it battles an opponent's Monster, I can lower that Monster's ATK by 600!" Dennis lowered Cephalotusnail's ATK to 700 as Force Witch attacked the carnivorous plant with its star-shaped lights. Force Witch then let go of its trapeze, lunging at the Predator Plants Monster and delivered a strong kick.

"You always said that and you never won against me even once. That won't change now either!" Yuri exclaimed as he extended his hand towards Cephalotusnail.

"I activate Cephalotusnail's Monster Effect! It cannot be destroyed by Battle, and the damage I take is halved!" Yuri declared. Cephalotusnail's body was covered in round pitch-black energy. When it made contact with Alexander's sword, it deflected it and became a wave that blew the winds that Yuri endured before kneeling from the damage he took.

 **YURI LP: 4000 = 3150**

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Trapeze Duo! I can make an Entermage Monster that I control to attack one more time and I draw two cards!" Dennis drew two cards from his Deck and then made a second attack towards Cephalotusnail, activating its Effect again to lower Cephalothusnail's ATK. However, due to the Predator Plants monster's effect, it couldn't be destroyed by Battle and survived.

 **YURI LP: 3150 = 2300**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Dennis concluded.

"You're using the same first move and think that you can still win? Have you forgotten my Starve Venemy's effect?" Yuri reminded.

"Of course I remember. Why not using it against me now?" Dennis challenged his friend.

"As you wish, I activate Starve Venemy's Effect. I can negate the Effect of a Monster my opponent controls and take it." Yuri targeted Force Witch, negating its Effect and added it to Starve Venemy.

"Also, Force Witch loses 500 ATK, and inflicts 500 damage to my opponent!" Yuri revealed, decreasing Force Witch's ATK to 1900 and reduce Dennis' LP by 500. Starve Venemy unleashed a loud roar that nearly blew Dennis back if he were not prepared.

 **DENNIS LP: 4000 = 3500**

"Battle! I attack Entermage Trapeze Force Witch with Starve Venemy Dragon!" Yuri declared Battle Phase at the weakened Entermage Fusion Monster. Starve Venemy shot a poisonous blast from its mouth towards Force Witch.

"Action Magic: Target Trick! When a Monster I control is targeted for an attack while my opponent controls two or more monsters, I can destroy one of the monsters my opponent controls that is not attacking instead and inflict the damage to my opponent!" Dennis activated his first Action Card, reflecting Starve Venemy's blast with a swing of Force Witch's trapeze towards Yuri's Cephalotusnail, destroying the Predator Plants monster through his Trap's effect.

 **YURI LP: 2300 = 1700**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuri finished.

Dennis lowered his Duel Disk for a bit, taking a step forward. "Yuri, won't you just stop this and listen to us? Let's talk things through for once. Isolating yourself like this won't help you or anybody. That's why–"

"Enough talk! Just start your Turn!" Yuri interjected harshly, refusing to listen.

"Yuri…" Yuya murmured with sadness. Seeing him like this was even more painful than when they picked him up in Zarc's mindscape.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack Starve Venemy Dragon with Force Witch!" Dennis declared attack immediately. Using Force Witch's effect, he decreased Starve Venemy's ATK to 1900 as his Fusion Monster jumped at the Fusion-Pendulum dragon. He took the Action Card this Turn as well.

"At this moment, I activate Trap Card: Dark Limit! When a DARK-Element Monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can pay 700 LP to negate the attack and add two DARK-Element Monsters from my Deck!" Yuri opened his Reverse Card, stopping Force Witch's attack. As he looked at the cards he added to his hand, he started to grin, something that not went unnoticed by Dennis and the others.

 **YURI LP: 1700 = 1000**

Right after Dennis ended his Turn, Yuri revealed a sinister feral grin that shook Dennis to the core. They knew that grin. It was the grin that Yuri always has whenever he was going to bring out something terrifying for them.

"Just like an insect that got caught into venus flytrap upon contact, you got into my trap, Dennis." Yuri told the Entertainment Duelist while snickering and showed a card from his hand.

 _"Letting his LP be reduced is part of his trap?"_ Dennis thought, mentally preparing for Yuri's next move.

"First, I summon Predator Plants Lice Rose (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4)." Yuri summoned a lice-like monster with black-colored body in a shape of rose in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Starve Venemy.

"This card can only be summoned if my LP is at 1000 or lower and Releasing two DARK-Element Monsters I control. I have only summoned this monster once against Reiji." Yuri Released Starve Venemy and Lice Rose.

"Beautiful serpentine liana, grapple your preys with your deadly leaves and drag them to the pit of purgatory under your hunger! Reveal yourself! Predator Plants Triphyophyllum Hydra (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 10)!" Yuri Special Summoned a Predator Plants Monster with dark green colored long-stemmed woody vines and black-colored six leaves that has the head of a violet-eyed serpent each. Triphyophyllum Hydra was placed in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"When Lice Rose leaves the Field, it can Special Summon itself on my opponent's Field in Defense Position." Yuri placed Lice Rose on Dennis' Field' Main Monster Zone.

"Triphyophyllum Hydra's ATK and DEF is equal to the total ATKs and DEFs of all Special Summoned Monsters my opponent controls!" Yuri revealed as Triphyophyllum Hydra's ATK and DEF instantly increased to 3600 and 2800 respectively.

"An ATK of 3600 and 2800?!" Dennis was shocked. To think that his violet haired friend has that kind of Monster with huge risk of summoning it considering its summoning conditions. On second thought, when Dennis thought it again, it's not strange a Duelist like Yuri who has skills backing his confidence has that kind of card.

"So he summoned Lice Rose not only to fulfill Triphyophyllum Hydra's Summoning Condition, but also to increase its ATK via its effect." Serena made a mental note in her mind should she ever faced against that monster in the future.

"Battle! I attack Entermage Trapeze Force Witch with Triphyophyllum Hydra!" Yuri targeted Dennis' Fusion Monster. The six heads launched itself towards the DDD Fusion Monster. As they were close to its target, the six heads joined together into one huge black serpent head that devoured the Fusion Monster a whole. Dennis, a few seconds before his Monster was gulped down, activated his second Action Card.

"Action Magic: Selection of Miracle! I choose to negate my monster's destruction!" Dennis barely saved his monster from being destroyed. Force Witch forcefully ripped the hydra's mouth open with its trapeze and broke free, returning to Dennis side.

The attack hit the rock beside Dennis, creating huge hole. Dennis' cheek got cut from the attack as he barely dodged it. When he saw Dennis' cheek got cut, Yuri then realized that he was grinning the whole time. The same grin that he would make when he desired to beat up his opponent – his prey. Dennis covered his mouth as he dropped his grin. His face paled quite a bit. For a moment there, he returned to the way he was again, to his disgusting and detestable self.

 _"Even now, you're actually enjoying hurting people with your Dueling, aren't you? You have promised that you would change. But in the end deep down you know you can't. You're actually feeling good whenever you defeat your opponent mercilessly…something that is hated by your friends."_

Apophis' words were ringing in his head again like a reminder. An undeniable fact.

"It's just as he said...I'm really the worst after all..." Yuri murmured with dejected smile while looking down.

"What?"

"Even now, the thought of hurting my opponents, beating the life out of them excites me!" Yuri looked up, revealing his dismayed smile that was close to despair.

"I only feel alive when I expose myself to danger. The thrills and terror that rip your flesh, burn your bones, and grab your heart... This is who I am!" This is the real him. This is just who he is. He never belonged with them. That is not his place.

"No matter what you do, nothing will change! Eventually, I'll just return the way I was! That's just who I am!" Yuri yelled desperately. He was truly a vile despicable being. He still wants to fight a Duel that makes blood and flesh and bones all scream. This proved all the more that he doesn't deserve to stay by their side.

"No! You can change!" Yuya stepped in, but not interfering with the Duel. "You have already changed without you realizing! You just need to accept what is inside your heart right now!"

"Shut up! Shut up!" Yuri shouted again. He was close to screaming, but he didn't. He held his head as severe headache attacked him.

"I am not afraid...of dying...! I don't want...to live anymore...!" Yuri cried out. He couldn't bear with this any longer. If continuing to live means he will return to the way he was and hurt more people again, then he'd rather die now.

"Don't be selfish idiot!" Dennis yelled at the top of his lungs, shocking everyone present that they flinched from his uncharacteristically loud voice.

"I don't want you to die! We don't want you to die! Why can't you get that into that thick skull of yours?! Have you ever tried to understand how we feel if you're gone instead of believing what our enemy said to you?!" Dennis heaved a sigh, anger was draining out with it as he wiped the tears that started to form in his eyes.

"I'm going to get you out of here! My Turn!" Dennis began his Draw Phase. He then immediately showed the card he just drew.

"I summon Moonlight Blue Cat from my hand!" Dennis summoned Blue Cat in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Force Witch.

"Blue Cat?!" Yuri exclaimed in surprise, automatically turning to Serena who was the owner of that monster.

"You lent that monster to him?" Yuya asked the indigo haired girl.

"Yeah. I at least want to convey my feelings through my monster." Serena said, looking at Blue Cat. She has entrusted her feeling and wish to one of her most frequently used monsters. She believed that her monster could convey her feelings in her place.

"I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse Entermage Trapeze Force Witch with Moonlight Blue Cat!" Dennis fused his and Serena's monsters together, entering them into the Fusion Vortex as he started his summoning chant.

"Artisan of the air, become one with the blue cat and reborn as a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth! The magician who dances under the moonlight, Entermage Trapeze Moon Witch (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 1900 / LV: 8)!" Dennis summoned a female Magician monster wearing a Jester's outfit reminiscent of medieval jokers with its hat resembling cat's ear. It has blue hair, green eyes, and red triangular like markings over its eyes. Its trapeze has crescent moon-shaped accessory at both ends.

"A new Fusion Monster!" Yuya exclaimed while being impressed by Dennis' new Monster.

" _A monster born from the shared feelings of Serena and Dennis and their desire to save him… That's it. He can do this."_ Yura thought with certainty.

"Yuri, you keep saying that you want to die and don't want to return because you regret for what you did and feel that you don't deserve to stay with us… But that's not the main reason why you don't want to return." Dennis almost let himself cry as he sensed his friend's deep sadness. He had felt it too, so he understood fully well. He knew how painful it was that he felt it too now just by seeing his friend suffering right in front of him.

"Above all, you're afraid to be rejected like you were back then before and after we got separated as children. You don't want to return the world where everyone is rejecting you even after you atone." Dennis understood how that feels. The fear of receiving blades of rejection from those whom he had harmed and betrayed shook him to the core. He was so afraid that he avoided the chances to apologize and the sort until Shun forced him. And he glad that Shun did it. If not, perhaps he would have been in Yuri's position right now. That's why he knew what could save him.

"Battle! I attack Triphyophyllum Hydra with Trapeze Moon Witch!" Dennis declared attack.

At that moment, the black clouds moved away, revealing the beautiful full moon. The moon basked Moon Witch with its serene light, exposing the magician's beauty as it leaped high, jumping to the sky until the full moon was seen behind them by the others. It landed to Field where the Predator Plants monster was standing. The Entermage monster strike its heel and toes against the ground while twirling its trapeze, creating audible rhythms to the downbeat with the heel keeping the rhythms.

"I activate Entermage Trapeze Moon Witch's effect! When it battles a Special Summoned monster, I can decrease the opposing monster's ATK by 600!" Dennis decreased the Predator Plants Monster's ATK to 2100.

Moon Witch unleashed crescent moon-shaped shards that hit Triphyophyllum Hydra and weakened it before throwing its trapeze like a boomerang, slicing the Predator Plants monster. The trapeze returned to Moon Witch as it continued to dance for one more moment, its body seemed glowing under the moonlight. It was mesmerizing. It was so beautiful that they lost their words.

 **YURI LP: 1000 = 400**

Yuri gasped as he snapped out from his reverie. It reminded him of his Tag Duel with Serena when their monsters were dancing together under the moonlight. Yuri quickly shook this away and made his move.

"At this moment, I activate Triphyophyllum Hydra's effect! When this card is destroyed, I can attach a Predator Counter to all monsters my opponent control and it cannot attack for the rest of this Turn!" Yuri declared as a Predator Counter attached itself to Moon Witch's right arm, stopping it from attacking.

"You are wrong about one thing, Yuri." Dennis smiled softly at his childhood best friend. He must calm his friend down. He must reach him. He wanted to let him know how it feels to be freed from his guilt and regret.

"If you wish so ardently for your life to disappear, then give it to me. That way, I can show you." Dennis said as he took a step closer together with Moon Witch.

"Show…me…?" Yuri asked weakly.

Dennis stopped his track, still keeping distance with Yuri. He threw something up to the sky, and Moon Witch then exploded it, showering the Field with petals of flowers. They were the petals of the same flowers that can be found in their secret garden at Academia and at Yuri's private garden. They all represented both his and Serena's feelings for Yuri. Dueling against each other, planting various plants together, every single one of those moments, even talking to Yuri right now, is a very precious memory to him. And Dennis didn't want them to disappear. That's why…

"I will show you there are people waiting for you to come back home."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Will to Live –** Yuri and Dennis continues to exchange fierce attacks with their monsters. As Dennis relentlessly pursues him to return, Yuri begins to ponder a reason for him to continue living. While the Duel unfolds, Yuno and Leo arrive.

* * *

 **Finally finished the chapter. I just remembered that I've only shown Triphyophyllum Hydra once during Yuri vs Reiji in** _ **Bonds of Pendulum**_ **, so I decided to show it again in this Duel. Just to be clear, no one will assist Dennis in this Duel and there won't be interruption that will stop the Duel either. The Duel will end in the next chapter. As for** _ **Jason**_ **'s question, I can't answer that. I can only tell you that starting the next chapter it will focus on the conflict against Heidel's group for the time being as rescuing Yuno and the others become the Lancers' main priority.**

 **By the way, I forgot to mention this in the previous chapter; you can see the result of the pairing poll in my profile page.**

 **I might update the next chapter faster! I'm so happy after seeing the recent manga chapter spoiler! What I thought only happened in fanfictions turned out to be true in the manga! Yay!**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	71. The Will to Live

**Big thanks to** _ **Ulrich362, stephanielau, GamingGuy84, Yuka Kuroshiro, Playerhood18, Big duels, D3lph0xL0v3r, dvdryms, Jason, VioletStarVN, Unknowedz, Dante**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **LANCERS DOMAIN – LINK VRAINS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Do you think they'll be okay?"

Yugo asked while looking at the portal that leads to the underground LINK VRAINS. Not too long after Yuya, Dennis, Serena, and Yura logged into LINK VRAINS, Yugo got impatient from the waiting in the meeting room and decided to log into LINK VRAINS, deeming it better waiting at the very same place as where they have gone to rather than offline. For this occasion, he decided not to use his avatar as he wants to face Yuri as himself. To his surprise everyone else also followed him.

"Have more patience, Yugo. We all agreed not to do anything until Yuya, Dennis, and Serena bring back Yuri. You can't take back your words now." Rin huffed at her childhood friend's impatience.

"I was wondering what you guys are doing gathering in the meeting room sleeping, and it turns out you guys are waiting for Yuya and the others here."

Jonouchi came in together with Ray and Zarc beside him. The three of them heard that Yuya and the others went to the meeting room even though it was already late at night. When they arrived at the room, they found Yuya and the others sitting on the couches with their eyes closed. For a second, they thought they were simply sleeping, but the three of them then noticed their Duel Disks were on, showing they have logged into LINK VRAINS, so they decided to log in as well to know what they were doing, though Ray and Zarc have already got the gist of it.

"Sorry. But we just can't sleep with Yuri in our minds like this." Ruri apologized on everyone's behalf.

"Nah, it's fine. I can understand you're worried about your friend, so you're in no trouble." Jonouchi assured them.

"By the way, Jonouchi-san, you're also cursed like Yuno-san and Celica-san, right? Why you never told us before?" Yuzu asked. After hearing the whole story from the Four Heavenly Dragons, they were visibly shocked to know that Jonouchi not only have been friends with Yuno and Celica for 1,500 years but also got cursed by Apophis.

"I just didn't think it will be that much of importance. Besides, you never asked or anything." Jonouchi shrugged.

"You just don't want to be treated like an old man so much."

Jonouchi nearly jumped when he heard the voice behind him. That voice belonged to someone who was not supposed to be here since he got kidnapped so Jonouchi thought it was his ears playing tricks on him. But when he saw the shocked reaction from the teens who were looking pass him, this prompted Jonouchi to turn around and saw the very person he wanted to meet the most.

"Yuno!"

Jonouchi didn't waste any time to hug the Oracle, and Yuno hugged him back with one arm. Yugo and the others were ready to approach him too but then realized he didn't come alone. There was someone walking right behind the Oracle. They were taken aback when they saw that person. They didn't expect him of all people to come here together with Yuno.

"Leo Akaba?!" Yuto and the others exclaimed together at the former Professor.

"It has been a while." Leo greeted camly.

"Why are you here?! You're supposed to be still exiled at ARC-V!" Yuto questioned.

"Calm down, everyone. Leo is also captured by Heidel like the Emperor and I am. With Zaizen's help, we're able to secretly logged into LINK VRAINS. But we only have 3 hours to meet you before Heidel notice." Yuno came to Leo's defense. He then started explaining from everything that happened at ARC-V and how Leo was taken to Cantidel with Yusho and Reira as hostages and until how they came here.

"I see...to think that Heidel would go that far..." Jonouchi cursed the Supreme Commander.

"How are Uncle Yusho and Reira?" Yuzu asked in concern for the two.

Yuno nodded to assure her. "They are fine. Heidel treats them well since they are hostages to keep Leo working for him. But never mind that, we must speak with all of you about Heidel. Right, Leo?" The Oracle turned to the former Professor only to find his gaze was staring elsewhere.

Leo was staring at Sara and Yukiya who were keeping an eye on the portal that led to the underground. No, he was actually only staring at Sara, the girl who was the reincarnation of his late daughter, Ray. She now even used the same name as her avatar. To make it even more surprising, her avatar design was identical to Ray. When he first laid his eye on her, for a second he thought his daughter has came back to life. But he quickly realized that was not the case. Even if she was the reincarnation of his daughter, they were different, similar as Yuzu and the other girls. He had learned that.

 _"She's not Ray... She is gone..."_ Leo lamented as he remembered his beloved daughter.

"Leo?" Yuno called out again, placing a hand on Leo's shoulder that snapped the old man back.

"Oh. Sorry. Yes, please gather everyone. We don't have so much time to waste. We have to tell you about Heidel's plan and what should we do to stop him." Leo quickly acted like nothing happened to him. He immediately put up his calm mask like he did when he was in business.

However, Yuno and Leo blinked when Jonouchi and the teens made a troubled face. Jonouchi stepped forward with uneasy smile plastered.

"Err...we actually have a little bit problem about that..."

 **SECOND BUNKER – RAY'S HIDEOUT – UNDERGROUND – LINK VRAINS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuri was looking at Dennis like he had just given him a strong punch on the gut. His heart started to race when he saw Dennis and then Yuya, Serena, and Yura. Those days he spent with them crossed his minds like cut scenes. Surge of emotions came along with them. They were emotions he was trying to suppress because he didn't deserve them. Not with how dirty his hands and his heart were. He didn't have the right to have those emotions or feelings.

"I activate Continuous Magic: Trapeze Soul. As long as this card is on the Field, Xyz Entermage Monster I control cannot be destroyed by Battle or card effects." Dennis activated his Continuous Magic before ending this Turn.

"Yuri, you said you want to die but is that what you really want?" Dennis questioned, making Yuri looked at him again with conflicted face that Dennis didn't miss.

"You're not being honest to us and to yourself, Yuri. You must think what is truly in your heart. And not what you think you want, just because you think you have to do it, what do you really want." Dennis softly encouraged him. Yuri was still afraid to admit how he felt out of guilt. For a moment there, he noticed a reaction from Yuri. There was no mistaking that was the sign of the barrier blocking Yuri's heart starting to crack.

"…I…I don't know what you're talking about!" Yuri denied insistently before he then started his Draw Phase.

"My Turn! With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Be revived from the Extra Deck, Starve Venemy Dragon!" Yuri revived his Fusion-Pendulum Monster in Attack Position.

"And then I activate Dark Limit's effect! By banishing it from Graveyard, I can Special Summon a DARK Monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position!" Yuri banished his Trap, reviving Triphyophyllum Hydra in Defense Position beside Starve Venemy in the Main Monster Zone.

"Next, I activate Genlisea Toad's Pendulum Effect! Once per Turn I can use monsters on my Field as Fusion Materials to Fusion Summon ignoring its summoning conditions!" Yuri declared, forming the Fusion Vortex as his two monsters flew into it.

"Another Fusion Summon?!" Serena exclaimed in surprise.

"The only Fusion Monsters I know can overpower Moon Witch in both ATK and Effects are..." Yuya trailed off as he realized which Fusion Monster Yuri was summoning. Dennis' Moon Witch won't stand a chance against it.

"I fuse Triphyophyllum Hydra and Starve Venemy Dragon! Poisonous dragon with hungry fangs! Sweet smelling flower that invites the abyss! Now become one, and indulges all as you desire! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level 10! Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon (ATK: 3300 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 10)!" Yuri summoned Greedy Venom in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Greedy Venom's effect! Once per Turn, I can target 1 monster on the field, until the end of this turn, its ATK becomes 0 also it has its effects negated! Obviously, I target Entermage Trapeze Moon Witch!" Yuri pointed at Moon Witch, directing his dragon to immobilize the opposing Fusion Monster with its fanged tentacles, rendering it powerless as it lost its entire ATK and its effect sealed.

" _Calm down. Due to Trapeze Soul's effect, Moon Witch won't be destroyed. I won't need to use the last resort…"_ Dennis tried to calm himself despite being visibly nervous at the dragon's appearance. He will take a lot of damage for sure, but at least his monster won't be destroyed.

"Also, I activate Spider Orchid's Pendulum Effect! I can target 1 face-up card in the Spell and Trap Zone and destroy it!" Yuri chose Trapeze Soul, destroying the Continuous Magic Card.

"What?!" Dennis exclaimed in dismay as he watched his card being destroyed, leaving his monster without any protection.

"Battle! I attack Entermage Trapeze Moon Witch with Greedy Venom!" Yuri declared attack.

Greedy Venom bit the Entermage Monster on its neck, which followed by its fanged tentacles that bit its body. The evolved Fusion dragon then shredded Moon Witch's body and started to consume the part it has shredded. The Entermage Fusion Monster howled in pain before it able to use its remaining power to blast Greedy Venom away from it, though the latter dragon looked satisfied with the meal it has. Dennis got thrown to the back when the force of the tentacles caught his Fusion Monster, severely reducing his LP.

 **DENNIS LP: 3500 = 200**

"Next I activate Quick-Play Spell: Predator Elixir! I can recover my LP equal to half of the original ATK of the Monster that I destroyed!" Yuri restored his LP by adding half of Moon Witch's original ATK.

 **YURI LP: 400 = 1750**

"In one attack he reduced Dennis LP to red and increased his own LP." Serena clenched her fists as she worried for Dennis. He has no monster left on his Field or any set card. Unless Dennis can luckily draw a good card on his next Turn, he can't win.

"That's my Master." Yura whistled at her master's attack. As expected from the one she served. As much as she wanted to participate by her master's side, this wasn't the time.

"This is not the time to be impressed!" Yuya scolded the human Starve Venom.

"I activate Entermage Trapeze Moon Witch's effect! When it was destroyed, I can banish the Entermage Monster used as its material to Special Summon it back to the Field!" Dennis reluctantly banished Force Witch, reviving Moon Witch again.

"Next, I activate Action Magic: Lunar Shards! I can increase my LP by 500!" Dennis activated the only card left in his hand, increasing a little bit of his LP.

 **DENNIS LP: 200 = 700**

"Surrender, Dennis. You can't win against me. You never won against me and that won't change now." Yuri told the Entermage user. Although his voice was firm and cold, Dennis sensed an underlying plea within his words.

Dennis was ready to start his Turn again, but then his hand stopped as he realized this. His gaze went somber as he stared at his suffering best friend. He placed his hand on his Deck, but didn't start his Draw Phase yet.

"Yuri, I know how you feel, because I had been in similar situation as you. Though, I'll admit that yours are worse. But that doesn't really matter." Dennis started again. He closed his eyes, recalling every single wrongdoing he had done that he could remember.

"Just like you, I also enjoyed the hunting game we used to do. Crushing my opponents without mercy and carding them. Last year, I found those acts fun." Thinking about it now, he was disgusted of himself from back then.

"That's why when I realized how horrible and wrong I was, I felt so guilty that I thought of carding myself to pay for my sins. But you know what I got when I tried to do that?" Dennis' hand automatically reached for his right cheek as he recalled the stinging pain from Shun's punch.

"Kurosaki punched me. Very hard." Dennis chuckled as he remembered while rubbing his right cheek with a finger. "He is mad at me. He told me that what I tried wouldn't atone for anything. I was just trying to run away from taking my responsibility. That was an eye-opener."

"After the war and confront everyone, I can see now that dying wouldn't have made a difference. I would have left everyone to pick up the pieces. They still would have had to deal with the trauma that I have inflicted while I just being a coward and left them be even though I can do something to fix it." Dennis saw it at first hand at the aftermath of the war. He saw the fear in the citizens of Heartland's faces even though they have returned from being carded and even though the war was already over with the war criminals being punished. That still wasn't enough to ease their hearts.

"Since then I accept it. I have accepted my sin. When I did, I feel relieved. Before I know it, being forgiven or not does not matter to me anymore. All I want is to help those people I have hurt no matter what they think of me." Once he accepted everything he had done, he expected it to be heavy and suffocating. But strangely, instead, he felt light. And that was when he realized that it was similar as Dueling. You learn from your previous Duel and apply them for the next to prevent a repeat. He learned from his mistakes and made it his goal to restore the people's happiness that he had stolen. He was fine even if they won't forgive him. As long as they can be happy again, that was more than enough for him.

"But what saved me is when Yuya and everyone else accepted me. If I were to selfishly end my life, they wouldn't be happy..." He also learned to appreciate his life from this. Once he knew he was not alone and there were people who care for him, he realized that before perhaps he interpret them to suit his interest. Actually, he wanted to be with them and talk more. He thought they would be better off without him, but in the end that would only hurt them more.

"It's just as he said, Yuri." Yuya finally stepped in, catching the two's attention.

"The moment we formed precious bonds with others, our lives are not our own anymore. We can't just throw away our lives just because we want to, not when there are people who cares about us." Yuya recalled again what Zarc and Yukiya had told him. They were the words that saved him from losing himself.

"I can't forgive you so easily for everything you did, especially to my father. But, even if you disappear, it won't make happy at all." Yuya turned to his Fusion Counterpart. Just before, he tried to give up many things in life because of his guilt. But he realized it wasn't correct. He thought the same way as Yuri and Dennis. But, he realized that it still wasn't worth to death.

"Yuri, I'll definitely save you from your binds. All of us will." Dennis said as he prepared to draw a card. This one Draw will be his Destiny Draw. His fate depends on this very last Draw. Dennis began his Draw Phase, drawing one card. He and the others who were watching waited nervously for the card. It took several seconds for Dennis to prepare himself until he finally looked at the card he has drawn.

Dennis smiled as he looked at the card. His prayer has been answered.

"I activate Magic Card: Resurrection of the Dead! I can Special Summon a Monster from my Graveyard!" Dennis revived Moonlight Blue Cat in Attack Position beside Moon Witch in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Entermage Trapeze Moon Witch's effect! By releasing a Moonlight Monster on my Field, I can add its ATK to Moon Witch!" Dennis released Blue Cat immediately, increasing Moon Witch's ATK to 3300, equal to Yuri's Greedy Venom. Not for long though.

"Battle! I attack Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon with Entermage Trapeze Moon Witch!" Dennis declared his final attack. Moon Witch leaped, its form once again bathed in the moonlight that allowed its beauty to go through.

"I activate Moon Witch's effect! When it battles against Special Summoned Monster, I can decrease its ATK by 600!" Dennis lowered Greedy Venom's ATK to 2700.

"Even if you decrease its ATK, it won't be enough to defeat me! Greedy Venom's effect will activate the moment it's destroyed. Your Monster will be destroyed and you will receive damage equal to its ATK!" Yuri reminded Greedy Venom's effect. Even if Moon Witch destroyed his dragon now, he still has LP left while Dennis would instantly lose the moment his dragon is destroyed.

"And that is why Magician must always surprise his audience to keep them entertained." Dennis waved a finger and then winked sneakily. It was something that he would do when he has something hidden behind his sleeves near the finale of his show.

"What?"

"Moon Witch's final effect! When it released a Moonlight Monster, it can attack one of my opponent's monsters up to three times! The first and second attack won't destroy it, but the third attack will!" Dennis revealed as Moon Witch delivered its first kick, hitting the dragon.

"It has similar effect as Serena's Fusion Monsters?!" Yuya exclaimed in shock while also impressed by the new Fusion Monster. Moon Witch was truly a monster befitting to symbolize Dennis and Serena's wish becoming one.

Yuri felt his body slackened as Moon Witch delivered its second kick. His gaze hardened at the monster that was attacking while still dancing. The full moon in the sky and the monster dancing on the Field reminded him of his first Tag Duel. The very first time after years he lost his memories he experienced true happiness. He couldn't move his body. He only stood there as Moon Witch unleashed a crescent shaped shockwave that finally destroyed Greedy Venom for good, depleting Yuri's LP.

 **YURI LP: 1750 = 0**

Yuri was laying on the floor as the Action Field dispersed. Dennis didn't wait for Yuri or ask for his permission, he grasped him by his arm and then pulled him up into sitting position. He then bumped his fist gently on Yuri's chest while grinning in satisfaction and cheerfully.

"Finally I got my first win against you." Dennis told Yuri who was too shocked to react to it.

Yuya and Serena soon came too. When Yuya kneeled and moved a hand to touch his Fusion Counterpart, Yuri flinched and looked away, as if afraid to even looking at him. That's why the Fusion user was dumbstruck when Yuya instead pulled him into a hug.

"Yuri. I don't know if I have fully forgiven you for everything you did. But there is one thing that I'm sure of..." Yuya pulled away a bit so he could face Yuri but still not letting go of him.

"I want us to hang out together again. I want us to have fun together again like what we always did after arriving in this dimension. Going to school, playing at the game center, studying together, everything we did ever since we came into this dimension is the most fun I have with you." Yuya then smiled so gently that Yuri was positive his Pendulum Counterpart was emitting bright warm light that sooth him.

"I want us to go back to those days again. I don't want to lose you." Yuya told him. It was a sincere wish. He wants to spend more times with the Yuri that he came to know now.

"Took you guys long enough."

Yuto and the others, now with the addition of Yuno and Leo, came into the bunker. After hearing everything, Yuno insisted that they at least should wait in the bunker until everything is finished instead of waiting outside. The situation is really dire, so they must settle it as quickly as possible and the Oracle won't take no for an answer even if he knew how big the problem was. Fortunately, they came right after everything was finished.

"Everyone!" Serena exclaimed.

"Wait, even Yuno-san and Leo Akaba?! Why are they here?! How?!" Yuya said, pointing at the two old men in disbelieve.

"Let's keep that explanation for later. First..." Yugo stepped forward towards Yuri before anyone could say anything further. Without a word, he pulled Yuri to stand before finally fulfilling his words, punching his Fusion Counterpart that caused the latter to fall flat on his behind again.

"That's quite satisfying." Yugo huffed in satisfaction, causing everyone else to sweat dropped.

"Sorry about that..." Rin apologized to the male Fusion Counterpart. She already told Yugo to hold back, but looks like it was pointless. Fortunately, they were in LINK VRAINS. She didn't want to imagine the impact if it was in the real life.

Ruri was the next one to approach Yuri. She placed a pile of books she has borrowed earlier. "I brought you some books that I think maybe you'll like. By using the scanner program, I can materialize it here so you can read it." She told him while pushing the book closer for him to see.

"That way you won't get bored until we get your body back." Ruri told him. Yuri blinked before staring at the books presented to him. They were certainly books that he would love to read. But what was on his mind was a surprise that Ruri would do this for him even though he had kidnapped her last year.

Following Ruri was Yuto who was standing hovering over the Fusion Counterpart. His face was firm but at the same time neutral.

"If I'm here today, trying to deal with you instead of smacking you, it's because of your real personality. This...depressed you...I hate it." Yuto admitted, adding more surprises to the Fusion Counterpart. While it might sounds weird coming from him, Yuto truly didn't like to see Yuri so depressed. If anyone thinks that Yuri's suffering would make him feel better, they were absolutely wrong.

"You heard what they say. They won't be happy if you die. And I don't like to see them sad. That's why, don't die. I won't like it either. I have enough of losing." Yuto told Yuri. More than anything, he had enough seeing people got hurt and lose their lives. The war last year was already bad enough. Whether they were enemies or allies, he didn't want to see any suffering or death as much as possible. He had enough with that.

Yugo this time yanked Yuri by his collar, making the Fusion Counterpart to look at the Synchro Counterpart again.

"I want you to go back to your normal annoying self, because, as of now, you're even more annoying! Plus, you still owe me a rematch! There's no way I'm gonna let you slide with that one win! I'm gonna beat you in our rematch!" Yugo shouted straight right in front of Yuri's face before letting go of him. There was still something that he wanted to say, but Yugo seemed to have a trouble letting it out. He opened his mouth several times but closed it again. It wasn't until he looked away he finally could say it.

"So...until I win against you...don't you dare dying on me..." Yugo mumbled, but was still loud enough for everyone to hear. His cheeks became a tinge of pink, which everyone noticed and that made them grinning teasingly at the Speedroid user's apparent shyness.

Yuri bit hard down on his bottom lip. The images of the world, the bright beautiful, endless, open world, a world he had never seen and a world he desperately wanted to. The faces of the people around him, the sounds of his friends who were surrounding him with warmth. The feeling of being surrounded by them—no longer truly alone.

Ever since that day he got separated from Dennis and Serena and had his memories erased, he didn't think he was really alive. When the war started and he carded people, dueling the way he likes, he thought he felt alive for the first time. But deep down he felt that even though he felt alive, at the same time that very life felt devoid of meaning.

But after the war, spending time with his friends...for the first time...he thinks he was able to live a meaningful life.

It was only then, now that he had felt it, that he realized how much he had wanted it—for as long as he could remember. He didn't really want to die. He didn't want to atone through death. He wanted—he wanted—

"It must be nice being an idiot like you, Yugo. So simple-minded without having to worry and sulk so much. Getting all happy so childishly in my own world while grinning stupidly without a reason." Yuri let out his usual sarcastic remark while looking down, causing Yugo to lash out at him as expected.

"The hell was that?!" Yugo hotly yelled, but stopped when he saw Yuri slowly revealing his smile. Not one of sadness or depressed, but a true smile.

"Strangely...I don't hate it..." Yuri said.

Rin took him by his hand and then took Serena's hand with the other. "Then you know what you have to do from now on. If you have a trouble, just tell us. We'll help you with it." She pulled Yuri and Serena closer and joined their hands together.

Serena smiled at Yuri with a relieved tear in her right eye. She held his hand tight in hers, and Yuri smiled back and did the same with his hand. He didn't want to die. He wanted to live with them. He wanted to fix his wrongs and started over everything with them.

"But still, I prefer not to be put on the same level as an idiot, so please keep the idiocy to yourself. Stupidity suits you the most, Yugo." Yuri turned to Yugo again, letting out more of his mockeries that led to the usual banter between the two.

"I'm gonna slug you, grinning bastard!" Yugo cracked his knuckles as he walked closer to his Fusion Counterpart.

"Sorry, I correct that. You are number 2, while Sawatari is the number 1 idiot amongst us." Yuri corrected his words, demoting Yugo from number 1 to number 2 on his list. He was smirking amusingly at his Synchro Counterpart. He started returning to his usual self.

"That doesn't make me feel better!" Yugo protested while Rin was holding him back.

Yuzu was watching the usual banter between Yugo and Yuri with amusement, giggling at their exchanges. Her gaze softened at Yuri. She hadhad it in her mind that Yuri was different from them. That he had different reasons and goals for fighting. She painted him as an unapproachable enigma and never even tried to see him for who he was. But looking at him now, for the first time he looks no different from any ordinary boy. No different from them. She knew now that Yuri is one of them, an irreplaceable friend.

"Things will go back to normal now." Yuzu commented while still watching Yugo and Yuri. She giggled again when Rin kneed Yugo to stop him, causing the Speedroid user to have a severe case of stomachache.

Yura, who was standing beside her, shook her head in disagreement. Watching her master starting to open up his heart fully like this, she knew that things wouldn't be the same anymore.

"No. I think things will go better from now on..." Yura stated with relief. The worry that has been bothering him in her chest has finally lifted with the smile from her master. That was all she wanted to see. She was glad that now her master has found his place where he truly belongs.

Amidst the children were indulging themselves in their own world; Leo opted to watch things from afar. He frowned while looking at Yuri. He had heard everything before coming into the bunker. Speaking about guilt, hearing the whole story made him felt guilty. He was the one responsible for setting Yuri on his path. If it were not for him, Yuri wouldn't have suffered the way he was. He had driven Yuri to the edge and pushed the burdens on him. If he weren't being selfish and stupid Yuri would have lived a normal life with Serena and Dennis.

"You're not going to speak with him?"

Leo was taken aback when he heard a voice right beside him. He turned to his right to meet the Holy Elf, Haruna, smiling at him. She came after hearing Yuya and the others were gathering here. She wanted to check and perhaps help Yuri, but she found it was no longer necessary.

"Sorry if I surprised you. Don't worry, I am also one of their comrades." Haruna assured him.

"I'm Leo Akaba. It is a pleasure to meet you." Leo recomposed himself, introducing himself to the Holy Elf.

"Yes. I have heard everything about you, which back to the question at hand. You're not going to speak with Yuri-kun?" Haruna asked while gesturing towards the said boy.

"I don't know...if I have the right to talk with him now..." Leo said with remorse.

"It is not too late yet to start over. In fact, it's better late than never at all. Just think carefully about it." Haruna told the former Professor, placing a hand on his shoulder in assurance. Strangely, just seeing Haruna like this was enough to place Leo at ease.

"I haven't got your name yet." Leo asked. Even though she was a Duel Monster, she at least has a nickname, right?

"My name is Haruna." The Holy Elf introduced herself.

"Haruna..." Leo repeated the name and then smiled at the nostalgic name. The name that has been unspoken for years as the image of the first woman he ever loved came into his mind. "You have the same name as my late first wife... She was a wonderful woman."

Haruna blinked at Leo who has turned his gaze back to the children. She was stunned for a second before she smiled calmly again, looking at the children as well while staying by Leo's side.

"I am sure she'll be happy to hear that." She said.

Meanwhile, Yuno decided to retreat back to the surface now that everything has been settled. He will waited for them while calling the rest in the real world to gather at the meeting room so they all can speak and form a plan against Heidel. But before Yuno could go up, he was halted by Jonouchi who held him tight by his left arm, refusing to let the Oracle go. Jonouchi's face was serious that it almost scary and it startled Yuno a bit.

"You still haven't told us about your vision. The vision that drove you to log into LINK VRAINS alone and made us worried sick. At least tell me, Yuno. Don't keep this to yourself." Jonouchi demanded an answer. He had been avoiding asking this because of the circumstances, but he couldn't ignore it anymore. He didn't want Yuno to pull that kind of stunt again so the Red-Eyes user won't let Yuno go until the Oracle answer him.

Seeing Jonouchi's determined eyes and how tight his grip on his arm was, Yuno knew there was no escaping from this. Sighing, the Oracle pulled Jonouchi closer so he could whisper into his ears. They were actually pretty far away from the rest so there was actually no need for the whisper, but Yuno didn't want to take any chances of someone overhearing them just in case.

"Watch over Yuya and Yukiya. Keep them safe...or else...the worst thing may happen..."

Yuno felt his insides shuddered as he remembered the vision he had before. A town was destroyed. The sky was filled with dark clouds and lightning. Everyone was alive but they were in no condition to fight, not with all those wounds on their bodies. Hovering over them was Apophis in his true form, looking down at them like they were nothing more but insects.

The ones nearest to him was Yukiya…

…Yukiya who was holding Yuya in his arms with blood staining on the Pendulum user's chest right where his heart was.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Vile Meeting –** Carl invites Yuya and Yukiya for a walk at the town to clear their minds after the battle. Unexpectedly, Carl is approached by Kurt who wishes to speak in private while Yuya and Yukiya are approached by Apophis.

* * *

 **Done. I thought I can finish this chapter fast, but things happened in real life that I couldn't and had no choice but to delay writing this chapter. Dang it, lately I can't keep up to my usual update schedule...! As a writer I find it quite frustrating! I gotta find some times to let me write little by little at the very least! Things will start to get hectic again with the battle and all from the next chapter onwards. Look forward for more Duels again! I'll also explore more about Heidel soon.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	72. Vile Meeting

**Big thanks to** _ **Ulrich362, Jason, tsukikami02, GamingGuy84, Big duels, Yuka Kuroshiro, dvdryms, D3lph0xL0v3r, Playerhood18, Phoenix, Virgil, Libic, Lubig, Thaxonyn, Dante, Hunter13hawkie, Luis**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **6 YEARS AGO – TRAINING GROUND – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

12 years old Kurt and Carl were facing against each other with their respective Duel Disks activated in their right wrists. They were wearing a matching white dress shirt, a gray vest and black tie, red shorts, socks, shoes and overcoat. Kurt has Troymare Cerberus on his side while Carl has Neon Laser Blaster on his side. Carl pointed at the Link Monster, declaring attack with his Blaster who shot through the Troymare's body, destroying it. The impact of the destruction caused Kurt to fell on his behind with his LP reduced to 0.

"It's my win this time!" Carl cheered with both his arms raised up proudly.

"Now the record is 34-33. But it won't last long! I'm going to win the next time!" Kurt declared as he stood up quickly while pouting at his younger twin brother.

"No! I'll defeat you again next time! Again and again and again!" Carl insisted while sticking his tongue out at his older twin brother.

Before the two brothers could glare daggers at each other, they felt their collars being pulled from behind, pulling them up from the ground by someone. The twins looked up to see a beautiful woman with soft features, long blonde hair that covers much of her face, while at the back of her head her hair is pulled back into a short braid that trailed halfway down her back. She wore a large blue ballgown with a hooded shawl, lined with fringe, hanging over her shoulders.

"Boys, that's enough. It's almost time for dinner." She told the twins before putting them down.

"Mother!" Kurt and Carl exclaimed ecstatically together as they gave their mother a big warm hug, which she returned with her own.

"You came back?! I thought you won't be back until tomorrow because there's a Duel!" Kurt asked.

"I asked Count Oslow to postpone it for another time. Today is a special day after all." The mother answered before turning to the door, expecting someone to come.

"Special day?" Carl tilted his head in question. The already celebrated his and Kurt's birthday three days ago and he didn't remember anyone having a birthday today. What makes today so special that their busy mother came home?

It was then they were following her gaze to the door where they noticed somebody was approaching. Slowly they saw the figure of the person coming, and they realized he was a man. The closer he came the more Carl and Kurt thought the person was familiar. Only when he was a few meters from the door that they finally recognized the man. The twins became ecstatic once more as they did when their mother came. Because the man was also as busy as their parents lately that he hardly come by to see them other than a few occasions. Never mind the reason why and how he came today, just able to see him was good enough.

The man was around his 70s. He has emerald green eyes and golden blonde hair that was kept cut rather short and slicked back out of his face. He has short goatee and large facial scar, which reached from his forehead and across the bridge of his nose, to his cheek. His wardrobe consisted of a black overcoat, shoes and pants and a white dress shirt, ascot and gloves; also wearing a black top hat and cape. He smiled widely as he opened his arms wide for the twins to come.

"I am back!" The old man said happily the moment he came into the field.

"Grandfather!" The twins rushed into his arms, hugging him tightly.

"I missed you too boys. How have you been doing?" The old man asked his two grandsons whom he finally met after three months separation due to his work.

"I just won my 34th win!" Carl answered proudly.

"Only for temporary because I'm going to win the next time!" Kurt retorted determinedly.

The twin's grandfather couldn't help but chuckled at his grandsons' enthusiasm before he felt his stomach rumbling inside. "That's enough for now, little imps. My stomach has been rumbling since I was on my way here. Let's fill this belly with delicious dinner that specifically made to celebrate our gathering." He told the twins, taking both their hands into his own.

The four of them made their way to the dining room where the dinner has been prepared for them. The Emperor was also waiting at the dining room already. Midway to the dining room, the grandfather abruptly stopped, causing his two grandsons to stop as well as he was still holding their hands.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Before that, I have presents for the two of you." He opened his bag and took out two sets of a few cards. Kneeling so he was on his grandsons' height, he gave each of them one of the sets.

"These are...!" Kurt trailed off from the shock when he saw the cards he was given.

"...The Black Magician series!" Carl finished what his brother was trying to say as he looked at his own cards.

"Aren't they your most precious cards, Grandfather?!" Kurt asked, feeling hesitant to accept his grandfather's most beloved cards that had been with him since his childhood days. Their grandfather was very attached to the Black Magician monsters, and the monsters were also equally attached to their grandfather whom they served respectfully.

"It's all right. I'm fine now even without them. Rather than me, I think it would be better for them to be by your side." The grandfather smiled softly at his grandsons, patting their head fondly.

"They will surely help you to reach a bright future."

 **PRESENT TIME – BEDROOM – PALACE – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Carl was staring sitting on the chair at the balcony, staring at the moonlit starless sky while letting the cold night wind brushing his loosened hair and face. He was holding a Black Magician card that he received from his grandfather 6 years ago as he reminisced that old time. He felt the said Black Magician spirit materialized behind him, staring at him worriedly. But Carl acted like he didn't sense his presence. He was not exactly in the mood to talk and the Black Magician knew this. Glancing at his master for one last time, the Black Magician then retreated to give his master the privacy he wanted and needed. Carl felt guilty for ignoring his monster like that even though he was only worried about him. Perhaps he should have at least greeted his monster.

"The Black Magicians will guide us to our future...huh..." Carl murmured to himself as he remembered his grandfather's words. He felt like he was all alone now. His mother and grandparents had passed away. His father and ancestor were kidnapped. His older twin left him. Even though the last three said people were still alive, they were far away from his reach. He felt he has lost them.

A knock on his door snapped Carl back. He tucked his card into his pocket before returning inside his room, closing the window to the balcony.

"Come in." Carl said, allowing the maid who knocked to enter.

"Good evening, Prince Carl. The dinner is ready." She said after giving a short polite bow to the prince.

"Yes. I'll go down after I took a quick bath." Carl replied.

"And there's also a message came from Lady Celica just a while ago." The maid extended the letter to the prince.

"From Celica?!" Carl exclaimed as he snatched the letter quickly and read them immediately. The maid took that as her cue to leave so she excused herself, which Carl didn't hear as his mind was too preoccupied by the letter that was written in code that only the Imperial Family would know. As he read the letter, his expression fell down, ranging from shocked to saddened. While he was glad that Celica has been saved, he was more horrified for the rest of the news, particularly in regards with his and Kurt's matter.

Since when it became like this? Just a few days ago he was having fun with his older twin brother. Why couldn't he realize his brother's thoughts? What will become of them now? Will he be forced to fight his brother, or worse ending his life with his own hands if necessary? He didn't want that. Not his brother. But he couldn't let Kurt continue having his way with so many people's lives on the line. He also has the duty as prince and the temporary Emperor to protect his people even if the opponent is his own brother. Still...

"Father... Mother... Grandfather...what should I do about Kurt...?"

 **LINK VRAINS – LANCERS DOMAIN – LANCERS HIDEOUT – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICAL DIMENSION**

Yuno and Leo explained everything they have learned so far about Heidel once the Lancers have gathered. Yuya and the others who were in LINK VRAINS have logged out and held the meeting in the meeting room with a single holographic screen showing Yuno and Leo in LINK VRAINS accompanied by the Four Heavenly Dragons. They also revealed Leo's complicated situation that led to him had no choice but to build the reactor with a few modifications and how Akira has helped them. Now that the Lancers knew where Yuno and the others were imprisoned and Heidel's schedule, they were able to make use of the information and form a rescue plan. While Apophis and Kurt worry them, they decided to handle Heidel first before a large scale civil war occur.

"How much of a lunatic Heidel can be? First that underground laboratory conducting human experiments and now enslavement of Duel Monsters?" Yukiya said with a sigh, scratching his pained head.

"He is out of his mind." Yugo commented with disgust. He had seen with his own eyes the fate of those who became Heidel's guinea pigs. He didn't give a damn care of whatever reason Heidel has to go that far. He would never forgive someone like him who was so easily playing around with lives.

"Maybe that experiment in the underground is the experiment to enslave Duel Monsters." Kiryu said with barely concealed rage as he his fists tightened. It was hard not to let his bloodthirst for the Supreme Commander to seep out. The man had ruined his and his friends' lives, and as if that wasn't enough, he now planned to play around with the lives of Duel Monsters as well.

"And since he has the machine now, that only leaves the fuel. He said he already thought about the fuel that means he already found a way to enslave the Duel Monsters. Otherwise, he won't be confident enough to finish the machine and gather the fuel." Shun assumed. Getting information about Heidel was difficult even with Sara and Haruna's help. The man was trickier than they thought, able to carefully hide his personal plans.

"While uniting this dimension with ARC-V is not actually a bad idea, the fuel that he is going to use to activate the machine is what worries me. If it's going to be life energies from living beings, then we must stop him." Leo suggested. Heidel said that he won't be using humans' life energies, but to Leo it still mattered. Whatever the beings are, he won't let their lives to be used as fuel to fulfil ridiculous ambition like that. And enslaving Duel Monsters is not the right way to earn their loyalties.

"We need to find out what fuel that he means then. Also, since Heidel needs a lot of armies, he may launch a big attack. We must warn Prince Carl and everyone else." Yuya suggested. Sending out many armies at once along with various weapons only means they would start a conflict.

"I have sent a pigeon with a coded letter that only Carl can decipher. It should have arrived by now." Celica revealed. A few minutes after listening to Yuno and Leo's explanation, she has written the letter and sent it. Good thing she learned falconry a bit when she was little.

"How about our rescue operation? Are we settled that we will do it three days from now when Heidel and most of his armies are out?" Yuya asked for confirmation in their plan that has been finalized. Everyone must agree to this decision so there won't be any complication in the middle of the said plan when it's going underway.

"This information came from Zaizen, so I think that would be the best course of action. Infiltrating while the securities at its weakest gives higher possibility of the mission's success." Yuno assured them despite his own worries for Aoi's older brother.

"Are you sure Zaizen-san will be okay?" Ruri asked worriedly. Aoi has helped them a big time and even decided to continue giving them their support even if it means taking action separately from her older brother. She was already feeling bad enough with involving Aoi directly into the warzone, and now her older brother was into it too. How can she face Aoi if something happens to her older brother?

"He is being very careful since he is under surveillance. But so far he did well helping us. I think he'll be okay." Leo said with certainty. He has only met Akira for a short time, but he knew that Akira was no fool.

"Then we all agree on this plan?" Yuya asked once more. Seeing no one making any objection, Yuya officially closed the meeting. After giving a short goodbye to Yuno and Leo who must log out in a few minutes before being caught, they all returned to their respective bedroom to rest.

"All right." Yuno said before turning back. He was caught off guard as his four adopted children tackled him to the ground, hugging him. If only his body was in his adult form, he won't be so easily tackled like this and can engulf them all into his arms.

"I never thought I can meet you again like this. I know this is only temporary, but I'm still happy." Yuno said fondly to his beloved children whom he missed dearly. Never in his wildest imagination he could meet them again in life. He honestly almost faint when he first saw his children.

"You better treat us after we rescued you. We'll definitely come." Yura demanded as she listed the foods that she wants to eat after the rescue mission that she has no doubt would be a success.

"Okay. I'll let you eat as much as you want. We have lots of things to talk about." Yuno promised. Screw carefully spend your money, he will give his children whatever they want for this one time. They won't be here forever, so he will make use of the times they have to cherish every second with his children.

"Yuno."

The Oracle was quite surprised when he faced Celica who has logged in to meet him. He had heard she was captured and had been worried sick even if she didn't show it to the others. He was immensely relieved to know she has been rescued. He has the urge to just hug her right there and right now, but he stopped himself because he may do something more if he doesn't.

"Celica. I'm glad you're safe now." Yuno said calmly, though his eyes gave away more of his emotion.

"I can say the same to you. Although, you're still a prisoner over there." Celica replied while holding the giggle from seeing the relief in Yuno's eyes that the man tried to hide. It was as clear as day and she could have point it out but decided not to since the Oracle was trying so hard to hide it. How cute of him.

"At least I have a fine accommodation over there for a prison." Yuno chuckled a bit so she won't be so worried about him being a prisoner. "I'll be waiting for you to come. I know you will."

"You better be." Celica winked at him before she logged out, leaving him with his children, Leo, Yuri, and Haruna.

Yuno was startled when he turned around to see his children and Yuri were staring teasingly at him. The Four Heavenly Dragons already knew how much love their father has for the Imperial Adviser. It was never a secret since he showed it so clearly in their eyes since like more than thousands of years ago. Celica has always been nice to them and they already knew the history between the two so they have no qualms with their father marrying Celica. She was already like the second mother figure to them after Claire. Yuri, on the other hand, already heard the full story from Celica herself and the Four Heavenly Dragons was amused as he found another teasing material. This would be fun.

"Don't be so slow and just go with it." Yuji encouraged.

"It's about time the two of you are together, you know?" Yuhei said while gently elbowing his father's chest.

"You already proposed and married once, so doing it the second time should be a piece of cake." Yuzo assured while patting his father's shoulder. He still couldn't understand the reason what made his father so hesitating to just propose to his long-time sweetheart.

"If you still feel it's too early to marry, then just start an impure adult relationship first before going to the pure one." Yuri suggested as he and Yura looked at him with a wide grin.

Yuno gave each of them a smack on the head.

"Shut up, children. And the Fusion users, suggesting to do that first is immoral." Yuno said, referring the last part to Yuri and Yura who merely stuck their tongues out together. The Oracle sighed at this. Yura has absorbed Yuri's behavior like a sponge too much.

"I'll see you later." Yuno smiled at them again before logging out, motioning Leo to do the same.

"I take my leave now. Please support my son and his friends." Leo told Haruna who has been standing by his side the whole time throughout the meeting. He didn't know why but having the Holy Elf simply by his side made him completely at ease. For some reason, he found her presence familiar like he had known her for long times. He wondered if this was the power of the Holy Elf.

"It would be my pleasure. I will do my best to support them, Leo-san." Haruna gave him her words even without him asking to.

Leo nodded and bid her farewell before logging out. Moments before he logged out, he thought he saw the splitting image of his late first wife overlapping with the Holy Elf. But this soon disappeared, and he thought it was just him seeing things. Once he was completely disappeared from the LINK VRAINS, Haruna closed her eyes as she savored the lingering feeling of Leo's presence beside her.

"I'm glad that you have changed for the better, Leo…"

 **THE NEXT DAY – SHOPPING DISTRICT – TOWN – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuya and Yukiya were standing in front of the game center where they usually go to after school. This morning, they received a message from Carl who sent it through a pigeon like Celica did yesterday. To their surprise, Carl invited them to hang out with him at the town. Celica told them that Carl surely want to talk with them about what happened at the temple, but she knew that Carl mainly want to get them to relax considering how much stress they have in their heads. No one could blame them after what happened for the past few days. As much as they wanted to go, Celica and Reiji deemed it best not all of them go because they'll attract too much attention.

To make it fair for everyone, they settled it with rock-paper-scissor. The result was Yuya and Yukiya won. While some were whining as they didn't get the opportunity to go, Yuya and Yukiya promised to bring back some souvenirs in exchange. And so, that's how the two of them were here at the moment. Yuya was wearing his normal outfit he wore back at ARC-V while Yukiya wore a plain black shirt with jeans.

Around ten minutes after Yuya and Yukiya arrived, the second-born prince finally arrived. He was wearing a standard Den Academy high-school uniform with a brown cape and glasses as his disguise. He couldn't relax if he gave away himself as a prince in public, won't he? For a prince, it wasn't difficult for Carl to get his hand on Den Academy uniform.

"Sorry for making you wait. I'm the one who called but I'm the one who is late." Carl apologized to the two younger teens.

"It's fine. We didn't wait that long." Yuya assured.

"It's too bad the rest can't come. I actually wanted to invite all of you to relax for a bit after everything that happened." Carl said.

"We'll attract too much attention if we all go at the moment, so I think it's better if it's just the two of us. Besides, everyone has their own way relaxing for the day." Yukiya said.

"Yes. Celica already explained everything to me in her letter. Of course, about Kurt too. Please tell Yuri-kun and Serena-chan that I apologize for what my brother had done to them." Carl apologized again. He was honestly quite nervous if he meets Yuri and Serena after what his brother done to them (Serena thoroughly being beaten and Yuri got his body stolen). He was a bit worry that seeing the same face as the person who had done them wrong would be pleasant for them.

"Yuri is quite restless since he is stuck in the network, but I'm sure he'll get used to it." Yuya said. After Yuri returned to normal, the Fusion counterpart was quick to grow bored staying in LINK VRAINS. While dueling and reading books lessened his boredom, he wants to do something more exciting. They do need to find a good activity for Yuri before he starts whining.

"How about you, Prince Carl? Yes, we have our hard times ourselves, but I think you have more in your plate than us." Yukiya asked. Letting Carl share a bit of his worry to them should ease his stress. It was better for people to let out their problem rather than keeping it to yourself. He won't ask Carl to reveal everything, just a little bit should be enough.

"I won't deny that. But with Celica rescued, the thing to worry about has lessened. Still, I'm surprised to hear that Kurt and I are Apophis' reincarnation. I didn't want to believe it, but hearing what Kurt and Apophis had done together, I can't deny it." Carl admitted. He thought he got a heart attack when he read the part of him and Kurt being Apophis' reincarnations. He needed to reread the letter again several times to truly digest the information into him. To be related to the very hated enemy that can take over the world was infuriating to a degree.

"For the first time in my life I don't know what Kurt is thinking. Ever since we were children, if there's something, we would always share our thoughts and feelings. No, even if we were to keep silent on occasion, we'd still know what the other was thinking." Carl revealed. His older twin brother was the person he trusted the most in the whole world more than anybody else. They used to share their problems, pain, happiness, almost everything together. It almost felt like they were one and the same.

"Bond between twins..." Yukiya commented.

"Celica-san mentioned that Prince Kurt did this for the late previous Emperor and Empress... Did something happen to them?" Yuya asked. Realizing what he just asked, he quickly covered his mouth. They were supposed to relax for this whole day and Carl was making a sad face, so why did he just add it? "S-sorry! That's too insensitive of me. Just forget it."

Carl shook his head, smiling. "No. All of you have the right to know now that Kurt has gone this far." It has been a while since he told the story to everyone. While it wasn't the best memory, it also reminded him of his mother and grandfather, making him remembered his love for them and their love for him.

"It happened three years ago. Our mother and grandfather died in a car crash while chasing after a group who trespassed the Spirit Farm and took some of the Duel Monsters there. The culprit fled from the scene so the crime couldn't be solved. But then we found the documents left by our grandfather, and from that we found out one of the noble families that we knew was the culprit. But the evidence has been disposed, so bringing the said family to justice is close to impossible, even with the power of the Imperial Family." Carl recalled. Actually, even without evidence, they could just sentence the said family with other means. But that would be no different than abuse of power, which against their family's principal. That would make them no different than those very people who took their family's life.

"That's when Supreme Commander came. He helped us gathering the evidence from scratch and eventually we were able to give the family a capital punishment. However, even though the culprit has been brought to justice, Mother and Grandfather's death affected us greatly. I think Kurt miss them too much without me knowing and can't let go. That's why he is doing this so he can meet with them again. I'm a failure of a brother to not notice this." Carl lamented his inability to help his brother. He knew Kurt was sad, but he never thought his older twin's grief was greater than his own. If he had known, perhaps he could make a difference. Perhaps Carl wouldn't do this and Apophis would never have been broken from his seal.

"So he didn't show any particular behavior that is unusual after the incident?" Yuya asked again. If something like that happened, the said person should have at least showed a difference in behavior even for a bit.

"After that incident he spent more times with the Supreme Commander. At first, I thought he just feels owing Supreme Commander and admire him for helping us in the case, but now that it became like this, I doubt that's the case." Carl suspected. After the incident, he often saw Kurt with Heidel on many occasions and mostly it was Kurt who initiated the meeting with the Supreme Commander. But perhaps Kurt was simply using the opportunity so he can use Heidel for his own ends.

"Wait, now that I think about it, in one of the conversation around a few months ago, they mentioned something about the Rift." Carl remembered.

"The Rift?" Yuya repeated in question. Yukiya stiffened when he heard the place. "Are they planning to go somewhere?"

"That seems to be an important place."

"…It's not just an ordinary place…" Yukiya said, earning Yuya and Carl's attention. Yukiya sighed inwardly. They'll know eventually anyway, so it won't hurt to tell them now. Still, Yukiya apologized to Sara for doing it first.

"The Rift that they mentioned is most likely referring to the border or portal between the world of Duel Monsters and our world. Sara told me that lately the portal is starting to open wider. If it's not stopped, our realm and the Duel Monster realm will merge, unleashing Duel Monsters from the friendliest to the most dangerous ones." Yukiya finally revealed. He decided to leave out the part that closing the Rift with the combined powers of the Four Heavenly Dragons and their masters will shortened the masters' lifespan though. He didn't want to give any idea to Yuya.

"How did Sara know that?" Yuya asked.

"Actually, Sara, Kurosaki, and your dragons stayed in LINK VRAINS not just to look for Apophis but also to make sure the Rift remained hidden and closed. I'm sorry for not saying this earlier. Many things happened so I forgot. I'll also explain this too to the rest later." Yukiya answered.

"Both Kurt and Heidel's plan involves uniting the two realms to achieve their goal…" Yuya mumbled in deep thought.

Carl clasped his hands together, stopping whatever thoughts crossing Yuya and Yukiya's minds so they would pay attention to him.

"Let's save this conversation for later. You have been through a lot for the past few days. It won't harm just for this one whole day to have a bit fun. Refreshing your mind is important before a big battle. Getting all work up would only give you headache." Carl ended the conversation at that. They must stop now or else it will continue deeper without them realizing and they end up having more things to worry about.

"Everything will be my treat. Just enjoy this outing. Plus, I want to hear in detail about your confession, Yuya-kun." Carl said teasingly to Yuya who blushed instantly.

"What?! How did you know that?!" Yuya's face reddened for each passing second.

"Sora told everyone." Yukiya revealed. After hearing about Yuya and Yuzu, Sora took the liberty to tell everyone who didn't know yet that Yuya has confessed to Yuzu during the ballroom party.

"Eh?! Sora did?!" Yuya inwardly whined at the Death-Toy user. He made a note to himself to give the Death-Toy user a thorough scolding.

"Let's go to that café. I have made reservation. I can guarantee everything in the menu is delicious." Carl pointed at a café that was only a few feet away from them. He pushed the two younger boys towards the café until his phone vibrated. When he opened his phone and read the message, his face darkened, carefully hidden by his cap and glasses.

"Your Highness?" Yuya inquired when they suddenly stopped moving.

Carl smiled at them as he pointed at his cell phone.

"Sorry, but it looks like there's a little bit trouble in the palace so I may take a while in this phone. Go on ahead and order whatever you want. I'll be back later." Carl said before taking off quickly while pretending to be on the phone. Not suspecting anything, Yuya and Yukiya decided to wait at the café as they were told.

Carl then entered the back alley, going upstairs towards the rooftop of a hotel beside the café where Yuya and Yukiya were waiting. The prince opened his cell phone again, opening the message that he received.

 _We need to talk now. Let's meet at the rooftop of Shepherd Hotel._

 _You must come alone or there would be a consequence._

 _Kurt._

 **CAFÉ - SHOPPING DISTRICT – TOWN – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"This café sure is high-class..." Yuya said in awe while looking around at the café. This kind of café was not a place where ordinary person can enter without making reservation first. As expected from the prince of Cantidel. There were not so many people here. Perhaps Carl has made sure of that so they won't be so jumpy eating at a five-stars café.

"It's too bad we can't take everyone here. Maybe we can ask Prince Carl to let us take some foods for everyone back at the base." Yukiya suggested, mainly due to Sara pestering him to take back delicious foods for her.

"Thank you for waiting." The waitress came, serving three layers of pancakes, 2 cheese sandwiches, meat bowl, and milk for Yuya. Yukiya, on the other hand, has a simple rice omelet in front of him and a glass of water.

"You're gonna eat that much?" Yukiya said with a sweat drop at Yuya's amount of food. He knew that Yuya always has a big appetite, but it still amazed him of how much he could eat. Although, the Pendulum user's appetite was pale in comparison to Starve Venom. The Fusion dragon eats five times than Yuya's.

"I'm hungry. It can't be helped." Yuya responded while finishing his meat bowl.

"Make sure you eat them all and not waste it." Yukiya sighed before he cut his omelet. He made three horizontal cuts on his omelet that resembled the kanji 'river'. And then he did the same thing again vertically. It was a habit that he had for who knows since when. For as long as he could remember, he has this habit since he was a child. Before he could take a bite, he noticed that Yuya has stopped eating and was staring at him.

"What's wrong?" Yukiya asked.

"Oh, no, it's just…the way you're cutting the omelet…" Yuya stared at the omelet that Yukiya has cut.

"This? Yeah, it's my habit since I was little. I just feel like cutting it this way." Yukiya replied before finally taking a bite. However, he stopped when Yuya spoke again.

"It's Zarc's…" Yuya trailed off as he remembered. Being Zarc's fragment, he still has Zarc's memories in him. And he still remembered how Zarc has a habit to cut his food the way Yukiya was doing. So apparently the habit has been passed down to Yukiya too.

"No, sorry. It's nothing." Yuya quickly dismissed. He didn't mean to, but he started comparing Yukiya with Zarc again. He had accepted Zarc's passing, so he must stop relating whatever Yukiya was doing to Zarc.

Due to the many things that happened, Yukiya forgot that he hasn't told Yuya yet that he already knew about himself being the reincarnation of Zarc and even made contact with his past self. While he won't mention about meeting Zarc in his mindscape, he at least must tell Yuya that he knew after having Linkuriboh to copy the data at Leo Corporation. He must explain that he wants Yuya to see him as himself and not just as Zarc's reincarnation, and that's why he didn't tell him earlier. But now that it may bothering Yuya's mind, perhaps it would be best to tell him now. They'll talk things through today and settle it.

"Yuya, I actually–"

Yuya and Yukiya shuddered when all of a sudden, they felt the temperature dropped to the point they believed it was almost freezing them. But the terrifying killing intent lurking within the atmosphere was what bothering them. They have sensed this before, back at Apophis' domain in LINK VRAINS when they confronted Geist. The slowly turned to the side as someone was standing there, looking down at them. Here he was with that face so identical with Carl. However, as opposed to the kind smile the second-born prince has, this one has grotesque grin, black hair and black eyes.

Heart pounding in their chests, they beginning to feel the fear that they have felt last time.

"Hello, boys." Apophis in Kurt's body cocked his head slightly, his grin falling from his face.

"Apophis...!" Yuya was about to stand from his chair but was forced back down by Apophis' tight grip as the Dragon of Calamity leaned close to them so only they could hear him.

"I'd be silent if I were you. You wouldn't want an accident to occur with many people gathering here, don't you?" Apophis threatened. With his current power, killing several people in this café with one attack was as easy as moving his pinky finger. Satisfied at the begrudging look on Yuya and Yukiya's face, Apophis sat down with them.

"No need to be so wary. I just came to talk with the two of you. Today I won't fight. I can promise you that. In fact, I'm going to give you some help." Apophis said while casually ate a cut of Yuya's pancakes, licking the honey remained on his mouth as he did so.

"Some help?" Yukiya raised a brow suspiciously.

"Heidel's next target would be the Spirit Farm." Apophis revealed. Before the two boys could ask, Apophis raised a hand and continued. "Don't be so surprised. My information network is not something to be underestimated."

"Why would he go after the Spirit Farm?" Yuya asked.

"Didn't he say that he needs life energies to activate the machine to unite the dimensions? The stronger life energies, even more than humans, are Duel Monsters. And there's only one place in this world where Duel Monsters materialized and gathering together in one place." Apophis explained. Even without him having to explain to the most details, the two teens seemed were able to come up with the answer. No need for him to talk further.

Apophis brought out a folded paper from his bag, placing it in front of Yuya and Yukiya.

"This is the complete map of the Ramsess Fortress. It'll be useful for you if you want to infiltrate the place. Heidel Aberforth is someone I wouldn't want to have around since he is nothing but a nuisance, so having him out of the picture would delight me." Apophis said while taking a sip of a coffee he just ordered.

"Basically, you're telling us to get rid of Heidel." Yuya said cynically, narrowing his eyes at the Dragon of Calamity. Apophis most likely was still adjusting using Kurt's body to move around and with several of his offspring have been killed, he needs time to rearrange his armies and come up with a new plan. But they were aware that Heidel must not be left alone for long, so the fastest way would be using the Lancers to do the deed in their place.

"Or you're actually hoping for us to destroy each other." Yukiya added. His suspicion increased. It was possible that Apophis knew something that they don't about Heidel and hides it from them. And when the time comes, he'll set them up against each other without having to dirty his own hands while watching from his high horse. Whoever won in the end, Apophis may take that as opportunity to finish up everything.

Apophis shrugged. "As I said, I'm helping by providing you information. After all, I wouldn't want to kill all of you yet. Not until we have our rematch, Ma'at." His gaze shifted to Yukiya alone who was the reincarnation of his nemesis. Now that he has a body to move in the real world, he can challenge his nemesis at any time he wants. He still needs to get used to this body first though if he wants to use his full power.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I am Yukiya Kanbara and nobody else. The one you're declaring war to and the one you'll be facing is me, not Ma'at." Yukiya replied sharply, glaring daggers directly into Apophis' eyes fearlessly.

"And he won't be alone. As the leader, I can vouch for that." Yuya added, sitting closer to Yukiya protectively.

Apophis stifled a low laugh, snickering while trying to hold on not to burst into fit of laughter.

"If only there are much more people humans like you, then humanity won't be so pathetic." Apophis sneered.

"Humans are more than you think." Yuya retorted, feeling offended.

"Are they? Are you? I'll admit that some humans are capable of learning. However, as the one born from humans' negativities, I know that they their true nature is very ugly. They always take everything good away from anything, even their own kind, the only good humans are always slaughtered. Isn't this dimension not good enough example for you? Humans still at this ridiculous discrimination." Apophis pointed out to social difference within Cantidel Empire. There were many people who suffered from the social discrimination. Yuya and Yukiya knew that since they have seen it with their own eyes.

"There's nothing as unreliable or fragile as human relationship. In a matter of times, they'll be engulfed with their own selfish greed and will do whatever it takes to get what they want at the cost of their very own humanity. That's why I was born. My existence is the very proof of humanity's ugliness. They were always the thing I knew to fear before I knew what the danger was." Apophis' killing intent started seeping out again, but this time Yuya and Yukiya have prepared, not letting fear to get the better of them.

"In short, humanity will eventually destroy themselves because of their stupidity. That's why I'll take over you all. Under my rule, you won't know any discrimination because I will treat you all equally." Apophis said with that cold smile again, and then there was a suffocating silence. For a few seconds that felt like hours, neither of them talked and only stared intensely at each other. Yukiya was ready to break the silence and drag Yuya out from the café as Apophis seemed truly wanted to talk with them, but Yuya spoke first.

"I won't deny that we can be stupid and terrifying and selfish. Even things that last long can easily be broken because of one thing due to its fragility..." Yuya started, causing Apophis and Yukiya to turn to him.

"But isn't it because it's unreliable and fragile that we, humans, can communicate with our heart, we can feel the warmth inside. And from that warmth, we can find strength and become stronger together. If it were as hard as some chattering iron plate we wouldn't feel that warmth." Yuya said. This was almost like when he confronted Zarc after he absorbed him back into him. Zarc was distrustful of humanity after he had seen their most negative natures that turned him into a demon. But it was not too late for Zarc, because Yuya was able to prove the goodness in humanity that he had experienced himself from his family and friends.

"You are born from humanity's negativities...then that means you also know fear. You said it yourself just now. You admit that humans are capable of learning. You also admit that humans are always the thing you knew to fear even before the danger itself." Yuya pointed out the slip that Apophis had unwittingly let out. Now he knew Apophis' problem. It was not so different from Zarc last year.

"That's actually it, isn't it? You're actually afraid of those humans who are capable of learning from their mistakes and overcome the danger, including overpowering you, threatening your very existence. That's why you want to rule over humans–"

A strong shockwave attacked the entire café, breaking the glasses and lights. Panic erupted and the other guests eating there quickly rushed out from the café along with the workers. Everyone soon was gone from the café, everyone but Yuya, Yukiya, and Apophis. The Dragon of Calamity held Yuya by his neck, raising him above the floor as he choked him.

"Yuya!" Yukiya exclaimed in panic.

"I thought you're just a naïve kid spouting nonsense like peace and giving people happiness but looks like I have underestimated you since you've said that far." Apophis said with seething anger as he tightened his grip on Yuya's neck, though he has no intention to kill him yet.

"I always like humans like you...especially when their face is filled with despair." The Dragon of Calamity said with his grin became even more manic while enjoying the sight of the Pendulum user coughing for breath while struggling against his iron grip.

Apophis loosened his grip when he sensed another killing intent directed at him. As expected, Yukiya has activated his Duel Disk and his body started letting out light. His gesture was on offensive, ready to make his attack at the Dragon of Calamity who was holding his friend.

"Hands off." Yukiya said angrily.

"I'm not the one you should be worrying. It's about time." Apophis threw Yuya towards Yukiya. The Pendulum user coughed out as he let air to enter his lung again while Yukiya held him steady.

"A...about time?" Yuya asked between his coughs.

Apophis didn't answer. Instead, he pointed outside the broken window just as there was a loud crashing sound from above and then something plummets to the ground hard. Yuya and Yukiya looked behind following the sound and they were horrified of what they were seeing. Apophis took this cue for him to leave the café.

"I expect big things from you, Yuya Sakaki, Yukiya Kanbara..."

 **30 MINUTES AGO – ROOFTOP – HOTEL – TOWN – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Following the message sent to him, Carl went upstairs to the rooftop not far from the café. He knew that this could be a trap, but he still took the chance if it means he can meet his older twin brother. Opening the door to the rooftop, he saw him. His older brother using Yuri's body whose hair has turned black and eyes turned green. Even if he was using someone else's body, Carl could sense his brother inside. He looked into his eyes, and he could see his brother's soul.

"It's been a while, Carl." Kurt smiled at his younger twin brother. Even if he was using Yuri's body, Carl also recognized the smile as the one his older brother would have.

"Kurt…" Carl frowned as he walked closer to his brother.

"You don't look pleased seeing your own twin brother." Kurt shrugged while leaning behind the fence.

"You in that body? Hardly." Carl replied.

"This is necessary if I want to contain Apophis' power." Kurt said, though he didn't need to repeat the whole explanation since he was sure Celica has told him everything.

"Do I have it too? Apophis' power or fragment I mean. The both of us are Apophis' reincarnations." Carl asked. He wanted to hear the answer straight from his brother's mouth who knew better than him or anyone else.

"Fortunately for you, no. Apophis said that the instinct of his power tends to attach to the stronger vessel. Splitting the power itself would only make it weaker, so the power has the instinct to move entirely to one vessel. And in our case, it happens to be me." Kurt answered honestly. He was grateful that the power chose him. If not, he wouldn't be able to accomplish this far.

"What is your goal? And I mean, your real goal. I know from Celica that you want to reunite with our loved ones who had passed. I know that's not a lie. But I can sense that is not the only thing. You have a much deeper and bigger goal." Carl questioned. If there was one thing that he knew hasn't changed from his brother, he was not so simple or small-minded.

"The benefit of being twins is you can sense something from me that the others can't. As expected from my little brother." Kurt praised, but Carl wasn't pleased at all.

"No. I never expected you to betray us like this. For the first time in our life I don't know exactly what you're thinking… That's why, I want to hear the answer directly from you." Carl demanded. He sensed that this person in front of him was his brother, but just now for some reason he was like a different person.

Kurt closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the refreshing breeze before opening it again and faced his younger brother. His playful demeanor quickly changed into calmness like the playful side was never there to begin with.

"How many times humanity evolves unexpected phenomena always threaten us with extinction. And even if they don't occur, a human's life always ends in quick death. That's why, humanity needs a legitimate successor." Kurt said, confusing Carl.

"Successor?" Carl repeated in question. What does that has anything to do with working with Apophis?

"Duel Monsters, even though they are trapped in flesh, they have far longer lifespan compared to humans. Don't you think they would make a perfect successor for humanity?" Kurt said. Even though he said it in questioning tone, the certainty was there. Regardless of Carl's opinion, Kurt fully believed so.

Carl blinked in confusion, not understanding his brother's point. He tried to recall what he heard from Celica and what happened recently that may give him the answer. Kurt told Celica that he planned to merge the physical realms where human lives and the dimension pulse where Duel Monsters lives so he can meet their mother and grandfather again. But even if they were reincarnated as Duel Monsters they would be different. And Apophis may enslave them. But Kurt said he won't let that happen. And now he said Duel Monster has longer lifespan...

Carl paled as he came into realization.

"No…don't tell me…you're planning to… You're going to annihilate humanity and reincarnate all of them into Duel Monsters?!" Carl's hands started to tremble as he wished desperately what he thought wasn't right. But seeing Kurt's smile, he was wrong. It was just as he feared.

"Imagine, Carl. As Duel Monsters we can live far longer lives together. Of course, we'll still die eventually, but that would still be too far in the future and the times we spent together would feel like eternity. We can even choose when we want to die." Kurt defended his belief, trying to make his younger twin brother understand.

"Kurt, that's just insane...! That's not right! You can't just wipe away the lives we have now like it was nothing and throw away our humanity. And reviving as Duel Monsters won't pay for it!" Carl said with shaky voice. He couldn't believe that his brother came up with such a horrifying goal. Does losing their mother and grandfather were really enough to drove Kurt to this point?

"True, human life is short compared to Duel Monsters…but that's precisely why it has a meaning and very precious." Carl argued.

"I knew you'd say that. But even so, I have enough losing…" Kurt's face turned somber. The last part was said in a murmur, but Carl still could hear him. Kurt raised his Duel Disk, facing his twin brother with determined look. "You won't understand now, but you'll understand once we become Duel Monsters."

"If you won't back down then you're not giving me a choice, Kurt…!" Carl activated his Duel Disk as well, beginning the Duel.

"At the very least, I'll end and revive you with my own hands." Kurt decreed.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm taking the first Turn! I summon Lily Elf (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 4) from my hand!" Carl summoned a female elf wearing green-colored sleeved gown in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn!" Carl concluded.

"My Turn! I summon Destroymare Evelees (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 2)." Kurt summoned Evelees in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Appear, the circuit that open the unseen realm." Kurt immediately opened the Link Summoning Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is 1 Troymare Monster. I set Destroymare Evelees on the Link Marker. Circuit combined." Kurt set Evelees on the Bottom Arrow Link Marker.

"Link Summon. Appear. Link 1. Troymare Mermaid (ATK: 1000 / LINK: 1 / LM: Bottom)." Kurt summoned Troymare Mermaid in Attack Position in the Link Monster Zone.

"When this card is Link Summoned, I can discard 1 card to Special Summon 1 Troymare Monster from my Deck." Kurt summoned Troymare Lilipath (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4) in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Dual Summon. I can perform a Normal Summon for the second time. I release Troymayer Mermaid and Troymare Lilipath to Advance Summon Black Magician!" Kurt summoned Black Magician in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack Lily Elf with Black Magician! Black Magic!" Kurt declared attack. The black-armored Black Magician dashed forward, pointing its staff against the Elf Monster as he was charging his magic attack from the black-colored gem on its staff.

"Trap Card: Reflection Shield - Reflector! By equipping this card to Lily Elf, when it is made an attack target, the damage is halved and the opponent will take damage equal to half the attacking monster's ATK!" Carl opened his first Reverse Card, equipping the card to his monster in a form of a shield-shaped mirror being held by the elf that reflecting Black Magician's magic.

"I also activate Quick-Play Spell: Elf's Talisman! I negate destruction of an Elf Monster on my Field!" Carl activated his second Reverse Card, protecting Lily Elf with another addition of a barrier from the black magic.

 **CARL LP: 4000 = 3450**

 **KURT LP: 4000 = 2750**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Kurt concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Leaves of the Dawn, which will let me treat an Equip Card equipped to a monster as the second Tribute!" Carl showered Lily Elf with falling leaves until the leaves slowly formed into a figure resembling Lily Elf standing beside the former.

"I release Learning Elf and Reflector to Advance Summon Black Magician!" Carl summoned his own Black Magician. Unlike Kurt whose Black Magician was black-armored and has darker skin, Carl's Black Magician has purple armor and light skin.

"I activate Magic Card: Magical Mirror's Reflection! I can copy the effect of a Magic Card in the Graveyard!" Carl copied Dual Summon's effect, allowing him to perform another Normal Summon.

"With the copied effect, I summon Magician's Valkyria (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 4)!" Carl summoned the female magician in Attack Position in Main Monster Zone.

"Due to Magical Mirror's Reflection's second effect, Magician's Valkyria's ATK is doubled!" Carl increased Magician's Valkyria's ATK to 3200.

"Now, with Magician's Valkyria, I–"

"Not so fast, Carl. Trap Card: Revival Coffin of the Black Magic Tribe. When my opponent Special Summon or Normal Summon a Monster, I can target one of those monsters my opponent controls and my own Magician Monster, and then send them both to the Graveyard to Special Summon 1 DARK Magician Monster from my Deck or Graveyard." Kurt opened his Reverse Card, summoning a red-colored coffin that unleashed two black smokes in a form of hands grasping Kurt's Black Magician and Carl's Magician's Valkyria, dragging them into the coffin that immediately shut closed.

"What?! My Magician's Valkyria?!" Carl exclaimed in shock and dismay.

"Now, I Special Summon Black Magician of Chaos (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2600 / LV: 8)!" Kurt declared. From the coffin, Black Magician of Chaos emerged, standing beside Kurt in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Tsk. I set a card and end my Turn." Carl concluded.

"During End Phase when Black Magician of Chaos is Special Summoned, I can target 1 Spell Card in my Graveyard and add it to my hand." Kurt added Dual Summon into his hand.

"My Turn. I activate Magic Card: Pot of Greed. I can draw 2 cards from my Deck." Kurt did another Draw, drawing two cards from his Deck.

"I activate Magic Card: Resurrection of the Dead to Special Summon a Monster from my Graveyard." Kurt revived Destroymare Eevelis in Defense Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Black Magician of Chaos.

"I activate Magic Card: Dual Summon to perform Normal Summon twice this Turn." Kurt summoned Gemini Elf (ATK: 500 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) in Defense Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Destroymare Eevelis.

"When Gemini Elf is Normal Summoned, I can draw 2 cards." Kurt drew another set of two cards.

"Due to Dual Summon's effect, I can Normal Summon again." Kurt summoned Magician's Robe in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Gemini Elf.

"Appear once more, the circuit that open the unseen realm!" Kurt opened the Link Summoning Circuit for the second time.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is three monsters with different names. I set Destroymare Eevelis, Magician's Robe and Gemini Elf on the Link Markers! Circuit combined!" Kurt placed Magician's Robe on the Left Arrow, Gemini Elf on the Right Arrow, and Destroymare Eevelis on the Bottom Arrow of the Link Markers.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Troymare Unicorn (ATK: 2200 / LINK: 3 / LM: Left, Bottom, Right)!" Kurt summoned Unicorn in Attack Position in the Link Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack Black Magician with Black Magician of Chaos!" Kurt declared the first attack. Black Magician of Chaos pointed its magic staff at the opposing Black Magician, destroying the purple-armored magician with explosive black magical wave, pushing Carl behind.

 **CARL LP: 3450 = 3150**

"And then I attack directly with Troymare Unicorn!" Kurt continued. Troymare Unicorn pointed its horn at Carl as it ran, barely piercing the second-born prince on his left shoulder, causing Carl to yell out in pain. He held his injured left shoulder in attempt to stop the bleeding.

 **CARL LP: 3150 = 950**

"Trap Card: Black Magic's Tune! When I received 1000 or more damage, I can Special Summon a Black Magician Monster from my Graveyard!" Carl opened his Reverse Card, reviving his Black Magician immediately after it was destroyed.

"I end my Turn." Kurt concluded.

"You're really serious aren't you, Kurt?" Carl said while wincing from the pain on his right shoulder. He ripped off his sleeve to cover the wound in exchange of bandage. That should stop the bleeding for a while.

"Come to think of it, our Duel record is 105-105. We are tied and haven't dueled again since we were so busy. Let's change that record in this Duel, okay?" Kurt suggested. That answered Carl's question.

"Once you made up your mind, it's difficult to make you think otherwise." Carl said with a sigh. Both he and his brother were stubborn. They were hardly able to stop once they have set their minds on something. But if he were to compare himself and his brother, Kurt has always been more strong-headed than he ever was.

"Yuno-san once told me… They may have been reborn as Duel Monsters, but they are not the same ones as they were humans. They are our families, but they are not the same mother and grandfather we had when they were humans." Carl recited what Yuno had once told him. The same words that he carved deep in his heart so he would never forget the true meaning of reincarnation.

"They have the same soul, but they are different. They have their own memories, their own lives, their own bonds, different from when they were humans. Even if we were reborn, we won't be ourselves anymore!" Carl reaffirmed.

"That's why I'm going to stop you now! I won't let you make a huge mistake for the sake of the ones who are not our families like you think they are!" Carl swore. This was not only for his family's sake, but also for his own brother's sake. If he go through with his plan, the sin he would bear would be paramount.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Magician's Salvation! I can Special Summon a Magician Monster from my Graveyard by banishing a non-Magician Monster with the same Level or lower, and then that Magician Monster's Level is increased equal to the banished monster's Level!" Carl banished Lily Elf to revive Magician's Valkyrie whose Level went up to 8.

"I release Black Magician and Magician's Valkyrie to Special Summon Magic Hierophant of Black (ATK: 3200 / DEF: 2800 / LV: 9)!" Carl tributed his two magicians, summoning his strongest Monster in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"You finally brought it out, one of Grandfather's most cherished Magicians." Kurt remarked as he stared at the said magician in awe.

"Grandafther said that Black Magicians will guide us to the bright future! Then I'll use them to get you out from the darkness and lead you to the bright future with me!" Carl declared before pointing at Kurt's Black Magician of Chaos.

"Battle! I attack Black Magician of Chaos with Magic Hierophant of Black!" Carl decaled. Magic Hierophant of Black formed a large magic circle beneath himself and the targeted magician. Then, from Magic Hierophant of Black's staff, a black-colored sun was formed. Raising it up, the black sun intensified its destructive property before swinging it down, burning Kurt's magician.

 **KURT LP: 2750 = 2350**

"I'm not done yet! I activate Magician's Salvation's second effect! By banishing a Magician Monster in my Graveyard, Magician Monster I control can make a second attack!" Carl banished Magician's Valkyria to allow his magician attack one more time. This time, Magic Hierophant of Black simply unleashed a blinding wave of magic that pushed back Kurt, causing him to kneel for a second.

 **KURT LP: 2350 = 1350**

"I end my Turn." Carl concluded. Kurt still has higher LP than him, but as long as Magic Hierophant of Black was by his side, he will be okay. Kurt needs to summon a Monster with higher ATK if he wishes to defeat his magician. But Carl only has one card in his hand without any set trap or Monster on the Field. He has bigger chance of winning.

"Carl, you've grown. I never expected you to pull a card like Magician's Salvation. It must be a new card you added recently. I'm so proud as your brother." Kurt praised sincerely as he back to his feet, wiping the dust from his clothes. But yet, despite the seeming disadvantage on the situation, Kurt remained calm that it was almost unnerving for Carl.

"My Turn. I summon Ancient Dragon (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1300 / LV: 4)." Kurt summoned the dragon in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"However, I have also grown. I have gained cards that can overpower yours in this situation." Kurt revealed as he showed the card he just drew.

"I activate Magic Card: Dragon's Calling Mirror. I can Fusion Summon a Dragon-Type Monster from my Extra Deck by banishing the Fusion Materials listed on it from the Field or Graveyard." Kurt activated the card, choosing Ancient Dragon on his Field and Black Magician in his Graveyard banishing them into the Fusion Vortex.

"A Fusion Summon using Black Magician and Ancient Dragon?!" Carl was taken aback. Kurt never had that card before or any Fusion Monster. Did he gain the cards after he joined Apophis?

"I fuse Ancient Dragon and Black Magician! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! Amulet Dragon (ATK: 2900 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 8)!" Kurt summoned Amulet Dragon in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Amulet Dragon's effect. When this card is Special Summoned, I can banish any number of Spell Cards in the Graveyard and increase this monster's ATK by 100 for every banished Spell Cards." Kurt activated his Fusion Monster's effect. There were 8 Spell Cards in total, so Amulet Dragon's ATK was increased to 3700.

"An ATK of 3700?!" Carl was surprised.

"Also, due to Dragons Calling Mirrors effect, if I perform Fusion Summon with the Dragon Monster on my Field, I can add a Magic Card into my hand." Kurt added a new card before proceeding with his counterattack.

"Battle. I attack Magic Hierophant of Black with Amulet Dragon!" Kurt declared Battle Phase. Amulet Dragon opened its maw, shooting black-colored blast coated with purple energies from Black Magicians magic that intensified its destructive properties, annihilating Carl's strongest Monster with ease.

 **CARL LP: 950 = 450**

Carl was about to plan his next move, only to be interrupted by Kurt who didn't even give him a chance to think as he showed his younger brother the card he added through Dragon's Calling Mirror's effect.

"I'm sorry Carl, but you won't have a next Turn. I activate Quick-Play Spell: Black Strike. When a DARK Monster I control destroyed a monster, it can inflict additional 500 damage to my opponent!" Kurt revealed.

"What?!" Carl took a step back in shock. There was no escaping it. This was the end for him.

"Farewell, Carl." Kurt bid his younger twin brother goodbye as Amulet Dragon shot an additional blast, sending Carl flying up to the sky high as his LP was depleted completely.

 **CARL LP: 450 = 0**

The gravity soon pulled Carl down with high speed towards the ground. Carl has lost consciousness the moment the blast hit him. The pain was unbearable for him that he fainted. This made him unable to see Kuribohder and Linkuriboh were placing themselves below him just as he was only a feet from the ground, saving him from the full blown crash that would have killed him instantly. Yuya and Yukiya rushed out from the café to him with many people crowding around them. A passerby, under Yuya's plea, has called for ambulance. From above, Kurt was watching the whole thing unfold.

"So, they barely saved him." Kurt said with a mixture of disappointment and relief. He was disappointed that he can't change his brother into Duel Monster now, but at the same time he was also relieved that his brother was still alive, meaning they would be seeing each other again. In the end, the outcome doesn't really matter to him.

Because soon they will be reborn together.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Three Reformist Generals –** Heidel orders an attack on the Spirit Farm to capture all the Duel Monsters living there to be used as fuels. Johan, Reid, and Lechter make their stand to stop them.

* * *

 **Phew. Finally, done. I actually wanted to update yesterday, but there's Internet trouble so I couldn't. I hope the Duel is good enough for the wait. I've wanted to show Carl using Magic Hierophant of Black aka Sorcerer of Dark Magic! I've been waiting so long to write this! Although, Carl would be out of commission for a while. Looks like from now on I can only update once a week. But one thing for sure, I'm not going to stop this story so abruptly. I'm going to finish it no matter what like I did with** _ **Bonds of Pendulum**_ **!**

 **To _Dante_ : Claire is a girl, but Mad Abyss is a male. In other words, to put it simply, Claire had reincarnated as a man in the present time. I already explained in the final chapter of the flashbacks. So I won't be changing Mad Abyss from a he to she. Plus, it would give away Mad Abyss' identity when he was still Claire for those who haven't read the previous chapters.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	73. The Three Strongest Reformist Generals

**Big thanks to** _ **Ulrich362, Jason, Big duels, Yuka Kuroshiro, GamingGuy84, Playerhood18, tsukikami02, dvdryms, D3lph0xL0v3r, Dante**_ **, for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully, you'll enjoy reading this chapter!**

* * *

 **AIRSHIP – SPIRIT FARM – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"We have arrived, General Riena. Target on sight." One of the operators said as their airship was right above the Spirit Farm.

"Good. All personnel be prepared on the hangar to land. Form a perimeter and give us update should there be outside forces coming into the farm. If it's reinforcement, make sure you stop them by all means until our mission is over." Riena ordered the operator in charge of communication throughout the whole airship. Following her order, the operator announced to the whole ship of her order.

"However, if it is the Lancers, let them in. It's the Supreme Commander's direct order." Theo interrupted during the operator's announcement, but the operator nevertheless still announced what he was told with addition of what Theo said to him.

"The Lancers is one of our greatest threats', no? Why would the Commander let them join the fray?" Riena placed a finger beneath her chin in wonder.

"It seems that the Commander has taken curiosity in them. I heard they are interesting youths, so I'm looking forward for a chance to encounter them." Theo said with his usual smile while leaning his back to the wall with his hands behind his head.

"You seem enjoying this, Theo. This is not a game." Riena reprimanded him, but Theo merely shrugged in respond.

"I never said I'm considering this a game. But life is about individual's enjoyment. And my enjoyment is within the battlefield. Therefore, I'm looking forward to this." Theo replied. His eyes glinting with hidden twist that unnerved those who knew him close enough.

"As long as the Commander can enslave the Duel Monsters, then I don't care either way." Emilio said when he noticed Riena and Theo were looking at him, expecting his opinion. He couldn't careless about the Lancers or anything in particular. All that mattered to him was his and his superior's shared goal.

Riena sighed but decided to put a stop to the conversation. "Just make sure not to get ahead of yourself. This mission is very crucial for the Commander. I won't tolerate failures." She warned them before exiting the room together with the two, going to the hangar where the rest of their men were waiting for them.

They all stood straight and saluted the three generals. Under Riena's command, they all turned towards the hangar that started to opening. Duel Disks in their wrists were activated at once, preparing to summon the monsters that will help with their landing. They could see it from above; the Spirit Farm. The people and Duel Monsters looked so small like ants. If this was a real battle to the death, they would have said they will squash them all like ants. But no, their main objective was to capture the Duel Monsters.

Riena stood at the most front, closest to the hangar. She would be the first one to jump, leading them all.

"Commence the operation!"

 **HOSPITAL – TOWN – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuya and his friends were either standing or sitting solemnly in the waiting room while Carl was having emergency surgery. Even though Kuribohder and Linkuriboh have caught him right before he hit the ground when he fell from the building, his condition was still critical and even the doctor was not sure if Carl would survive. It was considered a miracle for Carl to be alive in the first place with those injuries he has. In the end, they could only pray for the young prince to survive.

Yuya and Yukiya didn't know the details, but for a brief moment when they rushed to Carl, they spotted Kurt standing at the top where Carl has fallen from. It wasn't difficult for the two look-alikes to place the pieces together and figured out the whole story: Carl and Kurt dueled, and it ended up with Carl's loss. From the injuries and the way Kurt was looking at them, there was no doubt that Kurt has every intention to kill his own brother.

Why?

They don't care about the reason. All that matter is the fact that Kurt has fallen far enough to kill his own twin brother whom he was close with. Now, he is a dangerous foe for them.

"Is this what Apophis mean...when he said human relationships are fragile?" Yukiya remarked. He was quite frustrated that this has to happen right after their conversation with Apophis. Was a human relationship really that fragile? Just a single incident or mistake can lead up to disastrous result. This incident was like proving Apophis was correct.

"Maybe. But I have no intention to take back what I said before either. Because I truly believe it even now." Yuya said confidently.

The Pendulum user admitted that some relationships were just so easily broken, but he won't let that stop from believing that there were others that unbreakable. Also, there were also cases where broken relationships can be mended. He had seen and experienced it the first hand. His bond with his family and friends, and how Yuri repaired his bond with Serena and Dennis, they were examples that bonds between humans were not as hopeless or worthless like Apophis has said.

"I don't think you're wrong, so there's no need for you to take it back." Yukiya replied. Zarc had ruined his bond with Ray before, but they eventually were able to reconcile. And now, he and Sara, who were their reincarnations were together. Perhaps that was it, right? He and Sara met because of the bond between Zarc and Ray was still there even after death. This could be a proof that can rebuke Apophis' argument.

When the operation room's light changed colour, everybody quickly straightened up and moved closer to the door, waiting for a doctor or nurse to come out and deliver them the news. They all tensed up as the door seemed to open in a very slow motion. The creaking sound of the door sounded so sinister in their ears. It felt like forever until the doctor came out. Celica was the first one to rush to him, being Carl's only family present, while the others were giving some distance behind her as so not to corner the doctor.

"Doctor, how is Carl?" Celica asked worriedly and nervously. Her hands were holding the fabric of her skirt tightly.

"The surgery went well, but in the end, we can't promise anything. Everything depends on Prince Carl alone now." He answered. They have tried his best to save the second-born prince, but his injuries were too grave. They managed to stop the bleeding and stitched them and all, but the damage has been done. Whether Carl lives or pass on, it all depends on how strong his will to live is.

"We will now move His Highness into his room. You can see His Highness there." The doctor said.

Seconds later, they followed him to a small area in the hospital, where the VVIP room was located. The lighting was low to try and mimic the comfortable feeling of one's own bedroom. It was wider than any normal room in the hospital not to mention with two couches and large window and TV. The only other door to this room was on the far right, almost near a corner, possibly leading to a bathroom.

Carl's bed was placed right up next to the wall in the middle of the room. The bed had small wheels that replaced some parts of the legs, showing how they moved Carl into this room despite all the machines he's hooked up to. The hospital had put him in pajamas to make him comfortable and a comforter was over his motionless body. An oxygen mask that's connected to the machine was placed over Carl's mouth as the prince slept on.

Celica sat on a chair beside the bed, taking Carl's hand into hers as she stared sadly at him.

"What should we do now...?" Yuzu asked uncertainly to the others present.

No one answered. Yuya and Yukiya have already told them about their conversation with Apophis but what happened to Carl was something they never expected to happen so abruptly so they were still in quite shock to processing a plan. First the kidnapping, second Kurt taking over Yuri's body and Apophis taking over Kurt's body, and now Carl in coma. They wondered if there were still more of this as the war goes on.

"Tell the Imperial Guardians and The Brotherhood about your conversation with Apophis." Celica spoke up, causing everyone to turn to her direction. She was still holding Carl's hand and her eyes were solely on him without batting an eye at them.

Jonouchi nodded and went out of the room to make a call to Johan.

"Yuya, can you please tell Johan and everyone that I'm going to be late for a bit? I want to stay with Carl for a little bit more before going back to the Palace." Celica requested as her fingers gently caressed Carl's knuckle.

"Understood. Take your time, Celica-san." Yuya told the Imperial Adviser. That's right. This wasn't the time for them to moping around while they have still lots of things to do for the world's sake. It's hard, but they must instead convert this into strength to move on and fight. Now that they knew what Heidel intends to use as fuel for his machine, they must–

"Everyone! This is bad!"

Jonouchi slammed the door opened as he barged into the room in panic. The rest quickly shushed at him to be quiet in hospital, but Jonouchi couldn't care less about that as he just received bad news from the other side of the phone he was holding.

"I-It's Heidel's army! They are attacking the Spirit Farm right now!"

Everyone's face fell.

Screw forming a plan, they have to go to the farm _now_.

 **KURIBOH NEST – SPIRIT FARM – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

It all began about an hour ago. Johan was in his room with Ruby and he thought he smelled something burning. It smelled like a heated soldering iron or as if some wires and rubber was being burnt. The first thought that crossed Johan's mind was that it was his computer and that it had begun to fry. But then after a careful inspection ruled out that possibility, he started back to his notes. He could not really concentrate as the smell persists. He was convinced now that something was very wrong and went downstairs to inspect his kitchen.

It was as he was going down the stairs that he noticed something out of the window. It looked like a fluttering red bird that had just flown by and as Johan try to catch another glimpse, his curiosity turned to horror as he realized that the farm was on fire. Not just any fire, but it was caused by Duel Monsters commanded by the reformist faction led by Heidel. He had received the information and warning from Jonouchi, but henever thought it happened only a few moments after he received it. He ran outside while calling for back-up, explaining what he had seen and pushed his way into the farm with other workers, fighting against the invaders.

"Battle! I attack directly with Rainbow Dragon!" Johan declared, defeating the reformist soldier in front of him. He had lost count of how many soldiers he has defeated, but it was already more than a dozen.

Three more came towards him and Johan was ready to fight again, but then they stopped when there was a commanding voice from behind them. Immediately, the three men moved away, making a path for the man in command. He was a man with long hair worn loosely to his shoulders and wore a fancy white coat with blue highlights and a red necktie scarf. He wore green pants and knee-high light brown boots. Johan recognized him. They met once when Heidel visited the Palace for a military meeting.

"General Theo. It's been a long time since we last met." Johan greeted the man.

"Yes. However, I do have to say that it is a shame we have to meet under this circumstance." Theo replied while gesturing his subordinates to leave them alone.

"Why attacking this farm and capturing those Duel Monsters? What are you planning to do with them?" Johan finally questioned. The subordinates he has defeated and asked didn't know the purpose of capturing those Duel Monsters. All they did were following orders given to them. This left the higher-ups were the only ones knew of the real plan.

"For the sake of uniting all realms into one single realm." Theo simply replied while smiling calmly.

Johan blinked in confusion. While he was curious how they were going to unite the dimensions, what made him curious the most were the monsters under this farm's care that they have captured.

"What are you going to do with them to unite the dimensions?" Johan asked again.

"Sacrifices are necessary for greater good. That's how war is." Theo replied again without delving to the detail, still smiling.

Johan was unnerved by both what he heard and also Theo's unchanging expression. Johan's first impression of the man was mysterious. He was always putting that smile combined with his simplicity when speaking, making it very difficult to discern his thoughts. Johan found this demeanor rather unsettling ever since they first met. And now the way he so casually said that the Duel Monsters would be used as sacrifices while smiling; his impression of Theo has worsened.

"I have always been interested in Dueling you, Andersen. Would you care to have a Duel with me now?" Theo requested as he wore his Duel Disk.

"I don't think there's any need for you to ask since you're the one attacking first." Johan replied coldly as he activated his Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm taking the first Turn. I set 3 cards and end my Turn." Theo finished.

"My Turn! I summon Gem Beast Amethyst Cat (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 400 / LV: 4)!" Johan summoned Amethyst Cat in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Next I activate Magic Card: Gem Release! I equip this card to Amethyst Cat and increase its ATK by 800!" Johan increased the pink-colored cat's ATK to 2000.

"Battle! I attack directly with Amethyst Cat!" Johan immediately declared Battle Phase. While he was worried with Theo's Reverse Cards, he must make a move to find out Theo's cards and possible next move. Amethyst Cat tackled the general, pushing him back from his position but was still strong enough to stay standing.

 **THEO LP: 4000 = 2000**

 _"He is not retaliating with either of his Reverse Cards... Then they are not Traps?"_ Johan wondered as he looked at where Theo has placed two face-down cards before ending his Turn.

"My Turn. I activate Magic Card: Hyradrive Dismissal. I send 3 Hydradrive cards from my Deck to my Graveyard to draw 3 cards!"

"I summon Hydradrive Booster (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)." Theo summoned Hydradrive Booster in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Since I Normal or Special Summoned a monster while my LP is lower than my opponent, I can activate my face-down Continuous Trap Card: Hydradrive Generator, which allows me to once per turn Special Summon a Hydradrive Token (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)." Theo summoned a Token beside Hydradrive Booster in Defense Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Appear! My elemental circuit!" Theo used Booster to open the Link Summoning Circuit. He placed Booster at the Bottom Link Marker, combining the circuit.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Flow Hydradrive (ATK: 1000/LINK: 1/ LM: Bottom)!" Theo summoned his Link Monster to the Extra Monster Zone.

"Next I activate Field Spell: Castle Link. Once per turn, I can either move a Link Monster from the Extra Monster Zone to the Main Monster Zone it points to on my field or switch the locations of two Link Monsters in either player's Main Monster Zones." Theo activated his first Reverse Card and then activated the first effect to move Flow Hydradrive from the Extra Monster Zone to the Main Monster Zone its Bottom Link Arrow pointed to.

"Next I activate Link Spell: Judgment Arrows (LM: Upper-Left, Top, Upper-Right)! This Link Spell Card cannot be negated nor destroyed by card effects." Theo activated his second Reverse Card that the bottom Link Arrow of Flow Hydrarive pointed to.

"Appear once more, my circuit! Link Summon! Link 1! Flow Hydradrive!" Theo summoned another copy of his Link Monster to the zone the Upper-Right Link Arrow of Judgment Arrows.

"I activate Continuous Trap: Property Spray! By releasing a Monster, I can gain LP equal to its ATK and then until the end of Turn, all my opponent monster's Attribute changed to the released monster's Attribute!" Theo released his second Flow Hydradrive, recovering his LP by 1000 and changed Amethyst Cat's Attribute from DARK to WIND.

 **THEO LP: 2000 = 3000**

"Since my opponent controls a WIND Monster, I can activate Flow Hydradrive's effect, allowing it to attack my opponent directly!" Theo declared his Battle Phase, directing Flow Hydradrive towards Johan.

"Since a Link Monster it points to is battling, Judgment Arrows doubles that monster's ATK during damage calculation!" Theo increased Flow Hydradrive's ATK to 2000 as the Link Monster shot a ball of winds, almost blowing away Johan when the wind hit him.

 **JOHAN LP: 4000 = 2000**

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Element Attack! When a monster I control inflicts damage, I can destroy a monster my opponent controls that has the same Attribute and inflict half of that destroyed monster's ATK!" Theo added, activating the card from his hand while pointing at Amethyst Cat. However, Johan won't let him have his way with this.

"Trap Card: Gem of Protection! I can Special Summon a Gem Beast Monster from my Deck as Continuous Spell Card in my Spell & Trap Zone and negate an effect damage!" Johan placed Emerald Turtle in the Spell & Trap Zone as Continuous Spell Card. Although Amethyst Cat was destroyed, he didn't receive damage.

"I activate Amethyst Cat's last effect! When it was destroyed and sent to Graveyard, I can place it in my Spell & Trap Zone as a Continuous Spell Card!" Johan revived Amethyst Cat as a Continuous Magic Card beside Emerald Turtle in the Spell & Trap Zone.

"And since Gem Release is destroyed, I can take a Gem Beast Monster from my Deck and place it in my Spell & Trap Zone as Continuous Spell Card!" Johan summoned Gem Beast Ruby Carbuncle (ATK: 300 / DEF: 300 / LV: 2) as Continuous Spell Card.

"I end my Turn." Theo finished.

"My Turn! I summon Gem Beast Sapphire Pegasus (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4)!" Johan summoned Sapphire Pegasus in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Sapphire Pegasus' first effect to take Gem Beast Amber Mammoth from my Deck and place it in my Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card!" Johan placed Amber Mammoth in his Spell & Trap Card Zone as a Continuous Spell Card like the rest.

"Next I activate the first effect of Ruby Carbuncle to Special Summon itself from the Spell & Trap Card Zone in Attack Position!" Johan moved Ruby Carbuncle from the Spell & Trap Zone to the Main Monster Zone in Attack Position.

"I activate Gem of Protection's effect! By banishing it from Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Gem Beast Monster from my Deck as a Continuous Spell Card and my LP is increased by 500!" Johan summoned Topaz Tiger (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4) in the Spell & Trap Zone and recovered a bit of his LP.

 **JOHAN LP: 2000 = 2500**

At that moment, however, Theo activated his face-down card.

"Trap Card: A Single Arrow! When I control a Link Spell and my opponent activate a card effect, both players can add Level 4 or lower Monster from their Decks to hand but my LP is halved!" Theo declared, allowing himself and Johan to add Level 4 monsters into their hands. This, however, came at the cost of Theo losing half of his LP.

 **THEO LP: 2000 = 1000**

" _He halve his own LP just to add a Level 4 or lower Monster into his hand? Is the monster he added really worth the risk? I'm not sure, but just in case…"_ Johan picked a card and then set it.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Johan finished warily.

"My Turn. I set my Hydradrive Token to the Link Marker! Circuit combined!" Theo opened the Link Summoning Circuit once more, performing Link Summon.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Coolant Hydradrive (ATK: 1000 / LINK: 1 / LM: Bottom)." Theo summoned Coolant, which also activated the effect of Generator was that allowed him to Special Summon a Token to his field in Defense Position. He used it to Link Summon another Coolant Hydrive. He then activated the effect of Spray, releasing one of his Coolants to gain LP equal to its ATK and change all of Johan's monsters to the WATER attribute.

 **THEO LP: 1000 = 2000**

"As a WATER monster is on my opponent's Field, Coolant can attack directly!" Theo declared. Due to Judgement Arrows' effect, Coolant's ATK was doubled, making its current ATK at 2000. Coolant shot what it seemed to be a pack of ice, hitting Johan. The coldness of the attack almost felt it would freeze him.

 **JOHAN LP: 2000 = 500**

"As I dealt battle damage, I can Special Summon Covered Hydradrive (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) from my hand. It cannot be destroyed by battle and as long as I control another Hydradrive I take no battle damage and all Hydradrive Link Monsters are destroyed at the start of my next turn." Theo summoned Covered in Defense Position before finishing his Turn.

" _I see. Covered Hydradrive must be the card he added earlier using that Magic Card. He add it so that he can negate the Battle Damage. But too bad, he also helped me with the preparation to summon him."_ Johan said with a small confident smile as he looked at the card in his hand. It was about time he finish this Duel.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Gem Beast's Oracle! I send a Gem Beast Monster from my hand to the Graveyard, and then I draw 1 card!" Johan sent the last of the necessary Gem Beast Monsters to summon his ace monster, revealing the card he just drew to be his ace and strongest monster.

"Now that I have all seven Gem Beasts on my Field or Graveyard, I can Special Summon the ultimate Gem Beast Monster! Appear! Level 10! Rainbow Dragon (ATK: 4000 / DEF: 0 / LV: 10)!" Johan summoned his ace monster in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Covered's effect! By discarding a card, my opponent can only attack with only one monster this Turn!" Theo declared, discarding a card from his hand.

"Battle! I attack Coolant Hydradrive with Rainbow Dragon!" Johan attacked without hesitation, destroying the Link Monster. Due to Covered Hydradrive's effect, Theo didn't receive damage, but at least Johan now has a chance to destroy it on his next Turn since Covered's effect can only be activated if there is another Hydradrive Monster.

"I end my Turn." Johan concluded. _"I couldn't finish him off in this Turn, but the next one I will deliver the finishing blow!"_

To Johan's confusion, Theo was staring at his Rainbow Dragon with delighted look. Even though he was at disadvantage, Theo looked positively excited at the sight of his Rainbow Dragon. People would normally thought Theo was having a case of fallen into madness, but Johan doubted that was the case. He sensed something from Theo that made him felt sick just from seeing his current expression.

"This is what I have been waiting for...Rainbow Dragon. I finally get to see it with my own eyes...!" Theo finally spoke up as he continued to look at the dragon.

"Waiting? Are you trying to say that you've been waiting for me to summon Rainbow Dragon? You purposely not finishing me off until I summon my ace monster?" Johan questioned, feeling quite unnerved.

"But of course. That's why I've been saving my trump card for the last. I want to defeat you when you are using your strongest monster." Theo replied as he held one card up.

"Trump card?"

"Yes. Trump Card." Theo turned the card he stuck out so that Johan could see it. "I activate Magic Card: Interlink Hydradrive. By banishing two Hydradrive Link Monsters in my Graveyard, I can perform Link Summon!"

"Appear! Link 2! Silent Hydradrive (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / LM: Bottom, Bottom-Left)!" Theo banished his two Coolant Hydradrives to summon Silent Hydradrive to the Extra Monster Zone. It has wings like Flow Hydradrive but it didn't have any legs like Coolant Hydradrive. It has maroon-colored crystalized body.

"When Silent Hydradrive is Link Summoned, I can Special Summon a Link Monster in my Graveyard to the Arrow it points to!" Theo summoned Flow Hydradrive into Silent's bottom-right arrow.

"I activate Silent Hydradrive's effect! By releasing a Hydradrive monster its Link Marker points to, I can increase its ATK equal to the released monster's ATK and until the end of this Turn, my opponent's monsters cannot activate their effects!" Theo added Flow's ATK to Silent Hydradrive, increasing the latter's ATK to 3000. And due to Judgment Arrow's effect, during Damage Step, its ATK was doubled to 6000.

"An ATK of 6000?!" Johan exclaimed in dismay. Rainbow Dragon has 4000 ATK, which means he would receive 2000 damage. He could have won if he activate Rainbow Dragon's effect to increase its ATK, but its effect was sealed. And the worst part was his LP was only at 500…

"Battle! I attack Rainbow Dragon with Silent Hydradrive!" Theo declared. Silent Hydradrive swung its wings, sending barrages of crystal spears that impaled Rainbow Dragon, exploding it. Johan was thrown several steps back from the explosion, his body hit the burning cottage.

 **JOHAN LP: 500 = 0**

Johan was on fire. His body started being covered by flames and he couldn't move due to the debris from the burning cottage. He would have burned to death if Theo didn't use Silent Hydradrive to blow away the flame, saving Johan's life.

"Nrgh...!" Johan groaned in pain. He barely felt anything but pain. He couldn't even lift a finger.

"You have done well, Andersen. You are strong and you should be proud of it. In this case, you're just unlucky because I am stronger than you." Theo praised the Gem Beast user as he approached him. Once the general was standing right in front of Johan, the general kneeled down and picked Rainbow Dragon that fell from Johan's Duel Disk due to the impact earlier.

"I'll be taking this. The winner gets everything they want." Theo said simply before pulling Johan out of the debris. In his condition, it's impossible for the boy to even stand let alone challenging him to a rematch. He could have killed the boy like he did to his enemies, but out of respect, he will let him live for this one time. Theo then turned his back on the boy, taking his leave.

"Why…why are you…doing this…?" Johan forced himself to spit the question out.

Theo stopped, turning around back to Johan. "Because that is a task given to us. All enemies must be disposed. And this is no different than hunting. Am I wrong?" He said like he was having an ordinary conversation.

"Killing is…not something…enjoyable…" Johan spat out.

"Is that so?" Theo raised a brow before narrowing his eyes.

"When you defeat your opponents, can you definitely say that you don't think 'I won! All right!' And hold pride in your skill, that you don't even have a little moment when you feel sense of achievement in your work?" The general questioned the boy. His voice sounded more serious than normal.

"I don't…!" Johan replied immediately, his face paled in horror at the general's indication.

"To me, you're the ones who I can't understand. To seek justice in a special place like battlefield is what's strange. Is it heretical to use Duel Monsters to fight in battle even though our ancestors had long since used them per agreement with the Duel Monsters themselves? Or is it that you were prepared to kill one or two but can't bear killing hundreds or thousands?" Theo questioned more as he walked to Johan again. He kneeled at the boy again and yanked his hair up, making Johan looked at him straight in the eyes.

"Weren't you already prepared for this the moment you decided to join the Imperial Guardians? If you don't want to do this, then you shouldn't have joined in the first place. You move forward onto this path on your own, why are you playing the victim now?" Theo's expression darkened, scaring Johan for moment before letting go of the boy's hair and stood up.

"If you take pity for yourself or these duel monsters, don't duel at all." Theo said one last time before leaving the collapsed Gem Beast user for good.

 **FAIRY NEST – SPIRIT FARM – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The farm was burning with such intensity. Cries from both humans and Duel Monsters there filled the entire area as the flames spread further. Reid watched his surroundings while helping as many people and Duel Monsters as he could as fire engulfed it from all sides. There was fire everywhere; the roof was on fire, the doors and windows were on fire, fire was even coming out of the farm through various openings, looking like a fire-breathing dragon was inside the farm, puffing away vicariously. The flames burned deep red and amber, almost livid purple as Johan saw various firefighters trying to put out the fire.

But it didn't give much of help when huge Duel Monsters at the command of the Reformist army continued to attack and captured many Duel Monsters at the same time. Why they were doing this was a question he has placed aside in favor of stopping them first. He tried to defeat every soldier he faced who was capturing the Duel Monsters, but then one after another come again. Johan and Lechter were here with him at another part of the farm, but they would be overwhelmed if this continues. Johan already called for a backup but they still need times until they arrive.

"Darn it! These guys just keep coming! Why do they want the monsters here anyway?! Answer me, you dumbasses!" Reid asked the soldier whom he was holding by the collar of his shirt after he defeated him. The soldier was close to faint so he couldn't hear what Reid was saying.

A hand on his shoulder stopped him from interrogating the soldier further. Reid turned around to face whoever was interrupting him, only to receive a hard slap on his face, staggering him backwards from the shock and pain. Reid held his pained cheek as he glared at his attacker, but his eyes widened when he recognized the woman who was giving him a reprimanding look like a teacher scolding her student.

"Instructor Riena?!" Reid exclaimed at the woman, who was in fact, his former instructor back when he was still learning before joining The Brotherhood.

"It has been a while, Reid. I see that you're still using foul language despite the lesson I have taught you." Riena said in her scolding tone like she always did to Reid during their days together as teacher and student. Reid would like to have a time for nostalgia, but the situation said otherwise, especially since from her uniform, Riena was one of the people responsible attacking the farm.

"Instructor, why are you here?! Why are you all doing this?!" Reid questioned in disbelieve. The instructor that he knew wouldn't do something this far.

"This is the will of the Supreme Commander. As one of his most trusted generals, it's my duty and obligation to obey his command." Riena replied, raising her Duel Disk.

"Even if it's the order from your superior, you would go this far?! This farm has done nothing wrong!" Reid argued. He knew that his instructor was a type of person who would dutifully follows her given orders no matter what kind of order she received, but even she has standard and humanity that allowed her to carefully consider the orders before accepting it.

"Yes. This farm has done nothing wrong. However, the Duel Monsters here are necessary to fulfill the Supreme Commander's glorious goal." Riena said straight as she stepped closer to Reid but still keeping distance from him.

"Glorious goal? What is he planning?"

"True freedom for all humanities."

"True freedom? I don't understand." Reid blinked in confusion. What does freedom for humanity has anything to do with kidnapping the Duel Monsters?

"You don't have to. I believe I have taught you that chatter has no place in the battlefield. Even if you were my student, I won't show mercy." Riena activated her Duel Disk, challenging her former student.

Reid clicked his tongue, but raised his Duel Disk as well. "Then so do I! Even if you were my instructor, I won't let slide an attack on my friend's home! No matter how grand and noble your goal is, I won't accept it if it means causing many harm!" He activated his Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman (ATK: 800 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4)!" Reid summon Bubbleman in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Since I summoned Bubbleman while I have no other cards on my side of the Field, its effect activates, letting me draw two cards." Reid drew 2 cards into his hand.

"I activate Equip Spell: Bubble Blaster! By equipping it to Bubbleman, I increase its ATK by 800!" Reid increased Bubbleman's ATK to 1600.

"I end my Turn." Reid concluded. "Don't expect me to be the same immature brat that you knew years ago."

"I know. That's why I'm going all out." Riena replied calmly as she started her Draw Phase.

"My Turn. I activate Field Spell: Savage Colosseum. Now if a monster attacks, the monster's controller will gain 300 Life Points at the end of the Damage Step. All monsters also must attack if they are able to, but if any Attack Position monsters a player controls do not attack, they will be destroyed during the End Phase." Riena surrounded herself and Reid within a colosseum with dark purple mist coupled by chilling atmosphere.

"You're going all out using the same cards you have used several times during our trainings? You must have more than this aren't you, Instructor?" Reid asked. His instructor's most frequent strategy was to weaken his monster through the combination of Spell cards and then overpowering them with her own powered up monsters. He was aware of this, which was why he summoned Bubbleman and use Bubble Blaster.

"And then I activate Magic Card: Field Barrier. Now the current Field Spell that is on the field can't be destroyed and no new Field Spell can be activated while the current Field Spell is face-up." Riena added, protecting Savage Colosseum.

" _I knew it. She'll protect the Field Spell since I already knew her strategy. I already prepared for this too, but I still need to be careful. Instructor is not stupid. She must be keeping something to counter my counter strategy."_ Reid reminded himself to never underestimate his former instructor.

"Next I summon Reptiless Gorgon (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4)." Riena summoned Gorgon in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Double Equip Spells: Attack Pheromones and Molting Escape. I equip them to Reptiless Gorgon. If the equipped monster attacks a Defense Position monster, that monster will be switched to Attack Position at the end of the Damage Step. Due to the effects of Molting Escape, the equipped monster can't be destroyed by battle once per turn. Each time this effect is applied, the equipped monster will gain 100 ATK at the end of the Damage Step." She reinforced Gorgon's strength with the two Equip Cards.

"Battle! I attack Elemental Hero Bubbleman with Reptiless Gorgon!" Riena declared. Reptiless Gorgon attacked Bubbleman. She tackled the Elemental HERO Monster, the two clashing fiercely, but Bubbleman was stronger so it was able to get a hold of the Reptiless' hand and then shot its bubble gun, sending it back to Riena's side. Due to the first effect of Molting Escape, Reptiless Gorgon was not destroyed. The second effect of Molting Escape then activated, increasing Reptiless Gorgon's ATK to 1500.

 **RIENA LP: 4000 = 3000**

"I activate Reptiless Gorgon's effect! After damage calculation, I can reduce the ATK of Bubbleman to 0 and forbidding my opponent from changing its Battle Position!" Riena declared, petrifiying Bubbleman's entire body into stone as it lost its entire ATK. And due to Savage Colosseum's first effect, Riena gained LP.

 **RIENA LP: 3000 = 3300**

"I end my Turn." Riena concluded.

"My Turn! Draw!" Reid looked at the card he drew. He got it. The card necessary to summon the Monster that can save him from the present situation. He made the right decision to keep it in case he is facing his instructor again.

"I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse Elemental Hero Bubbleman with Elemental Hero Clayman! Fusion Summon! Appear! Elemental Hero Mudballman (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 3000)!" Reid summoned Mudballman in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Monster Reincarnation! I discard Elemental Hero Necroshade from my hand and then add Clayman from my Graveyard to my hand!" Reid discarded Necroshade to return Clayman to his hand. But his main objective was not to add Clayman, but rather to send Necroshade to the Graveyard to he can activate its effect.

"I activate Necroshade's effect in the Graveyard! I can Normal Summon Elemental Hero Edgeman (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 1800) in Attack Position without Releasing!" Reid Special Summoned Edgeman in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack Reptiless Gorgon with Mudballman!" Reid declared. Mudballman's body was covered in electricity before launching its attack, crushing Reptiless Gorgon with its huge hands. However, due to the effect, Reptiless Gorgon was not destroyed the first time.

 **RIENA LP: 3300 = 2900**

"The second attack! I attack Reptiless Gorgon again with Edgeman!" Reid declared the second attack. Edgeman dashed forward at full speed, destroying Reptiless Gorgon with a single strong punch to the gut.

 **RIENA LP: 2800 = 1800**

"I end my Turn." Reid concluded. Due to Savage Colosseum's effect, Reid gained 300 LP for each of the attacks he has conducted at this Turn's Battle Phase.

 **REID LP: 4000 = 4600**

"What do you think, Instructor? Do you think I have become strong enough to surpass you?" Reid questioned. He was not being smug or sarcastic, he was genuinely curious if he has met his former instructor's standard. Despite their current standings, he still respected Riena. He won't be here if it wasn't for her teaching.

"You have already met my standard, Reid." Riena said while wiping the dust form her clothes. As his teacher, she was proud of him. She wished she could see the progress of his growth with her own eyes. And she wished they could reunite under different circumstance.

"But I'm sorry to say it's not enough to surpass me." Riena said firmly, her eyes were still filled with determination and confidence to win, which made Reid taken aback.

"My Turn. I activate Magic Card: Reptile Spawn. I remove Reptiless Gorgon from my Graveyard to Special Summon two Reptile Tokens (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)!" Riena banished Reptiless Gorgon, summoning two Tokens in exchange.

"I release both Reptile Tokens to Advance Summon my ultimate monster!" Riena declared as she raised her hand up. Above them, black clouds were swirling almost resembling the Fusion Vortex. From the black clouds, something emerge. Something big that letting out aggressive sinister aura that made Reid flinched.

"Come forth! Earthbound God Ccarayhua (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 10)!" She summoned Ccarayhua in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone. Its croak echoed throughout the farm.

"What is this monster?! You never used this against me!" Reid exclaimed in shock at the sight of the almost gigantic monster.

"Supreme Commander gave it to me. I never use this monster unless it's absolutely necessary! I activate Magic Card: Reptilian Shocker! I can double the ATK of a monster my control, but at the end of this Turn, this monster will be destroyed!" Riena doubled Ccarayhua's ATK to 4600.

" _Calm down. My LP is still at 4600. Even if it destroys one of my monsters, I can still survive this Turn!"_ Reid tried to calm himself. Unfortunately, he fell down as Riena revealed her monster's effect.

"Ccrayhua cannot be affected by my opponent's Spell or Trap cards, and it can attack my opponent directly!" She revealed as she pointed straight at her former student.

"Battle! I attack directly with Earthbound God Ccarayhua!" Riena declared. Ccrayhua swung its wings, creating a tornado that slashed his body with its sharp winds and blew him and his monsters away, depleting his LP completely. Reid fell flat on the ground, barely conscious from the falling impact.

 **REID LP: 4600 = 0**

Riena looked down at her barely conscious student. "You have certainly grown, but it's too early for you to defeat me, Reid. I wish you can prove me otherwise the next time we fight." She told him before retreating, walking away from her former student.

"Wait…! Instructor, I don't understand…!" Reid demanded answer. His trembling hand trying to reach for his former instructor.

"If Duel Monsters interferes and determines people's life and future, what good is free will?" Riena said without stopping or turning back to Reid. She kept walking while answering Reid's question.

"I refuse to accept that my feelings are controlled by them. The will of people should be their own." She stated just as Reid's vision darkened.

"W-wait! You're not making any sense! Instructor!" Reid demanded, but his desperate need fell on deaf ears and he was at his limit. His body giving up on him, he finally fell into oblivion.

 **NATURIA NEST – SPIRIT FARM – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The house in front of him had just started to smolder in the fire. The first thing that crossed his mind was what if there were people and Duel Monsters inside. He thought of going inside the house and looking for some people, but the extreme heat that was coming out the house thwarted him instantly. He could not go further than being a good hundred feet away from the house. It was excruciatingly hot and he almost felt his eyebrows burn. He was still very worried. He watched through the window as a crash brought down the ceiling of the house, bringing the whole roof down with a loud crash.

Soon, the firefighters arrived and looked at the full-blown inferno in front of them. The fire had gotten quite out of control now as the whole farm was on fire. The firefighters evacuated the farm and street nearby. In a few minutes, the house had been reduced to a pile of rubble, ashes, and smoldering wood and items. There was a very putrid smell that took over the whole neighborhood, like a bad barbeque party gone horribly wrong. The farm had burnt down to nothing within a few hours, making Lechter realize the futility of the human life and ventures. It takes man many years to build his dream house and it takes nature only a few minutes to completely destroy his dreams.

"I didn't expect to see you here of all people."

It's not exactly fully the nature's fault. This began due to the reformist group's attack. And now one of the higher-ups was standing behind him. While they strangely let the firefighters did their works, they beat up anyone who tried to stop them from getting the Duel Monsters. He managed to evacuate some of them, but there was a limit for him alone. He was just one human being after all. The enemies have more numbers that was too far for him to stop them all at once so the only thing he could do is saving as many as he can.

"Lechter. One of the strongest Duelists in the whole Cantidel and The Brotherhood's second-in-command. You're temporarily taking over the organization in the Oracle's absence." Emilio stated while facing the older man.

"I presume it would be too much to ask for you to give back our leader?" Lechter asked calmly. His expression passive and not showing any particular emotion.

"That is indeed too much because I'm not the one who can make that decision. You have to ask the Supreme Commander for that matter." Emilio replied.

"Then may I ask you to escort me to Commander Aberforth?" Lechter asked again despite already knowing the answer.

"That is out of the question considering you're sheltering the Duel Monsters." Emilio refused, as Lechter expected.

"What crime do these Duel Monsters have that you have to capture them? Can't you see how frightened they are?" Lechter questioned with disapproving voice. Duel Monsters have as much right as human beings. They were capable of thinking and feeling like they are.

"Their crimes have been long beginning since they interfere with humanity. They have no one else but themselves to blame." Emilio answered coldly this time. There was a tinge of contempt slipped out from his tone, which Lechter didn't fail to notice.

"I wish to hear more in details, but I'm afraid neither of us have the time for that." Lechter raised his Duel Disk. He had met Emilio several times in certain occasions while accompanying their respective superiors. From that, he understood enough that Emilio was not someone that can be persuaded with words once his mind was set.

"Is this a wisdom of the old? I respect that you understand that our situation is not something that can be settled with talk alone." Emilio said as he activated his Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'll take the first Turn. I set a card, and then I summon Queen's Knight (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1600 /LV: 4)." Lechter summoned Queen's Knight in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"My Turn. I summon Sunseed Genius Loci (ATK: 0 / DEF: 600 / LV: 1)." Emilio summoned Genius Loci in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone before opening the Link Summoning Circuit, setting Genius Loci at the Bottom Link Marker.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Sun Avalon Dryas (0/LINK: 1/ Bottom)" He summoned Dryas to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

"Sun Avalon Dryas cannot be attacked, but it does not prevent my opponent's monsters from attacking directly. Dryas also cannot be used as a Link Material for a Link Summon during the turn in which it was Link Summoned." Emilio explained.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Emilio concluded.

"My Turn. I summon King's Knight (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1400 / LV: 4)." Lechter summoned King's Knight in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"As I control Queen's Knight when summoning King's Knight, its effect activates. I can Special Summon Jack's Knight (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4) from my Deck in Attack Position." Lechter summoned Jack's Knight in Attack Position.

"Appear. The circuit of the knights!" This time, Lechter was the one who open the Link Summoning Circuit, sending his knights.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is 3 warrior monsters with different names. I set King's Knight, Queen's Knight, and Jack's Knight on the Link Markers. Circuit combined." Lechter set King at the Top-Arrow, Queen at the Bottom-Left Arrow, and Jack at the Bottom-Right Arrow Link Markers.

"Link Summon! Raise your sword! Arcana Extra Joker (ATK: 2800 / LINK: 3 / LM: Top, Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right)!" Lechter summoned his Link Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"Next I activate Equip Spell: Lightning Blade. I equip it to Arcana Extra Joker, increasing its ATK by 800." Lechter increased his Link Monster's ATK to 3600.

"I also activate Magic Card: Knight's Judgement! When a I control a Special Summoned Warrior Monster, I can Special Summon a Level 5 or lower Warrior Monster in my Graveyard, and all Warrior Monsters I control can attack directly, but the damage is halved!" Lechter revived King's Knight in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Battle! I attack directly with Arcana Extra Joker!" Lechter declared. Arcana Extra Joker used the back of its sword to strike Emilio. If it were to use the blade directly, Emilio would have suffered a severe wound.

 **EMILIO LP: 4000 = 2200**

"As I took battle or effect damage, I activate the effect of Dryas, which allows me to Special Summon a Sun Vine Link Monster from my Extra Deck to a zone my Sun Avalon Link Monster points to, then I gain LP equal to the damage I took." Emilio Special Summoned Sun Vine Gardna (ATK: 600/LINK: 1/ LM: Top) to the bottom Link Point of Dryas and also recovered his LP.

 **EMILIO LP: 2200 = 4000**

"Next, I attack directly with King's Knight!" Lechter declared his second attack.

"I activate Sun Vine Gardna's effect to reduce the battle damage I would take by 800 for every Link Arrow a Sun Avalon Link Monster that points to it has." Emilio countered, lowering the damage he took by 800 as King strike him directly, almost sending him to his back.

 **EMILIO LP: 4000 = 3200**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Lechter concluded.

"My Turn. Open once more, my circuit." Emilio used Dryas and Healer to Link Summon Sun Avalon Dryades (ATK: 0 / LINK: 2 / LM: Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right) to the Extra Monster Zone.

"And then I summon Sun Seed Genius Loci (ATK: 0 / DEF: 600 / LV: 1)." Emilio summoned another copy of Genius Loci and immediately used it to Link Summon Sun Vine Slasher (ATK: 800 / LINK: 1/ LM: Bottom) to the bottom-left Link Marker of Dryades.

"I activate Slasher's effect, which let me increase its ATK by 800 for every Link Arrow a Sun Avalon Link Monster that points to it has." Emilio revealed. In this case, there were two, so Slasher's ATK was increased to 2400.

"Battle. I attack Arcana Extra Joker with Sun Avalon Slasher!" Emilio declared despite the difference. Lechter knew that Emilio has more to this so he didn't question his move.

"I'm not done. I activate Quick-Play Spell: Thirsty Seed. I lower my opponent's monster's ATK by 800 for each Plant Monster I control." Emilio lowered Arcana Extra Joker's ATK to 2000, allowing Slasher to use its sword to cut the knight monster in half.

 **LECHTER LP: 4000 = 3600**

"As Slasher destroyed a monster by Battle, I can activate its effect. I can Special Summon the monster it destroyed to a zone a Sun Avalon Link Monster points to." Emilio summoned Arcana Extra Joker to his Field in Attack Position with its original ATK.

"Battle. I attack King's Knight with Arcana Extra Joker!" Emilio immediately declared second attack using the stolen monster, slicing the King's Knight in half like Slasher did to it earlier.

 **LECHTER LP: 3600 = 2400**

"I end my Turn." Emilio concluded.

"My Turn. I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior" (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 4) in Attack Position." Lechter summoned Beta in Defense Position in the Main Monster Zone. His eyes then stopped at one of the cards in his hand. Picking the card, he set it.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Lechter concluded.

" _Summoning a monster in Defense Position and two set cards. It has to be a Trap. He clearly wants me to attack. Interesting."_ Emilio smirked at the apparent invitation to attack, which he gladly gave.

"Battle! I attack Beta the Magnet Warrior with Slasher!" Emilio declared, destroying Beta easily with Slasher. Right on cue, as he expected, Lechter opened his earlier set card.

"As a monster I controlled was destroyed in Battle, I activate Trap Card: Soul Rope. I pay 1000 LP to Special Summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 4) from my Deck in Attack Position!" Lechter summoned Gamma in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone instantly.

"I also activate Trap Card: Knight's Parley! When both players control Warrior Monster, I can end the Battle Phase!" Lechter opened the second set card, forcing the Battle Phase to end, preventing Emilio's from attacking again.

"I end my Turn." Emilio concluded.

"My Turn. I summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1200)." Lechter summoned Gazelle in in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Counter Unison. I can combine the ATK of my two monsters until the End Phase." Lechter combined Gazelle and Gamma's ATKs, making both of their ATKs 3000.

"Battle! I attack Sun Vine Slasher and Arcana Extra Joker with Gamma and Gazelle!" Lechter declared his counter attack. Gamma electrocuted Slasher into crisp while Gazelle strikes Arcana Extra Joker with its claws, destroying them.

 **EMILIO LP: 2400 = 1600**

"I end my Turn." Lechter concluded, reverting his monsters' ATKs to normal. He managed to destroy the two monsters, but he knew that this has yet to end as long as Emilio still has that one Link Monster.

"My Turn. I summon Sun Vine Maiden." Emilio summoned Maiden in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone. He then set both Dryades and Maiden to the Link Markers, performing Link Summon.

"Link Summon. Appear. Link 2 Sun Avalon Drynome (ATK: 0 / LINK: 3 / LM: Bottom-Left, Bottom, Bottom-Right)." Emilio summoned Drynome.

"I discard a card from my hand to activate Continuous Magic: Sun Vine Shrine. Once per Turn, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Plant Normal Monster from my Graveyard." Emilio activated this effect to recover Genius Loci from his Graveyard.

Once again, Emilio used Genius Loci to Link Summon another copy of Sun Vine Slasher to the bottom-left Link Point of Dryanome. And again, Emilio activated the effect of Slasher, which let him increase its ATK by 800 for every Link Arrow a Sun Avalon Link Monster that points to it has, in this case three, increasing its ATK to 3200.

"Battle! I attack Gamma the Magnet Warrior with Slasher!" Emilio declared. Slasher cut Gamma in half like it did to Beta, destroying it.

 **LECHTER LP: 2400 = 700**

As Slasher destroyed a monster by battle, Emilio activated its effect, Special Summoning that Gamma to the bottom Link Point of Dryanome in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Knight's Parley's second effect! When both players have Warrior Monsters on their Fields, I can banish this card from the Graveyard to end the Battle Phase and Special Summon a Warrior Monster from my Graveyard!" Lechter once again prevented Emilio from attacking by forcing to end the Battle Phase.

"Aren't you tired using the same move?" Emilio asked.

"I could ask the same to you." Lechter retorted.

"I have a trump card." Emilio replied.

"So do I. My Turn. I activate Magic Card: Knight's Fusion! By banishing 3 Knight monsters in my Graveyard, I can Fusion Summon a Warrior Monster from my Extra Deck!" Lechter banished King, Queen, and Jack from his Graveyard, sending them to the Fusion Vortex.

"Fusion Summon! Raise your sword! Level 9! Arcana Knight Joker (ATK: 3800 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 9)!" Lechter summoned his strongest monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"Next, I release Beta the Magnet Warrior and Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts to Advance Summon Buster Blader (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 2300) in Attack Position!" Lechter continued by summoning Buster Blader in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Now that's new." Emilio raised his brow, impressed by the two monsters with high ATKs to appear at once, which never Lechter did before.

" _This should be enough to defeat him."_ Lechter thought as his mind determined to end this Duel now.

"Battle! I attack Sun Vine Slasher with Arcana Knight Joker!" Lechter declared, pointing at the Plant Link Monster. Arcana Knight Joker raised its sword and then swung it down at Slasher who remained in its position. However, Lechter flinched when he saw a smirk forming on Emilio's face.

"As a monster Dryanome points to is attacked, I activate its effect to move that monster to an unoccupied Main Monster Zone and negating that attack." Emilio moved Slasher, evading the Fusion Monster's sword that instead hit the empty ground.

" _Slasher's ATK is still higher than Buster Blader, so I can't destroy it. Even if I attack Gamma, he'll just use Dryanome's effect again to negate the attack…"_ Lechter scanned his situation. Either way, he couldn't destroy any of the monster on Emilio's Field at the moment, and couldn't inflict a single bit damage.

"I end my Turn." Lechter reluctantly concluded.

"As a form of my respect, I will use my Trump Card against you, Lord Lechter." Emilio stated as he showed the card in his hand.

"My Turn. I activate Field Spell: Creeping Garden." Emilio activated the card, turning their surrounding into a garden filled with various sinister-looking plants that seemed to threaten suck out any life force.

"With a Field Spell present, now I can I release Sun Vine Slasher and Gamma to Advance Summon Earthbound God Uru (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10)!" Emilio summoned the near gigantic spider-like monster in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"An Earthbound God card?!" Lechter gasped in surprise. The cards were supposed to have disappeared after the great war against Apophis 1,500 years ago according to Yuno and Celica's story. How did he get that card? Lechter didn't get a chance to wonder more as Emilio began his attack.

"Uru can attack my opponent directly! Battle! I attack with Earthbound Immortal Uru!" Emilio declared Battle Phase. Uru formed a green-colored energy from its mouth resembling spider's web. It then looked down at the defenceless Lechter, shooting the old man with the destructive energy, depleting his little remaining LP.

 **LECHTER LP: 700 = 0**

Lechter was barely able to endure the attack, but people would have been impressed to see him still able to stand up for a few minutes after receiving the attack before collapsing. Despite his old age in both mind and body, he still has the stamina and power to endure the attack. Normal person would have already collapsed right at that moment.

"We have crossed paths several times. I knew that you'll find a way to counter my usual strategy. That's why I kept this monster given by the Supreme Commander hidden from everyone but several people, all so I can surprise a Duelist as your calibre." Emilio admitted to Lechter who was barely able to hear him as his consciousness was fading.

"If it wasn't for this card, I would have lost against you." Emilio said while looking at the Earthbound God card given to him by the Supreme Commander. He lowered his hat and tucked it at the old man to respect his struggle and determination while fighting him.

"I have nothing against you, Lord Lechter. But for the sake of humanity's prosperity, I will use any means to achieve our goal."

 **ROOM – REFORMIST AIRSHIP – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Heidel was hearing the update of the current situation. The Duel Monsters that have been caught so far were 70% from the farm. He needs at least 90% in order to activate the reactor properly, so he ordered his men to capture more. This was their only chance to gain so many Duel Monsters. He stood up form his chair to watch the blazing battlefield beneath him from the window.

It was about time they – The Lancers arrive.

And then, he'll come down to greet them.

Heidel looked at a card lying on the bed. It let out dark purple hostile aura and noises that only Heidel could understand. Heidel smirked. If the card was reacting that way, that means the Lancers were nearby. They were coming. He then turned to a coat of arms in his room covering a mirror. The symbol consisted of a silver shield with red linings and a head of dark-brown colored goat resembling the symbol of The Devil in tarot card.

"Soon I will give birth to our ideal world… The world of true freedom where humanity reign supreme…"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Supreme Commander's Ideal –** Aoi and Go arrives at the Spirit Farm after receiving the distress call from Johan. At the same time, the Lancers tries to save as many Duel Monsters as possible, but then unexpectedly meet Heidel who decided to participate in the operation himself. Heidel then explain his goal and the mystery behind the Earthbound God Duel Monsters.

* * *

 **Finished. First of all, I think I'll make things clear to the anonymous reviewers; no matter how many times or frequently you reviewing this story, if I can't update then there won't be an update. As I said, I'm busy too over here in real life. I also just got accepted to a new job and will start working at July 2** **nd** **, which means lesser times to write chapters. Please understand. I'm not telling you to stop reviewing altogether, just make sure you're not spamming the Review.**

 **Next chapter will reveal more about Heidel and another action for Aoi and Go, and perhaps more. Just wait and see :)**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter.**


	74. The Supreme Commander's Ideal

**Big thanks to** _ **Jason, tsukikami02, Ulrich362, Big duels, GamingGuy84, dvdryms, Yuka Kuroshiro, Playerhood18, D3lph0xL0v3r, Dante, Unknowedz**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully, you'll enjoy reading this chapter!**

* * *

 **ENTRANCE – SPIRIT FARM – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

After vanquishing the virus from LINK VRAINS, Aoi and Go gave their contact to the Phantom Dragons who apparently then shared it with several members of Imperial Guardians and The Brotherhood. Johan was one of the people receiving their contact numbers. Aoi and Go didn't need to hear the full detail when they received distress call from Johan. With their respective connections, they were able to reach the Spirit Farm faster than normally would. They rushed there as soon as they could like their very lives depended on it. Though, even if it weren't theirs, it still involved lots of lives so they have to be quick.

And so, here they were, standing in front of the destroyed entrance of the farm facing each other.

"Who are you? Are you one of the attackers?" Go questioned Aoi suspiciously, taking defensive stance while also ready to fight.

From first glance, it was obvious that the girl was not just ordinary civilian, considering the outfit she was wearing. The girl was wearing a blue slim outfit with short white lacy sleeves and bronze wing-like armlets. She also wore bronze bangles and blue knee-high boots. No ordinary person would wear that in their daily activities, especially in a place like this farm. She also has a Duel Disk around her wrist, meaning she was a Duelist.

"W-wait! It's me! Blue Angel!" Aoi quickly answered with her hands up to show she meant no harm.

"Blue Angel?" Go raised a brow but still hasn't changed his stance.

Noticing that Go was still suspicious of her, Aoi shuffled her Deck case and brought out one of her Trickstar cards, Trickstar Lycoris, as proof that she was indeed Blue Angel. Her identity was never revealed to the public and her neither her brother nor Heidel spill it to just anyone, so her identity was safe. But now that she has decided to fight together with Ruri and her friends, she was prepared for the scenario where her identity was exposed to all at any time.

"That card. There's no mistaking it, you really are Blue Angel. Sorry for doubting you." Go lowered his guard.

"My real name is Aoi Zaizen. Nice to meet you, Go Onizuka." Aoi introduced herself properly.

"Yeah. But, what's with that outfit? Do you always wearing that?" Go asked. He couldn't help but ask.

"Oh, no. My brother sent me this outfit in case I have to Duel offline like in this situation. It's easier to move and fight with this. Plus, it's also fireproof." Aoi explained.

She was actually surprised when her brother sent this outfit to her. It was the kind of outfit that her brother would wear whenever he was needed by Heidel to be in the battlefield. If he sent her this, that means he was supporting her decision. She didn't expect him to support her decision and was ready to receive scoding for her stunt. She couldn't ask her brother because she hadn't been able to get into contact with him for days. She assumed he was busy, especially after hearing from Ruri how Heidel had kidnapped the Emperor and the Oracle. Her brother must be trying to find a way to save them.

"You also receive distress call from Johan-san?" Aoi asked the Gouki user.

"Yeah. But this is worse than I thought." Go said while looking at the burning farm.

"The Phantom Dragons should be here soon! In the meantime, let's help as much as we can! There are still people fighting there!" Aoi stated determinedly as she heard the battle cries echoing from inside the farm.

Go nodded at her. The two of them faced the burning farm and made dash into the already burnt entrance door. The flames were hot and itched them quite a bit, but nothing serious, especially for Aoi who wore the special fire proof outfit. However, they didn't get to make another step when they saw a silhouette approaching them coming from between the scorching flames. Aoi and Go readied their battle stance, which was the right decision as they recognized the uniform that the man was wearing belonged to the army under Heidel's rule. Plus, they have seen his face in the newspaper and TV several times. He was often seen accompanying Heidel as one of his most trusted subordinates.

"What do we have here? The famous Charisma Duelists Blue Angel and Go Onizuka. I'm afraid that if you come here for a field trip, the place is in the middle of being shut down permanently." Emilio told the two Charisma Duelists, which was his polite way to tell them to go home.

"There's no way we will! The one who should leave this place would be you and your army!" Go retorted while pointing his finger at Emilio.

"No matter how big your authority is, I doubt you have the right to destroy this farm and steal the Duel Monsters away." Aoi retorted calmly but her voice was firm.

"It seems you think that Duel Monster spirits are your friends or something." Emilio said with cold tone and his face darkened.

"What?"

"Those things are not your friends. They are dangerous creatures if left alone. That's why we must make them only as tools to be used by us, humans. So there's no need for you to sympathize or empathize with them." Emilio said with colder tone that made Aoi and Go shuddered. The atmosphere around them suddenly felt cold simply from making eye contact with Emilio despite the fire surrounding them. As expected from a veteran soldier.

"Heh. I knew that we can't meet eye to eye. Let's get this over with! I'll take you on!" Go stepped forward, raising his Duel Disk as he challenged the general. However, unexpectedly, Emilio threw two energy strings from his Duel Disks that attached itselves to not only Go's but also Aoi's Duel Disk.

"I'll be taking the both of you. Getting rid of the two of you at once will spare me the effort of having to look for the other after I defeat one of you." Emilio stated as their Duel Disks were activated, forcing the Duel to begin.

"We don't have a choice. We have to work together, Onizuka." Aoi told the Gouki user.

"Let's make this quick." Go replied.

"Since there is the two of you, do you mind sharing your LP together? I will allow the two of you to have separate Field and control of the monsters, but to make it a bit fair for me, please share your LP and let me take the first Turn. I'm going to take the both of you after all." Emilio requested.

"But you'll still get more disadvantage." Aoi pointed out. While her and Go sharing LP would make it easier for Emilio to reduce their LP, Aoi and Go still have more advantage by having separate Field, which means more monsters for them to summon and more Spell and Trap to set.

"This handicap is more than enough for me." Emilio replied so casually.

"You're pretty confident for a guy who asked for only one handicap. Are you underestimating us?" Aoi asked, narrowing her eyes at the general.

"You truly think that a high-ranking soldier like me would lose to children like you who never experienced the horror of true battlefield?" Emilio retorted condescendingly, irking the two Charisma Duelists.

"Fine then. If you're so sure with that, we'll go along with your request. We'll make you regret it." Go spat in annoyance.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first. I summon Sunseed Genius Loci (ATK: 0 / DEF: 600 / LV: 1)." Emilio summoned Genius Loci in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone before opening the Link Summoning Circuit, setting Genius Loci at the Bottom Link Marker.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Sun Avalon Dryas (ATK: 0 / LINK: 1 / LM: Bottom)" He summoned Dryas to the Extra Monster Zone in Attack Position.

"Sun Avalon Dryas cannot be attacked, but it does not prevent my opponent's monsters from attacking directly. Dryas also cannot be used as a Link Material for a Link Summon during the turn in which it was Link Summoned." Emilio explained before setting a card and the finished his Turn.

"My Turn! I summon Trickstar Candina (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 400 / LV: 4)!" Aoi summoned Trickstar Candina in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"As it was Normal Summoned, I can activate its effect to add a Trickstar card from my deck to my hand." Aoi added Trickstar Reincarnation to her hand before picking a card and revealed it.

"I activate Field Spell: Light Stage. As Light Stage was activated, I use its effect to add a Trickstar monster from my Deck to my hand." Aoi added Trickstar Lilybell (ATK: 800 / DEF: 2000) to her hand.

"As Lilybell was added from my Deck to my hand through a method other than drawing, I activate its effect to Special Summon it in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone." Aoi summoned Lilybell in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate the effect of Light Arena to negate my opponent from activating a Set card on his field until the End Phase, when he must activate it, or else it is returned to his hand." Aoi sealed Emilio's Set card, preventing him from activating it until the end of this Turn.

"Next, I activate my two copies of Lycoris in my hand to Special Summoning them, then returning a Trickstar monster on the field back to my hand." Aoi Special Summoned both Lycoris in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone then returned Candina to her hand.

"Appear! The circuit of dream and hope!" Aoi set her two Lycoris to the Link Markers of the Link Summoning Circuit, combining them.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Trickstar Holly Angel (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / LM: Bottom-Right, Bottom-Left)!" Aoi summoned her ace monster to the Extra Monster Zone. As she Link Summoned a Trickstar Link Monster, Aoi activated the effect of Light Arena, Special Summoning a Trickstar monster from the Graveyard that was used for that Link Summon. She Special Summoned Lycoris to the bottom-left Link Point of Holly Angel in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"As a Trickstar monster was Normal or Special Summoned to a zone it points to, its effect activates, inflicting 200 damage to my opponent!" Aoi declared as Lycoris pointed its wand at Emilio, shooting a lightning strike with the attack power of 200.

 **EMILIO LP: 4000 = 3800**

As Emilio took damage from a Trickstar monster's effect, Holly Angel gained ATK equal to the damage he took, making its current ATK at 2200.

"And then, Lilybell's effect lets it attack directly!" Aoi continued her second attack using Lillybell, inflicting 800 damage.

 **EMILIO LP: 3800 = 3000**

"As I took battle or effect damage, I activate the effect of Dryas, which allow me to Special Summon a Sun Vine Link Monster from my Extra Deck to a zone my Sun Avalon Link Monster points to, then I gain LP equal to the damage I took." Emilio Special Summoned Sun Vine Gardna (ATK: 600 / LINK: 1/ LM: Top) to the bottom Link Point of Dryas, and then recovered his LP by the same amount of damage he just took.

 **EMILIO LP: 3000 = 3800**

"As Lilybell inflicted battle damage to my opponent, I activate its effect to add a Trickstar monster from my Graveyard to my hand." She added her second copy of Lycoris to her hand.

"Battle! I attack Sun Vine Gardna with Holly Angel!" Aoi declared her second attack. Holly Angel stretched her whip before lashing it towards the Plant Link Monster. However, Emilio has anticipated that.

"I activate Sun Vine Gardna's effect! I can reduce the battle damage I would take by 800 for every Link Arrow a Sun Avalon Link Monster that points to it has!" Emilio declared right before Sun Vine Gardna was destroyed, and its effect reduced Emilio's Battle Damage by 800.

 **EMILIO LP: 3800 = 3000**

"As Sun Vine Gardna was destroyed during the Battle Phase, its effect activates, which ends the Battle Phase." Emilio revealed, stopping Aoi from making any more attacks.

"I activate Lycoris' effect in my hand! I Special summon it in Attack Position, then returning Lilybell to my hand." Aoi returned Lilybell to her hand in exchange of summoning Lycoris in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Aoi concluded.

During the End Phase, by the effect of Light Arena, Emilio must activate his Set card or else it is returned to his hand. He chooses to activate his facedown Sun Vine Burial, which allowed him to look at Aoi's Set Spell or Trap Card, and if it is a Trap Card, it is banished, along with any copies of that same Trap Card in Aoi's hand or Deck. He chose Aoi's facedown Trickstar Reincarnation, banishing it and two more copies of Reincarnation from Aoi's Deck.

"My Turn! I summon Gouki Suprex (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 0 / LV: 4)!" Go summoned Suprex in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"As Suprex was Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Gouki monster from my hand!" He Special Summoned Gouki Twistcobra (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 0) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Appear! My Circuit!" Go opened the Link Summoning Circuit, setting Suprex on the Left-Arrow and Twistcobra on the Bottom-Arrow Link Markers.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Gouki Jet Ogre (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / LM: Left, Bottom)!" Go summoned Jet Ogre to the Extra Monster Zone.

"As Suprex and Twistcobra were sent from the field to the Graveyard, I can activate both of their effects to add a Gouki card from my Deck to my hand!" Go added two Gouki cards to his hand.

"I activate Spell Card: Gouki Re-Match, to Special Summon two Gouki monsters with different Levels from my Graveyard in Defense Position!" Go revived Suprex and Twistcobra back to Main Monster Zone in Defense Position.

"Once more! My circuit! Link Summon! Gouki Thunder Ogre (ATK: 2200 / LINK: 3 / LM: Bottom-Left, Top, Bottom-Right)!" Go summoned Thunder Ogre to the Extra Monster Zone using Jet Ogre and Suprex as materials.

"Thunder Ogre's effect! It allows the turn player to Normal Summon an additional time during their Main Phase to a zone Thunder Ogre points to!" Go Normal Summoned Suprex to the zone the bottom-left Link Arrow of Thunder Ogre points to. As Suprex was Normal Summoned, Go activated its effect, Special Summoning Gouki Riscorpio (ATK: 2300 / DEF: 0) from his hand.

"I end my Turn." Go concluded. Since Dryas cannot be targeted for attack, Go couldn't make his Battle Phase, but at least with this he can make preparations to summon stronger monster in his next Turn.

"The Duel is just beginning, but I can sense the determination to go all out from the two of you." Emilio suddenly mused, staring at both Aoi and Go who didn't let even a second of opening. He then turned to Aoi.

"I'm sure your older brother would be proud of you. You're truly embodying the Blue Angel from the story book." He stated, making Aoi stiffened.

"I know that your avatar, Blue Angel, is based from a character in a children's story book." Emilio revealed. The book is a story about an angel who lived a lonely life due to her cold-hearted personality. Although she acted tough, the angel by herself cried due to loneliness, shedding teardrops with color of blue. When she was attacked by the evil monsters, her fellow angel comrades come to her aid. Through the battles, she learned of friendship and kindness, and changed for the better, gaining friends who fill the void in her heart. However, for reason unknown, the angel continues to shed tears as she vanquishes the evil monsters.

"The story book resonates strongly with lonely people, yearning for love and attention. You're one of such a case, isn't it? After your parents passed away in a traffic accident, your brother worked hard so that you can live a happy life. But he became so busy with work that he hardly has time for you. You're a lonely little girl yearning for your brother's love and attention. That's why you became Blue Angel in LINK VRAINS." Emilio said passively, but there was condescending feel from his tone that Aoi noticed. She didn't say a thing though, refusing to participate in his mind game.

"And then, you, Go Onizuka." Emilio turned to Go, giving the Gouki user the same tone and expression. "You grew up never knowing your parents, living your early life as street rat where it was a struggle of the fittest. That was until you grew up in an orphanage and started Dueling. Since then you became focused, and won many Duels, and eventually would become a famous Charisma Duelist."

Go didn't say anything either. It was the truth. When he was still living at the street, he ended up in lots of trouble by fighting with other children, stealing food and being alone. It was a hard time for him at that time and one that he never wanted to relive the second time.

"Then you should know that the whole world is always about survival for the fittest. The strong ones live and get what they want, while the weak ones die and lose everything. And this situation is no different. These Duel Monsters are weak, that's why it turns out like this. Why bother saving them?" Emilio questioned coldly, his eyes gazing briefly at the Duel Monsters they have captured in a net being taken away above them with drones.

He didn't bother to wait for Aoi or Go to answer him and begin his Turn.

"My Turn." As Emilio added a card from his Deck to his hand, the effects of both Lycoris activate, each inflicting 200 damage to Emilio.

 **EMILIO LP: 3000 = 2600**

As Emilio took battle or effect damage, he activates the effect of Dryas, which allowed him to Special Summon Sun Vine Healer (ATK: 600 / LINK: 1 / LM: Top) from his Extra Deck to the bottom Link Point of Dryas, then he gained LP equal to the damage he took.

 **EMILIO LP: 2600 = 2800**

"Next, I activate Healer's effect to gain 300 LP for every Link Arrow a Sun Avalon Link Monster that points to it has." Emilio added. In this case, there was one Link Arrow, so he gained exactly 300 points of LP.

 **EMILIO LP: 2800 = 3100**

As Emilio took damage from a Trickstar monster's effect, Holly Angel gained ATK equal to the damage he took, making its current ATK at 2400.

"Appear once more, my circuit." Emilio set Dryas and Healer to the Link Markers, opening the Link Summoning Circuit.

"Link Summon. Link 2. Sun Avalon Dryades (ATK: 0 / LINK: 2 / LM: Bottom-Left, Bottom-Right)." Emilio summoned Dryades to the Extra Monster Zone.

"And then I summon another Genius Loci from my hand." Emilio summoned Genius Loci in Defense Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Again, I open my circuit." Emilio set Genius Loci into the Bottom Link Marker, summoning Sun Vine Slasher (ATK: 800 / LINK: 1 / LM: Bottom) to the bottom-left Link Point of Dryades.

"I activate Slasher's effect. I can increase its ATK by 800 for every Link Arrow a Sun Avalon Link Monster that points to it has." Emilio declared, in this case there were two, so Slasher's ATK was increased to 2400.

"Battle. I attack Trickstar Holly Angel with Sun Vine Slasher!" Emilio declared his Battle Phase, confusing Aoi and Go.

"He attacks even though both have same ATKs?!" Go exclaimed.

"Both his monster and Holly Angel would be destroyed!" Aoi exclaimed, but Emilio didn't look slightest bit bothered.

Slasher's sword and Holly Angel's whip clashed fiercely, causing the two Link Monsters to explode without a trace as both have equal attacks.

"As Slasher destroyed a monster by battle, I activate its effect. I can Special Summon the monster it destroyed to a zone a Sun Avalon Link Monster points to." Emilio Special Summoned Holly Angel.

"My Holly Angel!" Aoi shouted in dismay. So that was what Emilio after. He aimed to steal her monster and use it against them. She frowned seeing her ace monster. Her eyes turned hostile red and were looking at her with a wicked smirk that was so not her character.

"I attack Trickstar Lycoris with Trickstar Holly Angel!" Emilio declared. Holly Angel lashed her whip, striking down Lycoris.

 **AOI & GO LP: 4000 = 3600**

"I end my Turn." Emilio concluded.

"Be careful, Onizuka. You mustn't let your monster being controlled by him too." Aoi told her Duel partner.

"You don't have to tell me. I won't let him take any of my monsters! Just focus on your Turn now!" Go stated with high spirit, glaring at the general.

Aoi nodded at the Gouki user before turning to Emilio with resolute eyes.

"I won't deny what you said about the origin of my avatar or the reason I became Charisma Duelist. I am exactly like the angel in that story book." Aoi admitted without any shame or reservation. Instead, she was filled with fierce determination.

"And just like the angel in that book, now I've learned I can't do everything alone. Now, I'm carrying the hopes of people who supports me. I'm fighting together with my friends who believe in me. I'm no longer fighting just for my own sake, I'm also fighting for everyone's sake." Aoi said while holding her shoulder to emphasize her means. Meeting Ruri and her friends helped her opening her eyes to the reality and her foremost wish.

"That's why I'm going to win this Duel and become stronger! I won't let my friends down!" Aoi declared as she began her Draw Phase.

"My Turn! I summon Candina (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 400 / LV: 4)!" As Candina was Normal Summoned, Aoi activated its effect to add a Trickstar card from her Deck to her hand. She added Trickstar Temptation.

"Appear! The circuit of dream and hope!" Aoi set Candina and Lycoris to the Link Markers of the circuit, performing Link Summon.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Trickstar Crimson Heart (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / LM: Bottom-Left, Right)!" Aoi summoned Crimson Heart to the Extra Monster Zone.

As Aoi Link Summoned a Trickstar monster, she activated the effect of Light Arena, letting her Special Summon a Trickstar monster that was used for that Link Summon from the Graveyard. She Special Summoned Candina to the bottom-left Link Point of Crimson Heart.

"As a Trickstar monster was Normal or Special Summoned to a zone Crimson Heart points to, I gain 200 LP!" Aoi recovered a small portion of her and Go's LP.

 **AOI & GO LP: 3600 = 3800**

"And then I activate Crimson Heart's effect! By discarding a Trickstar card, both players draw a card." Aoi discarded a card and then drew, followed by Go and Emilio. She immediately activated the card she just drew.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Trickstar Bouquet! I return a Trickstar monster to my hand, then increasing the ATK of a monster on the field by that Trickstar monster's ATK until the End Phase!" She returned Candina and increases the ATK of Sun Avalon Dryades to 1800.

"You increased my monster's ATK? What are you planning?" Emilio questioned as he looked at his powered-up monster.

"You'll see! As I control a Trickstar monster, I activate the Quick-Play Spell: Trickstar Temptation, to return a monster with an ATK that is higher than its original ATK to the hand." Aoi pointed at Emilio's Dryades who's ATK has increased as she declared so.

"Link Monster cannot be added to the hand, so you'll have to return it to the Extra Deck! With this your defense is destroyed!" Go pointed out while giving a smile to Aoi that was saying 'good job'.

"That won't happen, I'm afraid." Emilio said as he picked a card from his hand.

"As my opponent activated a card or effect that would target a Plant monster I control, I activate the effect of Sun Vine Maiden in my hand, Special Summoning it in Defense Position (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) and negating that effect." Emilio revealed, summoning Sun Vine Maiden who protected Dryades.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Aoi clicked her tongue at the close call.

"I'm sorry. I intended to give you more chances to attack. But looks like you'll have to think of something yourself." Aoi apologized to Go.

"Don't worry. Leave this to me. I, the Hero of LINK VRAINS, will be the one to open the path to victory." Go declared confidently as he began his Turn.

"I activate Magic Card: Re-Match!" Go revived Suprex and Twistcobra in Defense Position.

"Appear! My circuit!" Go set the two revived Gouki monsters to the Link Markers, summoning Gouki Shadow Ogre (ATK: 1000 / DEF: LINK: 2 / LM: Top, Bottom) to the zone the bottom-right Link Arrow of Thunder Ogre points to.

"As Suprex and Twistcobra were sent from the field to the Graveyard, I activates both of their effects to add two Gouki cards from my Deck." Go added two cards.

"And then, I summon Gouki Suprex." Go summoned another copy of Suprex. As Suprex was Normal Summoned, Go activated its effect, Special Summoning Riscorpio from his hand.

"I activate Riscorpio's effect, which lets me send a Gouki monster from my hand to the Graveyard, Special Summon another Gouki Monster from my hand, and increase the ATK of a Gouki monster I control by 800 until the end of the turn!" Go sent Gouki Moonsault, targeting Thunder Ogre and Special Summoned Headbatt (ATK: 800 / DEF: 0). This increased Thunder Ogre's ATK to 3000.

"General Emilio, it's true that in battlefield, those who are weak dies while those who are strong survives. However, it doesn't mean the strong ones can just mistreat the weak. Bullying the weak doesn't prove that you are strong! If you have the power and capabilities, then you must use it to protect the peace!" Go told the general. He initially dueled because dueling made him feel alive and also for the sake of the children in the orphanage. But after his fame rose and he became a top Charisma Duelist, he was too drunk by all the attention he got that the only thing in his mind was his ego.

But after meeting Phantom, dueling against him, he rekindled his true wish and passion. That's why now, he will repay him in full. He will stand by his side and fight together by Phantom side.

"The surprise starts now! Appear once more, my circuit!" Go set Suprex, Riscorpio, and Headbatt to the Link Markers, summoning Gouki The Great Ogre (ATK: 2600 / LINK: 3 / LM: Bottom-Left, Bottom, Bottom-Right) to the Extra Monster Zone.

"As Riscorpio and Headbatt were sent from the field to the Graveyard, I activates both of their effects to add two Gouki cards!" Go added Gouki Trainer and Gouki Face Turn to his hand.

"I activate Continuous Magic: Gouki Shout! Whenever a Gouki monster attacks, it will gain 300 ATK for every Gouki monster I control during the Damage Step!"

"And then I activate the Magic Card: Gouki Face Turn! I destroy a Gouki card I control to Special Summon a Gouki monster from my Graveyard!" Go destroyed Gouki Shout to Special Summon Jet Ogre from his Graveyard.

"Finally, I activate Magic Card: Gouki Crush Axe! Until the end of Damage Step, all my opponent monsters' effects are negated and I can inflict piercing damage!" Go made his last preparation, reinforcing his monsters' offensive power.

"Great! Now that Sun Avalon Dryas' effect is negated, it can be destroyed! And the Gouki monsters can inflict piercing damage against his Defense Position monsters!" Aoi exclaimed expectantly.

"Battle! First, I attack with Sun Avalon Dryas with Gouki the Great Ogre!" Go declared his first attack. Great Ogre jumped forward while raising his axe and then swung it down at the defenseless Sun Avalon Dryas. It was going to crush it in half.

"I've been waiting for that, actually." Emilio said with a grin, pointing at his face-down card.

"What?!" Go and Aoi exclaimed.

"I activate Trap Card: Sun Bloom Annihilation. If I control a Sun Avalon Link Monster, I can target 1 Monster I control and gain LP equal to the total ATK of all monsters on the Field with the same Type as that monster." Emilio opened his Trap, choosing Holly Angel, thus, recovering his LP equal to the combined ATK of Holly Angel and Crimson Heart seconds before Great Ogre's axe reached Dryas.

 **EMILIO LP: 3100 = 7100**

"A LP of 6100?!" Go exclaimed in shock.

Great Ogre's axe was blocked by the Dryas' vines, though it managed to cut some of the vines, inflicting damage to Emilio.

"Not only that, my Sun Avalon Link Monster cannot be destroyed until the End Phase and you'll receive half of the total damage I would take." Emilio revealed as his Dryas threw cutting leaves towards Aoi and Go, giving them small injuries like paper cuts.

Despite knowing this, Go didn't stop his attack. If he couldn't destroy Dyras, then at least he will destroy the other monsters on Emilio's Field to lessen his strength so that either he or Aoi can take him down on their Turn. He used Thunder Ogre to destroy Trickstar Holly Angel and then Shadow Ogre to destroy Sun Vine Maiden.

 **EMILIO LP: 7100 = 2000**

 **AOI & GO LP: 3800 = 1600**

"It's my turn to apologize for failing to finish him off." Go said to Aoi. It was frustrating that his finishing blow was attacked like that, but at least he has lowered their enemy's defense and offense. They now have more chances to defeat him.

"I'll do something in my next Turn–" Aoi said while trying to assure Go, but Emilio cut her off.

"You won't get your Turn, Aoi dear. Because I will be ending this Duel in this Turn." Emilio's grin widened when he said it.

"I haven't ended my Turn yet! How are you going to defeat us when you can't even make any move?" Go reminded.

"I activate Sun Bloom Annihilation's effect. By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can destroy all of my opponent's monsters with Link higher than the Link of Sun Avalon Monster I control and inflict 400 damage for each monster destroyed to my opponent!" Emilio revealed.

A tornado emerged from the ground, whirling fiercely as the flames around the area were pulled into the tornado, making it a burning tornado. The tornado strikes Aoi's Crimson Heart and Go's Shadow Ogre, Thunder Ogre, and Great Ogre, destroying them completely, leaving Aoi and Go at the mercy of the burning red tornado.

"This is the end for the both of you." Emilio stated coldly.

The tornado proceeded forward, trapping both Aoi and Go inside, cutting and burning the skins of their bodies as they screamed from both the pain and heat within the tornado. By the time the tornado disappeared into the thin air, Aoi and Go plummet hard to the ground, their bodies battered with bruises, cuts, and burnt. The pain was too great, slipping their consciousness away together with their last remaining LP.

 **AOI & GO LP: 1600 = 0**

"Your efforts to summon as many strong Gouki monsters as you have backfired. I thank you for your cooperation." Emilio said mockingly as he looked down at his unconscious opponents.

"Aoi-san! Onizuka-san!"

Emilio turned to the entrance and raised his brows. The ones whom the Supreme Commander was waiting for have arrived. Ruri and Yuya were the first to rushed into the scene, holding the unconscious Aoi and Go in their arms. The rest of the Lancers followed behind them.

"You're late for the party, Lancers." Emilio told the group.

"How dare you did this to Onizuka-san and Aoi-san!" Yuya stood up, raising his Duel Disk against Emilio. Ruri was also more than eager to fight the general.

"Please calm down, Mr. Phantom. There is a justify reason for us to do this."

Yuya and the rest gasped when they heard the voice. From behind Emilio, a silhouette of a man came out from between the flames and smokes. The Supreme Commander, Heidel Aberforth, emerged with grace. Not even a single dust on his body. It was like the flames didn't affect him at all. He walked so casually like he was taking a daily walk on the street.

"Good afternoon, Lancers. We have been waiting for you." Heidel said.

"Heidel Aberforth!" Kiryu took a step, in attempt to attack the man responsible for his and his friends' suffering, but Jonouchi held him back. They mustn't let emotion get the better of them at this timing.

"Supreme Commander, I think this is the time for you to tell us your real goal. We deserve to know why you kidnapped the Emperor and the Oracle, attacking the Spirit Farm and captured the Duel Monsters, everything you did all so you can unite this dimension with the real one and enslave the Duel Monsters." Jonouchi questioned while pulling Kiryu behind him. It was actually difficult for himself to remain calm when facing the one who kidnapped his close friend.

"Why are you so insistent in making Duel Monsters slaves?" Yuya questioned.

"If not, then humanity is doomed to extinct sooner or later." Heidel answered, which only bring more questions to the Lancers.

"The one who awakened Apophis 1,500 years ago, was my ancestor." Heidel revealed, earning him shocked and disbelief looks from the Lancers.

"However, he broke the seal not because he himself wishes to, but because he was influenced by the Earthbound Gods that he found."

"The Earthbound Gods?! You mean the cards belonged to Claire and the others?! The ones they got from their superior?!" Jonouchi recalled. The cards were supposed to have disappeared after the war and no one could find it ever since.

"Yes. My ancestor was the one who gave it to them. He believed that it would be useful to protect the country. But without him knowing, his every move was following the will of those cards, which lead the world almost being destroyed completely because those cards enticed him to awaken Apophis. And all is done by absorbing life energies from the ones using the cards." Heidel explained with concealed hatred and anger for the cards. Just speaking its name disgusted.

"What?! Are you saying that the reason Claire's shortening lifespan was because of the Earthbound God she had?!" Jonouchi questioned. His face started to pale at the thought of Claire's strongest card turned out to be like some kind of parasite that slowly sucking away her life.

"Yes. Once they served their purpose, the card disappeared and delivered those life energies to Apophis, strengthening him." Heidel confirmed.

"No way...! What actually are these Earthbound God cards?" Yuya asked uncomfortably. If Yuno and Celica knew of this, they won't take it well.

"Similarly, as Apophis, they are Duel Monsters born from negative aspects of humanity, though on smaller scale compared to Apophis. They sensed Apophis' existence above them and decided to awaken him into the world." Heidel revealed. But that's not his point in starting this story.

"However, that is not what I want to convey in this conversation. My point is that the will of Duel Monsters are far dangerous than you all thought." Heidel emphasized the dangerous part.

"What do you mean?" Yuji asked. They were Duel Monsters now, so they would like to hear what Heidel has to say.

"The Duel Monsters have been playing with us since our ancestors first met them. Dueling is said to be invented as agreement between mankind and Duel Monsters. But there's actually more behind that. The Duel Monsters disagrees about humans, so they devised an experiment to reveal mankind's true nature and worth. They wanted to see for themselves if human beings were capable of resisting the temptation of ultimate power. And thus, Duel is made." Heidel explained further, revealing what Zira hadn't told them when she met Neah, Yuya, and Yukiya.

"However, the game has been rigged from the very start. They have the power to influence humanity to do their bidding without we even realized it. They were trying to control us under disguise of Duels and feign partnership."

"Hold a second there, old man! Don't go and make conclusion by yourself! We're not like that! We're only trying to provide humanity with the opportunity to grow, to evolve!" Yuhei objected, feeling offended that he and his siblings were compared to those Duel Monsters.

"By ordering us to solve the puzzle and then hiding all the pieces? By indirectly interfering with our lives and lead us towards the stairs of doom?" Emilio spat bitterly. He seemed ready to strangle them, but Heidel pulled him behind him.

"Then how do you explain what you did last year? When you let your anger consumed you and force your respective masters to become a demon." Heidel reminded coldly. That shut their mouths. They couldn't retort.

The four dragons knew that was the fact. That time, they were so overwhelmed by their hatred for humanity for wrecking Zarc's mind, that they pushed their current masters to the edge and it made them suffer a great deal. And it was because of their anger and power too Zarc was able to fuse with them and nearly destroy the whole world.

"Who knows how many Duel Monsters out there will try to manipulate humans. They'll make us their puppets before we know it. That's why Duel Monsters should stay as obedient to us who are at the top of food chain!"

"And you'll accomplish that by robbing Duel Monsters of their will? That's some twisted world I would say." Yuzu questioned with a frown, not liking what she heard.

"There are people who perhaps share a strong bond with their Duel Monsters. But there were only little of them. Insignificant deviation like those people were nothing before the Duel Monsters. Though it leaves may change, the true essence of the tree does not. Duel Monsters are like parasites. They appear helpful while slowly taking over us, manipulating us without us realizing." Heidel continued, raising his hand and clenched them into a fist as his expression hardened.

"I will create the world that your generation deserves." Heidel decreed. He won't make the same mistake as his ancestor. He won't let the Duel Monsters to play with his mind and will. He will be the one pulling the strings and create the world only for humans.

Silence went over the area they were standing. It was like forever before Yuya broke it. He held Yuji's hand, tightening his grip firmly but gently. He smiled at Yuji to assure him. Yugo and Yuto also gave assurance to their respective dragons, while Serena assured Yura. Whatever they have done, that was all in the past now. They have changed. They won't let their past to ruin the bonds they have in the present just because of someone else's ridiculous judgment.

"I won't deny there are times that Duel Monsters are using us... But we humans are also as guilty. There are times our own ugliness and negativities influence the Duel Monsters and bring ruin to the world." Yuya spoke up, facing Heidel without flinching as he tightened his grip on Yuji's hand.

"Both humans and Duel Monsters are not perfect. And it is precisely because of that we're able to communicate with each other. That's how we, humans, earn Duel Monsters' loyalty and vice versa. We can only reach this point because we build trust with Duel Monsters! Both humans and Duel Monsters can live in harmony together!" Yuya stated. He wholeheartedly believed it. There would be still many bad Duel Monsters, but he won't let that to get in the way of understanding between humans and Duel Monsters who has the chance.

"That would be complete waste of time. My way will save you the trouble." Heidel replied, having no intention to change his mind.

"We already give you our answer, Supreme Commander." Yuya retorted, not giving up either. His friends behind him also stepped forward, standing by his side. They all believed the same. They have fought together with their monsters for years based on trust and friendship. Nothing can so easily break their bonds. The believe in each other, now and always.

Heidel closed his eyes and sighed in disappointment while Emilio shook his head while also as disappointed as his superior.

"Hmph. It's unfortunate that all of you have become nothing more but the Duel Monsters' lapdogs."

Heidel raised his hand that was holding a remote and pressed the green button. Once it was pressed, several ships started to fly up with Duel Monsters form farm in their clutches, ready to depart at any moment once the Duel Monsters have reached the percentage Heidel needed.

"Then our conversation ends here."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Ghost of Vengeance –** The Lancers disperse to stop the reformist ships from leaving with the Duel Monsters. Kiryu, unwilling to let go of the opportunity for revenge against Heidel, challenge the Supreme Commander to a Duel.

* * *

 **Finished. But I can't relax yet because there are still more Duels to go in the next chapters. Be prepared for lots of actions! The recent Arc-V manga chapter really gave me a big blow that I felt pushed to finish this chapter as quickly as I can. I originally intended to show two Duels here but decided not to because that would take longer times to update. In the next chapter, it's finally Heidel's debut Duel! What do you think Heidel's Deck will be? Hehehe, just wait for the next chapter! XD**

 **To** _ **Dante**_ **: If you're talking about something like summer vacation, there's no such vacation in my country since it only has summer season or rainy season.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	75. Ghost of Vengeance

**Big thanks to** _ **Ulrich362, tsukikami02, Dante, dvdryms, Playerhood18, Jason, Yuka Kuroshiro, Big duels, D3lph0xL0v3r, GamingGuy84**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully, you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **ROOM – RAMSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

CRACK

Akira frowned upon seeing a crack suddenly formed on the glass on the table just as he was about to pour tea for Yuno and the Emperor. Along with the crack was uneasy feeling. Cold sweat poured down from the side of his face. With shaky fingers he pressed a hand to his face, closing his eyes and feeling torrent of sweat on his damp skin. He fretted, feeling separation anxiety. His mind was screaming at him to go to his younger sister's side who was back at the Capital.

"What's wrong, Zaizen?" Yuno asked in concern when he noticed a change in Akira's expression and stiffened body.

"No. It's just… I have a bad feeling all of a sudden…" Akira admitted while reassumed to pour the tea and served it to the Oracle and Emperor.

"With everything that happened lately, it's not surprising all of us have a sudden bad premonition." Yuno replied and took a sip of the tea. He looked at his own reflection on the tea. They have planned everything and he trusted his comrades, but he was still worried for Yuya and everyone else. Unexpected things could have happened. That was how the real war is.

"Speaking about premonition, can't you see something with your power, Lord Oracle?" The Emperor asked, but Yuno shook his head.

"Unfortunately, this is not a power that I can use at any time I want. Actually, I can do try to see a vision at my own will, but it cost me most of my energy and it hard for me to move for a whole day. Also, I have to be in a temple to strengthen the vision." Yuno answered. For once, he wanted for a vision to just come in, giving him any clue of what is going to happen or what was happening elsewhere at the moment.

"I see. My apologies." The Emperor said. He was asking too much.

"It's fine. I can understand your worry. I'm also worry for my family and friends… It's really hard to just wait. All we can do is believing in them." Yuno replied. Finally, he understood the feeling of helplessness more than before. Unable to do anything but wait was painful. This must be how those who were unable to fight were feeling whenever their loved ones go to the battlefield.

"Despite what happened with your sons, you are still able to remain calm, Your Majesty." Akira commented while pouring another tea for him.

"I'm only pretending to be calm. Truthfully, I'm worrying them, especially Kurt. I thought I know him well, but it turned out I am not." The Emperor smiled sadly while looking at the pendant that contained his family photo. He was aware that he was too busy to spend times with his sons for months due to his position as the Emperor, still he thought he understood them. He thought they were still the same sons he knew from years before albeit more mature. But the revelation about Kurt and the twins' connection to Apophis from Yuno's vision proved him wrong.

"Stop." Yuno said sternly, causing the Emperor and Akira to turned his attention to the Oracle who has a reprimanding look on his face directed towards none other but to the Emperor. "Don't do this to yourself, Your Majesty."

The Emperor and Akira blinked at the scolding tone the Oracle was giving, which was unusual, and he even said to the most important person in the country no less.

"I beg your pardon, but if I may say, what you do just now won't help anyone, Your Majesty. Not your sons or yourself. In this situation there's no point in blaming yourself or anyone else. If you truly want to help then what you must do is trying your best to think for a way to make it up for the people you care about. Think what the best for them from now on." Yuno suggested. He had done the same before, and it cost him more rather than helping.

"If I may ask, are you saying this based on your experience, Lord Oracle?" The Emperor asked.

"Yes. I've experienced too many times that I lost count of them. We can't change what already happened, but we can change what may happen in the future as long as there's a possibility." Yuno answered honestly. He learned a lot for the past 1,500 years, and they were not easy lessons. "That's why we must stop blaming ourselves, and instead think what we can do for them from now on. We must think quick so that we won't have any regret…"

Yuno trailed off as his mind recalled what his children told him before when he and Leo visited them secretly. How his children, to his embarrassment, was urging him to marry his long love Celica.

" _It's about time the two of you are together, you know?"_

He still loved her even now. And Celica herself had also admitted that her feeling remained the same as before. Their feelings were mutual. Now there was nothing to stop them from being together like before. And he knew that Claire wouldn't mind. In fact, he was positive if she were to appear as a ghost at this moment, she would encourage him to just propose Celica.

"It's about time…huh…"

 **ENTRANCE – SPIRIT FARM – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The Lancers were facing Heidel and Emilio with their fighting stance. Emilio was ready to make his move, but Heidel raised his hand, gesturing him not to engage them, which Emilio obediently conceded to and lowered his Duel Disk again and ran towards one of the ships as he was ordered to, leaving Heidel all alone with the Lancers.

"Supreme Commander, you said that you will enslave the Duel Monsters and make this world only for humans. But how can you be so sure that what you're doing is not following the will of the Earthbound Gods? What if you're actually being manipulated by them?" Reiji asked. If he understood it right, the Earthbound Gods manipulated its users to lead them into Apophis' awakening. Heidel's current action was no different from helping Apophis and his group as he helped in spreading negative energies that were the source of the Dragon of Calamity's power.

Heidel smiled calmly at the question. Instead of answering, he simply raised his left arm and started folding his sleeve, revealing a bracelet circling his wrist.

"That's…!" Ruri pointed at the bracelet in shock. It was a silver bracelet similar as the ones that Ray's fragments have before that were now served as mediums for the Four Heavenly Dragons to materialize as humans in the realm. But Heidel's bracelet gem has rectangular shape and brown in color. It was also bigger in size.

"Yes. This is a similar bracelet that you have that created from the pure energies of the world. When I went to ARC-V, I had my men to bring the remains of Leo Akaba's research. I start my own research, and finally find a way to suppress the negative energies of the Earthbound Gods from influencing me." Heidel explained. After rediscovering the Earthbound Gods, he and his team of scientists tried hard to find a way to prevent the cards from twisting his mind. Thanks to Leo's research, they managed to create the bracelets and now the ones who are using the Earthbound Gods doesn't need to worry of being influenced by them.

"As long as we have the same bracelets, we'll be fine. The Earthbound Gods won't be able to do anything with our minds. Not just them, but also other Duel Monsters." Heidel added as he folded his sleeve again, covering the bracelet.

"So the bracelets have that kind of function too." Serena mused as she looked at her old bracelet on Yura's right wrist.

"I believe that you don't have time to speak with me." Heidel said as he turned to the ships behind him that started flying away from the farm.

"This is bad! They're going to take away the Duel Monsters!" Gongenzaka exclaimed.

"Let's split up and stop them! Hurry!" Yuya yelled, prompting them to disperse, ignoring the Supreme Commander who made no move to stop them. The Four Heavenly Dragons, on the other hand, took back Aoi and Go to their ship for medical attention. However, Rin then stopped when she noticed Kiryu remained standing facing against the Supreme Commander.

"Kiryu-san?!" Rin called out. She flinched when she sensed hostile aura from her mentor that was close to being murderous. She then remembered Kiryu's story of how his life was ruined by Heidel. And now his hated enemy was right in front of him.

"You go on ahead. I'm going to take care of him." Kiryu told her.

"No, you can't, Kiryu-san! I understand how you feel, but this is not the time for that!" Rin tried to persuade him, but Kiryu would have none of that.

"I've waited too long for this! I won't let him go! Not this time!" Kiryu said without turning to Rin, his eyes were solely on Heidel alone.

"But–"

"I said go!"

That was what forced Rin to concede to Kiryu's demand. She knew she couldn't stop Kiryu when he was like this. At least not now. She will handle the ships and then returned immediately to make sure he won't do something rash. She won't let him.

 _"Please be safe, Kiryu-san!"_ Rin prayed.

And thus, now Kiryu was alone with his hated enemy. He had been waiting for this moment for years. Simply looking at Heidel brought the memories of the day when he lost his friends. And now the person responsible for that was right in front of his very eyes. The time has come for him to exact his revenge.

"After everything you have done, I won't let you get away. I will make you pay for your crimes." Kiryu said with venom in both his words and tone as he activated his Duel Disk.

"I don't know what make you hold so much grudge for me, but I admit that I have done many things that would make people despise, and you're just one of those people." Heidel replied calmly, unflinching at the rage displayed by the young man.

"You experimented humans for your own ends. Don't you have any reservation at all?!" Kiryu questioned angrily.

"This is for the sake of the better world. It is necessary to make collateral casualties. The end justifies the means." Heidel defended his actions without a shroud of doubt.

"They are not collateral casualties! You and your men killed them for your own selfishness! You don't have any right to take away their lives! Not a single one of them!" Kiryu yelled out along with his anger that he could no longer contain. To think that his friends were killed by a man like this.

"I will never forgive you! I'll avenge my friend right here and now!" Kiryu declared, glaring daggers at the Supreme Commander who started wearing his Duel Disk.

"I can only guess that you are one of the test subjects who managed to escape. In that case, I will do the honor to send you to your friends." Heidel said as he activated his Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! I activate Magic Card: Contract of the Void! By discarding my entire hand, I can Special Summon Infernity General (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 1500) from my Graveyard!" Kiryu sent all of his cards into his Graveyard and then summoned Infernity General in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I end my Turn." Kiryu concluded. Heidel was bemused by the move Kiryu made but didn't make any comment on it.

"My Turn. I summon Time Machine Angel (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)." Heidel summoned Angel in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Battle. I attack Infernity General with Time Machine Angel." Heidel declared attack, surprising Kiryu.

"What?! You attack even though it has 0 ATK?!" Kiryu exclaimed with question.

Heidel then picked up a card. "I activate Trap Card: The Fool's Ruling from my hand! I reduce the Battle Damage I would take to 0!" He activated the card from his hand following its effect, allowing Angel to survive Infernity General's counter attack.

"And then I activate Time Machine Angel's effect! After it battles, I can return all the monster my opponent control to my opponent's hand!" Heidel revealed, returning Infernity General to Kiryu's hand.

"Tsk. So that's why he attacked even though it was not match for my monster." Kiryu commented as he looked at the Time Machine monster.

"Next I activate Trap Card: The Magician's Wisdom! I can inflict 300 damage to my opponent for each card that was returned to my opponent's hand!" Heidel once again activated a Trap from his hand, sending a yellow-colored energy shot at Kiryu who almost got thrown back.

 **KIRYU LP: 4000 = 3700**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Heidel concluded.

"My Turn! I once again summon Infernity General!" Kiryu placed his monster again in the same position.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Kiryu concluded.

 _"Ending his Turn again without a card in his hand and Infernity General in Attack Position. He is clearly inviting me to attack me. Interesting."_ Heidel thought in amusement.

"My Turn. I activate Continuous Trap: Nonexistence Machine - Ain Machine - Ain! Now I can Normal Summon Level 10 or above monsters without Releasing if I control no monsters, however the ATK of all monsters I control will become 0." Heidel Normal Summoned Metaion, the Time Machine God (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 10) in Attack Position without a tribute in the Main Monster Zone.

"Battle. I attack Infernity General with Metaion." Heidel declared attack again, intending to repeat the same combo as a while ago. However, before Metaion reach General, Kiryu opened his first Trap.

"Trap Card: Power Switch! Both of our monsters' ATKs are switched until the end of this Turn!" Kiryu switched his General's ATK with Metaion's ATK, making the former's ATK at 0 while the latter at 2700. Due to the switch, the light laser went through General's stomach, destroying the Infernity monster.

 **KIRYU LP: 3700 = 1000**

 _"He purposely let his monster being destroyed and lowered his LP even more..."_ Heidel stated while observing Kiryu and thought of his possible moves.

"I end my Turn." Heidel concluded.

"My Turn." Kiryu saw his card only for a moment before setting it immediately. "I set a card and end my Turn."

"My Turn." Heidel drew a card while continued to observe Kiryu. He hasn't made any move yet with his face-down cards. This was clearly a trap. The young man was waiting for him to summon his monster and attack.

"I activate Trap Card: Chains of Purgatory! My opponent must summon a monster from his hand or else he must discard his entire hand!" Kiryu opened his second Trap, forcing Heidel to summon Metaion again.

"At this moment, I activate my las Trap Card: Void Gear! My opponent's monster gains 1000 ATK and it must conduct an attack!" Kiryu increased Metaion's ATK to 1000, exactly the same as his own LP. Controlled by a black gear implanted in its back, Metaion was forced make its shot, depleting Kiryu's remaining LP.

 **KIRYU LP: 1000 = 0**

"Most people would think that you are insane for reducing your own LP to 0, but I doubt that you let yourself being attacked without a plan." Heidel stated as he eyed Kiryu analytically. He never really pays attention to Kiryu, but if he was a member of Imperial Guardians personally handpicked by Celica, then his skill must be a first-class. And from Kiryu's reaction since his first Turn, he knew that Kiryu was fully aware of what he was doing.

"Correct!" Kiryu grinned as he picked the card that stuck out from his Deck and showed it to Heidel.

"At this moment, I activate Trap Card: Zero Gate of Purgatory from my Graveyard! When my LP is at 0 and I don't have a card in my hand and Field, I can Special Summon Purgatory Dragon - Ogre Dragoon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10) from my Extra Deck and prevents me for losing while the monster is not destroyed!" Kiryu summoned his ace monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"This dragon bears all the feelings I have against you for years. Together, we have been waiting to take you down!"

Kiryu pointed his finger at Heidel as Ogre Dragoon roared loudly.

"We will fulfil our revenge!"

He will win this Duel. For the sake of his deceased friends who were killed and his friends that he has now who are supporting him.

 **SPIRIT FARM – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Rin, Reiji, Yugo, and Sawatari went after the airship that was taking Duel Monsters at the south. They attempted to stop the ship from leaving by summoning their respective monsters, but before they even could activate their Duel Disks, the airship made a beeline for shots through their cannons, forcing the Lancers to take cover using nearby debris or anything that could protect them.

Not finished with that, several men went down and challenge them while the airship began moving again. While Heidel's duelists were easy to deal with, that bought enough time for the ship to leave with the Duel Monsters despite the Lancers' desperate struggle to save the Duel Monsters. The airship has flown too far for them to reach by the time the Duel ended.

"Damn it! We can't stop it!" Yugo cursed, punching a nearby wall.

"How about the others? Please tell me at least one of us is able to stop them." Sawatari looked at Reiji who was contacting their comrades. To his disappointment, Reiji shook his head, meaning none of them succeed in stopping the airships form leaving.

"They most likely used the same way to let the airships escape." Reiji concluded with a tired look.

"Kiryu-san..." Rin mumbled, causing the boys to turn to her. "We have to return to Kiryu-san! He is fighting Heidel right now!"

"Wait, what?! That guy didn't leave with us and instead stay behind to challenge the old man?!" Sawatari questioned.

"Yes! There's nothing we can do for the Duel Monsters now, so we have to return! I have a bad feeling about this!" Rin pleaded. She knew that her mentor was strong, but the Supreme Commander gave off a bad vibe that worried her so much for her mentor.

"If he is truly dueling against Heidel, then this will be a good opportunity for us to asses Heidel's skill as a Duelist. Let us go." Reiji said calmly and beckoned them to move again, though Rin already ran ahead of them. Her chest was filled with uneasiness and her mind was filled with concern for her mentor.

 _"Please let us be on time! Kiryu-san!"_

 **ENTRANCE – SPIRIT FARM – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICAL DIMENSION**

"Due to Infernity Pawn was discarded via the effect of Contract with Purgatory, I can't draw. But, due to Infernity Queen also discarded due to Contract with Purgatory, my Purgatory Dragon - Ogre Dragoon may attack directly!" Kiryu revealed to Heidel who didn't show any particular reaction.

"Battle! I attack directly with Ogre Dragoon!" Kiryu declared. Ogre Dragoon opened its maw, shooting a stream of black flames that burn Heidel. However, Heidel didn't receive any injury, his uniform jacket being fireproof.

 **HEIDEL LP: 4000 = 1000**

"I end my Turn." Kiryu concluded.

"That is truly a fascinating monster. I can feel your emotions directly from the last attack. I can now understand how much you despise me." Heidel said. He still remained composed while wiping the dust from his jacket despite the huge damage he received.

"Do you really not feel sorry for the lives that have lost because of you? Do you not feel any regret?" Kiryu questioned bitterly.

"I have thrown such sentiments away the moment I made up my mind to enslave the Duel Monsters. Those emotions would only make me doubt my own goal. This is the time that conscience must be thrown in favor for reason."

"That reason itself is far too twisted!"

"Call me whatever you like. I have prepared for everything to will come at me."

"My Turn. I send Nonexistence Machine - Ain to the Graveyard in order to activate my face-down Continuous Trap: Endless Machine - Ain Soph. Now I can Special Summon Level 10 or higher monsters from my hand, but the ATK of all monsters on my side of the Field will become 0." Heidel used the effect to Special Summon Zaphion, the Time Machine God (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 10), Sadion, the Time Machine God (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 10), Kamion, the Time Machine God (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 10) in Attack Position, and Razion, the Time Machine God (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 10).

 _"Four Level 10 Monsters at once?! But with those ATKs, he won't be able to destroy Ogre Dragoon. And if he tries to use its effect to send Ogre Dragoon back to the Deck, I'll use Void Gear's second effect to stop it."_ Kiryu thought, but still remained on guard against the Supreme Commander.

"Now, I overlay all of my Time Machine Gods to open the Overlay Network!" Heidel overlay his four Time Machine Gods into the black portal, opening the Overlay Network.

"An Xyz Summon!" Kiryu exclaimed in surprise.

"Xyz Summon! Come forth! Chaos Numbers 92: Fake-Body Void Dragon, Heart-eartH Chaos Dragon (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 0 / RNK: 10 / ORU: 4)!" Heidel summoned Heart-eartH Chaos Dragon in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Chaotic Cross! I Increase the ATK of Xyz Monster I control by 600 for every Overlay Unit it has." Heidel opened his face-down card, increasing his dragon's ATK to 3400.

"Battle. I attack Ogre Dragoon with Heart-eartH Chaos Dragon." Heidel declared Battle Phase. Heart-eartH Chaos Dragon blast a stream of purplish reddish flame towards the opposing dragon who roared at the incoming blast and countered it with its own blast. The two flames clashed fiercely, trying to push each other.

"I activate Ogre Dragoon's effect! Once per Turn, when I don't have any card in my hand, I can negate the activation of Magic or Trap that my opponent controls and destroy it and my dragon gain 500 ATK!" Kiryu negated Chaotic Cross' effect, reverting the Xyz Monster's ATK back to 1000.

"I activate Chaotic Cross' effect in the Graveyard! By banishing it, I can recover my LP equal to the ATK of the monster that got targeted by this card's effect and draw 1 card!" Heidel added Heart-eartH Chaos Dragon's powered up ATK into his LP, increasing his LP by 2400 and then he drew a card.

 **HEIDEL LP: 1000 = 3400**

The Xyz Monster defended its master against Ogre Dragoon's blast that managed to overpower its blast, barely saving Heidel from defeat.

 **HEIDEL LP: 3400 = 900**

"I end my Turn." Heidel concluded, wiping a sweat formed on his face. He admitted that even he was taken aback by the counter.

"Now you only have 900 LP. And your Xyz Monster only has 1000 ATK. Looks like you have reached the end of your line, Heidel Aberforth." Kiryu narrowed his eyes at Heidel.

Finally, he will fulfil it.

The vow he made to himself for the sake of his deceased friends.

"Battle! I attack directly with Purgatory Dragon - Ogre Dragoon!" Kiryu declared immediately. Ogre Dragoon opened its mouth as it flew above Heart-eartH Chaos Dragon. It unleashed a lightning blast that went straight down to where Heidel was standing, passing the Xyz dragon.

Now, everything will end in a single blow-

"When I'm being targeted for an attack, I can Special Summon Time Machine Fairy (ATK: 200 / DEF: 200 / LV: 2) in Defense Position. Now, the attacking monster must attack Fairy instead." Heidel summoned Fairy in Defense Position in the Main Monster Zone. The Time Machine monster shielded Heidel, blocking the strike. Due to its effect, it was not destroyed.

"What?!" Kiryu exclaimed in dismay. He then gritted his teeth in frustration. He almost had him.

"You're done, aren't you? End your Turn." Heidel demanded.

"I end my Turn." Kiryu concluded, clicking his tongue again at the close call.

"I praise you for pushing me this much. But I'm sorry to say that you're still nowhere near enough to defeat me." Heidel told the Infernity user, ignoring the angry look the latter sent him.

"My Turn. I activate Time Machine God Zachiel's (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 10) effect from my hand. I can discard this card to give a monster on my Field its Level." Heidel sent Zachiel to the Graveyard, giving Heart-earth Chaos Dragon its Level, making the dragon Level 10.

"Now, I tune Heart-eartH Chaos Dragon with Time Machine Fairy!" Heidel tune his now Level 10 Xyz monster with Fairy that was a Tuner Monster.

"A Synchro Summon?!" Kiryu was surprised once more. First Xyz, and now Synchro. The Supreme Commander was specialized in multiple summoning methods.

"Appear! Level 11! Earthbound God Epunamun (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 11)!" Heidel summoned his strongest monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone. It has black-colored body as the other Earthbound Gods, but it took form of a large humanoid only partially coming out of the ground, surrounded by flames, with a bull's skull for a head, and several chains restraining it to the ground.

"A Level 11 Synchro Earthbound God Monster?!" Kiryu was beyond shocked by now. Not only it was as big as the other Earthbound Gods, but it also has far stronger power than them. What's more, he felt a strong hunger and thirst from the monster that gave him chill.

"Kiryu-san!"

Kiryu turned to his side to see Rin returned with Reiji, Yugo, and Sawatari. They were as stunned as him upon seeing the Earthbound God monster hovering over them. It was even bigger than the Obelisk Force's Antique Gear Chaos Giant. Do all Earthbound God monsters are this big?

They gasped when Epunamun turned its attention to the Lancers. Once its eyes were on them, the Earthbound God monster let out a howl.

 _ **"Reiji Akaba... Lancers...!"**_

"It spoke!" Sawatari shuddered and almost screeched out of shock. This was the very first time he ever heard a Duel Monster spoke, not counting Supreme King Dragon Zarc last year.

 _ **"You shall pay...! All of you...Deprive! I'll destroy you all!"**_

Reiji blinked at the Earthbound Monster. For some reason, the monster felt familiar to him. Its presence didn't feel like a stranger. The cruelty and apathy coming from the Earthbound Monster's very form. And most of all the desire to rule and anger directed towards them, especially at him. There was no doubt about it. The only person he felt the same feeling from was...

"I see. You are Jean-Michel Roget, aren't you?" Reiji addressed the Earthbound Monster, recognizing its previous human life.

This, of course, shocked Yugo, Rin, and Sawatari who knew of Roget. They couldn't forget him even if they wanted to. The man was a former Academia member who betrayed Leo and took over the City so he could make Synchro Dimension his own personal kingdom. He gave them a lot of trouble when the Lancers went to Synchro Dimension. When he tried to take Serena and Yuzu back to Fusion Dimension with him after he lost, Yuri dueled him. Driven mad from another loss, Roget activated the worm hole that almost sucked the whole Synchro Dimension into the void, but Yuri stopped him by throwing him into the wormhole and stopped the machine.

Since then, they never heard of Roget again. As the wormhole was connected to the void between dimensions, they came into conclusion that he was stuck in the void until he died. The fact that he now was a Duel Monster proved it.

"What?! Roget?!" Sawatari exclaimed in disbelief.

"That bastard who wrecked the City last year?!" Yugo glared at the Earthbound Monster. He still hasn't forgotten what the guy did to his hometown.

"I found him by a chance. He holds a strong grudge against you all for ruining his entire plan and also leaving him to his death in the void between dimensions. He is willing to provide me with information he has about your dimensions in return I dispose of you." Heidel revealed with a smirk.

"Both of you have many similarities, which makes you a troublesome pair of enemies." Reiji stated. Even though he looked calm, he was uneasy to find out that Roget has returned as their enemy now.

"Let's resume. I activate Earthbound God Epunamun's effect. Once per Turn, I can summon as many Earthbound Gods as I can from my Deck, but at the end of Turn, they'll be destroyed." Heidel summoned Earthbound God Chacu Challuca (ATK: 2900 / DEF: 2400 / LV: 10) and Earthbound God Cusillu (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2400 / LV: 10) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Impossible! You can't summon Earthbound God without Field Spell! Furthermore, there can only be one Earthbound God on the Field!" Kiryu pointed out the irregularities as two more Earthbound Gods appeared on Heidel's side.

"It's another one of Epunamun's effect. I can summon them ignoring the Earthbound Gods' effects." Heidel replied.

"But no matter how many you summon them Ogre Dragoon is still stronger!" Kiryu reminded while trying to keep his cool. His dragon still has equal and higher ATK than the Earthbound God monsters.

"That won't be long." Heidel's smirk widened as he raised his right arm up at Epunamun. "I activate Epunamun's second effect. For each Earthbound God I control; my opponent's monster loses 800 ATK!" Heidel declared as Epunamun howled, letting out sound wave that weakening Ogre Dragoon, reducing its LP to 600.

"What?!" Kiryu took a step back from shock. Ogre Dragoon's ATK has been lowered by 2400, making it weaker and vulnerable than any of the Earthbound Gods.

"This is the end. Battle. I attack with Earthbound Epunamun."

Epunamun emerged from the ground, revealing its full body that resembled a minotaur. It dived from the air, striking the Purgatory Dragon – Ogre Dragoon with its foot and sending the dragon airborne. It then unsheathed its claws and slashed Kiryu's dragon twice, knocking it down on the ground. Retracting its claws and releasing its axe made of its energies, Epunamun ended its attack by diving down and clawing the dragon together with Kiryu who was beneath, destroying Ogre Dragoon and thrown off the heavily injured Kiryu.

"Kiryu-san!" Rin yelled in horror as her mentor was defeated. She didn't waste any second to rush to her injured mentor who instantly lost his consciousness from the attack, pulling his head into her arms.

"Why you!" Yugo stood in front of Rin and Kiryu together with Sawatari, both ready to take on the Supreme Commander next.

"My time in this place is over. It's time for me to retreat." Heidel pressed a button on his Duel Disk screen that appeared to be a teleportation program. He pressed the coordinate where it would send him straight back to the ship.

"Wait! You think we'll let you get away?!" Sawatari was ready to stop him, but Reiji's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"No. Calm down. Look at everyone's condition. We can't afford to prolong this battle and risk everything we have left." Reiji told Sawatari, turning to Rin who was still holding the unconscious Kiryu as well as their surroundings.

With great reluctantce, Sawatari let Heidel disappeared into particles, leaving the farm.

 **MEDICAL ROOM – LANCERS HIDEOUT – MOUNTAIN – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Under Yuya's suggestion, they took Johan, Lechter, Reid, Kiryu, Aoi, and Go to their hideout. The other people who were injured from the attack at the farm were tended by The Brotherhood under Neah's command with the help from Imperial Guardians. Celica returned to the base after spending a few hours with Carl, bringing a group of doctors with her to tend to their injuries.

"How are they?" Yuya asked to one of the doctors who were tending his friends.

"They suffered heavy injuries, but they'll be fine after a few days' rest. We're going to move them to empty rooms." The Doctor informed her, which brought relief to Yuya and the others who have been waiting for the result.

"Thank goodness…" Yuzu sighed in relief, falling back to the chair.

"Still, with Reid, Johan, Kiryu and Lechter like this, it's a big loss for our side. Heidel's generals are stronger than I thought." Jonouchi stated while staring worriedly at his sleeping comrades. Even Lechter who was supposed to be the strongest out of the higher-ups in The Brotherhood was defeated, he had underestimated Heidel's generals.

"And now that he has the Duel Monsters, he can activate the machine to merge the realms and enslave the Duel Monsters." Sora remarked with a frown, biting his lollipop harder than necessary.

"We can't wait for a few more days! We have to make our move now!" Yugo suggested.

"Calm down! We don't know that he'll activate the machine immediately. We can't just charge straight into his fortress without proper plan!" Gloria objected.

"So you're saying we just wait here until he activate the machine?!" Sawatari exclaimed.

"That's not what we meant, but we know how strong our enemies are, so we can't afford to make careless moves!" Grace retorted.

"What should we do, Yuya?" Sayaka asked, turning to their leader while the rest started arguing.

"I…I don't know. I'm sorry, but this is too sudden for me too." Yuya apologized. He honestly was at loss right now. They have lost many of their manpower before the real battle even started. What if there was more? He didn't know what to do.

The Pendulum user stopped his thought when he felt a pat on his back. Reiji was behind him, holding his shoulder.

"Don't panic. None of us expect this to happen. Now that Heidel has his fuels, we need a change of plan, but it's pointless if we let our emotions get better of us. We must try to remain calm." Reiji said, addressing not only Yuya, but also the rest who were arguing. That calmed them down. Everyone was restless by the attack. They understood that.

"Yeah. Thanks, Reiji." Yuya thanked the second-in-command before turning to his friends. "Everyone, let's take a rest for now. We're restless and not thinking straight. Let's cool our heads for a while and then we gather at the meeting room to remake our plan."

With that, the tension was cooled down. Agreeing to Yuya's suggestion, they all decided to take a rest in their own way.

"I'm going to check on Johan-san. If you need anything, you can find me in his room." Yuzu told Yuya before leaving to where her mentor was, leaving only Yuya and Reiji left in the medical room.

"By the way, where are Yuji and the others?" Reiji asked, not seeing the four dragons ever since they returned to the ship.

"They said they have something to talk about with Yukiya, Sara, and Yuri in LINK VRAINS. It seems very important." Yuya answered.

 **THE RIFT – LINK VRAINS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuri was blinking while staring at the Rift. When Yukiya and Sara came to him together with the four dragons, they dragged him to this place since he has nothing to do (much to his boredom), saying that they have a job for him to do that might ease his boredom until he got his body back. He thought it has something to do with the enemies, so he was quite confused when he was instead brought to a domain where the border between human realm and Duel Monster realm was located in LINK VRAINS.

"This is the core border between human realm and Dimension Pulse?" Yuri asked while still staring at the Rift.

"Yes. All this time we're trying to slow it down from opening." Yura answered.

"I can see that it's not working so much and since Heidel already got his fuels, it's only a matter of time it will merge with our realm if we let him be." Yuri said. He has heard from Yukiya their failure in stopping Heidel and his men from kidnapping the Duel Monsters. He couldn't blame them. They all took them by surprise.

"That's why we must stop him quickly. But until then, we have to slow it down again even if it's just a little." Yuzo told the Fusion user.

"So you're calling me here to help you slowing down the border?" Yuri asked again.

"No. You alone don't have the power to do it." Yukiya interrupted, pointing at himself and then Sara. "Sara and I are the ones who are going to slow it down. Your job would be protecting us in case the enemies found this place. We can't fight while slowing down the rift."

"You two have the power?" Yuri raised a brow at the two.

"With the power Zarc and Ray left behind, we can." Yukiya revealed. Yuri's eyes widened a bit upon hearing Zarc and Ray's name left his mouth. He knew that Yukiya wasn't talking about his and Sara's avatars, they're talking about their previous lives.

Yukiya shrugged while smiling softly. "Yes. We already knew the whole thing, Yuri. But please don't tell the others yet. I want to tell them myself, especially Yuya." He requested. This was his problem, so he wanted to be the one to resolve it.

"So you knew his problem too." Yuri sighed, referring to Yuya's lingering attachment for Zarc. He then shrugged back. "Well, as long as you'll tell him in the end, then I won't open my mouth. Zip it tight."

"Thanks." Yukiya smiled in appreciation for Yuri's understanding.

"But wait, you said if I'm alone, I don't have the power, right? Then if I have someone else helping with me, I can close the Rift too?" Yuri asked again, noticing the hidden information in Yukiya's words.

"What we meant is if you're not with Starve Venom, you can't close the Rift. But even if you're with her, unlike Yukiya and Sara, it'll take a great toll on you. The same also goes for Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo." Yuhei stepped in to explain this time, making a gesture that separated Yuri from his ace monster.

"We're not going to let you take the toll. It'll be too much for us." Yura said seriously, not giving her master any room to object or discussion. They won't do it and that's final. She didn't want to close the Rift if it means sacrificing her master's lifespan. He was still young. She didn't want him to die so soon.

Yuri was having a staring contest with his ace monster who still refused to budge. After a few seconds that felt like an hour, Yuri finally conceded. He didn't know exactly what the toll that she meant, but from how serious and the others were look, he knew that it involved a big sacrifice.

"Well, I always prefer fighting than standing still, so I'll let you do the boring job while I get the fun." Yuri relented, much to their relief.

"Kuri~" Winged Kuriboh landed itself on Yuri's shoulder, caressing its fur to its master's cheek, which Yuri returned with a chuckle and a ruffle on the Kuriboh's soft and fluffy fur that made it squeal in delight. It was worried for him. It was worried that he would think that way again.

"Yeah. I know. I'm not going to do that again." Yuri assured his Kuriboh

Winged Kuriboh was worried that he will decide to waste his life again like he did two days ago. He won't do it again. After his Duel against Dennis, he realized how much he wanted to live. Not just for his friends who cares for him, but also for his own sake. He doesn't want to die while having so many regrets and sins he has yet to atone. He doesn't want to die without changing into a better person. He will face his past mistakes. He won't run away from them.

"I won't avert my eyes anymore."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Beginning of Rescue –** After failing to stop Heidel from taking away the Duel Monsters, the Lancers unexpectedly received contact from Kurt who gives them another piece of information and a surprise that force the Lancer to act faster.

* * *

 **I was given a day off, so I have time to write this chapter and update. The rescue operation will begin in the next chapter. The final battle against Heidel's group also starts from next chapter on. You'll find more surprises later! Oh, and I think you already realize this, but there are still more of Heidel's Deck in future chapter. Look forward to it!**

 **Sorry for any error. Gonna fix it later if there's one.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	76. Beginning of Rescue

**Big thanks to** _ **tsukikami02, Ulrich362, Jason, Unknowedz, Big duels, dvdryms, Yuka Kuroshiro, D3lph0xL0v3r, Playerhood18, GamingGuy84**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully, you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **GO'S ROOM – MEDICAL QUARTER – LANCERS HIDEOUT – MOUNTAIN – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Urgh…" Go blinked open his eyes. His entire body was too much in pain that he couldn't even lift a finger. The first thing he saw through his blurry vision was a bolb of green and red. He blinked again slowly to clear his vision.

"You're awake."

When Go heard the familiar voice, he blinked faster to fasten his vision. And then he saw him. The boy with red eyes and tomato-colored hair wearing a goggle was looking at him in relief. Go immediately recognized him. The boy has unique feature that made him distinguishable and stood out from most people.

"You're…the one who came to the orphanage last time…" Go said the first thing he thought.

"Yeah. I'm glad you're awake now." Yuya said with a smile while letting out a breath.

"Where are we…?" Go asked while trying to look the room without moving his head too much. From the wall and the smell, he could only think he was at the hospital.

"At the Lancers' hideout. We brought you here after you and Aoi-san lost against one of the Supreme Commander's three generals." Yuya answered, bringing a shock to Go's expression

"That's right! What about Zaizen?! She's with me…!" Go tried to sit up, but the instant he tried to move, pain attacked his hole body, causing him to slump back to the bed. Shock and confusion swarmed his mind. Shocked that he was at the Lancers hideout and confused how he ended up here and also why Yuya was here in the first place.

"Don't worry. She's resting in another room." Yuya assured him.

"But, wait, so you're a member of Lancers? That means you're from ARC-V?" Go asked. He only knew that Yuya was a relative of Yukito, one of a few people who regularly sends charity to his orphanage. It wasn't that long when Yuya came to the orphanage and played with the children. The boy was also a Phantom fan…or so that was what he assumed. If the boy was here, that means he was either a member of Lancer or was helping them.

"Actually…" Yuya reached into his pocket and brought out a card with a nervous smile, not sure how Go was going to react to this. He then showed his card to the Gouki user, Odd-Eyes Cyber Dragon, his ace monster when he was using Phantom persona in LINK VRAINS. Yuya let out a weak laugh when he saw Go's eyes seemed almost bulging out upon seeing the card.

"You're…Phantom…?!" Go exclaimed.

"Sorry for not telling you. I had a difficult position." Yuya said while scratching the back of his head. Yuya knew that Go for now will support Lancers to face against Heidel and Apophis, so he won't spill anything. But still he was not sure on how Go would react.

Go was speechless and could only stared at Yuya before he broke the eye contact and sighed.

"With that kind of connection with the Oracle and Heidel's current actions, I can't blame you for that." Go finally said. It was shocking, yes, definitely unexpected as he expected more of a guy from the Duelist whom he acknowledged as his rival. But considering the Entermate user's position, he understood that his secrecy was crucial not only for the Phantom Dragons themselves, but also for the Oracle whose organization mediate the conflict between the nobles and commoners.

"We're going to fight him soon, so can you please tell me what you know about our enemies? That will help us." Yuya asked, turning serious. They must gain as many information about the enemies' Dueling. Tht would give them some points to come up with a strategy to counter their enemies' Deck.

"I hate it, but I can't do anything in this condition. If I force myself to go I'd only slowing you down." Go said. He was barely able to move. If he tried to move his body even a bit, a jolt of pain would run through his veins. Let alone fighting, he couldn't even walk out of the bed. Going in this condition would only burden the others.

"In exchange, you better kick his ass and come back." Go said with encouraging smile. As someone who has dueled Phantom and fought together with him side by side, Go knew what Phantom was capable of. He knew that Yuya will suceed. He knew he could trust Yuya who helped him grew as a Duelist and rediscover his true passion that he had forgotten.

Yuya nodded his head, smiling determinedly in return.

"I haven't won against you, so I promise that I'll return and have a rematch with you."

 **JOHAN'S ROOM – MEDICAL QUARTER – LANCERS HIDEOUT – MOUNTAIN – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuzu was carrying a basket of fresh fruits when she came to visit her mentor. She slide open the door and almost drop the basket when she saw him awake and about to walk out of the bed with Ruby on sitting on the bed beside him. Yuzu quickly rushed to her mentor, placing the basket first before gently pushing him back to lay down.

"Johan-san! You should be laying down for a while!" Yuzu scolded her mentor with her hands on both of his shoulders. She pushed him back to the bed, prompting him to lay down once more. She sighed when Johan just scratched his head in respond.

"Sorry. I was thirsty." Johan said. Following this, Yuzu did the job in his stead, taking a glass of water that was only a few steps away from the bed near the couch. While waiting for his drink, Ruby snuggled into his cheek, staring at its master with concern.

"I'm fine now. I'm just tired, Ruby." Johan tried to assure his partner, but Ruby didn't buy it.

"Kyuu!"

"Huh? You mean Rainbow Dragon? It's okay. You don't need to worry." Johan replied, but again Ruby was not convinced. It was right. He was not okay with his ace monster being stolen like that. Even though Theo won't be able to summon remembering the summoning conditions, he was worried sick for his dragon. He couldn't do even a thing to try stopping Theo from taking away Rainbow Dragon. He was so useless.

"Rainbow Dragon? Did something happened with Rainbow Dragon?" Yuzu asked as she gave the water to Johan. She couldn't help but overheard their conversation.

"I lost the Duel and Theo took Rainbow Dragon from me." Johan revealed, bringing a shock to Yuzu's face before it turned into a frown.

"No way…" Yuzu said in dismay.

"He won't be able to summon it unless he has the rest of the Gem Beast Monsters that I have. But I'm worried that Theo will use Rainbow Dragon as life energy like the other Duel Monsters. The stronger the monster, the stronger the life energy is." Johan expressed his concern. Being stolen and used by Theo was one thing, but if Rainbow Dragon was used as fuel as well, Johan would lose his ace monster forever. He couldn't bear the thought of that. He didn't want to lose any of his monsters. He wanted to go straight to the Ramses Fortress and take back his dragon. But what can he do with this body? He was a mess and he knew that recklessness won't help him take back his dragon.

"Don't worrry!" Yuzu suddenly shouted, startling Johan and Ruby who jumped on the bed from the surprise. Johan almost drop his glass. He blinked at Yuzu whose spirit seemed to have stir up.

"I won't let that happen! I will take back Rainbow Dragon for you!" Yuzu declared with her hands clenched into fists on her sides. Even though she didn't interact with Rainbow Dragon so much, she liked the dragon. Rainbow Dragons was always kind and comforting to her. Thinking that now it was at the hands of the enemy and possibly will be sacrificed, she won't accept that.

"We will soon go after them. We won't let them have their way. Please tell me everything about this Theo person you fought." Yuzu leaned closer to Johan as to make her intention clear.

"I promise you that I will defeat Theo and return Rainbow Dragon to you, Johan-san." She vowed. This was not just for Johan, but also because she has grown attached to the dragon. She didn't want to lose her friends whether they are Duel Monsters or humans.

"Yuzu…" Johan's eyes softened as he saw and sensed Yuzu's sincerity.

"I'm your student after all. A student avenging her mentor is normal, right?" Yuzu said with an assuring smile, gently patting Johan's back.

Johan chuckled. Theo was a strong opponent that must not be underestimated. And not forgetting that he has an Earthbound God with him. Yuzu was strong, but her current Deck may not be enough against Theo. He didn't even know if Theo has revealed his full power or not when they dueled. Still, at least he has an overall idea of how Theo's strategy and Deck works based from his Duel against him. Now, he must pass what he knew to Yuzu and help her rebuilding her Deck that can counter Theo's Deck. He trusted his student to be able to pull it through.

"Then we'll have a lot to talk about."

 **AOI'S ROOM – MEDICAL QUARTER – LANCERS HIDEOUT – MOUNTAIN – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Ruri was sitting on the chair beside Aoi's bed, peeling some apples for Aoi to eat once she woke up. She even made it in a shape of bunnies to make it cute. Fortunately, she didn't need to wait for long as she saw Aoi's eyes started to flutter open.

"Aoi-san!" Ruri stood from her chair and took Aoi's hand into hers as the Trickstar user regained consciousness.

"Ruri?" Aoi murmured upon seeing Ruri by her side.

"Thank goodness you're awake. I'm so worried." Ruri said with a single tear formed in her right eye that she quickly wiped away.

It took Aoi ten seconds to process her head and she gasped when she finally remembered everything that happened at the Spirit Farm. From how the farm was already engulfed in sea of flames when she arrived and until she and Go were defeated by Emilio's Earthbound God.

"How about Onizuka? And the farm? Everyone?" Aoi asked. Her voice was nearly in panic had Ruri not calming her by rubbing the back of her hand soothingly.

"Everyone is okay. They're receiving treatment. But…Heidel got away with the Duel Monsters…" Ruri said with sad smile while still trying to ease Aoi's worry. She continued to held Aoi's hand as she sat back on the chair again.

"I see… I couldn't stop them…" Aoi closed her eyes and grasped the bed sheet thight. She was ashamed and disappointed of herself. She came to help, but just when she was only reached the entrance, she was defeated. It wasn't that long after she arrived at the scene and she couldn't help a single thing.

"Neither do we… None of us could stop them. That's why, we're going to get the Duel Monsters back soon." Ruri said in respond, bringing Aoi's attention to her.

"You have a plan?" Aoi asked.

"We have formed a new plan to infiltrate Heidel before he can activate the machine. We will start the operation tomorrow morning." Ruri answered.

"You can't wait any longer…" Aoi said with a frown. She could recover in a few days as long as she used those days to fully rest. But she knew that waiting a few days for her was out of question. They have no time to waste on just waiting her while Heidel was preparing his fuel to activate his machine. Ruri had told her before she went to the farm, so she understood how serious this was.

"Yes. Now that Heidel has his fuels, he will activate the machine soon. That's why we can't afford to wait a few days. It has to be done sooner." Ruri said exactly what Aoi was thinking. Noticing the older girl's disappointment at her condition, Ruri tightened her grip on Aoi's hand but it was still gentle.

"Please rest. I promise we will stop them in your place. Please believe us." Ruri said with her usual calming smile. And as always, this brought a smile to Aoi's expression.

"I always believe in all of you, especially you, Ruri." Aoi replied as she held back Ruri's hand. "If you don't mind, can I ask you a request?"

"Request?"

"Yes. If you find my brother there, please tell him I'm all right and I'm waiting for him to come back." Aoi said. It was possible that her older brother might find out about how she was defeated by Emilio. If he knew, she has no doubt he will go straight to see her, which he couldn't since he would assume she was taken to a hospital at the city. He didn't know where Lancers hideout was. He can be such a worry-wart, so someone has to do this for her. Ruri nodded, accepting the request.

"I understand. I will tell him."

 **KIRYU'S ROOM – MEDICAL QUARTER – LANCERS HIDEOUT – MOUNTAIN – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Rin was feeling guilty and regret right now. Guilty for not helping her mentor and regret for having left him instead of trying to convince him to change his mind dueling Heidel. She should have stayed or interfere his Duel. She could only stand there and watched her mentor defeated by the enemy right in front of her. She was so deep in thought that she didn't realize Yugo was coming inside with two drinks in his hands.

"He hasn't woke up, yet?" Yugo asked as he extended a glass of hot chocolate for his childhood friend.

"No. His injuries are worse than the others." Rin answered with her attention still stuck on Kiryu's form on the bed, but she accepted the glass and took a sip.

"He got a lot of backbone, right? He'll wake up in no time." Yugo said, trying to assure her, though he knew it won't help her feel better. He didn't know much about Kiryu since he rarely meet him, but whenever Rin brought Kiryu into conversation it was always good things and he could tell how uch Rin respected the guy as her mentor. It was the same as his respect for Sherry.

"He is stupid… Carelessly challenging Heidel like that. He should have followed us…" Rin spat out, But then she gripped her pants and her body was shaking. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes. "But I'm stupider for letting him be instead of stopping him or help him."

Yugo placed his right arm around her, pulling her close to him so their heads were leaning on each other. He brought his right hand to her head, ruffling her hair soothingly.

"It can't be helped. You said that Heidel killed his friends, right? I don't think we can so easily calm down when we come face to face with the person who killed our friends. If you're in Kiryu-san's position, won't you feel the same?" Yugo told her. He could understand a bit Kiryu's feeling. He was like that too when Rin was kidnapped.

"I…can't forgive Heidel…" Rin said in her sniffles. Yugo offered her a handkerchief, which she appreciated as she needed it to wipe her tears.

"So do I. His actions has gone too far. We're gonna kick his ass and make him pay in 100 folds." Yugo said. The time when he and Yuto were at the underground prison came back into his mind. Those prisoners who suffered a horrible fate and now Heidel captured all those innocent Duel Monsters. He always hated a man like him. If someone was turning blind eye to this, that person was not sane in his head.

"But the Earthbound Gods he summoned…how can we face against it? I don't think my current Deck will be enough to face them." Rin wondered. Heidel has three Earthbound Gods in his Deck. One was already troublesome enough to deal with, and now he could add two more. Effects won't work against the Earthbound Gods he possessed.

"And that's why we'll do some modifications." Yugo said with a tinge of smile. He showed Rin what he was holding on his other hand. It was a black-colored Deck Case with K-shaped pin.

"But those are…!" Rin recognized the Deck Case as Kiryu's belonging. Was Yugo trying to say that she should include some of Kiryu's cards into her Deck?

"I'm sure Kiryu-san won't mind. You're his student after all. And with this, you can avenge Kiryu-san too. This way it's like Kiryu-san is fighting together with you." Yugo told her, pushing the Deck to her palm. He urged her to do as he suggested.

Rin looked at Yugo and then at the Deck Case in her hand. She wasn't sure if it was okay for her to modify her Deck this way while Kiryu was still asleep. But Yugo has a point too. Kiryu would understand in this situation. That was the type of person he was. And she could feel that his monsters wanted to avenge their master as much as she did, or perhaps even more. They wanted to fight for Kiryu's sake. Their voices were getting stronger and louder. They were giving her their permission to use them. To fight together with them.

Rin closed her eyes for a moment before opening it again to reveal a resolute gaze. Bringing out her own Deck from her Deck Case, Rin turned to her mentor. She has made up her mind.

"I know it's improper to say this while you're still asleep. But please, let me borrow your power for a while, Kiryu-san."

 **REID'S ROOM – MEDICAL QUARTER – LANCERS HIDEOUT – MOUNTAIN – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Reid was sitting on his bed while leaning his back on the pillow. His eyes were staring at the ceiling, but his mind was somewhere else. His former instructor Riena. After he was trained by Lechter and Yuno, he was introduced to Riena by the former. Back then, she was still a lieutenant, but her skill was actually already enough to make her a general. He rarely met her after their training was over, but he had heard of her often as the general carrying out Heidel's most intricate operations and occasionally gives commands to the other generals. It was like Adjudant Commandant you could say.

At first, he refused to accept her for some stupid reasons, but then he came to admire her. That's why he couldn't believe that she would do something so horrible, even though the Spirit Farm has done nothing wrong. Before, Riena has no qualms with Duel Monsters either. What happened that changed her view so much? What was the meaning behind her words when he asked her?

"Do you feel like eating?" Jonouchi and Lechter came in with a tray of food for Reid. Out everyone who got defeated, Reid has the least injuries. The doctor even said that his condition will improve sooner than the rest.

"Old Man, you're sure you're okay getting off bed?" Reid asked instead, directing the question to Lechter who despite the injuries he has was walking like everything was normal.

"Don't take me for youngster like you. I have much worse experience in battlefield. Compared to that, these little injuries are nothing." Lechter replied while rubbing Reid's head briefly.

"You're going to participate in the rescue operation then?" Reid asked, surprising Jonouchi.

"You knew?" The Red-Eyes user asked.

"I overheard Kanbara and Akie talking when they checked on me a while ago. I'm going too." Reid said firmly. He threw away the blanket from him and started reaching for his deck on the table.

"Whoa, slow down your horses there, buddy. With those injuries that's just the same as asking to be killed." Jonouchi held down Reid before he could stand up from the bed.

"These are not so bad. I must participate. I must talk with Instructor again." Reid said insistently.

"Instructor?" Jonouchi blinked before his eyes widened upon realizing whom Reid meant. "Wait, you mean General Riena?! She did this to you?!"

"She said that she refuse to accept that her feelings are controlled by Duel Monsters." Reid revealed.

"So she shares the same view as Heidel and Emilio." Lechter remarked. He was the one who introduced Reid to Riena. She used to be his subordinate back when he was still at the military. He knew that she was working with Heidel, but he never thought she would follow Heidel this far.

"What? What do you mean?" Reid asked, blinking in confusion. What does Heidel has anything to do with this?

When Jonouchi explained everything what Heidel had told them. It wasn't difficult to place the pieces together with Riena. Reid sighed and covered his right face with his hand.

"I see… Something must have happened to her with Duel Monster after we parted ways." Reid concluded.

"Speaking about Earthbound God, she was also using Earthbound God monster that Lord Yuno mentioned before to defeat me." Reid remembered the Earthbound God Monster that Riena summoned at the last Turn.

"It can be assumed that the three generals all have at least one Earthbound God in their possession." Lechter presumed.

"They are dangerous Duel Monsters. Can we do something about them? They are technically the same as Apophis. Maybe Rio or Yukiya can find something with their powers." Jonouchi asked, turning to Lechter. Rio might be able to do something with her power as priestess, and Yukiya might know a way through Ma'at who was residing inside him.

"I'll try to ask Rio." Lechter said, bringing out his Duel Disk and made a call to the priestess.

"I'm going whether you like it or not. I have to meet Instructor again. I…I want to know what happened to her and try to persuade her again. Please." Reid pleaded, going as far as bowing his head to Jonouchi.

Jonouchi was taken aback by the gesture. It was rare for Reid to ask for something, especially that make him willing to bow down his head. Seeing the bandages on Reid's body, he wanted to say no, but Lechter's hand on his shoulder made him reconsider, especially after Jonouchi met Lechter's face that was asking for the same thing. While Jonouchi has lived longer than the two of them, Lecther understood Reid better than him. Plus, it was pointless to stop Reid if he will go through with his intention to follow them secretly.

Jonouchi let out a frustrated sighed, scratching his hair hardly. Yuno wouldn't like it if he was here.

"We will bring you under condition that you won't Duel until it's absolutely necessary. Leave the Duels to us." Jonouchi relented.

Reid beamed him a grateful expression with that answer.

"Understood!"

 **THE RIFT – LANCERS DOMAIN – LINK VRAINS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuri was standing alone in front of the Rift. Yukiya and Sara have logged out to check their security system just in case something happens. It took quite a big deal of patience not to try going through the portal. He was honestly curious what kind of world the Duel Monsters lives in. If he go through this portal, will he find a lot of real Duel Monsters, not the ones that has to be manifested through cards and all? But he knew there was no guarantee that he could come back in one piece or come back at all if he just waltz through. He has decided to cherish his life, so he won't do something so stupid like going inside the portal out of whim.

Fortunately, somebody finally was here to accompany him. At least he won't be bored for a minute. Usually, Winged Kuriboh would be with him, but it was tired to he ordered it to take some rest.

"Hello, Yuya. How are the others?" Yuri greeted his Pendulum counterpart.

"They'll be fine. They just need rest." Yuya answered. His attention then shifted from Yuri to the portal. Yukiya and Sara has told them about the Rift, so he was curious and decided to take a quick look.

"This is the Rift that connects to the Duel Monster realm?" Yuya asked as he was amazed by the portal.

"Yeah, or so I heard from Yura and the others." Yuri answered.

"I wonder what is like on the other side. The realm where Duel Monsters lives. I wish I could go and see." Yuya said with his eyes sparkling with curious excitement. Yuri could tell from how jumpy his body was that he wanted to go inside and take a look. But of course Yuya won't be stupid enough to follow his excitement and curiosity so easily.

"You sure know how to find something light-hearted in this depressing situation." Yuri commented teasingly.

"I'm just trying not to be so stressed out. Not when tomorrow morning we'll make our moves." Yuya replied. He was trying to clear his mind after what happened today. He knew he was being nervous mess inside, and this won't do if he stay this way tomorrow. So this little excitement he has won't be so bad to ease him.

"Too bad I can't go and fight with you. We all know that my skill is equal to 50 men. If I go with you, we would win without breaking a sweat." Yuri said with dramatic disappointment, earning him a chuckle from Yuya.

"Are you sure you're okay with this? You could use a bit more rest." Yuya asked. He also heard that Yuri would be in charge of guarding the Rift while Yukiya and Sara slow down the whole portal. It wasn't long ever since Yuri recovered from his depression, so Yuya was worried that Yuri may actually need more time.

"I already have plenty of times moping around doing nothing. I've 200% recovered. You have nothing to worry about anymore." Yuri flicked Yuya's forehead to emphasize his words, grinning like he usually did.

"If you say so…" Yuya smiled a bit, though he was still a bit worried.

"By the way, there's something I want to show you." Yuri said. He pressed a button on his Duel Disk touch screen and his avatar started to change color. Now, he wore a long white cape with red as an inverted color; white and violet top and shoe gear that covered most of his black pants and also long white gloves.

"You modified your avatar model?" Yuya stared at Yuri's avatar model. Yuri looked more refreshed and bright in his new attire. And the color combinations bore resemblance to Yuri's Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon. Perhaps Yuri based it from the dragon.

"All this time I've been running away from myself. Remember? My other self that we met when you guys picked me up from Zarc's mindscape." Yuri recount the first time they met his other self that took form of when Yuri was a child.

"A year has passed, and I still refused to acknowledge him as myself. I didn't want to accept that I'm afraid to be left alone. Up until now all I ever paid attention to was myself and I'm not even sure I saw myself clearly…" Until a few days ago, Yuri realized that he has pushed himself too far. He thought if he could make up for all the sins he has committed by apologizing, he'd apologize as much as it took. If his dying could undo the sufferings he has inflicted, he'd die.

"I thought everything would be settled if I'm gone. But I know now that's not how things are. Not when you and the others are here staying by my side." Yuri turned to Yuya with a smile. And it was more sincere than he usually shows that Yuya has ever seen, though there was still the usual cheekiness.

"This is my answer. My resolve. I say goodbye to my old self forever." Yuri vowed that he would change. He would cherish people's lives, including his own. He won't turn his eyes away from reality. He grew up as sinner, but it doesn't mean he has to die as one too.

"Yuya, I want you to watch me." Yuri requested to his Pendulum Counterpart, his face turned serious.

"This is not something I could ask Serena or Dennis who have been by my side from the beginning, knowing me before I fell down to the dark path. I've hurted you. Out of everyone whom I have hurted, you're the one who know the most of the weight of my sins. You'll be able to see rationally, and thus judge me accordingly." Maybe it was callous of him to ask Yuya for this, but Yuya was the one he trusted the most for this role.

"I know that I won't do well at first and maybe I'll make mistakes, but I promise I'll change." Yuri intended to go through with his words. He won't let himself be led astray again.

Yuya smiled proudly. Perhaps it was weird that he was feeling proud for his Fusion counterpart, but he just couldn't help it for some reason. And above all, he was happy. His Fusion counterpart has finally made his first true step to redeem himself. It would be a lie if he say he has fully forgiven him. But he won't bother with what happened between them in the past anymore. All that matters to him now, was watching Yuri change to better.

"Okay. I'll watch over you. And if you ever lose your way again, I'll lead you back. Always." At that moment, Yuya also made a vow. He will make sure Yuri won't fall to the wrong path again.

Yuri smiled wider, nodding in acknowledgement.

"Thank you."

 **COMMAND ROOM – LANCERS HIDEOUT – MOUNTAIN – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Around 10 minutes after they The Lancers meeting went for one hour. After a lot of considerations and thorough planning, they have settled everything for the rescue operation tomorrow. They have determined the groups and which of them placed in the positions to infiltrate the fortress separately. Everything should be well for breaking in. The rest once they went in depends on their skills as Duelists.

"This will do. All we need now is a good rest. Don't stay up late or not sleeping at all. Tomorrow's operation is too crucial for us to be tired. That's why we need to save up all of our strength tonight and go full tomorrow. Everyone is dismissed. Return to each of your room and sleep." Yuya closed the meeting.

As soon as he announced, the Lancers left the command room. However, Reiji stopped when he saw Yuya was still sitting on his chair while holding one of the papers of their plans.

"You're not going back now?" Reiji asked.

"I just want to reread the map again one more time just to make sure. I'll go to bed immediately afterwards." Yuya said, showing the map of the fortress that has been scribbled.

Reiji sighed and then stood beside Yuya, picking one of the papers too. "Then I'll do the same. I also need to make sure you'll keep your words." He said. He has to make sure Yuya will definitely rest. It was possible that reading make people lose the sight of time and the next thing they realized it was already morning. He often had those times when he was too busy with his work as President of LDS.

Yuya then suddenly chuckled, confusing the DDD user.

"What?" Reiji inquired. Was there something weird on his face?

"Oh, sorry. It's just…I never thought we can be like this." Yuya said. When Reiji gave him even more confused look, Yuya continued while reminiscing the past.

"I mean, honestly, up until near the end of Friendship Cup, I didn't like you. I maybe even hated you that time. After Maiami Championship Battle Royale, I thought you're just some heartless guy who was willing to sacrifice anyone to achieve your goal. But now I know that you were the one who had it the hardest." Yuya explained. He was distrustful of Reiji and could only think badly of him that time. It took him a while to finally realize that Reiji was also as troubled as everyone, more even. Beneath the cold logical exterior, there was actually kindness and warmth.

"You're not wrong thinking of me that way. Whatever the reason, I did use the championship to form Lancers. Because of that, many participants were carded. I deserved to be hated and punished for that." Reiji said. He didn't show it, but he was actually still felt guilty for what he had done last year during the first championship.

"But in the end everyone was saved because you have formed the Lancers, including those who got carded. Now that everyone is back to normal there's no need for bad blood anymore between us, right?" Yuya smiled at Reiji while standing up from his chair.

"I have no intention to forget what you did, but I've already forgiven you. If not, I won't be trusting you now to watch my back."

"Yuya…"

"We never really get to start it properly, aren't we?" Yuya extended his hand to Reiji, offering a handshake. "Let's do our best together from now on, Reiji."

Reiji could only stare hard at Yuya's extended hand. For that moment it was like time has stopped for him as his heart was touched. It took a few seconds until Reiji finally moved his hand, about to accept the handshake…

WARNING WARNING

Yuya and Reiji were startled when the alarm rang. The biggest computer screen in the room flickered on. Yuya and Reiji stared at the screen while being wary of their surroundings. Their system has been hacked. Looks like Yukiya and Sara's check up on the system was not enough to stop the hacking. Whoever this hacker was, he was top-notch to be able to break through Yukiya and Sara's security program like this.

"Good evening." The screen showed Kurt greeting them while eating an apple.

"Kurt?!" Yuya exclaimed, this time not bothering to use the prince honorific.

"Surprise that I can hack into your system?" Kurt said gleefully.

The door of the command room was slammed open shortly afterwards. Jonouchi and the rest who have heard the alarm returned after finding the alarm directed them to the command room. Their attentions quickly turned to the big screen that showed Kurt in Yuri's body waving playfully at them.

"Prince Kurt?!" Jonouchi exclaimed.

"I'm sorry to bother you when you're sleepy, but I'm afraid you won't have your good night rest tonight." Kurt started as he bit his apple. He was half done eating it.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Yugo questioned angrily.

"You see, Heidel intends to start his machine tomorrow. We can't have him enslave the Duel Monsters, please be a dear and get rid of him for us." Kurt requested, which infuriated the Lancers.

"Even without you telling us we intend to stop him tomorrow anyway!" Sawatari retorted in annoyance.

Kurt shook his head in disagreement. "Tsk, tsk…you don't understand, huh? It'll be too late if you start the operation tomorrow morning. While you're going after him and face against Heidel's men blocking your path, Heidel's machine is starting. Do you really think you'll reach him in time?" He riased a brow like they have made a mistake.

"What's your point exactly? Just spill it." Yuto demanded.

"I'm saying that you must move tonight or you'll be dead." Kurt said, forming an incredulous look on the Lancers' face that he found funny. But he cughed as he finished his apple, throwing the remains to the trash bin behind him.

"Let's see…what if an anyonymous informant leaked the location of this base to Heidel? And then without you knowing, Heidel has sent a squad to infiltrate and ambush this base while you're sleeping?" Kurt's smile widened when the Lancers' faces paled as they got what he meant. While he felt sorry for not letting them rest so much, he couldn't let his plan to be postponed either.

"You…! You told him where our base is!" Yuya exclaimed, glaring at Kurt on the screen and grit his teeth.

"They should arrive any minute now. I believe you have no time to sleep. You know what you have to do to get out of this situation. I insist you start moving now." Kurt demanded. His face turned serious and cold. He didn't wait for any respond anymore and shut down the connection, shutting off the screen.

"That bastard…! He insist on using us!" Yugo kicked one of the chairs down furiously. First the Spirit Farm was attacked and their friends were injured here, now Kurt was forcing us to make our move now?

"What should we do?! They're going to be here in 20 minutes!" Sora asked. He has checked the hidden security cameras and spotted some of Heidel's squad on sight. They were closing in.

"What should we do, Yuya?" Sayaka asked.

Everyone turned to their leader, waiting for his order. Yuya didn't like this situation at all. Today was such a mess. Now they have to make a change of plans. They could escape, but not with their friends who were still at the clinic resting. They won't have time to reach them and then escape. He has no intention to abandon them either.

"There is only one option for us…"

 **UNDERGROUND – MOUNTAIN – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Destroy any other cameras you find! It's time to begin!"

The batallion has arrived at the coordinates of the Lancers' hideout in the mountain, destroying the cameras they have spotted along the way while moving as quietly as possible. After receiving the tip that his trusted subordinate got, Heidel sent the squads, ordering to either capture them alive or kill them right on the spot. Three squads have been digging separate points with their Duel Monsters. Not long after, they have uncovered a defensive wall over what it seems to be the entrance of the enemy hideout.

"We are about to commence the attack on Lancers hideout! On my count, blow up the defensive walls and strike simultaneously!"

The captain started the countdown. 3, 2, 1, and they blew up the concrete using explosives. The moment the path was opened for them, they charged in for attack, expecting enemies on sight. However, to their surprise, they found themselves to be in what seemed to be a great hall. Wide and empty and dark. Once every single one of them went in, their entrance and exit was immediately blocked by a laser barrier, preventing them from leaving.

"What?! What the hell?!" The soldiers cried in panic.

"Flock together in packs like cornered rats, aren't cha?"

From the darkness of the room, Sora, together with Gongenzaka, Grace, and Gloria emerged with their Duel Disks ready on their wrists, having expecting the soldiers to come.

"Now you have nowhere to go. You can't hide, nor you can run." Grace said with teasing tone.

And then from above, behind and on each sides of the trapped squads, Sawatari, Sayaka, Allen, Kachidoki, Battle Beast, and Lechter jumped in, also ready with their Duel Disks on their wrists.

"Sorry to say, but this is not our real hideout." Sawatari said while grinning widely.

"It's time for a clean up, everyone." Sora said in humming tone, activating his Duel Disks that followed by the rest.

That was when the soldiers realized. They have completely fallen into the Lancers' trap.

 **FOREST – MOUNTAIN – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Looks like they fell for it."

The rest of the Lancers who have left the hideout that consisted of Yuya and his two counterparts, Yuzu and her counterparts, Reiji, Jonouchi, Reid, and the Four Heavenly Dragons were watching where their hideout was as they heard the loud voices coming from there. Yukiya will make sure to disrupt the soldiers' connection so they won't be able to call for reinforcement or warning the ones at Ramses Fortress. In the meantime, they will use that to their advantage.

"This is our opportunity." Ruri said.

"Yeah. They won't expect us to infiltrate with them ambushing us at our own hideout." Serena remarked.

"It's kinda irritating that we're going along with Kurt's plan. It's like we let ourselves being manipulated and used by him." Yugo said. He has qualms in following Kurt's demand, but he begrudgingly accepted that this was a perfect chance for them.

"I get what you mean. I don't like this either, but we don't have a choice now that they know our hideout."

"With this we'll get Heidel by surprise. Our comrades have single-handedly engaged the enemy forces presently concentrated at the hideout. Thanks to that, they will not have sufficient men to spare both here and in their fortress." Yuto stated.

"The only way to repay them for their actions is we must stop Heidel from enslaving the Duel Monsters." Yuya told his friends who have been chosen to go with him to infiltrate Heidel's fortress. There was no turning back.

"Let's go!"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Breaking Chains of Hatred –** Yuto, Ruri, Shun, and Yuzo almost reaching the end of their path and encounter an unexpected powerful Fusion user. As they got cornered, they are finally faced with the fear and hatred they have been avoiding since the last war.

* * *

 **Finally finished. It's so hard to find time writing chapter after work. I'm glad I could make it before this week ends. Can't promise a quick update because I'm busy with work now. But I'll continue until the end.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	77. Breaking the Chains of Hatred

**Big thanks to** _ **Big duels, GamingGuy84, Ulrich362, Jason, dvdryms, Playerhood18, tsukikami02, VioletStarVN, D3lph0xL0v3r, Yuka Kuroshiro, Dante**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully, you'll renjoy reading this chapter!**

* * *

 **COMMAND ROOM – RAMSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Heidel was sitting on his chair, watching the huge screen in the command room that showed a smoke coming from the direction where Lancers hideout was supposed to be. There were initially static voices coming from communication line from the other side who were attacking, but then it suddenly got cut off, though the screen still showed the same scenery since it came from a man who was stationed outside.

"Commander, we have lost contact with the squads. It seems they have entered the Lancers hideout." One of the female operators said.

"According to the information that General Theo got, the hideout is protected by jamming system that will cut off outside interference unless the other side give us the pass code. That must be the case." A male operator beside her said. They received the lead about the Lancers' hideout from Theo who said he got it from an anonymous source.

"However, it is too soon to be celebrating. Just in case, prepare a small team to check on them. Maintain the communication line until the squads contact us." Heidel ordered.

"Yes, Sir!"

Heidel won't be at ease until he see the beat up form of the Lancers with his own eyes. From his observation, the Lancers were fickle and has strong will to live, which made them dangerous enemies. He didn't care if this was dirty, but attacking them while they were resting give them the best advantage and opportunity. He must get rid of any obstacles in front of him and fulfil his goal at ay cost. As Heidel continued to wait for a contact, he sensed his Earthbound God, who used to be a man named Jean-Michel Roget, was growling. He was itching to go and attack too, wanting his revenge very much.

"You'll get your revenge soon enough. I'll give you my word for that matter." Heidel assured his ace monster. He had ordered for the Lancers not to be killed, specifically Reiji whom he deemed inteligent and would be useful for him in the future as well the person whom Roget held grudge at the most.

The door slide open, revealing Riena entering the room. She saluted to the Supreme Commander before she spoke.

"Supreme Commander, the preparation for the reactor is almost ready." She reported, bringing smile to Heidel's face.

"Good. I'll be there in a few minutes. Return to your post until I call for you." Heidel told her, which she did without further ado. Heidel extended his hand towards the screen, he held it open before crushing it into fist.

Just a little longer, the rightful world will be born. The true world of humans.

 **SUBMARINE – SEA – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

The underwater area of the fortress was devoid of life. There were only skulls and bones of either a person or sea creatures that Yuya and the others saw from within the submarines as they passed through them. There was not even a single fish whether big or small in their line of vision that it's scary, giving them eerie vibes. It was actually dark, but thanks to the lights placed under the sea that would trigger the alert should there be intruders, it wasn't as dark as it was supposed to be.

"Wow. This fortress even reached under the sea. I know that Apophis included it in the notes, but still..." Yugo said with a mixture of amazement and nervousness. Amazed to see an underwater base for the first time and nervousness for it to be in such a dead sea.

"Good thing that Neah-san lent us a submarine with camouflage program. And with the additional program Yukiya and Sara made, we can pass the camouflage scanner and enter the fortress." Yuya remarked. The stealth program that Yukiya and Sara has reinforced into the camouflage program allowed the submarine to fool even the high-tech camouflage scanner, making them practically non-existent, part of the bodies of water itself.

"But now we have to separate as we have planned." Yuto said as he and the others started wearing their diving outfit, also has the same function as the submarine itself. They have reached their destination.

"We have already decided on the group. Whoever gets into the reactor room first must free the Duel Monsters and destroy the reactor immediately. Got it?" Yuya repeated befoe they go through with the rescue operation.

There were five entrances in total that will reach the reactor if following through the map given by Apophis. It would be too risky if they move together, considering they were quite a number themselves for intruders. And they also didn't know which path is the fastest one to take. They didn't have the time to make a complete new plan, only improvisation, so this happen. They split into five groups and each will go to the five paths that will lead them to the reactor.

Group 1 consisted of Yuto, Ruri, Shun, and Yuzo.

Group 2 consisted of Reid and Jonouchi

Group 3 consisted of Reiji, Serena, Yura

Group 4 consisted of Yugo, Rin, Yuhei

Group 5 consisted of Yuya, Yuzu, Yuji

"You don't need to tell us again, Yuya. We got it." Yugo said.

"While having this dimension and ours fused is not a bad thing, enslaving Duel Monsters is definitely not one I will ever accept." Jonouchi said.

As all of them donned their stealth program in their diving outfit and also not forgetting their oxygen masks, Yuya turned to his friends. His hand was on the button, ready to press it and open the door that will lead them into the water at any moment.

"Let's meet again after this, everyone."

Yuya said, and his friends gave him assuring smiles.

"You got it, Leader."

 **GROUP 1 – RAMSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

When Yuto, Ruri, Shun, and Yuzo reached the surface inside the fortress, they looked at their surrounding. They ended up in a room that was not so different from the underground waterway when they infiltrated the underground prison. They hoped they won't find the similar prison in this fortress. That one prison was bad enough. Now that they were inside the fortress, they took off their diving outfits, not needing it anymore since it would only works on water.

They follow through the only door they could find, now walking in a long hallway with practically nothing. As to not confuse themselves which way to go forward and back from where they came, Shun made marks for every certain steps just in case. While the silence in the hallway was suffocating, what made them uncomfortable the most was their refusal to talk with each other.

Yuto and Ruri have been wanting to talk with Shun, but the Raid Raptors user for some reason has been avoiding them even though now they were working together again like before. He only talked when it was really necessary and storm off before Yuto and Ruri could speak more to him. Yuzo has been watching them and didn't make any move because he knew that Shun needs more time after what they found, but now it has gone far too long.

"I know we are at the enemy's domain now, but I think it's better now than prolong it any more than this." Yuzo stopped his track, effectively stopping the rest. He turned to Yuto, Ruri, and Shun, particularly the third person.

"The three of you need to talk. Now." Yuzo demanded straightly.

"Yuzo, you–" Shun opened his mouth to retort in annoyance, but Yuzo won't have any of it.

"Frankly speaking, there's never a guarantee that we can survive in true battle. Rather than regretting of never having the time to do what you want before you die, you better settle everything right here and now." Yuzo continued firmly, not giving them any chance to object. Yuzo then turned to Shun, narrowing his eyes at the taller guy.

"Shun, when are you going to stop letting that bother you?" Yuzo questioned with a finger pointed to Shun's face.

"That? What do you mean?" Ruri blinked in question. Yuto was also the same, turning to his best friend for answer. Shun quickly turned his gaze away from his sister and best friend. But when he did so, Yuzo pulled his collar, making him looking at him.

"We're not going to let that happen, Shun. If you keep that bothering you, that's just the same as accepting it will happen and you'll let it." Yuzo tightened his grip on Shun's collar, almot choking him.

"The both of us are scared. But that is precisely why we must not falter. I thought you of all people should have known about that. Have you forgotten your own words back when you fought Kaito last year?" Yuzo reminded sharply before finally letting go of his collar.

Shun stiffened at that, recalling what he said when he dueled Kaito last year when Kaito detached himself from the Resistance after losing his family. Kaito back then said that comrades only became a burden when the pain of losing them engulf them. But Shun countered that it was because he didn't want to lose his friends that he fights. It wasn't like he was thinking that his sister and best friend were burden to him like Kaito back then. It's just…

"Shun..." Yuto started, going closer to Shun.

"Brother. Please, don't disappear on us again. What is it that you're not telling us?" Ruri asked, holding her brother's hand gently while looking at him pleadingly for answer.

"Whenever the three of us have problems, we always shared them away and figure it out together. That's how it has always been. So why make it different now?" Yuto told him. He has enough of being ignorant of what was bothering his best friend so much to avoid them.

Shun slowly turned his gaze to them, and then rested at Yuto, prompting the latter to give him a look that was asking does his behaviour has anything to do with him. Shun opened his mouth, ready to speak when a low sound that caught his ears hit him. It's faint, but he can make it out too; a whistling that grows louder and louder…

"Look out!"

Shun and Yuzo held Ruri and Yuto by their biceps respectively, pushing them forward. They managed to take more than a couple steps out onto the platform when the entrance behind them explodes. But this was then followed by another explosion of stone and debris, forcing them to run at the air strike.

"Everyone, scatter! That'll make it difficult for them to hit us!" Yuzo said as he took Yuto with him while Shun took Ruri with him to the other side.

There were more attacks coming, the shockwave lifts them off their feet, catapulting them forward and Yuto slams into the ground. He lifts his head, gasping at the red-orange plumes of flame licking at the stone. When another explosion came, Yuto then felt something was pushing him to the ground and covering his face as he's showered by an explosion of stone and debris. He desperately peers through his fingers, scanning the debris in search of his friends. Groaning, Yuto pulled himself up once the attack stopped.

"That more hurt than I thought..."

Yuto gasped as he turned around to see Yuzo trapped in the debris. It didn't take a minute for Yuto to realize that Yuzo must have pushed him away from the debris between the explosions. From the looks of it, Yuzo didn't receive any critical injuries, but he couldn't move from there, not with the debris on top of his body.

"Yuzo! Hang on! I'll get you out!" Yuto quickly tried to move the debris from Yuzo, but sound from behind them halted the attempt.

Yuto turned and saw two people standing on top of debris. The first person was a woman. She was a fairly tall woman with shoulder-length blonde dyed pink hair with bangs, and green eyes. Her outfit consists of a rectangular hat, a black short-sleeved blazer with a red tie, a mini pencil skirt open on the side, red gloves with her right hand having a ring, and thigh-high heeled boots. The second person was a man. He has olive green hair parted down the middle. He also wore the same outfit as the woman but he wore pants instead of skirt.

"What do we have here? There are rats coming here uninvited." The woman said as she looked down at Yuto and Yuzo.

"You're Lancers, right? Supreme Commander has informed us about you." The man said while fixing his glasses.

"What a coincidence, you infiltrate our base at the same as we infiltrate yours." The woman said with amused smile.

"It's possible that their comrades are in other sections too." The man concluded. He doubted that only four intruders coming into their strongest fortress.

"The other lieutenants are guarding the other sections. They'll take care of them." The woman dismissed her partner's guess, opting to taunt the two Xyz users in front of her. She recognized them from the briefing given by the Supreme Commander. "How sad, isn't it? While you're here, your friends at the base will be slaughtered."

"You're wrong there. Our friends are stronger than those puny men you sent." Yuto retorted. The reply brought dark expression to the woman's face.

"Kariya, I'll take this guy. You go for the pretty one over there." The woman said to the man, Kariya, pointing at where Ruri and Shun were.

"Got it. Make sure you finish him off, Sheila." Kariya replied, patting his partner's back before going to the half of the intruders in their path.

Yuto stood protectively in front of Yuzo. He was not so sure to move while leaving Yuzo vulnerable like this. He'd like to free Yuzo first, but he knew the woman won't let him. She was clearly ready for the kill.

"I'll be fine. Duel first and then you can try to free me. If you lose, we're both dead. But if you win, we'll have the time to free me from this spot." Yuzo told Yuto, easily figuring out what was his master thinking.

"Okay. Just hang in there!" Yuto replied. He'll make sure he protect Yuzo using his body if he has to. He'll try his best not to get Yuzo into the crossfire.

"That's the spirit. Now, let's do this." Sheila flicked her fingers, causing their surrounding to turn into mass of data and in a few seconds, they were no longer at the hallway, but at the massive digital landscape.

"What the?!" Yuto exclaimed in shock and confusion. Was this a Solid Vision Field? But he then realized he was in his LINK VRAINS avatar form from the outfit he was wearing when he saw himself.

"Welcome to the cyber space." Sheila said as if knowing Yuto's question.

"Huh? The cyber space?"

"It's a special technology that Supreme Commander made in his pursuit to fulfil his goal. It was programmed throughout this entire fortress. With this we're able to digitize everything, including our flesh, sending us into the network directly." Sheila explained so casually like it was not a big deal. It might be for her, but not for Yuto, now in his avatar form Shadow, and Yuzo.

"Sending us into the network directly?! That's absurd!" Shadow exclaimed in disbelieve.

"But you're experiencing it yourself. There are other dimensions and whatnot, things like this should be hardly surprising for you. Right now, we're not really different from bunch of data." Sheila said, shrugging.

"Tsk. I still not fully get what you're saying, but I'll get the answer after I defeat you!" Shadow activated his Duel Disk, preparing to activate Action Field, but then received an error notice in his Duel Disk.

Sheila giggled. "Sorry to say but, we have developed a program that negate the activation of Action Field in this room, so no Action Duel for you." She said as she activated her Duel Disk herself

"We're going to do it in Master Duel style." Sheila said tauntingly.

"Doesn't really matter to me which style we'll do it. I'll defeat you." Shadow replied sharply, beginning the Duel. And also, even though he couldn't use Action Cards, at least the Link Monster Zone rule still applied, giving him easier chances to summon as many Xyz Monsters as he could.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! I summon D-Scale Saber Sardine (ATK: 600 / DEF: 100)!" Sheila summoned Saber Sardine in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Saber Sardine's effect. By paying 500 LP I can Special Summon a D-Scale Token (ATK: ? / DEF: 100) in Defense Position." Sheila summoned a token in Defense Position beside Saber Sardine in the Main Monster Zone at the cost of 500 of her LP.

 **SHEILA LP: 4000 = 3500**

"Come forward, my watery circuit!" Sheila summoned the Link Summoning Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is two D-Scale monsters. I set D-Scale Token and Saber Sardine on the Link Marker. Circuit combined." Sheila set Saber Sardine on the Left Arrow and D-Scale Token on the Bottom Arrow.

"Link Summon. Appear, Link 2. D-Scale Battle Coela" (1800/LINK/2/←↓)" Sheila summoned her ace monster to the Link Monster Zone in Attack Position.

"I activate Equip Spell: D-Scale Torpedo. I equip it to Battle Coela!" Sheila equipped the card to Coela, powering it up.

"Next I activate Battle Coela's effect! I can move it to a Main Monster Zone it points to!" Sheila moved it to the zone its bottom-center Link Arrow pointed to.

"Moving a Link Monster to the Main Monster Zone without any Arrow pointing to the zone?" Yuto looked at the Link Monster with suspicion and held his guard up, preparing for any attack to come despite it was still the first Turn.

"I activate Link Spell: Judgement Arrows (↖↑↗)! If a Link Monster it points to battles, the effect of Judgment Arrows doubles its ATK during damage calculation. If Judgment Arrows leaves the field, all monsters it points to are destroyed!" Sheila activated the card at the Spell & Trap Zone the bottom-center Link Arrow of Battle Coela points to.

"Be careful, Shadow! It's the card that Johan warned us!" Yuzo warned his master, reminding some of the cards and strategies that their fallen comrades have shared to them for this rescue operation.

"I activate the other effect of Battle Coela to move it to a Main Monster Zone a card linked to Battle Coela points to!" Sheila moved Battle Coela to the zone the top-left Link Arrow of Judgment Arrows points to.

"She moved it again so that when Battle Coela attacks, the damage will be doubled." Shadow remarked.

"I activate the effect of Torpedo to inflict 800 damage to my opponent for every time the equipped monster moved this turn!" Sheila declared, pointing at Shadow. Since Battle Coela moved twice, Shadow received a total of 1600 damage. Two torpedos went towards Shadow, who immediately jumped to the side, away from Yuzo so he won't be hit by the torpedos. The explosion caused Shadow to be thrown back, but Shadow managed to do a flip to land safely.

 **SHADOW LP: 4000 = 2400**

"I end my Turn." Sheila concluded.

" _Battle Coela's ATK will be doubled when I attack. I have to either destroy Judgement Arrow or summoning a monster whose ATK can overpower Battle Coela's ATK when it's doubled."_ Shadow thought as he carefully thought of his options. He only has three Turns if he didn't want to be killed by the Torpedo equipped to Battle Coela's effect.

"My Turn! When I control no monster while my opponent does, I can Special Summon Phantom Knights Mystic Rag (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4)!" Shadow summoned Mystic Rag in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Next I activate the effect of Phantom Knights Mourning Realist (ATK: 800 / DEF: 500 / LV: 4)! By discarding a Phantom Knights monster from my hand, I can Special Summon it in Defense Position!" Shadow discarded Phantom Knights Binding Spirit to the Graveyard, summoning Mourning Realist in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"And then when Phantom Knights Binding Spirit (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 900 / LV: 3) is sent to the Graveyard through the effect of a Phantom Knights monster, I can Special Summon it and increase the Level of other monsters on my Field by its Level!" Shadow summoned Binding Spirit from Graveyard in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Mourning Realist.

"I overlay Phantom Knights Mystic Rag and Mourning Realist! Dragon of dual-colored eyes, unleash the black imperial wrath and eradicate all opposing enemies! Xyz Summon! Come forth! Rank 7! Dragon with eyes glowing with anger! The Supreme King Black Dragon - Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2500 / RNK: 7 / ORU: 2 / PS: 4)!" Shadow summoned Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Binding Spirit's effect! By releasing it, I can negate activation of my opponent's card effect and increase my monster's ATK equal to its ATK!" Shadow tributed Binding Spirit, sealing Battle Coela's effect this Turn and increased Odd-Eyes Rebellion's ATK to 4800.

"Battle! I attack D-Scale Battle Coela with Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon! Rebellious Wrath Strike Disobey!" Shadow declared Battle Phase. Odd-Eyes Rebellion used its fangs to pierce through Battle Coela's body. Not enough with its fangs, it also used its claws to tear through the rest of its body, destroying the Link Monster.

 **SHEILA LP: 3500 = 2300**

"I set two cards and end my Turn." Shadow concluded. He couldn't destroy Judgment Arrow, but at least he has destroyed Battle Coela. He should be safe from the effect damage for now.

"Don't get so relieved just because you have destroyed Battle Coela. I still have more to spare to defeat that dragon of yours." Sheila said with a tinge of annoyance in her tone at her monster's destruction before she started her Draw Phase.

"I summon D-Scale Piercing Saury (ATK: 800 / DEF: 600)." Sheila summoned piercing Saury in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate the effect of Piercing Saury. By sending a D-Scale monster to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a D-Scale monster from the Graveyeard with its ATK halved." Sheila revived Battle Coela, but with its ATK halved.

"I set Piercing Saury and the Link-2 Battle Coela to the Link Marker. Circuit combined!" Sheila opened the Link Summoning Circuit, setting Battle Coela on the Left and Right Arrows and Piercing Saury on the Bottom Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! D-Scale Full Metal Dunkle (2400/←↓→)!" She summoned her new Link Monster to a zone the top-center Link Arrow of Judgment Arrows points to.

"I set a card, and then I attack Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon with Full Metal Dunkle!" Sheila declared attack. As a Link Monster it points to battled, the effect of Judgment Arrows doubled its ATK during damage calculation, making Full Metal Dunkle's current ATK at 4800.

Full Metal Dunkle opened its mouth, revealing a huge laser cannon that was charging up, ready to make its shot towards the Xyz-Pendulum Dragon. Shadow won't let his monster be destroyed, however.

"I activate Trap Card: Xyz Soul! During Battle, when the number of monsters on the Field is the same as the Overlay Unit my monster has, I can detach all of its Overlay Unit to Special Summon an Xyz Monster with Rank equal to the original Level of the monsters that became Overlay Units!" Shadow opened his first Reverse Card, detaching all of Odd-Eyes Rebellion's Overlay Units and used it as materials for new Xyz Monster.

"Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! Phantom Knights Kult Foster (ATK: 2300 / DEF: 1900 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Shadow summoned Kult Foster in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone beside Odd-Eyes Rebellion.

"I activate Kult Foster's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can negate my monster's destruction by Battle!" Shadow detached the first Overlay Unit, forming a black cloud that served as a barrier for Odd-Eyes Rebellion, preventing its destruction from Full Metal Dunkle's laser shot.

 **SHADOW LP: 1600 = 800**

"I activate Continuous Trap: Kult Imprisonment! When either player summon an Xyz Monster, I can activate this card at the Turn it was set. Both players cannot Xyz Summon for 5 Turns and any Xyz Monsters present on the Field cannot attack!" Sheila imprisoned Odd-Eyes Rebellion and Kult Foster inside a cage together, stopping them from making any move.

"What?!" Shadow exclaimed. He then noticed an electricity came from his Extra Deck. He could hear from his Xyz monsters' voices that they couldn't come out.

"That's not all. If player wants to keep his Xyz Monster on the Field, they must pay 200 LP for each of their Turn or else the Xyz Monster will be destroyed!" Sheila revealed as she ended her Turn, allowing Shadow to start his Turn.

"Now, which are you going to choose?" Sheila asked with challenging smirk. Shadow only has 800 LP left. If choose to keep Odd-Eyes Rebellion and Kult Foster, then his LP will be decreased to 600. 800 was already low enough, will he sacrifice his own LP for his monsters?

"Out of question!" Shadow said as he chose to maintain his two Xyz Monsters on the Field, sacrificing 200 of his LP.

 **SHADOW LP: 800 = 600**

"Before we start again, I want you to answer me something." Shadow started.

"Huh? Make it quick." Sheila said.

"How are you planning to enslave the Duel Monsters? They are not some creatures that can be easily trained to listen to you like a loyal dog." Shadow questioned, having no intention to start until he get his answer.

Both Shadow and Sheila were glaring at each other, not wanting to do as the other said until they got what they want. However, getting impatient, Sheila finally sighed and relented with answering the question. She thought about it again, it wasn't like they were able to stop it even if they knew.

"As I said, we are no different than data here. Imagine if this happens dimension wide. This dimension and others. Every single dimension." Sheila answered as she opened up her arms, emphasizing the cyberspace.

Shadow and Yuzo were at first confused by Sheila's answer. But then the answer hit Yuzo's head whose face frowned deeply as realization hit him. The moment he knew, he tried his best to free himself from the debris, wishing to join the Duel and defeat Sheila so they can just reach the reactor and destroy it fast.

"I see now…the reactor that Heidel developed, it's not just going to unite the dimensions, but it also can digitize an entire realm." Yuzo gritted his teeth. To think that Heidel was planning this far.

"Heidel's plan is that he is going to digitize the Duel Monsters realm and since when they are digitized they are no different than data, it would be possible for him to repogram the Duel Monsters to bend to the humans' will. That's how he is going to enslave the Duel Monsters!" Yuzo delivered the answer, shocking Shadow who turned to Sheila for confirmation. Seeing Sheila's smile, Shadow just got his confirmation.

"Isn't that wonderful? With this we can do as we like to Duel Monsters without them complaining a single thing!" Sheila exclaimed delightedly.

"I won't let that happen!" Shadow retorted angrily.

"As if you can! You're done in this Turn! My Turn! I attack Phantom Knights Kult Foster with Full Metal Dunkle!" Sheila declared attack immediately, prompting Full Metal Dunkle to make a shot once again.

"I activate Kult Foster's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can negate destruction by Battle!" Shadow detached the last Overlay Unit, forming a barrier for Kult Foster as the laser was closing in on it.

"That won't be enough to stop me! Your LP is only at 600!" Sheila reminded, but then Shadow opened his second Reverse Card.

"Trap Card: A Knight's Message! When an Xyz Monster I control is targeted for attack, I can reduce the battle damage to 0!" Shadow revealed, protecting himself and Kult Foster what should have been the finishing blow for them.

"Oh well, it won't matter much. You're done for in the next Turn anyway. I end my Turn." Sheila said. She has sealed Shadow's means to Xyz Summon, so he could only rely on the Xyz Monsters he has now. Unless he could power up either of his monsters, there was nothing he could do against her Full Metal Dunkle. And due to the effect of her Continuous Trap, Shadow once again received 200 damage for keeping his Xyz Monsters.

 **SHADOW LP: 600 = 400**

"My Turn!" Shadow drew the card in his Draw Phase. The moment he looked at the card, a sense nausea attacked him. It finally came again. The Fusion card given to him by Yuno. He couldn't Xyz Summon nor he could power up his monster, so his only hope now is this card. His Fusion Monster.

Shadow, no, Yuto felt sick and dizzy. He had wanted to forget all about those things, about those awful days when his homeland was in flames and people were turned into cards. Yuto was probably having a panic attack, but he couldn't even see, so it was hard to tell. Yuto tried to get a hold of himself, gasping for breath.

"Yuto, listen carefully. You can do it."

Yuto gasped, returning to his senses when he heard the voice. His partner's voice. He turned to Yuzo, to Dark Rebellion, who was looking at him with soft gaze.

"Yuzo…"

"I understand how much you suffered at the hands of those who used Fusion Summon last year. I've been by your side fighting against them. But unlike you, I have Yura by my side. My sister who is a Fusion user, who grew up and fought alongside me 1,500 years ago and now. I can't hate Fusion Summon like you do because of her. Through her I can understand them." Yuzo started speaking, recalling every time he was with Yura and her Fusion Monsters. Her monsters could be as twisted as her and savages when it came to battle to the death, but under the violence was sincere love for people they cherished.

"Yuto, have you ever even think of trying to listen to the voice of your Fusion Monster?" Yuzo asked, which reminded Yuto of what Shark told him. His mentor suggested that he should try to speak with his Fusion Monster. That was the only way for him to reach understanding with Fusion Monsters.

"The fear itself is more terrifying the danger it may pose. And that's what is happening to you. You're too afraid to try to think of listening to your Fusion Monster. You judge it before you even try to get to know it." Yuzo continued and Yuto couldn't deny that. He never thought about it because he was too afraid of the horrible memories and hatred it brought back to him after the peace he finally got after the war. He pushed it away because he was afraid they would return to those days again.

"Weren't there lots of moments when instead of fear and anger, Fusion Monsters brought happiness?" Yuzo said, and this shocked Yuto.

"Happiness?" Yuto repeated in question as he looked at Yuzo like he has grown another head, but Yuzo simply flashed him a smile.

"You just need to remember them, Yuto. The more you think of them, the more it'll come back to you and lighten your connection." Yuzo gently urged Yuto to remember the good times he had during and after the war.

Yuto then try to calm himself as he was remembering. That time when Serena used her monsters to fight Dennis with intent to show Yuya's philosophy. That time when Yuya used Brave-Eyes Pendulum Dragon to deliver his Entertainment Duel against Edo during the final battle in Heartland. The time when Yuya and Yuzu used their new Fusion Monsters against Yuri and Serena at Academia. The time when Sora and Dennis fought him and Shun during Maiami Championship Battle Royale. And then other countless times when Yuya and his friends using Fusion to bring smiles to people's faces after the war...

...something that he has forgotten due to his fear.

Yuto then saw it. His Fusion Monster. It has a pure black skin wearing a skull as its mask and regal black leather coat with purple fur lining, short sleeves, and three black fur stripes running along the bottom. It also wore a golden wristband on both wrists, and a belt consisting of three thick chains attached to a large metal disk with a sun emblem.

"I've been ignoring your voice until now. I was too afraid because I thought you'll lead me astray."

For the first time, Yuto truly looked at it. Truly listening its voice. It was so sad, full of longing for him. It was longing to fight by his side. Yuto scolded himself for being so narrowminded. Before he told Yuya not to ignore Odd-Eyes' voice, but yet he ignored his own monster's voice. It was the time to put an end to his stupidity.

"But this is your true feeling for me. I'm sorry for making you wait this long. Let's fight together from now on."

Yuto felt his monster's power surging into him, like they have become one. This was it. This was the moment they have been waiting for.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Phantom Knights Fusion! When I control a Phantom Knights monster on my Field, I can use that monster and another monster I control to perform Fusion Summon!" Shadow fused Phantom Knights Kult Foster and Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon, sending them into the Fusion Vortex.

"What?! A Fusion Monster?! That's not in the data!" Sheila exclaimed in pure shock.

"The dark knight who masters black magic, become one with the supreme king black dragon and crush those who oppose you! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 8! Phantom Knights Ominous Javelin (ATK: 3100 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8)!" Shadow finally summoned his very first Fusion Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Ominous Javelin's effect! When it was Fusion Summoned, I can destroy all Magic and Trap Cards my opponent controls!" Shadow declared, destroying Judgment Arrows. As Judgment Arrows left the field, all monsters it points to are destroyed, but the effect of Full Metal Dunkle prevented it from being destroyed.

"I'm sorry, but even if you have gotten rid of Judgment Arrow, my Full Metal Dunkle has superior effect! Once per turn as the first effect of Full Metal Dunkle was used, I can activate the second effect of Full Metal Dunkle to move it to a Main Monster Zone it points to!" Sheila moved it to the zone its middle-left Link Arrow pointed to.

"Then, as Full Metal Dunkle was moved, I activate its effect to target a monster in the same column as Full Metal Dunkle and destroy it during the End Phase! This is the end! You won't win against me!" Sheila exclaimed, laughing in the process. However, this didn't deter Shadow in the least.

"I activate Ominous Javelin effect! Once per Turn, I can decrease all my opponent's monster's ATK by 800 for each Phantom Knights monster in my Graveyard!" Shadow revealed as Ominous Javelin's body was covered in purple flames of spirits of the Phantom Knights from the Graveyard, increasing its ATK by 3200, making its current ATK 6300.

"What?!"

"Battle! I attack Full Metal Dunkle with Ominous Javelin! Devil's Azoth!" Shadow declared the final Battle Phase. Ominous Javelin dashed toward his targeted enemy and slashed Full Metal Dunkle upward with his left sword to lift them into the air. Swiftly turning around, he thrusted his right sword at the enemy and releases a powerful black beam to send the Link Monster away together with Sheila, destroying it.

 **SHEILA LP: 2300 = 0**

The cyberspace dispersed. Yuto returned to himself, no longer in his avatar form. They were back to the real world. Yuto couldn't help but smile. Everything felt lighter. He actually felt like humming, or maybe skipping. He couldn't remember feeling this light. Not even escaping ending the war had made him this overwhelmingly happy. He turned to Yuzo, smiling calmly yet brightly.

"I did it, Yuzo! We can finally understand each other!" Yuto exclaimed as he held his Fusion Monster in his hand.

"Yeah. You did great. Both of you did great together. I'm so proud of you." Yuzo smiled back, also feeling as happy as his master and his Fusion Monster. But While that was good and all...

"Now, can you please get me out of this?" Yuzo said, referring to the debris that was literally almost crushing him.

"Oh, right! Sorry, wait a just a sec!" Yuto rushed to his partner, starting to remove the debris one by one with a little bit help from his monsters.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Ideal Person –** While Ruri is dueling against Kariya, Reid's group encounter Riena who has suspicion on the fortress' condition. Finally confronting his former instructor again, he challenges her to a Duel. As they're reminiscing their times together, Riena reveals her reason for helping Heidel.

* * *

 **Tadaa! Finally, Yuto used Fusion Summon! I'm sorry for taking it this long until he finally gained the courage to summon their Fusion Monster! I initially planned to include Ruri's Duel in this chapter, but if I do it, it'll take longer time to update, so I decide to separate Ruri's part in the next chapter.**

 **My new work is tiring but also fun. I finally got adjusted to the schedule and get the time to continue writing. But I think after I finish this fanfic, I'm going to take a break from writing and focus more on my work for a while. But please keep in mind it doesn't mean I'm going to stop writing completely after finishing this fanfic. Please stay with me until the end. I still have lots of ideas for new stories in store to write it in the future!**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	78. Ideal Person

**Big thanks to** _ **Jason, Yuka Kuroshiro, GamingGuy84, Ulrich362, Playerhood18, dvdryms, D3lph0L0v3r, tsukikami02, Luis, VioletStarVN, J Alvarez, Lil Skis Jr, Big duels, Guest**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully, you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **GROUP 1 – RAMSSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Ruri was pushed to the floor and felt her brother's hand held the back of her head protectively and kept her to the ground as the sounds of air raids raining down towards them. Smokes and dust filled the room, causing her to cough. She blinked her eyes, trying to get a clear look of her surrounding. She then turned and saw her brother's face, wincing in pain, beside her. A piece of debris was falling on him while he protected her.

"Brother!" Ruri sat up, moving the debris away from him. She gasped when she saw blood coming from his left foot, being pierced by a small piece of rock. She quickly took out a medical kit from her bag, giving a first aid to his injured foot.

"Are you…okay?" Shun asked as he finally regained his consciousness.

"I'm fine! You're the one who is hurt, Brother!" Ruri exclaimed worriedly.

"This is nothing." Shun tried to assure her by standing up, but the impact of the attack got the better of him and his body slump back again. Ruri adjusted her brother's position so he could at least be more comfortable after finished bandaging her brother's wound.

"Take a rest for a minute! We'll get out of here once you–"

"The two of you are not going anywhere."

Kariya revealed himself from behind the dust, standing above debris while looking down at the Kurosaki siblings. He raised his right-arm equipped with Duel Disk, activating it but decided not to activate the cyber space. He preferred to Duel in this environment, though he at least disabled the function of Action Field. Ruri realized this upon seeing her Duel Disk, but this won't stop her from fighting to defend her wounded brother.

"Brother, stay here. I'll fight him." Ruri said, as she stood up with her Duel Disk ready.

"I can fight too!" Shun insisted and tried to stand up again, but Ruri pushed him back to sit by the shoulders, not having any of protest from him.

"No! Rest! Leave this to me!" Ruri said firmly with voice louder than usual, which startled even Shun.

"Yeah, leave this to her." Kariya said as he locked his and Ruri's Duel Disk with a red energy tie. "Duel Anchor. You can't leave and no one can interfere this Duel until it's over."

"Good. This way my stubborn brother won't be able to stop me." Ruri said, which earned her his brother's annoyance. "Just watch me, Brother! I'll be fine!"

"Will you, really? I'm strong." Kariya retorted.

"So do I!" Ruri said confidently as she activated her Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! From my hand, I summon Lyrical Luscinia – Cobalt Sparrow (ATK: 0 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1)!" Ruri summoned Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"If I control a Lyrical Luscinia Monster, I can Special Summon Lyrical Luscinia – Sapphire Swallow (ATK: 100 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) from my hand and one Level 1 Lyrical Luscinia Monster!" Ruri summoned Sapphire Swallow along with another copy of Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Cobalt Sparrow's Effect! I can add a copy of Cobalt Sparrow from my Deck to my hand!" Ruri added another copy of Cobalt Sparrow to her hand.

"I overlay Sapphire Swallow and Cobalt Sparrows! Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and take brilliant flight! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Xyz Summon! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia – Assembly Nightingale (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / RNK: 1 / ORU: 3)!" Canaria summoned her ace Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone. Due to its effect, it gained 300 ATK and DEF.

"I activate Magic Card: Nightingale Tweets! I can add 2 Level 4 or lower Lyrical Luscinia Monsters from my Deck to my hand!" Ruri added another copy of Sapphire Swallow and Malachite Swan (ATK: 300 / DEF: 500 / LV: 3 / PS: 3) to her hand.

"I activate the Effect of another copy of Sapphire Swallow in my hand!" Ruri once again Special Summoned another copy of Sapphire Swallow and then the other copy of Cobalt Sparrow in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I overlay Sapphire Swallow and Cobalt Sparrow! Birds with beautiful wings! Gather on the battlefield and raise courage with your dance! Xyz Summon! Dance in the sky! Xyz Summon! Rank 1! Lyrical Luscinia – Recite Starling (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / RNK: 1 / ORU: 2)!" Ruri summoned Recite Starling in Attack Position in the other Extra Monster Zone.

"Two consecutive Xyz Summons? Not bad at all. You're not just some pretty girl after all." Kariya whistled, impressed by the Xyz Summons that Ruri pulled off.

"Recite Starling gains 300 ATK and DEF for each Overlay Unit it has!" Ruri increased Recite Starling's ATK and DEF to 600.

"Also, if Recite Starling is Xyz summoned, I can target 1 face-up monster on the Field, that monster also gains 300 ATK and DEF for each of its Overlay Unit!" Ruri targeted Assembly Nightingale, increasing her ace monster's ATK to 900.

"I end my Turn." Ruri concluded.

"You'll be a worthy opponent. My Turn. I summon Flint Cragger (ATK: 800 / DEF: 1600)!" Kariya summoned Cragger in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate the effect of Flint Cragger! I send it to the Graveyard and inflict 500 damage to my opponent!" Kariya discarded Cragger right after he summoned it, shooting an orang-colored blast at Ruri, inflicting 500 damage to her.

 **RURI LP: 4000 = 3500**

"Next I activate Bligtsaurus' effect in my hand. When I send Flint Cragger to the Graveyard through its effect, I can send Bligtsaurus from my hand to my opponent's Graveyard!" Kariya sent Blightsaurus from his hand to Ruri's Graveyard, confusing the Kurosaki siblings.

"To my Graveyard?!" Ruri exclaimed in shock as she looked at her Duel Disk, finding Bligtsaurus in her Graveyard as Kariya declared.

"What is he going to do?!" Shun stared at Kariya warily.

"And then I activate Magic Card: Fossil Fusion! I banish Flint Cragger and Bligtsaurus from from both players' Graveyards to Fusion Summon!" Kariya sent Cragger and Bligtsaurus to the Fusion Vortex as he joined his hands together.

"So he sent his own monster to Ruri's Graveyard to activate that Fusion Card." Shun gritted his teeth at the sight of the two monsters merging together into one.

"Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 4! Cenozoic Fossil Dragon Skullger (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 0 / LV: 4)!" Kariya summoned his Fusion Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Battle! I attack Lyrical Luscinia – Assembly Nightingale with Skullger!" Kariya declared, prompting Skullger to rush forward to Ruri's ace monster.

"I activate Assembly Nightingale's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit I can negate my monster's destruction and reduce the damage to 0!" Ruri raised a hand towards her ace monster, attempting to detach its Overlay Unit, but Kariya then interrupted her.

"Not going to happen! When Bligtsaurus is used as Fusion Materials, the Fusion Monster gains an additional effect! When Skullger attacks, the opposing monster cannot activate their effect!" Kariya declared, as chains made from bones appeared beneath Assembly Nightingale, tying it tight before it could activate its effect. Skullger then tackled the bounded Xyz Monster, destroying it.

 **RURI LP: 3500 = 2100**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Kariya concluded.

"You might have destroyed Assembly Nightingale, but I still have more moves!" Ruri exclaimed, beginning her Draw Phase.

"My Turn! I activate Rank-Up Magic: Lyrical Luscinia – Egg Hatch! I can use this card and a Lyrical Luscinia Xyz Monster as Xyz Materials to special summon an Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck with one Rank higher than the Xyz Monster I control!" Ruri opened the Overlay Network using Recite Starling and the Rank-Up Magic Card.

"Birds with colorful wings! Gather on the battlefield and sing the song of hope! Xyz Summon! Rank 2! Lyrical Luscinia – Opera Nightingale (ATK: 200 / DEF: 200 / RNK: 2 / ORU: 2)!" Ruri summoned Opera Nightingale in Attack Position in the Main Zone replacing Recite Starling.

"I activate Opera Nightingale's effect! If this card is Xyz summoned, it gains 400 ATK for each Level 3 or lower Lyrical Luscinia monsters in my Graveyard!" There were 5 Level 1 Lyrical Luscinia monsters in her Graveyard, so its ATK became 2200.

"I activate Opera Nightingale's effect! I detach an Overlay Unit to lower my opponent's monster's ATK equal to half of Opera Nightingale's current ATK!" Ruri decreased Skullger's ATK by 1100, making its current ATK 1400.

"Battle! I attack Skullger with Opera Nightingale!" Ruri declared Battle Phase. Opera Nightingale flapped its wings, unleashing a strong green-colored gale towards the Fusion Monster. But Kariya chose that moment to open his Reverse Card.

"Trap Card: Extinction Evasion! By sending a Dinosaur-Type Monster form my Deck to my opponent's Graveyard, I can negate my monster's destruction!" Kariya sent Ultimate Tyranno from his Deck to Ruri's Graveyard, negating Skullger's destruction, though he still got a few cuts from the gale sent by Opera Nightingale, damaging him.

 **KARIYA LP: 4000 = 3200**

"I end my Turn." Ruri concluded, eyeing her Graveyard with suspicion yet she couldn't do anything with it at the moment. _"He sent his own monster again to my Graveyard. Does he intend to perform the same Fusion Summon again?"_

"If you're thinking what I'm thinking, then you're not wrong." Kariya said as he stared at Ruri's suspicious gaze to her Graveyard. He gave her a small smile before starting his Turn again.

"My Turn. I activate Magic Card: Specimen Inspection to send Sample Fossil from my hand to the Graveyard and declare one monster Type and Level. Once that is done, my opponent must send a monster with the declared type and Level from their Deck to the Graveyard." Kariya chose for Ruri to send a Level 1 Winged Beast-Type monster from her Deck to the Graveyard, forcing Ruri to send a copy of her Cobalt Sparrow to the Graveyard.

"I activate Magic Card: Fossil Fusion to banish Sample Fossil and Ultimate Tyranno from both players' Graveyards to Fusion Summon!" Kariya once again performed the same Fusion Summon, banishing his two monsters from both his and Ruri's Graveyards.

"So he activated Specimen Inspection just to send his own Sample Fossil so he can Fusion Summon again…!" Shun remarked with anger.

"Fusion Summon! Appear! Paleozoic Fossil Dragon Skullgeoth (ATK: 3500 / DEF: 0 / LV: 8)!" Kariya summoned his strongest Fusion Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Battle! I attack Opera Nightingale with Skullgeoth!" Skullgeoth charged straight at Ruri's only Xyz Monster on the Field. Ruri was prepared. She won't get that much damage since she has increased Opera Nightingale's ATK. Or so that was what she thought until Kariya smiled again at her.

"At this moment, I activate Skullgeoth's effect! I can switch the ATK and DEF of Opera Nightingale!" Kariya revealed, switching Opera Nightingale's ATK from 2200 to merely 200. With Skullgeoths ATK amount, it should be enough to finish off Ruri's LP.

"I activate Opera Nightingale's second effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can copy the effect of a Lyrical Luscinia monster in my Graveyard!" Ruri reluctantly used Opera Nightingale's Overlay Unit to copy Assembly Nightingale's effect to prevent destruction and reduce the damage to 0.

"Then I attack again with Skullger!" Kariya used his other Fusion Monster for the second attack. This time, Skullger successfully destroyed Opera Nightingale, leaving Ruri's Monster Zones empty.

 **RURI LP: 2100 = 1800**

"Your monsters are destroyed now. How about giving up and I'll lead you and your brother to the cell peacefully?" Kariya offered.

"Shut your mouth." Shun said with venom as he forced himself to stand up. He slowly tried to walk closer to his sister's side, readying his Duel Disk.

"You're going to fight me next. I won't let you harm my sister more than this." Shun glared at Kariya.

"Even if you want to, you can't interfere with the Duel because I have used the Duel Anchor. Just sit and wait until I defeat her then it'll be your Turn as you wish." Kariya replied coolly, not even batting an eye at Shun.

"Shut up! I won't let you get away with this!" Shun retorted furiously.

Ruri watched her from the side and frowned upon seeing his face. His expression reflected his anger at Kariya for hurting her. But she could see there was something else in his eyes. The rage that was not directed at Kariya or his Fusion Monster, but at Fusion of Academia. Her brother was seeing the Academia Duelists who razed their homeland a year ago within Kariya and his Fusion Monster. Yeah. It wasn't just her and Yuto. Her brother was also still difficult to let go of his hatred.

Seeing her brother like this sure brought back the many memories whenever her brother was there to protect her. He is the very first person who would trust her whenever something happens. There was a time when she was 12 years old she was framed by a fellow Spade Branch Duelist for stealing cards out of jealousy of her rank. Her brother quickly came to her defense and caught the real culprit, clearing her name. Without a doubt, despite the circumstance evidence, her brother trusts her.

She has always loved her brother. And after that incident, she admired him even more, both as Duelist and a human being. And that's why she never wanted to disappoint him in any way.

"…Brother…this is why you're my ideal person…" Ruri suddenly said, making Shun looked at her.

"You're actually a warm person. You just rarely show it. I've always striving to become strong like you…so I can protect you this time…" Ruri smiled as she placed her hand on her Extra Deck, hearing a voice coming from within it. The voice that she has ignored due to her fear and insecurity.

"I know what I can do to become stronger, but I'm afraid because it brought painful memories and I'm afraid that you'll hate me." Ruri looked at the card she just drew and smiled sadly. It was the time for her to make up her mind.

"But this is just me being a coward. I got afraid first before even try to listen. And I know that you'd never judge me. I'm sure you'll understand if I explain it. I should have listened long time ago." Ruri called herself stupid of doubting her brother even though she was supposed to know him best. That made her fails to hear the cries of her monster who genuinely wishes to help her.

"I'm sorry for doubting you before I even get to know you. Let's get along from now on." Ruri said as she saw her newest monster. It was smiling at her, happy that she finally listened to its voice.

"That's why, I'm going to do this." Ruri revealed the card she just drew, making Shun gasped upon realizing what kind of card it was.

"I activate Magic Card: Tweeting Fusion! I can perform Fusion Summon by banishing two or more Winged-Beast monsters in my Graveyard!" Ruri banished Assembly Nightingale and Opera Nightingale from her Graveyard, sending them into the Fusion Vortex.

"Birds with brilliant wings! Become one and take your flight towards the sky of hope! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 7! Lyrical Luscinia – Serendipitous Nightingale (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Ruri summoned her very first Fusion Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Ruri used Fusion Summon?!" Shun exclaimed in shock mixed with disbelief. His sister used the very same Fusion Summon that Academia used to destroy their homeland last year?

"I activate Serendipitous Nightingale's effect! Once per Turn, I can reduce all my opponent's monster's ATK to 0 and negate their effects!" Ruri declared, rendering Kariya's Skullger and Skullgeoth's ATKs completely powerless as rain of feathers showering them.

"Battle! I attack Skullger with Serendipitous Nightingale!" Ruri declared.

"But even if you reduced their ATKs to 0, I will still have LP left!" Kariya reminded.

"When Serendipitous Nightingale destroys a monster, it can make a second attack!" Ruri revealed, shocking Kariya who has no cards to help him left.

"Go, Serendipitous Nightingale!"

Serendipitous Nightingale whirled its body, forming a blue-colored tornado coated with white feathers. It pulled both the opposing Fusion Monsters into the tornado, slowly cutting their bodies with its sharp whirl of winds and feathers until they exploded, throwing Kariya away several feet back from where Ruri was standing.

 **KARIYA LP: 3200 = 0**

The second Kariya was defeated, Ruri fell on her knees. Her body was shaking. This prompted her brother to rush towards her despite his wounded foot. He kneeled besides her, holding her shoulder.

"Ruri!"

"I'm okay. I'm just relieved…" Ruri smiled at her brother to assure him, though her body was still shaking form the first time performing Fusion Summon.

"You used…Fusion..." Shun said, looking at his sister in disbelief and confusion. Ruri simply smiled at him before looking down at her Fusion Monster.

"I have…enough…with this hatred." Ruri started.

"I'm tired, Brother. Keeping this pain, this hatred inside me. By keeping them, I just kept reminding myself how I suffered last year. I don't want to ruin my future by keeping that suffering in my heart. So, I decided to stop thinking about it. By stop thinking about it, I can finally hear its voice. I can finally understand its heart." Ruri turned to her brother again, this time smiling brighter without an ounce of doubt. She was sure now. All hatred and doubt she has regarding Fusion has disappeared from her heart completely. She could finally, move on for real.

Shun stared hard at his sister smile and suddenly felt his legs becoming jelly, causing him to sit down. He covered his eyes with his right hand and let out a long sigh.

"I really…can't treat you as my baby sister anymore…" Shun said, finally smiling back at her. He was a bit sad that his sister was not as cute as she was years ago, but he was also proud that she gained her independence.

"Geez, Brother, so all this time you've been treating me like I'm still a little girl?" Ruri pouted, making Shun chuckled.

"Won't deny that." He admitted.

"I miss you very much…" Ruri leaned her head to her brother's shoulder.

"Me too…" Shun replied, ruffling her soft hair.

At that, the two Kurosaki siblings laughed. It has been a very long time since they were laughing together like this. It felt like years for the both of them. Just for a little bit more, they wanted to savor this moment.

 **GROUP 2 – RAMSSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Jonouchi and Reid walked the empty hallway rather slowly, which was the courtesy of Jonouchi. Even though Reid tried to make himself look fine, his face and heavy breathing was saying otherwise. It took only a few minutes ever since they stepped into the fortress and walk until Reid started looking rather exhausted from his wounds. But Reid insisted that he could still walk and urge Jonouchi to continue, and Jonouchi only listen if Reid agreed to take it slowly.

"You're okay? Do you need to rest?" Jonouchi asked, worrying for Reid's conditions that look worsen no matter how he looked at him.

Reid shook his head immediately. "I'm fine. It's okay. Let's walk a bit slower for a bit and then we can continue faster." He told Jonouchi, pushing his back to continue walking.

"No. You better lie down, Reid."

Jonouchi and Reid were quick to be in their battle position as they heard the voice. From the other side of the hallway, they saw none other than Reid's former instructor, Riena, coming towards them with her Duel Disk already activated on her wrist.

"Instructor!" Reid called out.

"General Riena. Long time no see." Jonouchi greeted calmly as he stood in front of Reid protectively.

"It has been a while indeed. But let's cut the chitchat and go straight to the point. Surrender or you'll be fighting me. I won't let anyone get in the Supreme Commander's way!" Riena said, crossing her arms as she waited for their respond.

"Instructor, you truly think that enslaving the Duel Monsters is right?!" Reid questioned, pushing Jonouchi to behind him as he was facing his former instructor whom he hoped he could still convince to understand.

"Of course. What good is free will of Duelists if the Duel Monsters are manipulating us? I refuse to accept that my emotions are controlled by Duel Monsters. The will of humans should be their own." Riena said, repeating what she said after she defeated Reid last time.

"Even if you have to make countless of sacrifices to do it?" Jonouchi asked this time, narrowing his eyes at Riena.

"If that means the true freedom of humanity, yes." Riena answered without hesitation.

"Don't you have any attachment to your Duel Monsters at all?! Didn't you come all this way because you work together believing in your Duel Monsters?! Don't you care a single bit about them anymore?!" Reid asked again, desperately hoping there was still the bit of his former instructor that he knew inside her.

"Not all of them that is." Riena said, confusing Reid and Jonouchi but she continued.

"Anyone would feel some lingering attachment. Humans always cling to something. That's our nature. But the one who saved me from despair is the Supreme Commander. If the Supreme Commander wish for it, then the Duel Monsters shall be enslaved by any means necessary." Riena answered firmly. Her eyes reflected how serious she was of every single thing she said.

"Those are you true feelings, Instructor?" Reid clenched his fists, furrowing his brows at his former instructor's answer. "Then I lost all my respect for you. You talk about free will, but you don't have any of your own! You're just blindly following Heidel's orders! The way you are now, you are not the Duelist who I looked up to!"

"I never thought that I have to kill you with my own hands, Reid. I truly regret that it has to be this way." Riena went into her battle stance, ready to take on her former student.

"Stand back, Jonouchi. I'll handle this. I have to do this." Reid pushed Jonouchi further behind him as he activated his Duel Disk. Understanding Reid's feeling, Jonouchi didn't say anything and stood back as he was told. Reid felt grateful for Jonouchi's understanding and now could face his instructor with all his might.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first. I activate Field Spell: Mirror Labyrinth. Now if the only monster I control is a monster that is at most Level 4, then that monster can attack twice during each Battle Phase." Riena declared, changing the empty hallway into labyrinth filled with mirrors that reflected them.

"Next I activate Continuous Magic: Sad Story - Sorrowful Memories. Now if either player draws a monster during their Draw Phase, they must return that monster to their Deck." Riena stated before picking another card from her hand.

"I summon Reptiless Servant (ATK: 100 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1)." Riena summoned her first monster in Attack Position. Now while this monster is face-up, neither player can summon monsters.

"I end my Turn." Riena concluded.

"My Turn."

Reid drew a card, but due to the effect of Sad Story - Sorrowful Memories, he was forced to return it to his Deck. He looked at his cards and frowned. Due to Reptiless Servant's effect, he couldn't summon a monster, so he only has one choice.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Reid concluded just like that. "This strategy is unusual of you, Instructor."

"I told you that I wouldn't hesitate, so I'll use my strongest strategy against you." Riena reminded. She has dedicated herself for the Supreme Commander. She won't let anyone get in his away, even including her former student whom she was fond of.

"My Turn. I activate Magic Card: Sad Story - Unwavering Truth. Now if either player draws a Spell Card during their Draw Phase, they must return that card to their Deck." Riena added.

"First monster and now Magic…!" Jonouchi became worried for Reid.

"Battle. I attack directly with Reptiless Servant." Riena declared. Since Reptiless Servant was the only monster on the Field, it could attack twice. Using its tail, it threw Reid back to the floor.

 **REID LP: 4000 = 3800**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Riena concluded.

"My Turn." Reid continued despite the pain the previous attack inflicted on him. But due to Riena's cards' effects, now he could only draw a Trap and set it. "I set a card and end my Turn."

"My Turn. I activate Sad Story - Atrocious Day. Now if either player draws a Trap Card during their Draw Phase, they must return that card to their Deck." Riena revealed, shocking Jonouchi.

"No way! First Monster and Magic, and now even Trap Cards?! She is planning to seal Reid's movement completely?!" Jonouchi grew even more worried for Reid. If the situation calls for it, he doesn't care if Reid would be angry with him or not, he will interfere the Duel.

"I have expected that! Trap Card: Illusion Destruction! I flip Reptiless Servant face-down, and because it was targeted by a Trap Card, its third effect activates, destroying itself!" Reid opened his Reverse Card, flipping Reptiless Servant facedown, allowing him to summon a Monster on his next Turn. However, at that moment, Riena then opened her own Trap.

"Trap Card: Sorrowful Chain! I Special Summon Bad End Queen Dragon (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 2600 / LV: 6)!" Riena summoned dragon in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone, as all three Sad Story cards are face-up on the field.

"Oh crap, she summoned a high-level monster that way!" Jonouchi exclaimed.

"Battle! I attack directly with Bad End Queen Dragon!" Riena declared her Battle Phase. Bad End Queen Dragon opened its maw, unleashing flame that threw Reid back to the floor, worsening his wounds that were close to opening up again.

 **REID LP: 3800 = 1900**

Furthermore, due to the first effect of Bad End Queen Dragon Reid sent one of his cards from his hand to the Graveyard and Riena drew a card before ending her Turn.

Jonouchi helped Reid to stand up, holding him tight as the younger man struggle to keep his feet standing. Reid nodded at Jonouchi for his help and faced his teacher again. He couldn't see the instructor that he knew from her. She was almost like a stranger. Where was his instructor that he admired years ago?

"Instructor, for one last time, won't you please tell me what happened to you? I just can't believe that you'll do something like supporting Heidel! Please answer me! As your former disciple, I have the right to know!" Reid asked again. He needed to know what has changed his former instructor so much.

"Telling him the whole thing would be the best for your disciple here. Or do your pride as a Duelist wish for him to duel the way he is now?" Jonouchi suggested to the general.

Riena stared at Reid who was waiting for her answer. He won't start his Turn unless she told him everything. Not only that, it looked like he won't be able to concentrate in the Duel if he didn't get the answer. She wouldn't like that. Her pride won't allow her to win that way, especially when her former disciple looked up to her so much.

"Three years ago, six months after I stopped being your instructor, I was sent on a mission to fight against a rebel group. I was still a sergeant back then, following the order of my superior, a Colonel. I'm sure you have heard." Riena started, finally relenting to answering Reid's question.

"Yes. Out of thirty men that were sent, only three people managed to get alive, and you're one of the only survivors. The enemies found out about your location and made their attack first." Jonouchi has heard about it. Everyone should have known since it was all over the news for weeks.

Riena smiled bitterly at that. "Of course they found out. A few Duel Monsters from our sides were the ones who leaked our location." She spat like she has swallowed poison. Her faced pained from remembering that day.

"What do you mean?" Reid asked, raising a brow.

"A few Duel Monster spirits belonged to my comrades were acquainted with the Duel Monster spirits belonged to the enemies. They sensed each other's presence and called out one another. The moment I realized it, I tried to make them stop. However, not even their owners could stop them and it was all too late." She noticed two or three Duel Monsters were giving signals, the cards were glowing and a few who had the ability to hear their voices realized what they were doing, including herself. The owner of the cards tried to stop them, begging their monsters, but it reached deaf ears. As the result, the enemies found them and a bloody all-out-battle occurred. They won with too much casualties.

"Do you get it now? We're the ones holding the cards, but in the end Duel Monsters would be able to decide for themselves and would do anything to fulfill what they want, even if it means many lives are loss." Riena gritted her teeth.

"To make sure that it would never happen again, this is the safest measure. That way they won't be able to disobey us again. They won't lead us astray again." Riena concluded her story. She couldn't forgive those Duel Monsters who caused the dead of her comrades. Their owners have clearly begged them, but they didn't even listen. They didn't care and just did it.

"I can understand how it feels to lose your comrades, especially when someone you're supposed to trust is the one responsible…" Reid thought of his own experience before, and recently with Ryo who was supposed to be one of their trusted comrades but yet betrayed them by giving Yuri and Celica to the enemies.

"But that doesn't mean we can disregard the others who are different. We can't just make that kind of conclusion because of a few Duel Monsters." Reid stated firmly. While it was true there were some who were like what Riena has told them, it doesn't mean all Duel Monsters were like that. There were many who were sincere and he won't let those monsters being robbed of their free will.

"Instructor, it's thanks to you that I have made it this far! Just like you are willing to fight for Heidel, I am also fighting for people important to me! And one of those people is in your clutches! I will take him back!" Reid gave his answer, determined to save Yuno at all cost.

"My Turn! I summon Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin (ATK: 600 / DEF: 800)!" Reid summoned it in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Fake Hero to Special Summon Elemental Hero Bladedge (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 1800)!" Reid summoned it in Attack Position, however it won't be allowed to attack this turn due to Fake Hero's effect.

"I activate Aqua Dolphin's effect to discard Hero Kid, and then look at my opponent's hand, and choose a monster in it. If that monster has less ATK than a monster I control, that monster will be destroyed and my opponent will take 500 damage!" Reid took a look at Riena's hand. Seeing another copy of Reptiless Servant, he chose it, destroying the card and inflicted 500 damage to Riena.

 **RIENA LP: 4000 = 3500**

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Ried concluded. During the End Phase, Bladedge returned to Reid's hand due to Fake Hero's effect.

They're on opposing sides now, but she used to be his ideal as both a soldier and a human being. He admired everything about her. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't be supporting Yuno and joined The Brotherhood. People would think it was too bad that he must fight his ideal person. But he didn't think so.

It's precisely because she's his ideal that he has to fight her.

To prove that her truly believes that what he was doing right now is right.

And to not embarrass her.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Follow Your Own Ideal –** Reid begins his counterattack against Riena.

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 **Done. I hope this should be enough to make up for not updating last week. Next chapter will be reaching the climax of Reid vs Riena and also the Synchro users' turn to shine again after quite a long time!**

 **To** _ **Luis**_ **: I don't understand what do you mean? Do you mean chapter 77 or chapter 60? Either way, I didn't recall writing Yuno being freed in both chapters. There are chapters Yuno able to contact his friends but it was through LINK VRAINS and only for an hour before he must log out. Maybe you misread or misunderstand something. Try reading carefully.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	79. Follow Your Own Ideal

**Big thanks to** _ **tsukikami02, Ulrich362, Playerhood18, dvdryms, Big duels, Luis, D3lph0xL0v3r, GamingGuy84, Yuka Kuroshiro, Jason, Anonymous, Thomas, VioletStarVN, Orion, Dante**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully, you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **4 YEARS AGO – CANTIDEL MILITARY ACADEMY – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Reid was blinking at the woman who was standing next to Lechter. She wore the Cantidel military uniform and from her badge, she held the position of the lieutenant. She seemed young, and Reid would have mistook her for a woman only a few years older than him if not for the air of maturity around her.

"You are Reid, correct?" The woman smiled at him while asking.

"Umm... Lord Lechter, who is this?" Reid asked to the elder who has moved to stand between them.

"She is Lieutenant Riena. She has been assigned to be your instructor starting from today." Lechter introduced the woman, which caused Reid almost lose his footing from surprise.

"Wait, what?! But Lord Lechter, I thought you're going to continue teach me in the way of the academy!" Reid exclaimed, a pang of complaint at the tip of his tone.

"I have been assigned to a long-term dangerous mission, so I have to leave. For that reason, Lietunant Riena here will teach you in my place. You have no need for worry because she is one of the top duelists in the military." Lechter said in attempt to calm down the young man, but Reid still has a rather sour look on his face.

"But..." Before Reid could say more, Riena stepped in.

"Reid, I'm planning to teach you in the way of the academy. You will learn the same things as you usually do with Lord Lechter." Riena said.

"That's not the problem! I want to be taught by you and Yuno-san at the Brotherhood HQ!" Reid insisted, finally frowning so clearly that showed his dislike at the idea.

"Didn't you want to learn the way of the academy to survive in the battlefield? Why is it you're so against in being taught by me who is also from the military myself? It seems to me that you care more of going to the Brotherhood than becoming a Duelist with the way of the academy." Riena added, which hit right on the spot to Reid. The youngster couldn't say anything after that. She saw through him so easily. But maybe it was also because he was being too obvious with his expression and way of talking.

"Reid, that's your problem? If you such trivial matters keep bothering you, you'll never grow as a human being let alone a Duelist." Lechter scolded the young woman. He could tell that Reid has became rather attached to him and Yuno, but he never thought it would be to this extent. Lechter opened his mouth to give the boy a lecture, but Riena raised her hand, stopping him.

"It is fine, Lord Lechter. Words are pointless and won't get us anywhere in a case like this. The only way for him to understand is through practical lesson." Riena told Lechter, wearing her Duel Disk. She gestured her head to the field, beckoning Reid to stand there.

"Let's begin our training."

 **PRESENT TIME – GROUP 2 – RAMSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"My Turn. Draw." Riena drew a card. Turning the drawn card to her, it was revealed to be Reptiless Gorgon. However, due to Sad Story - Sorrowful Memories, Reptiless Gorgon was returned to Riena's Deck.

"On my Standby Phase, I activate the second effect of Bad End Queen Dragon to send Sad Story - Sorrowful Memories to the Graveyard and Special Summon Bad End Queen Dragon (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 2600) from my Graveyard in Attack Position." Riena discarded her dragon, only to summon it back again right away.

"And then I activate Equip Spell: Reptiless Anger. I equip it to Bad End Queen Dragon and increasing its ATK by 800." Riena increased her dragon's ATK to 2700.

"Battle. I attack with Bad End Queen Dragon!" Riena pointed at Reid who immediately held his fingers on one of his cards, ready to make his move as the dragon unleashed its destructive breath towards him. However, before he could make his next move, a figure stepped in front of him.

"Trap Card: Red Eyed Hurricane! By sending a Red-Eyes Monster from my hand, I can activate this card from my hand and negate the attack!" Jonouchi intruded, negating the attack of Bad End Queen Dragon by sending his Red-Eyes Black Dragon to the Graveyard, which created a wall of hurricane that blocked the female dragon's strike.

"Jonouchi-san?!" Reid exclaimed in surprise at Jonouchi's intereference. The Red-Eyes user then turned to him.

"Sorry. I wanted to let you duel her alone, but every second is crucial for us right now, so we have to hurry." Jonouchi said with firm and determined eyes. Reid didn't need to ask what he meant. Heidel has completed his machine and has his fuel that means he can activate the reactor at any second now. They can't allow that to happen. Jonouchi truly respected Reid's wish, but right now they have more important matters to settle.

Reid understood that. He mustn't let his emotions to run wild at this dire situation. If Yuno is here, he would have told them to finish the Duel and stop the reactor as soon as possible. And who knows what will Heidel do to Yuno and the other hostages if they were too late. They mustn't waste their times here. Many lives are at stake.

"Got it." Reid relented, accepting Jonouchi's assistance.

"I end my Turn." Riena concluded, beginning Reid's Turn.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse Bladedge on my Field and Wildman in my hand! Fusion Summon! Appear, Level 8! Elemental HERO – Jaggyman (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 2300 / LV: 8)!" Reid summoned his Fusion Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Hero's Sacrifice! I release my Elemental Hero or Neo-Spacian monster to reduce the ATK of my opponent's monster to 0!" Reid tributed Neo-Spacian Dolphin and reduced Bad End Queen Dragon's ATK to 0.

"Battle! I attack Bad End Queen Dragon with Elemental Hero Jaggyman!" Reid declared attack. Jaggyman crushed through the dragon's body effortlessly, destroying the dragon and nearly blew away Riena in the process from the explosion.

 **RIENA LP: 3500 = 900**

"I activate the second effect of Reptiless Anger. I can reduce the ATK of my opponent's monster by 800!" Riena decreased Reid's Jaggyman's ATK to 1800 in retaliation right after she got hit by the impact.

"I end my Turn." Reid concluded.

"My Turn! By banishing a Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my Deck, I can Special Summon Sin Red-Eyes Black Dragon (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Jonouchi summoned a Sin Red-Eyes in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone from his hand.

"I activate Equip Spell: Red Armor! I equip it to Sin Red-Eyes. Now, Sin Red-Eyes cannot be destroyed as long as there's a Field Spell active. However, in exchange, I cannot attack on the Turn this card is equipped to it." Jonouchi equipped Sin Red-Eyes' body with a full set of crimson-colored armor with black lines, reinforcing its defense.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Jonouchi concluded.

"My Turn. I activate the second effect of Bad End Queen Dragon to send Sad Story - Unwavering Truth to the Graveyard and Special Summon Bad End Queen Dragon from my Graveyard in Attack Position." Riena revived her dragon in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Next, I activate Magic Card: Advance Force. Now if I Advance Summons a Level 7 or higher monster by releasing a Level 5 or higher monster, I can decrease the necessary Tributes of the summoned monster by one." Riena then Tributes Bad End Queen Dragon in order to Advance Summon Eartbound God Ccarayhua (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 1800) in Attack Position.

"It finally appears! The Earthbound God!" Reid exclaimed as the said monster was looming over them due to its size.

"Battle! I attack Reid directly with Earthbound God Ccarayhua!" Riena declared, prompting Ccarayhua to raise its hand and slam it down to crush the Elementar HERO user.

"Not gonna happen! Trap Card: Dragonic Expansion! When my opponent declares an attack while I control a Dragon-Type Monster, I can halve the damage!" Jonouchi opened his first face-down card. Sin Red-Eyes moved to the front, backing Reid, and then blocking Ccrayhua's palm from crushing Reid flat.

 **REID LP: 1900 = 500**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Riena finished. As she ended her Turn, her body began to be covered in sinister black aura. However, this didn't last long as the bracelet she was wearing shined, disminishing it. This, of course, was not missed by Reid and Jonouchi's attention.

"W-what was that just now?" Reid asked, almost not believing what his eyes were seeing.

"Commander already told your friends. The Earthbound Gods would try to manipulate its users to do their bidding with their powers, but these bracelets we created based on the data from the En cards supressed those powers. As long as we have these bracelets, they won't be able to manipulate us." Riena explained.

"Thanks to that, I can also use Ccrayhua's full power without having to worry of being influenced by it. I'll use all of its strength to take the both of you down." Riena declared, narrowing her eyes at the two men in front of her.

"Don't think a lizard like that is enough to crush us. I'll admit it's a formidabble opponent, but I have faced far more formidabble opponent than that." Jonouchi said with a grin close to cheekiness, referring to the Duel against Apophis 1,500 years ago. It was the most life-threatening Duel he had ever experienced that he was sure he would die for several times during the Duel. That hasn't change until now. He admitted that Riena was strong, but he remembered that one Duel and that was enough to know that this Duel was easier than that.

"My Turn! I activate Ritual Spell: Red-Eyes Transmigration! By releasing the Level 8 Sin Red-Eyes on my Field, I can perform Ritual Summon!" Jonouchi extended his arm at Sin Red-Eyes as a magical altar emerge from below the said dragon, covering it in flames.

"Black Dragon with crimson eyes, enter the pit of flames and reborn as a new power! Ritual Summon! Appear, Level 8! Lord of the Red (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2100 / LV: 8)!" Jonouchi summoned his Ritual Monster in the Main Monster Zone in Attack Position.

"I end my Turn." Jonouchi concluded, surprising Reid and Riena.

"You summoned your Ritual Monster and ended your Turn just like that?" Riena asked with a raised brow, furrowing in suspicion.

"Every Duelist has his own strategy, no?" Jonouchi answered simply before turning to Reid. "Don't just stand there. It's your Turn. I'll let you do the closing later. Just trust me."

Reid stared at Jonouchi curiously of what Jonouchi was planning. While he couldn't think of anything since he never saw the Ritual Monster before so he didn't know what kind of effect it has, he always believe in Jonouchi as comrade-in-arms.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Rise From Below! By releasing a Level 6 or higher monster, I can summon two Level 5 or lower monsters from my Deck in Defense Position!" Reid summoned Neo-Spacian Black Panther (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 500 / LV: 3) and Neo-Spacian Glow Moss (ATK: 300 / DEF: 900 / LV: 3) in Defense Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Hero's Approval! By halving my LP, I can Special Summon a Level 7 or above Elemental HERO Monster from my hand without Release!" Reid summon Elemental HERO Neos (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone. Preparations were completed.

"Instructor, no, General Riena, now I'll show the fruit of my hardwork after we parted ways!" Reid told Riena determinedly. He only has this once chance.

"I shuffle all three monsters I control back to my Deck, to Special Summon Elemental HERO Chaos Neos (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 9)!" Reid summoned his Fusion Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone, the Special Summon being treated as Fusion Summoning.

"A Fusion Summon without Fusion Card or monster with Fusion effect?! Such method exists?!" Riena was completely taken aback. This was the first time she ever heard and saw such summoning method.

"I activate Elemental HERO Chaos Neos' effect! By tossing coins three times, depending on the amount of heads it gets, it will activate its effect!" Reid declared. Chaos Neos materialized three bronze coins that moved by itselves from the palm of its right hand. The three coins spin and then fell back, showing the results: two heads and one tail.

"There are two heads! Therefore, all your monster's effects are negated!" Reid revealed the effect, sealing Ccrayhua's effect. The Earthbound God being pierced by a large lance from the back that was restricting its power until the end of Turn.

"But with that attack, my LP will still remain." Riena countered calmly.

"That's just the start, General Riena." Jonouchi interrupted as he turned to his Ritual Monster. "I activate Lord of the Red's effect! When a card or effect other than this card is activated, I can target 1 monster and destroy it! Obviously, I choose your Earthbound God Ccarayhua!"

Since Chaos Neos has just activated its effect, Lord of the Red was allowed to activate its own effect. Lord of the Red unleashed deep red-colored flames in a shape of Red-Eyes Black Dragon's head. The flame opened its maw, swallowing the Earthbound God awhole, burning it into ashes until nothing remains.

"What?!" Riena exclaimed in shock. Her Field became completely empty. She has nothing to defend herself.

"Now you are wide open. Battle! I attack directly with Elemental HERO Chaos Neos!" Reid declared attack without hesitation. Chaos Neos opened its right hand, charging energies into its glowing palm. It was floating in the air with its wings and its right hand down towards Riena. Energy charged, Chaos Neos released it all, blasting Riena straight on the spot, depleting all of her remaining LP.

 **RIENA LP: 900 = 0**

Riena was barely able to stand the moment her entire LP was depleted. She then stumbled to the corner, and with each step her stomach tightened and ached all the more. Her entire body filled with scratches and bruises began to turn paler for each second passed. She kept swallowing, and her throat kept clenching, but no matter what she could not stop the warm feeling rising through her chest. Then she could taste it at the back of her mouth. Constance buckled over. A warm, clouded, cream coloured liquid spilled from her mouth, and sizzled as it splashed over the cold floors.

"Instructor!" Reid rushed to Riena, pulling her into his arms. He was shocked the moment his skin made contact with Riena's. She was very cold. And to make it worse, her body was quick to become even paler.

"This is the side-effect of the ones who are using Earthbound God's power. Even this bracelet couldn't protect me from it, merely preventing me from being manipulated by its power…" Riena answered Reid's unspoken question. She tried to make out her former disciple's face, but her eyes were just too blurry to see him, or anything else.

"You knew that yet you're still using it?!" Reid looked at his former teacher in disbelieve. Why was she was willing to go so far?

"All of us have prepared for that…" Riena closed her eyes for a moment, recalling one of her most precious moments in her life.

 **3 YEARS AGO – NORTHERN FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

It was two days after the incident that took most of her comrades' lives because of the Duel Monster spirits ruining their missions. The families and friends of the ones who have lost them were grieving without exception, even when they knew that their line of work is dangerous from the very beginning No matter how prepared they were for the worst to happen, it would be still saddening for them to lose their loved ones. In some cases, when something like this happen, there were people who were trying to put the blame on someone else, one of the survivors.

And she was unluckily chosen as the one being blamed. She has reported of what happened during the mission, but many were skeptical with the thought of Duel Monster spirits going against their owners' command. People who were jealous and envious of her position despite her gender also took this opportunity to corner her and make excuse to discharge her from duty. Riena was not pleased, but she didn't make any attempt to defend herself more because it didn't change the fact she couldn't stop the Duel Monsters even though she had tried. She accepted this as her punishment for failing to save her comrades.

However, that was when she met _that person_.

"Are you all right with this?"

Riena and three higher-ups who were with her turned behind them to see Heidel Aberforth approaching them.

"Supreme Commander?"

"Lieutenant Riena, If you have nothing to reproach yourself, then you have to make it clear. There is no sense in owing a crime you didn't commit." Heidel told the depressed lieutenant who was still mourning for her comrades. His face looked serious, but Riena could see empathy behind those stern eyes. Empathy that he directed for her.

"Lord Heidel…"

"Supreme Commander, it is because of this woman's carelessness in handling our comrades that their lives have lost. Here we thought we could recommend her for promotion, but not only she ruined the mission but she even blamed the Duel Monsters under our command." One of the higher-ups said.

"I do not see the cause incredulous. Duel Monsters, while they're listening to our orders, they still have free will, do they not?" Heidel defended Riena's report.

"But Supreme Commander–"

"Lieutenant Riena is one of our most capable assets. Only a fool would discharge her. Furthermore, I do not think that is the right attitude to someone who is mourning."

"But she's–"

"As long as I am in command, I'm the one who decide whether she stays or not. If you have any complaints, then you may voice it directly to me. I do wish you won't do something you regret." Heidel said with finality in his tone. The three men beside Riena couldn't say anything else to object because they understood the underlying threat from their Supreme Commander. They were certainly fools if they dare to go against him now.

Riena took a step forward, saluting the man before speaking. "Supreme Commander, I sincerely give you my thanks. But as he said, I'm afraid the way I am now, I don't have what it takes to stay here…" She said with sad tone. She failed to protect her comrades and now was carrying their lives. She didn't have any right to stay in the military anymore.

"Don't do this to yourself, Lieutenant." Heidel said, surprising the lieutenant. "As someone who had experienced the same thing as you do, I understand well how you're feeling."

Heidel then smiled gently at her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Remember this, Lietunenat, punishing yourself would not give the comrades you have lost a peaceful rest. If you wish to honor their memories, then you must make a change so that the same thing would never happen again to you or anyone else."

 **PRESENT TIME – GROUP 2 RAMSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"There is one thing that you're wrong about me, Reid." Riena said as her visions began to fade into darkness.

"People don't just lay down their lives for nothing. I loved Supreme Commander and his ideals. I was willing to die for him. This is my own free will." She revealed the feeling she has supressed for years. The feeling that she never showed to anyone until now for the sake of fulfilling her beloved one's order.

To Reid's horror, Riena's body started to crack like a rock and reduced to dust from toe, making him tightening his grip on her body.

"Instructor!"

Riena then smiled weakly as she continue to speak before her time was up. This was the last thing she could do as Reid's former instructor. Regardless of their factions, she cared for him.

"I can sense your trust even until now, Reid. I can see that you're seeing me as your ideal. But I betrayed you… I won't ask for forgiveness, but… I am but a mere weak human being. I wish you not to follow my footsteps, but for you to follow your own ideals…"

Slowly, Riena placed her hand on the side of his face. It was quite hard with her visions darkening and her body turned into dust like this, but she could still feel his warmth.

"I…pray for Supreme Commander to…achieve his goal…that doesn't change even now… But still…I wish you find your happiness, Reid…"

That was the last thing Reid heard before he and Jonouchi witnessed Riena reduced completely into dust, disappeared without a trace left of her but her bracelet. Reid stared at the bracelet for a while before picking it up, holding it close to his chest tightly as every moment he spent with his former instructor came to his mind. Moments that he has no intention to forget and would cherish until the end of his life.

"It's unfair for you to say that now…Instructor…"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Chime of the Dragon –** Yugo, Rin, and Yuhei arrive at a copy of the old City where they meet an unexpected opponent.

* * *

 **Hello. It's been a while. I'm extremely busy with work these days that leaves me exhausted whenever I got home and have little time to write. It's busier than I thought that I have no choice but again, to move the Synchro group's Duel to the next chapter or else there'll be no update at all for much longer time at this rate. As I said, I have every intention to finish this fanfic no matter what…! Just you wait and see! XD**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter.**


	80. The Chime of the Dragon

**Big thanks to** _ **Ulrich362, tsukikami02, Jason, Yuka Kuroshiro, GamingGuy84, Playerhood18, dvdryms, Big duels, D3lph0xL0v3r, Dante, J Alvarez, Nav, Jason**_ **for reviewing the previous chapter!**

 **Hopefully, you'll enjoy reading this chapter.**

* * *

 **COMMAND ROOM – RAMSSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Is there no contact yet with the squads?"

Heidel admitted to himself that he was actually starting to have the same impatience as his Earthbound ace monster. Times have passed for long now and yet there was still no contact, not even a single bit, from the forces attacking the Lancers hideout. With their numbers, no matter how strong the Lancers were, there shouldn't be any problem to deal with them. They should have been done with it by now.

"I'm afraid not yet, Sir. We have tried our best, but none of them are responding." One of the operators replied.

"There is no need for you to fret, Supreme Commander."

Heidel turned to the opened door of the Command Room. Standing there holding the door open was one of his three generals, Theo. He looked at him with his arms crossed and back leaning against the other side of the door, stopping it from sliding close automatically. This gave more lights to enter the dim room with only lights from the monitors available.

"Theo, I told you to be on standby in your position." Heidel told the general.

"My apologies. However, I wouldn't have come here if it's not important. In fact, I brought an urgent report, Supreme Commander." Theo said, giving the commander a salute before approaching him closer, allowing the door to slide close. Theo fiddled with one of the computers in the room and the biggest of the monitors opened another window, showing a footage. From the corner of his eyes, Theo noticed his superior's eyes made a movement. No doubt surprised as the footage showed the Lancers were inside their very fortress at the moment.

"As you can see, some of the Lancers have infiltrated this place while we're busy handling the ones back at their base. Looks like they're using this as opportunity to catch us off guard." Theo remarked. Despite the neutrality of his expression, there was underlying excitement in his tone. It was like he has expected the Lancers to infiltrate them.

"Even Riena has fallen. For one of the strongest elites, her skill has become dull to lose against her former student and the Oracle's comrade." Theo said while looking at the footage of the said woman disappearing after losing against Reid and Jonouchi, sighing disappointment at the woman's lost.

"Riena has done well for me. I shall not permit anyone to speak ill of her. If you have time to talk, then use it to stop them instead. Deploy as many men as we can to make sure they do not reach the reactor." Heidel said sternly at Theo. His gaze and gesture were warning the general should he speak another word that mocking the deceased female general. She was his most trusted subordinate. She was always there for him, carrying out most of his intricate operations. To think she's gone now, he almost couldn't believe it.

"As you wish, Supreme Commander." Theo responded, but he didn't show particularly being sorry for mocking the female general despite getting the warning well. The general excused himself, leaving to handle the intruders.

"They'll come for sure. I gave the order, but I know well that fighting them is inevitable. You'll get your revenge." Heidel told his ace monster in his hand while he was staring at the footage again, eyes narrowing.

"I'll have to fight too eventually. I'll avenge you too, Riena."

 **GROUP 3 – RAMSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Rin was sighing exasperatedly because of the two boys not far behind her, Yugo and Yuhei. They arrived at the enemy's fortress and infiltrated it, but for who knows how long they have walked, nothing happened. There was no one stopping them or any trap or the sorts giving them trouble. And so, their long walk was rather uneventful. True to their personalities, Yugo and Yuhei were so bored that they began to strike a conversation with each other about their D-Wheels.

"Adding a full aftermarket exhaust system, including the headers, and then tinkering with the fuel mapping on our D-Wheel drops a significant amount of weight from our D-Wheel while improving throttle response and adding power and torque. It also makes our D-Wheel sound awesome." Yugo said as he thought of modifying his D-Wheel.

"I think it'll be better to add some suspension. Being able to adjust the compression and damping settings for your weight help tailor how the D-Wheel responds to our inputs perfectly." Yuhei suggested.

While the conversation itself was rather interesting since Rin herself was a D-Wheeler, she didn't have the mood to talk about that inside the enemy's fortress. She just couldn't feel at ease speaking so casually when the enemies could appear at any given moment should there be an opening.

"Is this really the time for us to talk about D-Wheel?" Rin finally said to the two boys, stopping her track.

"We're bored." Yugo and Yuhei said together.

"Besides, we already walk for who knows how long and still no enemy on sight. There's no harm to lighten up the mood a bit." Yugo said with his arms behind his head.

"That's not my point… Sheesh…" Rin sighed again.

"You need to chill more, Rin. I know you're anxious after what happened to Kiryu, but being too nervous won't get you anywhere even if you have that new card." Yuhei told her, which was a spot on.

"I know that…" Rin replied unsurely.

"Riiight you are. Your face is saying it." Yuhei said as he walked closer to her. He then pulled her a bit far from Yugo and whispered so that the latter won't hear them. "To ease your mind a bit, why don't you make this as an opportunity to think a way to confess to him?"

That caught Rin completely off guard and her cheeks turned as red as a tomamot. "W-what?! You think that is the perfect topic to talk at a time and place like this?! Wait, how do you even know that?!" She asked. She never pegged Yuhei to be the observative type.

"Hello? How long do you think I've been with the two of you? I'm not that dimwitted you know." Yuhei said with a pout, taking a little offense at Rin's disbelieving face. While he admitted he was not the sharpest one, he at least learned to be more observant so that his older sister (Yura/Starve Venom) won't mock him for being an idiot.

"Anyway, all you need is confess and everything would be perfect." Yuhei gave her a thumb up as form of encouragement.

"It's not that simple! We grew up together like siblings, so suddenly confessing may make things difficult between us…!" Rin said in louder whisper, not realizing she has been completely absorbed into the conversation.

"No it won't. It'll definitely be a happy ending for the both of you." Yuhei sweat dropped inside. The two of them have been together since they were practically babies at the orphanage, so how come neither of them realized each other's feeling? Or perhaps it was precisely because of that that they didn't realize it?

"W-what about you? You seem to be so close with Yura." Rin tried to counter, which Yuhei didn't appreciate in the least.

"We. Are. Siblings. Plus, who would want to be with that foul-mouthed woman who eats like a pig." Yuhei said with clear annoyance. The thought of ending up 'together' with that older sister of his was the least thing he would like to think. Actually, scratch that, he was going to throw up if he continued to imagine it.

"If she hears that she's gonna kill you." Rin said.

"And as her master, I do not appreciate it either." Yuri said.

"I'm just stating the fact–"

The three Synchro users blinked when they heard an addition of voice that was not supposed to be there with them. Rin turned to her Duel Disk as the voice came from there, raising it. She was almost positive she was going to throw her Duel Disk when a holographic projection of Yuri came out from her Duel Disk, startling them all. Rin almost fell on her behind if Yuhei didn't steady her from surprise. Yuri only waved his hand at them like it was a normal thing to do abruptly appearing in someone else's Duel Disk.

"What the heck, Yuri?!" Yugo said as he pointed his finger at his Fusion counterpart.

"Surprise?" Yuri beamed them a smile.

"W-why are you inside my Duel Disk?!" Rin asked with a stutter.

"I'm not exactly inside your Duel Disk, I simply use the communication program to connect with all of your Duel Disks so we can talk. I'm bored, so I thought of checking up on you guys." Yuri explained. In case of emergency, Yukiya and Sara have installed a communication program that allowed them to contact each other through network, including LINK VRAINS.

"You're bored, so that means no one is attacking the Rift?" Rin asked.

"Yep. I have nothing to do at all at the moment. Therefore, please enlighten me with earlier conversation? That thing about Yugo–"

Rin yelled out in panic before Yuri could complete his sentences, pointlessly tapping at the holographic Yuri that gave him no damage whatsoever while Yuri giggled at her antics.

"Zip it! Zip it! Zip it!" Rin yelled, closing that topic for good.

"About me? What does that mean?" Yugo asked, turning to his childhood friend.

"N-nothing at all! It's nothing, Yugo!" Rin quickly said.

They all stopped when after walking for so long, they have reached the end of the hallway. A large green-colored door was in front of them. Just looking at it already gave them ominous feeling. The door was practically having the sign 'danger' written all over it. Of course, they have prepared themselves for whatever was going to welcome them from behind this door. Steeling themselves, they pushed the door open.

What they saw rendered them speechless.

"No way… Isn't this…"

The large familiar large tower at the center of the whole empty city with Duel Lanes circling around where the upper classes lived. The familiar dirty slums beneath the striving modern city where the lower classes lived. There was no mistaking about this scenery. This was...

"The City?!" Rin exclaimed after one-minute shock.

"What the heck?! Is this door some kind of dimensional gate?" Yugo exclaimed too in wonder.

"No. Look closer. This is merely a replica of the old City. It's not the real one." Yuhei said after scanning the whole city with the program in his Duel Disk. It was the same as an Action Field or Field Spell in general.

"But who would made something like this and what for?" Rin wondered.

A sound of engine interrupted, alerting them. The sound of moving D-Wheel was coming closer at them from below at the Duel Lane. They've got company. They looked down when the engine stopped. There two D-Wheels, one was prepared for one of them to Duel for sure, while the other one belonged to the guardian of this place. Yugo and Yuhei gasped when they saw who the D-Wheeler who'd become their opponent was. It wasn't supposed to be possible for him of all people to be here.

"Sergey?!" Yugo exclaimed in disbelieve. It was an understatement that Yugo was shocked because the man was supposed to have died, letting himself fall down the track after being defeated by him and Yuya. "No way, he's still alive?!"

"No. He is not." Yuhei said with narrowed eyes. "That is undoubtedly Sergey… His body only that is."

"What? What do you mean?" Yugo asked.

"The Sergey we're seeing right now is nothing but an empty corpse. That corpse is controlled by the will of the Earthbound God." Yuhei answered. He could sense the Earthbound God's control over the soulless body.

"C-corpse?! Even Duel Monsters can reanimate a corpse?!" Yugo got goosebumps at the thought of a living corpse. This almost felt like horror zombie movie tropes all of a sudden to him.

"Not necessarily. Not any Duel Monster can just manipulate or possess people's bodies. Earthbound Gods are one of the exceptional monsters capable of that. Even if the soul is no longer there, the body still retains the memories, experience of the person when alive. This makes it the perfect host for the Duel Monster." Yuhei explained. It was terrifying to say the least that the Duel Monster has this much power. Earthbound God was truly far too dangerous to be left alone.

"I don't think I like the idea of disrespecting a corpse like that regardless who is it." Rin said with a frown.

"That makes the four of us." Yuri said, agreeing with the green-haired girl for once.

"There's one D-Wheel other than Sergey's. Looks like he's planning to defeat us one by one." Yuhei remarked, looking at the D-Wheel.

Yugo bumped his fists, preparing for a fight. "Heh. He won't even get to fight all three of us. I'm gonna beat him in my–"

Unfortunately, before he could even make his move, Rin has beat him to it, jumping down to the Duel Lane and rode the D-Wheel. The moment she stepped in, a barrier was activated, effectively separating the Duel Lanes from the town, preventing anyone from interfering with the Duel until it was finished.

"Rin?! What the hell are you doing?!" Yugo protested.

"I have enough watching. Don't worry, I promise that I won't lose this time. I'll definitely win." Rin vowed to her childhood friend and his ace monster.

"Rin! That guy is very dangerous when he was still alive! What if he's going to do worse now that he's dead?!" Yugo recalled the times when Yuzu got thrown off the track by Sergey and how for several times he almost killed him and Yuya during their last Duel.

"I'll be fine. I promise you that I will win against him." Rin told him again with assuring smile.

"There's nothing we can do now. Let's trust Rin on this, Yugo." Yuhei said while placing a hand on Yugo's shoulder, patting him to add more assurance to his worried master.

Yugo was rather begrudged, but decided to have faith in his childhood friend like he always did.

"You better kick that guy's ass, Rin!" Yugo cheered.

"You got it!" Rin replied. She and Sergey turned on their engine, dashing off as the countdown reached 0. Rin looked at the screen and realized that even though there was no Action Card, it follows the rule of the Lancers' Action Duel in which the Monster Zone is divided to Link Monster Zone and Main Monster Zone.

 **[RIDING DUEL ACCELERATION!]**

Sergey got a head of Rin, giving him the right to start the first Turn.

"I'm going first. I activate Field Magic: Earthbound Prison. This field magic negates any effect that would modify ATK. Any player that destroys this card will have their Life halved, and the effects of all monsters on their field will be negated." Sergey changed the once clear Duel Lane with dark sinister atmosphere from chains emerging from grounds and air.

"When I have a Field Magic on the field, I can Special Summon Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper from my hand. Furthermore, I summon the Tuner Monster, Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker, from my hand." Sergey summoned Stone Sweeper and Line Walker at the same time in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Then, from my hand, I activate the Magic Card: Underworld Resonance - Synchro Fusion. With its effect, I can simultaneously perform a Synchro Summon and a Fusion Summon using the two monsters on my field as materials." Sergey declared.

"It's coming! That card! Damn, he is fast!" Yugo clicked his tongue. He and Yuya had a hard time against the monsters summoned using that card.

"I'm tuning the Level 5 Stone Sweeper with the Level 3 Line Walker! Be revived from beneath the earth! Grand beast that deals out punishments with its wings! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 8! Earthbound Servant Geo Griffon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 8)!" Sergey summoned his Synchro Monster first in the Main Zone in Attack Position.

"Then, I fuse Stone Sweeper and Line Walker together! Prisoner who crawls on the ground! Merge with the prisoner who is walking on the road to his execution, and become a grand beast that punishes all! Fusion Summon! Come forth! Level-8! Earthbound Servant Geo Kraken (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 8)!" Sergey summoned his Fusion Monster in the Main Zone next to Geo Griffon in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I set one card facedown and end my Turn." Sergey concluded.

" _I have heard a bit about Sergey from last year. But since this Sergey is controlled by Earthbound God monster, he must have come up with different strategy. I have to be careful!"_ Rin warned herself.

"My Turn! From my hand, I summon Wind Witch – Frost Bell!" Rin summoned Frost Bell in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Wind Witch Flow! I send two Wind Witch Monsters in my hand to Special Summon Wind Witch – Flake Bell (ATK: 500 / DEF: 500 / LV: 4)!" Rin summoned Flake Bell in Attack Position.

"And then from my hand, I Summon Wind Witch – Glass Bell (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 4)!" Rin summoned Glass Bell in Attack Position. Following its Effect, she added a Wind Witch Monster from her Deck to her hand.

"I activate Flake Bell's Effect! Once per Turn I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to the total ATKs of Wind Witch Monsters in my Graveyard!" She has sent Ice Bell with 1000 ATK and Snow Bell with 100 ATK, making the total damage that Sergey will receive is 1100 damage. Flake Bell twirled its staff to create a tornado of wind that inflicts damage to the dead Duelist.

"Open before me, the circuit of the frozen night!" Rin opened the Link Circuit for her Link Summon. The gate appeared in front of her.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 1 Wind Witch Monster! I set Wind Witch – Frost Bell, Wind Witch – Dew Bell, and Wind Witch – Clear Bell to the Link Markers! Circuit Combine!" Rin set Frost Bell at the Top Arrow, Dew Bell at the Left Arrow, and Clear Bell at the Bottom-Left Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 3! Wind Witch – Sleet Bell (ATK: 2200 / LINK: 3 / LM: Top, Bottom, Right)!" Rin summoned her Link Monster in Attack Position in the Link Monster Zone.

"I activate Sleet Bell's effect! When it was special summoned, I can special summon a Wind Witch Monster from my hand or Graveyard to where its Link Marker points to!" Rin summoned Ice Bell from the Graveyard, pointed by Sleet Bell's Bottom Link Marker.

"I activate Sleet Bell's second effect! Once per Turn I can copy the effect of a Monster pointed by its Link Marker!" Rin copied Ice Bell's effect. Sleet Bell pointed its staff towards Sergey. Sleets and cold winds were gathering in Sleet Bell's staff, forming a huge circle of icy wind.

"If the effect that Sleet Bell copied involves inflicting effect damage to opponent, the damage is increased equal to its attack!" Rin revealed, increasing the originally 500 damage to 2700 damage. Sleet Bell formed huge icy tornado, almost blowing away Sergey with his monsters.

 **SERGEY LP: 4000 = 1300**

"Next I activate Trap Card: Windy Chime! When a WIND Monster I control inflicts more than 1000 effect damage, I can activate this card from my hand to destroy a monster my opponent controls!" Rin pointed at Sergey's Geo Kraken, destroying it as its body freezes and collapsed.

"Since an Earthbound monster was destroyed, the effect of Geo Griffon activates. I can destroy a monster my opponent controls." Sergey revealed, pointing at Rin's Sleet Bell.

"What?!" Rin exclaimed as Sleet Bell was tackled and crushed by Geo Griffon, though Rin didn't receive any damage.

"I end my Turn." Rin concluded. At least she still has Ice Bell with her, so she was not defenseless.

"My turn. When there is a Field Magic on the field, I can Special Summon Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper from my hand Furthermore, I summon Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker." Sergey summoned second copies of Stone Sweeper and Line Walker in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"He summoned another copies of Line Walker and Stone Sweeper?!" Yugo remarked in dismay.

"I activate Magic Card: Fusion! I fuse Stone Sweeper with Line Walker to Fusion Summon Earthbound Servant Geo Kraken!" Sergey summoned another copy of Geo Kraken in Attack Position next to Geo Griffon.

"I activate Line Walker's effect from the graveyard. I banish this card, which allows me to treat Wind Witch – Ice Bell on the field as having been successfully Special Summoned once again!" Sergey declared while pointing at Ice Bell like it has just been summoned to the Field.

"My Ice Bell?!" Rin paled as she remembered Geo Kraken's effect from what she remembered.

"I activate Geo Kraken's effect! It can destroy all monsters that were Special Summoned to my opponent's field on my turn! And for every monster that is destroyed, you will receive 800 damage!" Sergey declared. Geo Kraken caught Ice Bell in its tentacles and electrocuted the Wind Witch Monster, destroying it. Rin also couldn't escape from being shocked by the purple lightning.

 **RIN LP: 4000 = 3200**

"This is bad. Now Rin's Field is completely wide open!" Yuhei remarked at Rin's empty Field.

"I attack directly with Geo Kraken and then with Geo Griffon!" Sergey declared.

"I activate Wind Witch – Caster Bell's effect in my Graveyard! When I'm being targeted for a Direct Attack, I can special summon it in Defense Position and increase my LP by 600!" Rin summoned Caster Bell that she has sent to the Graveyard in her previous Turn, summoning in Defense Position in the Main Zone.

"Good! She summoned a monster!"

"But Caster Bell can only block one of the Earthbound Monster's attacks."

Caster Bell formed a barrier around Rin, protecting her from receiving damage from Geo Griffon's attack.

 **RIN LP: 3200 = 3800**

True to Yuhei's words, Caster Bell was immediately destroyed by Geo Kraken, leaving Rin's Field open once more. This gave Geo Griffon the opening to strike Rin with a gale from the flap of its wings, inflicting 2500 damage to her.

 **RIN LP: 3800 = 1300**

"Damn it! Don't let it get to you, Rin!" Yugo encouraged despite his worries.

"I end my Turn." Sergey concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Draw Bet! I discard my entire hand to draw a card! If that card is a monster, I can Special Summon it. If it's a Spell or Trap, I can set it." Rin discarded all cards she has in her hand and then draw a card. She smiled briefly when she looked at the card she has drawn. Her prayer has been answered.

"I summon Infernity Archer (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 6)!" Rin summoned her mentor's monster that she has borrowed in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Infernity Archer's effect! When I have no cards in my hand, it can attack directly!" Rin declared.

"Good! Sergey's LP is right at 1000! With this one attack, Rin will win!" Yugo cheered, expecting for this one attack to finally finish off the Earthbound user.

Infernity Archer draw its bow, pointing it straight at Sergey. It stretched its arrow and was ready to make its shot if not for Sergey's next move that seal its movement.

"When my LP is below 3000 and my opponent declares attack, I can activate Quick-Play Spell: Earthbound Resurgence. I can negate battle and fuse two Earthbound Monsters I control to perform Fusion Summon." Sergey declared, forming a fusion vortex beneath them while Infernity Archer's body was grasped by giant hand appearing from beneath it, stopping its attack.

"Negating its attack and perform another Fusion Summon?! You gotta be kiddin' me, right?!" Yugo's worry and anxiety grew as Rin's chance to deal the finishing blow was stopped.

"To make it worse, if he is fusing Geo Griffon and Geo Kraken together, that means the monster he is going to summon would be..." Yuhei was as much as worry as his master for Rin's well-being. The next monster that Sergey summoned was dangerous.

"Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 10! Earthbound Servant Geo Glasya-Labolas (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 10)!" Sergey summoned his strongest Fusion Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"And then I activate Earthbound Resurgence's second effect! By banishing it and two Earthbound Level 8 or above monsters, I can Special Summon an Earthbound Monster from my Deck ignoring its Summoning Condition!" Sergey banished Geo Griffon and Geo Kraker from his Graveyard to summon the very monster that was controlling his body.

"Another Earthbound Monster?!" Rin yelled out in dismay as another vortex appeared and a monster that resembling a whale came out from it.

"Come forth! Earthbound God Chacu Challhua (ATK: 2900 / DEF: 2400 / LV: 10)!" Sergey summoned his Earthbound God Monster in Defense Position in the Main Zone next to Geo Glasya-Labolas.

"It's an Earthbound God Monster!" Rin remarked. The card she has expected Sergey to have has finally appeared. "But he summoned it in Defense Position?"

"What's that guy planning?" Yugo glared at Sergey. If he was going to do the same thing he did to Yuzu to Rin, then screw with everything, Yugo was going to make him pay.

"I end my Turn." Rin concluded as she couldn't do anything more.

"My Turn. I activate Chacu Challhua's effect. I can inflict damage equal to half of its DEF to my opponent once per Turn." Sergey revealed immediately as if to answer her question. Chacu Challhua strike Rin, almost causing her to fall from her D-Wheel.

 **RIN LP: 1300 = 500**

"Also, if this card is face-up in Defense Position, my opponent cannot conduct Battle Phase." Sergey added as the hand grasping Infernity Archer tightened, causing the Infernity Monster to groan in pain.

"Battle. I attack Infernity Archer with Geo Glasya-Labolas!" Sergey declared Battle Phase. Glasya-Labolas opened its maw, charging energy for one blast that will destroy the monster together with Rin whose LP was only at 500.

"There's no way I'm going to let that happen! I activate Caster Bell's effect! By banishing it, I can negate destruction and reduce the damage I would take to 0!" Rin banished Caster Bell from her Graveyard, forming a barrier that protected her and Infernity Archer from Glasya-Labolas' blast.

"I end my Turn." Sergey concluded.

Yugo's legs felt like it'll turn to jelly from constant worrying. That one was a close call. But now Rin has no card left on her hand and can't conduct Battle Phase. She could only draw one card. Rin was aware of this and truth to be told, she was unsure of herself. She didn't know what else she could do and couldn't think of a way to win. She has a monster that can defeat Sergey, but the way to summon it...

"Hey, what's with that face? You're not giving up, aren't you?"

Rin blinked and was once again startled when Yuri reappeared again from her Duel Disk, greeting her so casually.

"You're still here?!" Rin questioned.

"I never said I'll leave. Not especially when finally, there's some action here. Besides, shouldn't you be happier that I'm here by your side watching over you albeit indirectly." Yuri replied with his usual grin.

"Having you in my Duel Disk is not exactly comforting in this situation." Rin sweat dropped and must held the urge to shake her head.

"How rude! Even though I have given you a present from Kiryu!" Yuri said with a faux expression of offense.

"Present from Kiryu-san?" Rin raised a brow, getting her interest to Yuri now.

"You really think I'm here just to kill some time? Kiryu entrusted me with something to give to you. When I revealed myself to you earlier, I have included the present into your Deck." Yuri revealed. When he contacted Rin's Duel Disk for the first time, he has also brought the digitized version of Kiryu's card and then materialized it without Rin's knowing into her Deck.

"Kiryu-san gave me a card?" Rin was surprised. And hearing this means that Kiryu has awakened. She was glad that her mentor has regained his consciousness.

"He has a feeling that you're doing this for him, so he wants to be of help too. And I think, that present would be your way out of this situation." Yuri explained as he patted Rin's Deck, urging her to draw the said card.

"Simply speaking, everything depends on this one draw whether I'll get that present or not." Rin said in respond, looking at her Deck.

"Bingo. Besides, I don't think you have pretty much choice but to draw a card at this moment, so this is the perfect time to test your Destiny Draw." Yuri winked at the girl, encouraging her.

"Your way to encourage me is rather suck with that grin of yours. I can understand why Yugo always calling you grinning bastard." Rin said with a chuckle.

"Oh, my. Thank you very much. I'll take that as a compliment." Yuri replied, smiling wider.

"But now that you've said that far, there's no way I can back out from this. For Kiryu-san's sake who trusts me, I have to win this Duel!" Rin's determination meter rose up to the max. She began her Draw Phase. Slowly, she turned the card towards her, deeply praying she got the card Kiryu entrusted to her. Looking at the card, her expression beamed. Kiryu was indeed feeling the same thing as her. She just knew it.

"I activate Magic Card: Purifying Purgatory! When I control an Infernity Monster, I can Special Summon a Tuner Monster from my Deck! If it's a non-Dragon Tuner Monster, that monster is treated as Dragon-Type!" Rin summoned Wind Witch – Glass Bell that was treated as a Dragon-Type for the time being.

"Looks like Rin is going to summon that monster." Yuhei smiled the moment he heard Wind Witch – Glass Bell was treated as a Dragon-Type Monster.

"I tune Infernity Archer with Dragon-Type Wind Witch – Glass Bell! Dragon from above the clouds of frozen winter, listen to the witch's chiming bell and descend! Synchro Summon! Level 10! Wind Witch Infernity Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 10)!" Rin summoned her newest Synchro Monster. It was a large, four-legged Dragon with light blue body, which appears to be covered in green colored glowing lines with feet that resembled beast talons. Its head and upper body was covered in what appears to be black armory and its skull was somewhat broad and flat. The lines extended down the neck and to the upper chest region.

"Whoa! So that's Rin's new monster?!" Yugo was amazed, his mouth opened wide and eyes sparkling like a child being impressed.

"Super cool! A Dragon-Type Wind Witch monster!" Yuhei also shared the same reaction as his master. He couldn't wait to tell this to his siblings.

"I activate Wind Witch Infernity Dragon's first effect! Once per Turn, I can negate an effect of a Monster that my opponent controls until the end of Turn! I choose your Chaccu Challhua!" Rin sealed the Earthbound God's effect, allowing her to conduct a Battle Phase.

Since Chaccu Challhua was on defensive, Sergey doubted Rin would attack it as he won't receive any damage, so the only other target would be his Earthbound Servant monster. Unfortunately for her, since her dragon was a Synchro Monster, it won't do well against his monster.

"It's pointless. If this card battles an opponent's Fusion or Synchro Monster while there is a face-up card in the Field Zone, the ATK of the opponent's monster becomes 0." Sergey retorted, expecting Rin to once again panicking, but her smile was saying otherwise.

"Who said I'm going to enter a Battle Phase?" She said in respond.

"I activate Wind Witch Infernity Dragon's effect! When I have no cards in my hand, I can copy the effect of a monster on Field and Graveyard!" She revealed, choosing Ice Bell's effect. Following its effect, the dragon inflicted 500 damage to Sergey. Supposedly that is if it was only following Ice Bell's effect.

"And when it's inflicting effect damage, that damage would be doubled!" Rin added, doubling the damage from 500 to 1000. Sergey's LP was exactly at 1000. Wind Witch Infernity Dragon blew out strong freezing winds, blowing Sergey away from the Duel Lanes together with his monsters that got frozen solid and destroyed to pieces.

 **SERGEY LP: 1000 = 0**

"I…did it…" Rin sighed in relief as she stopped her D-Wheel. The moment she won, the City dispersed, revealing a wide empty room similarly to the room used for Action Duel training. The D-Wheels also disappeared following this.

"You're awesome, Riiiin!"

Rin was startled when Yugo and Yuhei ran with their arms wide open for a hug. All of a sudden, seeing Yugo trying to hug her caused her heart to beat faster and her body moved like an auto pilot, kicking both Yugo and then Yuhei right on their abdomen, causing them to crouch in pain.

"Gobugh! W-why…?" Yugo asked while writhing from the pain.

"I-I'm sorry Yugo! I was just surprised from the Duel and all!" Rin apologized, raising her hands up and joined them together in apology.

"Why me too?!" Yuhei protested. He could understand Yugo, but why he also must receive the end of her kick?

"You're asking for it." Rin replied with a huff, considering it a payback for bringing up the subject of confessing to Yugo earlier.

"Aww…you're blushing." Yuri commented, snickering teasingly at the girl.

"Get out from my Duel Disk already!" Rin demanded.

Their bickering didn't last long as Rin noticed Sergey's body turned into ashes and disappeared, leaving only the Earthbound God card on the floor.

"Sergey is!" Rin frowned upon seeing it.

"It must be the consequence of the ones using Earthbound God's power. No need to feel guilty. Sergey is already dead anyway. It's just his empty corpse." Yuri told Rin, assuring she didn't kill him.

"What should we do with this? We can't just let this be. It might try to look for another host." Yugo asked as he picked the Earthbound God card.

"I'll hold onto it." Yuhei extended his hand, telling Yugo to give the card to him.

"Are you sure? What if it tries to manipulate you?" Yugo asked as he placed the card on Yuhei's palm, worried for his ace monster.

"Who do you think I am? I'm Clear Wing, one of the Four Heavenly Dragons and formerly Apophis' servant. This little manipulation won't work on me." Yuhei assured Yugo and Rin.

"Plus, if what Heidel said about the bracelets' power is true, then even if Yuhei can't handle it, at least the bracelet will protect him." Yuri added to lessen their worries.

"If you say so..." Rin was still a bit uneasy, but she will push it aside for now. They have more important matters to do.

"By the way, how is everyone at the base?"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Paladin's Melody –** Yuya, Yuzu, and Yuji encounters Theo who taunts them into dueling him with Johan's Rainbow Dragon on the line. Meanwhile, Akira stumbles into Heidel's private lab.

* * *

 **I decided to add a bit light-hearted moments, and of course Yuri who can't get some action is the first person to come into mind. Maybe Sergey's appearance is not so surprising, but how about Rin's new monster? I decided to make Rin shine here after her last defeat against Neon. I'm sure many of you're wondering why the four dragons are not dueling. Don't worry, they'll get some actions later on.**

 **To** _ **Jason**_ **, I'm working as a Studio Assistant at a cooking studio. That's all that I can say.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter.**


	81. The Paladin's Melody

**LANCERS HIDEOUT – MOUNTAIN – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"We've…finally finished…the last of them…" Sawatari said as he slumped his back to the wall behind him and sat down.

After hours of dueling non-stop, they were able to defeat every single one of Heidel's men infiltrating their hideout. Not only they took each of them down, they immediately handcuffed both their wrists and ankles to prevent them from doing anything funny once they woke up. Sawatari looked around him and as he thought, his comrades were also as exhausted as he was. Nobody could blame them for it. One thing after another happened within one day, Sawatari began to wonder if they're being cursed or something.

"I'm beat!" Sora said from across Sawatari, taking a sit while eating his lollipop.

"Talk about numbers. I'm surprised we actually won against them." Gongenzaka said while taking a breath. The Lancers have fewer numbers compared to the men that Heidel has sent. Even with the traps to lessen them, they were still losing in numbers. When seeing their condition like this, he thought it was a miracle they managed to win.

"This just prove that as Duelists, our skills are beyond these weaklings' reach." Gloria said despite her panting breaths. Her younger sister fell asleep beside her; the younger's head was leaning on Gloria's shoulder as replacement for pillow.

"How about the situation at the Rift? Do they attack there too?" Kachidoki asked.

"Fortunately, no. Yuri, Yukiya, and Sara are safe and are still protecting the Rift." Allen answered while looking at his Duel Disk that was showing the situation at the Rift.

"I bet Yuri is pouting right now since he didn't get a piece of action." Sawatari remarked, imagining Yuri's bored face. "What do we do now? Are we just going to wait until Neah-san and the others arrive here?"

"If you're suggesting we go after Yuya and everyone else then forget it. You really think we'll be any help exhausted like this?" Battle Beast said, silently pointing the facts to the ones who were considering to follow Yuya and the others who are infiltrating Ramsses Fortress. How do they expect to help them when they're in bad shape themselves?

"You got a point there as much as I don't want to admit it…" Sora sighed tiredly. He wanted to go, but he couldn't deny that his body needs rest after so much Duels.

"Let's focus on recovering our strength and then we can go assist them." Gongenzaka proposed. They do need a rest. They were supposed to be fully resting tonight after all. Yuya and the others are strong, they'll manage somehow at least until they come to help.

Sayaka leaned on the wall and sighed in relief that the long finally has ended for now. She was ready to close her eyes to get some sleep as her body has given up from exhaustion. But then she noticed something, or to be more precise, someone was nowhere the be seen even though that person was here a few minutes ago fighting with them.

"Wait, where is Celica-san?"

 **RAMSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Is that so? Yuri changed his avatar?" Yuzu asked after hearing Yuya telling her and Yuji about Yuri's new avatar. They were still on their way inside the fortress, but has yet to encounter any trouble, so they decided to talk a little bit to brighten the mood and not getting them too nervous.

"Yeah. He showed me before we departed. Now his theme is more like Odd-Eyes Venom Dragon. I think it fits him." Yuya added.

"Big Sis did mention about Yuri modifying his avatar or something." Yuji remarked, remembering Starve Venom speaking to her master through her computer and when he approached them, she told him about Yuri in the middle of making some changes in his avatar. Yuji then blinked when he realized Yuya and Yuzu were staring at him.

"What? Is something wrong?" Yuji asked.

"No, it's just, I know that technically the four of you are siblings and all, but it's still unusual for me to hear you calling Starve Venom, I mean Yura, 'Big Sis'." Yuya said while scratching his head.

"I can't blame you for that. We don't look alike after all and since we clashed quite fierce during the war, no one would imagine that we're close." Yuji smiled back. He and his fellow dragons have totally different feature that no one would think they're siblings or the sort. And when he fought Yura as Starve Venom the first and the second time during the dimensional war, they were so overwhelmed by anger that it's like they're aiming to kill each other. No one would think they're actually getting along well.

"I'm still surprised that Starve Venom is a girl. With those traits she has, most people would think she's a guy." Yuzu commented. If Starve Venom was a human, she imagined her to be a guy with scary-sadistic face, so finding out Yura was actually a girl and a pretty one to booth, she was shocked. Everyone did.

"That's not exactly wrong. As a human, Yura is a girl, but when she was reborn as Starve Venom she becomes a male. Just like Mom when she was reborn as Mad Abyss. A change in gender when reincarnating is not uncommon to happen." Yuji explained. Both Yura and their mother, Claire, were examples of Duel Monsters who have different genders when they were reborn. It's not uncommon, but it didn't happen often either.

"Hey, how do you tell who is the eldest and youngest? How do you know the order of your birth?" Yuya asked curiously. From what he knew, the four dragons were born at the same time as Apophis' servants, so how did they know which is who.

"We were born at the same time and only split seconds difference. Apophis based it on the order of who woke up first, that would be Yuzo, Yura, Yuhei, and me." Yuji answered, revealing himself to be the youngest of the four dragons.

"So that makes you and Yuya the youngest of all. Like master like dragon." Yuzu remarked with a chuckle.

"Wait, hold on a sec! Why just because of that I'm being the youngest?!" Yuya protested. This was not the first time. People would always think that he was definitely the youngest amongst him and his three counterparts.

"You and Odd-Eyes are clearly the youngest of all. Anyone would reach that conclusion simply looking by the two of you. And not just because of that, the both of you have all the qualities of the youngest brother." Yuzu replied, looking at both Yuya and Yuji.

"What qualities?" Yuji asked, raising a brow in question.

"Kind, gentle, lenient, a bit gullible, and most of all very cute." Yuzu said the last part with a giggle.

"Don't call us cute!" Yuya and Yuji both said together with red flustering face.

"But the two of you really are cute. The face you're making right now is the proof." Yuzu made her point by pointing at their faces, prompting the two boys to looked at each other, and seeing each other's reaction, they went red even more out of embarrassment. This made Yuzu chuckling again. She couldn't help it. They were just so cute. She felt like hugging the two of them now.

A claps of hands dropped their mood considerably. The three teens quickly put on their fighting stance, glaring at the direction where the sound came from. They have their Duel Disks ready, preparing for any ambush or attack.

"My apologies. While I hate to interrupt your good moment, I'm afraid that I must do my job here." Theo revealed himself, emerging from the beneath the shadow.

"You're one of the Generals!" Yuya stated as he noticed the badge Theo was wearing, signifying his position within the army.

"Yes. My name is Theo. And you are Johan Andersen's apprentice, right?" Theo turned his attention to Yuzu whom he was interested the most. He scuffled his pocket and then brought out Johan's ace monster, waving it at Yuzu. "You're here to take back your teacher's card."

"Rainbow Dragon!" Yuzu called out for the Duel Monster spirit who was crying out at her. Yuzu's glare intensified and she was ready to make the first move instead of keep waiting.

"Wonderful. You seem to be a lovely girl, but your eyes are as fierce as your teacher's. I am honestly interested to see the skill of Johan's apprentice. Would you enlighten me with a Duel, Milady? You want to restore your teacher's honor, is it not?" Theo challenged the pink-haired girl, activating his Duel Disk as he put back Rainbow Dragon into his pocket pants.

"Yuya, Yuji, stand back. I'll deal with him." Yuzu told the two boys, placing an arm in front of them.

"Alone?! Yuzu, he is a General! Johan-san, Reid-san, and even Lechter-san got defeated by them! We gotta work together!" Yuya objected. He understood that Yuzu was doing this for Johan, but facing the General alone was just too reckless.

"No. I have to do this as Johan-san's apprentice." Yuzu replied calmly before turning to Yuya with assuring smile. "Besides, before coming here, we have rearranged our Decks and strategies, right? I can do this."

Yuji sighed and patted Yuya's shoulder. "When it's like this, it's better not to say no to a lady. Let's leave this to her" He told Yuya, relenting to Yuzu's earnest request. Yuya stared at Yuji like he has gone mad, but seeing hoe much faith Yuji put in Yuzu and the determination in Yuzu's eyes, Yuya was hard to say no to that.

"All right. But if it gets dangerous, I'll step in. Okay?" Yuya said, finally relenting.

"You got it." Yuzu replied, grateful.

As Theo was facing the pink-haired girl, he pressed a button on the screen of his Duel Disk, changing the whole room into a gladiator-like stadium. As Yuzu was seeing this, she noticed that the Action Cards were not materialized. This turned her attention to Theo questioningly.

"I just activated a program that disable the function of your Action Cards. But at the very least, we'll go with your rule. I have to admit that the system you created is far more convenient." Theo revealed. Even though the Action Cards were unavailable, at the very least the Monster Field was still separated into Link Monster Zone and Main Zone.

"That makes the two of us then! Come on!" Yuzu activated her Duel Disk and so did Theo, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! As there are no monsters in the Main Zones, I can special summon Hydradrive Booster (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0) from my hand!" Theo summoned Booster by its own effect.

"Come forth, my circuit!" Theo immediately performed Link Summon.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is one Hydradrive Monster! I set Hydradrive Booster to the Link Marker! Circuit combined!" Theo set Booster into the Bottom-Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear, Link 1! Burn Hydradrive (ATK: 1000 / LM: Bottom / LINK: 1)!" Theo summoned his Link Monster in the Link Monster Zone in Attack Position.

"Next I summon Hydradrive Booster." Theo normal summoned another copy of Hydra Boster.

"Once more, I open my circuit!" Theo summoned Coolant Hydradrive (ATK: 1000 / LM: Bottom / LINK: 1)!" Theo summoned Coolant Hydradrive to the zone the bottom Link Arrow of Burn Hydradrive points to.

"I activate Link Magic: Judgment Arrows (LM: Upper-Left, Top, Upper-Right)!" Theo used his Link Spell at the Spell & Trap Zone the bottom-center Link Arrow of Coolant Hydradrive points to.

"Lastly, I open my circuit and set Burn Hydradrive and Coolant Hydradrive!" Theo summoned Twin Hydradrive Knight (ATK: 1800 / LM: Left, Right / LINK: 2) to the zone a Link Arrow of Judgment Arrows points to.

"As Twin Hydradrive Knight was Link Summoned, I activate its effect to change its Attribute to that of the original Attributes of the Link Monsters used for its Link Summon." Theo changed his Link Monster's Attribute, in this case both FIRE and WATER.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Theo concluded before grinning tauntingly at Yuzu. "Now, please show me the skill of the apprentice of the famed Johan Andersen."

Yuzu glared at Theo. "As you wish! My Turn! From my hand, I summon Edea the Melodious Diva (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 300 / LV: 3)!" She summoned Edea in Attack Position.

"When Edea is normal summoned, I can add a Melodious Monster from my Deck to my hand!" Yuzu added Aria into her hand from her Deck.

"Appear, the circuit of our harmony!" Yuzu opened the Link Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is one Melodious Monster! I set Edea the Melodious Diva and Aria the Melodious Diva in the Link Marker! Circuit Combine!" Yuzu set Edea on the Right arrow while Aria on the Left arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Prodigy Stradivarius the Floral Melodious Maestra (ATK: 2000 / LINK: 2 / LM: Right, Left)!" Yuzu summoned her Link Monster in the Link Monster Zone.

"I activate Prodigy Stradivarius' effect! On the Turn this card is Link Summoned, I can special summon a Melodious Monster to the zone pointed by its Link Arrow from my hand but it cannot attack this Turn!" Yuzu summoned Prodigy Mozart in the zone pointed by the Right Arrow.

"Battle! I attack Twin Hydradrive Knight with Prodigy Stradivarius!" Yuzu declared attack. As a Link Monster it points to battled, the effect of Judgment Arrows doubled Twin Hydradrive Knight's ATK during damage calculation, making its current ATK 3600.

"I activate Prodigy Stradivarius' effect! When there's a Monster pointed by its Link Marker, it cannot be destroyed by Special Summoned Monsters and any destruction and Battle Damage involving this card is inflicted to the opponent instead!" Prodigy Stradivarius played its violin, creating sound waves that blew away the opposing Link Monster.

 **THEO LP: 4000 = 3400**

"When Prodigy Stradivarius destroyed a monster, it can inflict damage to the player by 900 for each monster pointed by its Link Arrow!" Yuzu revealed as Prodigy Stradivarius played a new song, unleashing colorful musical notes that surrounded Theo, scratching him.

 **THEO LP: 3400 = 2300**

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Yuzu concluded.

"I activate Continuous Trap: Property Spray!" Theo immediately activated his Trap the moment he started his Turn, but Yuzu won't have that.

"I won't let you! As my opponent activated a Trap Card while I control a Melodious Monster, I activate my face-down Counter Trap: Crushing Rhyme! I negate the activation of your Trap and destroy it!" Yuzu destroyed Property Spray immediately after Theo activated it. However, Theo has anticipated this.

"Then as my Trap or Magic was destroyed, I activate my face-down Continuous Trap: Hydradrive Cycle! As it was activated, its effect activates, returning a Hydradrive Link Monster from my Graveyard to my Extra Deck, then I can draw cards equal to the Link Rating of that monster and Special Summoning a Hydradrive monster with its ATK reduced to 0!" Theo returned Twin Hydradrive Knight, drawing two cards and Special Summoned Burn Hydradrive.

"I'm impressed you can do this much. Johan Andersen taught you well. Looks like this won't be a disappointing Duel after all." Theo mused, praising the pink-haired girl.

"Of course, he is! That's why I can't afford to lose against you!" Yuzu retorted. This was not only her fight, but also her mentor's fight. She could hear Rainbow Dragon was calling for her. It was also warning her to be careful. She must win.

"Sadly, winning against me won't happen. I activate Hydradrive Cycle's second effect! By paying 400 LP and declaring an Attribute between EARTH, WATER, FIRE, or WIND, I can Special Summon a Hydradrive Token to the turn player's field with that Attribute!" Theo Special Summoned an EARTH Hydradrive Token (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1).

 **THEO LP: 2300 = 1900**

"Appear, my circuit!" Theo used a Hydradrive Token to Link Summon Flow Hydradrive (ATK: 1000 / LM: Bottom / LINK: 1) to a zone Judgment Arrows points to.

"And then, I set Burn Hydradrive and Flow Hydradrive on the Link Markers!" Theo Link Summoned Twin Hydradrive Knight to a zone Judgment Arrows points to.

"As Twin Hydradrive Knight was Link Summoned, I activate its effect, changing its Attribute to both FIRE and WIND." Theo changed his Link Monster's Attribute again to FIRE and WIND.

"The effect of Twin Hydradrive Knight negates the effects of all monsters my controls with the same Attribute as Twin Hydradrive Knight!" Theo revealed, negating effects of the WIND Prodigy Stradivarius.

"Battle! I attack Prodigy Stradivarius with Twin Hydradrive Knight!" Theo declared his Battle Phase. As Prodigy Stradivarius' effects were negated, it couldn't deflect the Hydradrive monster's attack let alone defending itself. The opposing Link Monster easily crushed the Melodious Monster, destroying it.

 **YUZU LP: 4000 = 3400**

"Next I activate Quick-Play Spell: Hydradrive Droplets! When a Hydradrive Monster I control destroyed a monster, I can inflict half of the destroyed monster's ATK as damage to my opponent!" Theo activated the card from his hand, inflicting additional damage to Yuzu, pushing her away back more.

 **YUZU LP: 3400 = 2400**

"I end my Turn." Theo concluded. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Milady, please do tell me that this is not the end yet. I wish you show me more what you have in store. I don't want this Duel to end so quickly with just that."

"Yuzu still has Prodigy Mozart by her side! At least she's not defenseless!" Yuya remarked, trying to assure himself that Yuzu would hang on.

"But that Judgment Arrows card is troublesome. If Prodigy Mozart attacks, Twin Hydradrive Knight's ATK would be doubled and Prodigy Mozart will be destroyed instead. Unless she can summon a Monster with higher ATK or increasing Prodigy Mozart's ATK…" Yuji thought of possibilities to defeat Theo in this situation, hoping to at least give some advice or suggestion to Yuzu if necessary.

"I'm not done yet! My Turn! I summon Tuner Monster Fanette the Melodious Maestra (ATK: 100 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1)!" Yuzu summoned Fanette in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I Tune Prodigy Mozart with Fanette! Supreme virtuoso, obtain the holy score and play the enchanting symphony that reach the heavens! Synchro Summon! Level 9! Beethova the Melodious Maestra (ATK: 2500/ DEF: 1800/ LV: 9)!" Yuzu summoned her first Synchro Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I end my Turn." Yuzu concluded, confusing Theo.

"You're ending your Turn just like that? I can tell that you're not giving up yet, but that is certainly unexpected." Theo voiced his thought.

"I have my own way of fighting. That's all." Yuzu replied.

"Is that so? Very well. My Turn. I summon Hydradrive Booster." Theo summoned another copy of his Booster.

"You're definitely planning something with that monster. In that case, I'll increase my game too. I want to see how you're going to deal with this one monster I have." Theo picked a card from his hand, waiving it but not yet showing what card it was until he released his Link Monster and newly summoned Booster as tributes.

"I release Twin Hydradrive Knight and Hydradrive Booster to Advance Summon Earthbound God Wiraqocha Rasca (ATK: 1 / DEF: 1 / LV: 10)!" Theo summoned his strongest monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone. The appearance of the Earthbound God monster shook the entire room, causing the lights to flicker and it was like it's going to destroy the whole ceiling above them.

"It finally appear! His Earthbound God Monster!" Yuya exclaimed. His worry for Yuzu intensified at the sight of the Earthbound God monster looming him and his friends.

"Wait…its ATK and DEF are only 1? What's the meaning of this? Yuzu asked as she stared at the monster.

"I activate Wiraqocha Rasca's effect. Once per Turn, by skipping a Battle Phase, I can make my opponent's LP become 1." Theo grinned, pointing at Yuzu as Wiragocha Rasca flapped its wings, blowing Yuzu away that she hit the wall behind her to the point it cracked from the impact.

 **YUZU LP: 2400 = 1**

"What?!" Yuya exclaimed in disbelief.

"No way…! He reduced Yuzu's LP to 1 just like that!" Yuji was as much as shocked as Yuya. However, Theo sacrificed his own Battle Phase to make that happen. From his observation, Theo was not a man who would just simply lowering his opponent's LP like that without further moves. "He can't attack her…unless he has a card that can inflict an effect damage."

"That is correct, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon." Theo replied to Yuji's mumbling that was clear to his ears to hear. He then opened his last face-down card. "I activate Continuous Trap: Earthbound Lightning! Whenever an Earthbound monster I control activate its effect, I can inflict 200 damage to my opponent!"

Black clouds started to form above the whole coliseum. Purple-colored lightning sparked from the clouds right above Yuzu. A single strong lightning strike then went down towards the pink-haired girl who was just recovering from the impact of the last attack.

"Yuzu!" Yuya ran towards his girlfriend without thinking any further in attempt to protect her. However, before he could reach her, Yuzu stood up and pressed the screen of her Duel Disk.

"Trap Card: Synchro Barrier! By releasing 1 Synchro Monster I control, I won't take any damage until the End Phase of the next Turn!" Yuzu released Fanette, creating a green-colored round barrier that protected her from the lightning strike.

Yuya, who has stopped his track, sighed in relief that Yuzu was safe. However, he then saw her crestfallen expression. She has used Fanette, her only line of defense. Now, she didn't have any monster on her Field. Her only face-down card couldn't help her against the Earthbound God. She didn't know what to do anymore. How could she win against that monster now that Fanette has gone?

"Don't make that face, Yuzu!" Yuya yelled as he was approaching her, kneeling beside her.

"Yuya…" Yuzu turned to Yuya, her expression softened though she was still worried.

"You have gone this far, don't give up now! There is still hope! We arranged our Decks together so I know it! You should know that too! Take a step forward with courage! Isn't that what you told me before? In that case, right now, you need that courage to take the risk to win!" Yuya placed both of his hands on her shoulders, holding her tight but still gentle. Yuzu's eyes hardened at Yuya's faith in her.

"We have your back, Yuzu. Should you fall, then we'll pull you back up. You can do it. You can pull out that card." Yuji patted her head, giving her his own encouragement. Yuzu has the card that could help her defeat Theo in this situation. All she needed to do is drawing out the card. No matter how slim the chance is, Yuji knew that the card will answer her.

"Johan-san… Rainbow Dragon…" Yuzu thought of her unconscious mentor and Rainbow Dragon who was worrying for her right now. She felt stupid for thinking of giving up when she just said she can't afford to lose this Duel for her teacher and his ace monster. And now even Yuya and Yuji were encouraging her even though she has told them she'll be fine by herself.

"Yes. I'll pull this through!" Yuzu said determinedly, returning to his feet straight. Everything depended on this one Draw. If she drew the right card, she has the chance to win. She didn't, it'll be her end.

"My Turn!" Yuzu smiled at Yuya after seeing the card she drew. She was right to discuss and arrange new Deck with Yuya before departing. She didn't need Yuya or Yuji to respond to know that they understood why she was smiling. The card has answered her feeling.

"I summon Entermate Five-Rainbow Magician (ATK: 100 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1 / PS: 12)!" Yuzu summoned the card that Yuya lent to her in Attack Position.

"When a I control exactly 1 LIGHT Monster on my Field, I can activate Magic Card: Ray of Miracle! I can Special Summon another LIGHT Monster from my Graveyard!" Yuzu opened her last face-down card, reviving Prodigy Stradivarius in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Appear, the circuit of our harmony!" Yuzu opened the Summoning Circuit. "Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is one Magician-Type Monster and one Light Monster. I set Entermate Five-Rainbow Magician and Prodigy Stradivarius on the Link Markers! Circuit combined!"

"Link Summon! Appear, Link 3! Melodious Paladin (ATK: 2300 / LM: Top, Left, Bottom-Right / LINK: 3)!" Yuzu summoned her new Link Monster in Attack Position in the Link Monster Zone. It has long, blue-green hair, green eyes, and pointy ears. It wore a slightly revealing blue and white outfit, as well as white gloves adorned with blue, green, and purple rings on each of her arms. It also possessed intricate light-blue wings and was holding a white sword on its right hand.

"I activate Melodious Paladin's effect! Once per Turn, by reducing its own ATK to 0 until the end of this Turn, I can destroy my opponent's monster!" Yuzu reduced Melodious Paladin's ATK to completely nothing. Melodious Paladin then began to sing. It was like listening to the music descending from heaven. They felt summer breeze and saw a field full of flowers with tranquil riverbank. Earthbound God Wiraqocha Rasqa's body started to change into pink-colored petals and dispersed, showering the entire room.

"And then, when a monster is destroyed through this effect, I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to Melodious Paladin's ATK!" Yuzu added. Melodious Paladin twirled its sword upwards, gathering all the flower petals together before striking them towards Theo into a tornado of flowers. Theo was trapped within the swirl of tornado. However, his grin widened as he accepted the attack, feeling satisfied.

 **THEO LP: 1900 = 0**

"She did it!" Yuya and Yuji said and jumping together, clasping their hand against each other.

"Now, give back Johan-san's Rainbow Dragon!" Yuzu said while approaching Theo who was trying to sit up. Just when Yuzu was only a few feet away from him, an exploding sound startled her, followed by four more. She turned to where it came from and noticed the hidden security cameras fell down, having been destroyed.

"Those are the security cameras! What happened?" Yuzu questioned in confusion. Cameras won't just destroy by itself.

"That's my cue to disappear."

Yuzu turned to Theo and gasped when she saw a black space forming beside Theo. From the space, Kamui emerged, helping Theo to stand up. Before letting Kamui take him, Theo brought out Rainbow Dragon and threw it at Yuzu.

"As promised, you have Rainbow Dragon back, little miss. I'll be taking my leave now." Theo told the Melodious user.

"Kamui?! Then you're working for Apophis?!" Yuya questioned.

"Being a double agent is my forte. But it ends now. You better defeat Heidel for us." Theo said simply before leaving for good with Kamui, entering the space and disappeared before Yuya could question him further.

"He escaped." Yuya clicked his tongue.

"To think that Apophis has planted a spy himself by Heidel's side…" Yuji commented. It then hit him. Theo must have been the one to inform Heidel about the Lancers' hideout.

"For now, at least we got Rainbow Dragon back." Yuzu stated while staring at the said card. She was glad she was able to take it back. Rainbow Dragon even conveyed its gratitude for the pink-haired girl, making the latter smile.

"It's not over yet. We have to move quicker. Time is running short." Yuji reminded his two companions.

The three of them continued their way forward, even more determined to stop the reactor from activating that would have sacrificed the Duel Monsters.

 **LABORATORY – RAMSSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

After staying in this fortress for long amount of times, Akira Zaizen finally memorized all parts of the fortress and remembered each room within it. Except one. A few days ago, by a chance, he saw the Supreme Commander Heidel and Leo Akaba entered a hidden room. He tried to follow them, but it required fingerprint scan. After quite a hard time, he finally able to secretly get a fingerprint from the busy Leo. He couldn't ask him because Heidel has been keeping an eye on Leo even stricter lately. Now, this was his chance to find out what kind of room is this.

Entering the room, Akira was lost at words when he saw many tubes filled with various Duel Monsters inside. They were not just spirits, but the real ones physically. What disturbed him was how hollow these Duel Monsters were. They were alive but yet empty. It gave him a strong pain on his chest seeing the Duel Monsters like this.

"What is this lab?" Akira murmured, tightening his fists beside him.

"Zaizen?"

Akira flinched when he heard his name being called. He turned and spotted Leo staring at him with surprise.

"Leo Akaba?!" Akira exclaimed.

"What are you doing here? You shouldn't be able to get in here!" Leo asked frantically.

"I managed to get my hands on one of the fingerprint. I thought that I should find more information." Akira explained his presence in the room.

"I understand how you must be feeling, but you need to leave now! Heidel is here! If he sees you–"

"I have seen you."

The two men froze when they heard the voice. Steadily, they turned to the source of the voice. To their dismay, they saw the very man they wished were not there to see them.

"Supreme Commander…" Akira called out uneasily.

Heidel merely sighed at Akira. "I have suspected you'll eventually betrayed me after what happened to your sister, but for you to make a mistake like this is so unlike you, Zaizen. Such a waste for a talented man as you are decided to betray me." He said with disappointment.

"What you're doing…is wrong." Akira stated, his stance was ready to defend himself.

"I have learned that it's pointless to talk with people who have opposite idea from me. We'll get to the case in which you'll be joining our hostages in their quarter." Heidel said straight to the point, not bothering with even trying to convince Akira to support him.

"I would have to refuse that, Supreme Commander Aberforth." Akira obviously replied. He has no intention to go down without a fight. He prepared his Duel Disk, ready to Duel.

"I'm not going to be your opponent, if that's what you think. I have recruited a skilled Duelist chosen by my own ace monster." Heidel turned to corner beside him, signing the person he has said to reveal himself to the traitor.

Leo blinked when he saw the shadow of the person. It looked familiar. His heart beat strongly as each stepped was coming closer. Finally, Leo felt like his heart almost being crushed as he came face-to-face with the person. That gray, spiky hair swept back, and crimson eyes. The huge scar that was partially concealed with an eye-patch on his left face. And an X-shaped scar on his chest partial covered by his shirt…

"Barrett?!"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Evil Giant vs Guardian of Underworld –** Akira begins a duel against the Earthbound God using Barrett's corpse.

* * *

 **Phew. Done with this chapter. I finally got quite a hang on my schedule. Plus, I got more days off starting next month, which means more time to write!**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	82. Evil Giant vs Guardian of Underworld

**5 YEARS AGO – ROOFTOP – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

A girl with long curly pinkish blond hair wearing sleeved green dress decided to get some fresh air by went to the rooftop. The rooftop made her feel closer to the open wide and clear blue sky almost as if leading her to the heaven up there. She opened the door and saw a figure lying on the floor, which the girl recognized as Emilio.

"So you came here after all, Fana." He suddenly said without looking at her.

The girl, Fana, slightly smiled at this, closing the door behind her. "You knew why I love to go to a rooftop. Sorry if I'm disturbing you."

"I never said you're disturbing." He replied, eyes opened and stared at the blue sky above and sat up.

Fana giggled softly before walking towards the fence of the roof. She leaned against it as she stares down the ground. A small relaxing breeze caressed her face, making her shut her eyes feeling at peace. However...

"You're not looking so happy." Emilio pointed out. Before she realized it, he was already standing behind her.

Fana faced Emilio, leaning her back to the fence behind her. "I just found out that…Edward passed away. His condition suddenly got worsened. Since he has the same symptoms as me...maybe...next time..."

Emilio sighed and he won't let her finish that sentence. Wordlessly, he walked towards the worrying girl and pulled her into his arms, making her head collided with his chest. His hand ruffled her hair tenderly.

"We'll find out a way. You'll live. That's for sure. Don't worry. I promise."

Fana looked up to Emilio and saw a small smile that was very rare to see. As far as she remembered, the last time she saw him smiling was two years ago.

"Don't bother too much about it. You have your Duel Monsters backing you up, right? I'm sure they'll be cheering you on." Emilio told her.

Fana smiled, nodding her head as she placed her hands on Emilio's chest, whole-heartedly accepting the warmth that the man gave to her for that moment.

"Thank you, Emilio..."

 **PRESENT TIME – SOLDIER QUARTER – RAMSSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Emilio felt beams of warm light shine on his face. He rubbed his eyes, standing up from his bed. He couldn't believe himself for having the time to doze off at a time like this when the enemies were infiltrating. He wondered if he had actually exhausted himself from the last battle at the Spirit Farm. Perhaps using the Earthbound God was more tiring than he imagined it would be.

Emilio picked his jacket on the chair, wearing it without buttoning them and then wore his Duel Disk. He could see from the screen that a group of enemies was coming near his territory. From the screen, he saw Reiji Akaba, Serena, and Starve Venom in her human form defeating all of his subordinates one by one. Not that he ever expected for his subordinates to be able to defeat them.

He stopped for a moment to see a photograph of him together with Fana. His eyes softened seeing the girl in the photo before it sharpened and turned into a determined gaze to kill.

"I will put an end to this once and for all, Fana."

 **LABORATORY – RAMSSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Barrett?!" Leo exclaimed, visibly shocked to see his supposed deceased loyal subordinate.

"Not quite." Heidel stepped to stand beside Barrett, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He is nothing but an empty corpse controlled by the will of an Earthbound God. The Barrett you knew is no longer here, he is nothing but a corpse."

"How do you know about Barrett?!" Leo questioned with barely held anger. Barrett has always been the most loyal subordinate to him. Even after the man knew of his real intention, he still unquestioningly followed him. For his body to be used this way, Leo despised it. He refused to just let Heidel disrespecting Barrett's body any further.

"My own Earthbound God is none other than the reincarnation of your former subordinate, Jean-Michel Roget. His hatred for you led us to have mutual goal of disposing our enemies. He gave me many useful information." Heidel said, showing his ace monster to Leo and Akira.

"Roget…" Leo glared daggers at the said Earthbound God. He never placed any high trust at Roget. Even far back when Roget was still working under him, he always had suspicion of the man because he had always been ambitious, eager to gain his favour to achieve higher position. That's why he sent him to Synchro Dimension to begin with under pretex of observation.

"But we're not here for a reminiscence. I believe we have more important business to do." Heidel turned to Akira. "Zaizen, I'm afraid that I can't let you walk away."

"Yes. That' what I thought, Supreme Commander. It seems that I have to stop you myself." Akira activated his Duel Disk.

"Professor Akaba, please stand aside. Leave this to me. If you do anything, it may jeopardize Sakaki-san and the others' safety." Akira told Leo.

"Please be careful, Zaizen. And if possible, please don't harm that body too much. It is the body of my most loyal subordinate. I would like to give him another proper burial." Leo pleaded. He couldn't do anything for Barrett. The only thing he could think of was to treat his body with respect at the very least.

"I'll try." Akira replied.

In respond, Barrett also activated his Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm going first. I set a monster." Akira took the first Turn.

"As I Normal Set a monster, I activate the effect of Tindangle Base Gardna (ATK: 0 / DEF: 2300) in my hand. I can Special Summon it in Defense Position!" Akira summoned Base Gardna in Defense Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Akira concluded.

"My Turn. I summon Infernity Beast (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 4)." Barrett summoned Beast in Attack Position.

"Infernity?! That's Kyosuke Kiryu's Deck!" Akira exclaimed.

"The Infernity Deck was originally a Deck that I conceived in my experiment. The one used by Kiryu is a mere fragments of the one I'd developed." Heidel revealed. When he dueled Kiryu, he immediately knew what kind of strategy Kiryu would use as the Duel progress. Just like Kiryu, he knew of Infernity Deck like the back of his hand. Without Kiryu realizing he was actually had been playing within his hand.

"I activate Magic Card: Dual Summon. I can perform another Normal Summon." Barrett then Normal Summoned Infernity Archfiend (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1200) in Attack Position.

"Appear, my circuit!" Barrett opened the Link Summoning Circuit, setting Beast on the bottom-arrow and Archfiend on the bottom-left arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear, Link 2! Infernity Overlord (ATK: 1000 / LINK: 2 / LM: Bottom, Bottom-Left)!" Barrett summoned his Link Monster in Attack Position. It was a Link Monster developed a few years after Kiryu's escape. Kiryu wouldn't know about the card.

"I activate Infernity Overlord's effect! By discarding my entire hand, I can Special Summon the Infernity Monsters used as Link Materials to the zone pointed by Overlord's Link Arrows!" Barrett summoned back Beast and Archfiend in the Main Monster Zone pointed by Overlord's arrows in Attack Position.

"As monsters were Special Summoned to a zone my opponent's Link Monster points to, I activate the effect of Base Gardna, releasing it to Special Summon a Tindangle monster from my hand!" Akira special summoned Tindangle Hound (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 0) in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Tindangle Hound's effect! It decreases the ATK of each monster my opponent controls by 1000 for each monster linked to them!" Akira reduced the attack of all Barret's Infernity Monsters to practically nothing.

"Next I activate Continuous Trap: Lemoine Point! As there is a Tindangle monster on the field, my opponent cannot attack face-down monsters! When I control no monsters, Lemoine Point will destroy itself!" Akira opened his face-down card, preventing Barrett's monsters to attack his monster. As Hound has higher ATK than any of them, they couldn't attack it either.

"That won't be enough to stop Barrett, Zaizen." Heidel stated. On cue, Barrett pointed at his Link Monster.

"Battle! I attack Tindangle Hound with Infernity Overlord!" Barret declared attack despite his monster has been rendered powerless. Infernity Overlord unsheat its broadsword and dashed towards Tindangle Hound.

"At this moment I activate Infernity Overlord's effect! During Battle Phase, when I have no card in my hands, I can switch its ATK with the targeted monster!" Barrett switched Overlord's ATK with Hound, making the Link Monster's ATK 2500 while the opposing monster's ATK 0. Infernity Overlord slashed down its sword, slicing Tindangle Hound into half and destroyed it.

 **AKIRA LP: 4000 = 1500**

"As Hound was destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I activate its effect! I can flip a face-down monster to face-up Defense Position!" Akira flipped his face-down Tindangle Angel to face-up Defense Position (ATK: 500 / DEF: 1800).

"As Angel was flipped face-up, I activate its effect to Special Summon a Flip Monster from my hand or Graveyard in face-down Defense Position!" Akira Special Summoned Hound from his Graveyard.

"And as the effect of Angel was activated during my opponent's Battle Phase, the Battle Phase ends." Akira added, forcefully ending Barrett's attack and reverting his Link Monster's ATK.

"I end my Turn." Barrett concluded.

"My Turn. I Flip Summon Tindangle Hound!" Akira summoned Hound in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"As Hound was flipped face-up, I activate its effect, which let me increase its ATK by the original ATK of another one of my face-up monsters', then changing that monster to face-down Defense Position!" Akira's Hound gained ATK equal to the original ATK of Angel, making it 3000. And Angel is flipped face-down.

"Battle! I attack Infernity Beast with Tindangle Hound!" Akira declared attack again, targeting the weakest monster on Barret's Field whose ATK has been reduced to nothing since the previous Turn. Hound easily strike down Beast, destroying it.

 **BARRETT LP: 4000 = 1000**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Akira concluded. Unexpectedly, he received an applause from Heidel who was watching from the side.

"Those Tindangle monsters, Hound and Angel, are just like you and your sister, Zaizen." Heidel commented with interest at the two said monsters, staring at them.

"I can feel your feelings for your sister in this Deck very clear. Is this also to avenge your sister whom Emilio has defeated?" Heidel questioned, smiling so calmly like nothing was wrong with it.

"Do you believe that I would stay quiet when my only family is harmed?" Akira questioned back, narrowing his eyes at his former superior. When he heard his sister was defeated and heavily injured, it took everything he has to stop himself from going straight to where she is. He wanted to be by her side more than anything else, but he knew that to ensure she won't be harmed more than she already has was by stopping Heidel for good.

"Yes. I understand. I won't stay quiet either if I were you. I had done the same thing in the past." Heidel admitted.

"What do you mean?" Akira blinked curiously.

"You'll know if you can defeat Barrett. This is no time to talk, no?" Heidel replied, clearly avoiding the subject. While Akira admitted he was quite curious, the Duel comes first.

"My Turn. I activate Magic Card: Draw Bet. I halve my own LP to draw until I have 5 cards in my hand." Barret sacrificed half of his LP, drawing 5 cards.

 **BARRETT LP: 1000 = 500**

"I release Infernity Overlord and Infernity Archfiend to Advance Summon Dark Tuner Nightmare Hand (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0)!" Barrett summoned his Tuner Monster in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Nightmare Hand's effect to Special Summon Infernity Dwarf (ATK: 800 / DEF: 500) from my hand." Barrett summoned Dwarf in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I tune Infernity Dwarf with Dark Tuner Nightmare Hand! Synchro Summon! Appear! One Hundred-Eyed Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2500)!" Barrett summoned his Synchro Monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone.

"Due to the first effect of One Hundred-Eyed Dragon, it gains the effects of all DARK monsters in my Graveyard!" Barrett revealed. One Hundred-Eyed Dragon roared, all of its purple eyes throughout its body were glowing as it received all the powers possessed by all Infernity Monsters' spirits in the Graveyard.

"What?! All effects of the DARK Monsters in the Graveyard?!" Leo exclaimed in shock. Akira was also equally taken aback hearing such powerful effect.

"Next I activate Magic Card: Eyes of the Fourth One! I discard my entire hand to increase my monster's ATK by 500 and negate my opponent's monster's effect until the end of this Turn!" Barrett increased his Synchro Monster's ATK to 4000.

"Battle! I attack Tindangle Hound with One Hundred-Eyed Dragon!" Barrett declared Battle Phase. One Hundred-Eyed Dragon spread its wings and unleashed beams of energy from its eyes, each of them directing towards the Flip Monster. Akira seemed ready to activate a card, Barrett has none of that.

"Due to the effect gained from Infernity Beast, my opponent cannot activate Spells or Traps until the end of the Damage Step as I have no cards in my hand!" Barrett interrupted, sealing Akira's Spell and Trap, which allowed the Synchro Monster to destroy Tindangle Hound into bits.

 **AKIRA LP: 1500 = 1000**

"Also, due to Eyes of the Fourth One's effect, when the monster targeted by this card destroyed opponent's monster, I can destroy another monster my opponent controls!" Barrett pointed at Tindangle Angel, destroying it as well. As Akira controls no monsters, Lemoine Point was destroyed by its own effect.

"Not yet! I activate Infernity Dweller's (ATK: 400 / DEF: 300 / LV: 2) effect in my Graveyard! When a DARK Monster I control destroyed a monster, I can banish it to reduce my monster's ATK to 400 until the End Phase to conduct a second attack!" Barrett activated the effect of a monster he sent to the Graveyard through Eye of the Fourth One's effect, decreasing his dragon's ATK to mere 400 but allowed it to attack once more, attacking Akira directly.

 **AKIRA LP: 1000 = 600**

"As I took battle damage from my opponent's monster while I have 3 or more Tindangle monsters in my Graveyard, I activate the Trap Card: Tindangle Delaunay to destroy the attacking monster and Special Summon Tindangle Acute Cerberus from my Extra Deck!" Akira retaliated by destroying Barrett's One Hundred-Eyed Dragon and then Special Summoned his ace monster, Tindangle Acute Cerberus (ATK: 0/LINK: 3 / LM: Bottom-Left, Top, Bottom-Right) to the Extra Monster Zone. Acute Cerberus gained 1500 ATK for each Hound and Angel in his Graveyard, making its current ATK 3000.

" _Good! Not only he destroyed opponent's monster, but he also summoned his own ace monster! Keep going, Zaizen!"_ Leo inwardly cheered for Akira.

"I end my Turn." Barrett concluded.

"My Turn! I attack directly with Acute Cerberus!" Akira didn't waste any time to declare attack. Acute Cerberus charged at Barrett who remained on his spot. His hand then pressed the screen of his Duel Disk.

"I activate Eye of the Fourth One's effect! By banishing it, I can reduce the Battle Damage to 0 and then summon two Ghost Tokens!" Barrett banished his Magic Card, creating a barrier that protected him from the three-headed hound Link Monster's attack, deflecting it back to Akira's side. Two Ghost Tokens then appeared on Barrett's Main Monster Zone in Attack Position.

"As Acute Cerberus attacked, I activate its effect to Special Summon a Tindangle Token (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) to the bottom-right Link Point of Acute Cerberus!" Akira declared, increasing Acute Cerberus's ATK by 500 for each Tindangle monster it points to, making its current ATK 3500.

"I activate Continuous Spell Card: Nagel's Protection. This card prevents Tindangle monsters from being destroyed by battle or my opponent's card effects and doubling the first instance of battle damage a Tindangle monster inflicts battle damage to my opponent once per turn." Akira added, opening his face-down card.

" _Now, not only Acute Cerberus' ATK has increased, but it cannot be destroyed and its prowess will give more damage to Barrett. Zaizen is leading in both Offense and Defense. Zaizen can win this Duel on his next Turn."_ Leo assessed the situation, feeling hopeful and eager for the Tindangle user to win soon.

"I end my Turn." Akira concluded. He stared at Barrett. _"I only need one more attack to win. Even if he can summon a monster that overpowers Acute Cerberus, I'll use Tindangle Spirit's (ATK: 300 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) effect in my hand to negate the damage. And due to Nagel's Protection, Acute Cerberus cannot be destroyed, so I can use it to attack on my next Turn."_

"I suggest you cease that thought, Zaizen." Heidel suddenly said, causing the said man to turn to him. "This will be the last Turn of this Duel."

"What?" Akira uttered in surprise at the Supreme Commander's confidence despite the situation. Akira wanted to say that Heidel was just bluffing, but looking at the Supreme Commander's face, he had a bad feeling. The man was sure that Barrett would defeat him in this Turn.

"My Turn." Barrett drew a card. Without looking at it, he extended his arm at both Tokens in front of him. He didn't need to look at the card. Even before the card was drawn, he could feel the pulse. Heidel could also feel it too. The pulse of the Earthbound God.

"I release my two Ghost Tokens in order to Advance Summon Earthbound God Ccapac Apu (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 8)!" Barrett finally summoned the Earthbound God that was taking control of his empty body. The giant was breaking through the ceiling due to its big body, but was still careful enough as to not causing any damage to important machines in the room.

"But Tingadle Acute Cerberus' ATK is still higher!" Akira reminded. But again, Heidel simply smiled at him.

"Earthbound God Ccapac Apu's effect. It can attack directly and it is unaffected by the opponent's Spells and Traps." Barrett revealed as Ccapac Apu raised its fist.

"No way!" Akira and Leo exclaimed in disbelief at the same time.

Ccapac Apu swung down its fist towards the Link Monster. Acute Cerberus immediately moved in front of Akira, trying its best to block the punch. But the difference in size and power was clear. Acute Cerberus' body started to crack before it was crushed completely and disappeared.

 **AKIRA LP: 600 = 0**

Akira was thrown back, covered in bruises. Leo swore he heard a cracking sound coming from Akira, no doubt the man suffered broken bones. Akira struggled to move or at least remained conscious, but he groaned when he felt intense pain on his rib and left arm. His vision went blurry by seconds passed. He could see Heidel looming over him. It was then his eyes have given up on him and everything went black.

"Zaizen!" Leo tried to approach Akira, but his path was blocked by Barrett.

"You will continue your work, Professor Akaba. You need not worry. I have no intention to kill him. I will simply have my men tend his wounds and take him to another quarter not far from the other prisoners." Heidel assured Leo, though he knew it would hardly ease the latter seeing the glare directed towards him.

"You know what will happen if you refuse to help, do you?" Heidel warned him. That convinced Leo to continue. Pleased to see Leo returning to work on the machine, Heidel has Barrett to take Akira to the medical ward and left the laboratory.

Leo reluctantly continued his work on the machine, the furrows between his eyebrows remained as he saw the Duel Monsters within the machines were whimpering. They felt weaker as the machine was absorbing their energies. Leo couldn't stand watching them like this. He knew that he couldn't let Heidel has his way. He knew what he must do. He knew what he must do to stop Heidel while also keeping his family and friends safe.

"I also have a trump card if I can't stop activating this machine…"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **My Most Precious Person -** Serena, Reiji, and Yura encounters Emilio. Feeling guilty and frustrated for failing to stop Kurt before, Serena duels Emilio in more aggressive and straightforward manner, giving Emilio more advantage in their Duel. Driven by his feeling for his lost love, Emilio counters Serena's attack and corners her.

* * *

 **Sorry I didn't have time to write my usual thank you for the ones who reviewed the previous chapter.**

 **I did say that I have more time to write, but I never said that means faster update. I need those days off to rest too other than writing. Next time, I'll refrain saying anything about more days off or more time to write so you won't get the wrong idea. Anyway, here you go, the new chapter you all have been waiting for. Since the Duel between Serena and Emilio turn longer than I originally planned and I'm still in the middle of writing it, I decided not to include it in this chapter.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter.**


	83. My Most Precious Person

**RAMSSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"They never know when to learn their lesson."

Yura said while wiping a dust from her cloth just as she took down another enemy that was foolishg enough to challenge her. Not far from her were Serena and Reiji who have also defeated the last of their opponents. After a few minutes stepping foot in the fortress, they were welcomed by a squad of Heidel's forces. And much to Yura's disappointment, none of them provided her with enough excitement. They were just too weak to even be a warm up. The only good thing coming from this was since they were such small fries, it was easier for them to continue their way to their target.

"But considering the amount of enemies coming at us here, it's possible the path we took is the fastest one leading us to our destination." Reiji stated. Usually, when intruders were ambushed to this much extent, that means the closer they were to the most important place within the base.

"And that fact may also means they're soon going to activate the machine." Yura added. She knew enough that they didn't just blindly coming at them without thinking. They were trying to buy some times until the reactor is fully activated.

"Are you done talking? Don't waste time and walk faster." Serena interrupted them with evident impatience in her tone, demanding the two to stop just standing there doing nothing and walk to their destination.

Yura frowned at Serena's tone. This has actually been bothering her since days ago, but looks like they need to settle this now before it cost her and their lives.

"What's wrong with you?" Yura asked. She has noticed that something was clearly bothering Serena recently. The indigo-haired girl was more than often being short-tempered when there was no result that she wished for, but this went to a different level. She was being too restless. She only saw for a moment, but Serena's Dueling style was rougher and could be quiet predictable in her eyes.

"Huh?" Serena narrowed her eyes at Starve Venom who remained calm despite the look she received.

"You're being unusually in hurry. I know that we must reach the Reactor as soon as possible but you're–"

"If you have time asking pointless question, then use it to walk instead." Serena cut her of, refusing to listening any further.

She couldn't help it. They mustn's waste any time here. They must defeat Heidel quickly and then hunt for Apophis and Kurt again. Serena felt a twitch popped out on her head. She couldn't help it. After seeing Yuri fallen into despair like that, she couldn't forgive herself. She didn't want to imagine what Apophis had done to Yuri that made him to hate himself to the point of making him lost his will to live. Even if it was for a short time, it was like years. And she certainly could never forget the way Kurt just casually using Yuri's body and defeated her so easily. The thought made Serena gritted her teeth and clenched her fists in frustration.

" _Because I was too weak. If only I could stop Kurt that time then Yuri won't end up this way… No, in fact if only I could stop him from being captured back at the party then he wouldn't have suffered…"_ Serena closed her eyes tight. She hated herself for being so weak and couldn't stop her childhood friend from suffering like that. Even though Yuri has recovered, that despaired face he made that time won't leave her mind.

Her thought was knocked off when she felt a stinging pain on the back of her head. She looked back and faced Yura who was giving her reprimanding eyes while rubbing her pained head.

"What was that for?!" Serena asked angrily. She was already in a bad mood, and she didn't need Yura to add it to the mix. But Serena could tell from Yura's expression that she didn't give a slightest bit care about it.

"I think I know what you're thinking and you need to stop that or it may cost you your life. I know damn well since I've been watching over you too with Master." Yura told Serena.

As a descendant of her adoptive mother and one of Ray's fragments who grew up together with her master, Yura obviously always watching over Serena whenever she and her master met. Her first impression of the girl? A gorilla girl as her master would put it. Tomboyish, proud, short-tempered, and can be violent at times. But Yura found herself drawn to Moonlight user, though not to the extent as her master did, because they have similarities more than they thought. And those similarities were all connected to her master.

And that's why she was quick to realize what was bothering Serena. She also has the same feeling. The difference was while she could control it, Serena couldn't.

"If you truly care about Master and want to help him, then the first step would be calming yourself from those thoughts." Yura added.

Serena opened her mouth, ready to make her own retort, but Reiji suddenly went into defensive position again. Seeing him, Serena and Yura knew that another enemy was coming. However, unlike before, they could only hear quiet steps, as opposed to the dozens of loud footsteps as dozens of enemies were coming at them. There was only one person coming at them, and that only means one thing...

"We've got a one big company…" Reiji commented upon seeing their enemy. He and the girls recognized him immediately. After their meeting at the Spirit Farm, there was no way they would forget him so easily.

"You're…the one who defeated Aoi and Onizuka!" Serena addressed their enemy, Emilio. The guy who stood unscathed by the flames and smokes while staring down at the roughly beaten forms of Aoi and Go whom he had defeated. The sight was too much to be forgotten.

"The name is Emilio and that would be more than enough introduction. The rest of our talk will be continued through Duel." Emilio replied, raising his Duel Disk.

Serena smiled challengingly at that. "Heh. That's exactly what I've been waiting for. Defeating an Earthbound God user like you will lessen our problem from here on." She stepped forward, raising her own Duel Disk.

"Following Supreme Commander's order, the girls will stay here. Only Reiji Akaba is allowed to pass." Emilio said, motioning Reiji to walk pass him.

"Only me?" Reiji asked.

Emilio shrugged at Reiji's question. "As I said, Supreme Commander's order. Most likely has something to do with your father, Leo Akaba." He wasn't told the reason why Reiji was allowed to pass. He didn't care anyway. Since this was Heidel who was asking him, there must be something he was planning for Reiji.

"Go on ahead, Reiji. Serena can handle this guy. We'll catch up soon enough." Yura patted Reiji's back, gently pushing him forward.

"Wait, 'Serena can handle him'? Are you saying you'll let Serena to fight him alone?" Reiji turned to the human Starve Venom.

"That's exactly what she needs right now. Trust me." Yura said with her gaze focused on Serena's back.

"Like she said. I'll defeat this guy by myself. Hurry and go, Reiji!" Serena urged as well, getting impatient.

"I'll be waiting then." Reiji said and ran passed Emilio. Through to the latter's words, Emilio made no move or even a gesture to stop him, allowing him to pass until his figure could not be seen by the three people remaining in the room.

"You lot gave us a whole lot trouble yesterday and today. I'll make sure to make you pay everything in full." Serena activated her Duel Disk.

"This is for the sake of greater good. Your opinion changes nothing." Emilio said, activating his Duel Disk as well. At the same time, Emilio's Duel Disk activated the anti-Action Card program from Serena's Duel Disk, deactivating the Action Cards, though the Field Spell was still active with the same rule applied.

{FIELD SPELL: CROSS BRIDGE}

Their surrounding changed into a highway bridge between clear waterfall surrounded by refreshing forestry. Yura had to admit that she quite liked the Field Spell. It was a perfect environment for planting her favorite plants.

"As long as this Field Spell is active, both players can draw a card each time they destroyed a monster through Battle Phase." Emilio explained before finally beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'm taking the first Turn. I summon Sun Seed Genius Loci (ATK: 0 / DEF: 600)." Emilio summoned Genius Loci in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Come forth, my Circuit! Link Summon! Link 1! Sun Avalon Dryas (ATK: 0 / LINK: 1 / LM: Bottom)!" Emilio quickly used Genius Loci as material, setting it at the bottom-arrow of the Link Marker and summoned Dryas to the Link Monster Zone.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Emilio concluded.

Serena narrowed her eyes at Emilio and his monster. Her spirit was burning up. _"I won't lose this time. I can't afford to lose here! If I can't win against him, then I'll never be able to defeat Kurt and get back Yuri's body!"_ She has set her goal. She won't back down no matter what until she reaches it.

"My Turn! When I control no Monster, I can Special Summon Tuner Monster Nekroz Joule (ATK: 0 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1) from my hand!" Serena summoned her Tuner Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I summon Moonlight Azure Deer (ATK: 1400 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 4)!" Serena summoned Azure Deer in Attack Position in the Main Zone next to Nekroz Joule.

"When Azure Deer is Normal Summoned while there is no other Moonlight Monster on my Field, I can Special Summon a Moonlight Monster from my hand." Serena summoned Moonlight Black Sheep in Attack Position in the Main Zone next to Azure Deer.

"I tune Moonlight Azure Deer, Moonlight Black Sheep, with Nekroz Joule! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 8! Nekroz of Bifrost (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 8)!" Serena summoned her Synchro Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"It's been a while since I last saw her Synchro Summon and used that monster." Yura mused while staring at the said Synchro Monster. Serena rarely used Nekroz of Bifrost since her main tactic was focused on Fusion Summon and her Moonlight Monsters. For Serena to use Nekroz of Bifrost could actually be a good thing because she has no doubt that the enemies only knew her capable of Fusion and Link Summoning. Ever since they came to this artificial dimension, Serena never used Nekroz of Bifrost in real battle before, so this should be beyond the enemy's calculation.

" _But the problem is her state of mind. If she's still letting that bothering her, her movements can be predictable to the enemy."_ Yura thought worriedly, hoping Serena got over with her distraction.

"Battle! I attack with Nekroz of Bifrost!" Serena declared. Nekroz of Bifrost shot its arrow towards Emilio's Field.

"Unfortunately, Sun Avalon Dryas cannot be targeted for an attack." Emilio revealed, not making any move to dodge or stop the attack.

"Even more unfortunately for you, it does not prevent Direct Attack! Once per Turn, Nekroz of Bifrost can attack directly!" Serena retorted as Nekroz of Bifrost's arrow passed Dryas and instead went straight at Emilio, hitting his right shouler.

 **EMILIO LP: 4000 = 1600**

Emilio winced a bit from the pain of the arrow's attack, but was quick to recover. "I have anticipated that. As I took damage, I activate the effect of Sun Avalon Dryas, letting me Special Summon a Sun Vine Link monster from my Extra Deck to a zone Sun Avalon Dryas points to and gain LP equal to the damage I took." He Special Summoned Sun Vine Gardna (ATK: 600 / LINK: 1 / LM: Top), recovering his LP back to full.

 **EMILIO LP: 1600 = 4000**

"And again, as I took battle damage, I activate my face-down Continuous Trap: Sun Avalon Glorious Growth. I can Special Summon a Sun Vine Token (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0), then letting me Link Summon using it and monsters I control as Link Material." Emilio used the Sun Vine Token, Gardna and Sun Avalon Dryas to Link Summon Sun Avalon Dryanome (ATK: 0 / LINK: 3 / LM: Bottom-Left, Bottom, Bottom-Right) to the Link Monster Zone.

"Next I activate the effect of Glorious Growth. I gain LP equal to the damage taken, then inflicting that amount as damage to my opponent." Emilio revealed the second effect of his Magic, increasing more of his LP while decreasing Serena's.

 **EMILIO LP: 4000 = 6400**

 **SERENA LP: 4000 = 1600**

"The tide has quickly turn to my favour." Emilio said, noting how fast Serena's LP been reduced.

"Don't get so confident when it's just the beginning!" Serena growled furiously. Yura grew even more worried at that reaction. This won't be good for Serena.

"I set one card, and then I activate Nekroz of Bifrost's effect. At the End Phase, I can special summon a monster from Graveyard." Serena revived Moonlight Azure Deer into the Main Zone in Attack Position, ending her Turn.

"My Turn. I send a card from my hand to the Graveyard to activate the Continuous Spell Card: Sun Vine Shrine. Once per turn, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Plant Normal Monster from my Graveyard." Emilio Special revived Sun Seed Genius Loci from the Graveyard in Attack Position.

"Once more, I perform Link Summon! Appear! Link 1! Sun Avalon Slasher (ATK: 800 / LINK: 1 / LM: Bottom)!" Emilio used Genius Loci to Link Summon Sun Avalon Slasher to the zone the bottom-right Link Arrow of Dryanome points to.

"I activate Slasher's effect. I can increase its ATK by 800 for every Link Arrow a Sun Avalon Link Monster that points to it has, in this case three." Emilio increased Slasher's ATK to 3200.

"Battle. I attack Moonlight Azure Deer with Sun Avalon Slasher!" Emilio declared. Slasher raised its blade, swinging it down at the humanoid female deer in jumpsuit.

"Trap Card: Road Showered in Moonlight! When a Level 4 or lower Moonlight Monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can increase my LP equal to the targeted Moonlight Monster's ATK and add a Moonlight Card from my Deck to my hand!" Serena opened her Trap, increasing her LP equal to Azure Deer's ATK and added a Moonlight Card to her hand.

 **SERENA LP: 1600 = 3000**

"You did well increasing your LP to lessen the damage you'd take and survive this Turn. But that won't happen next time." Emilio said just as his Slasher slashed Azure Deer into two, destroying it.

 **SERENA LP: 3000 = 1200**

"As Slasher destroyed a monster by battle, I activate its effect, Special Summoning that monster to a zone a Sun Avalon Link Monster points to." Emilio Special Summoned Azure Deer to the zone the bottom Link Arrow of Dryanome points to in Attack Position.

"I end my Turn." Emilio concluded. He stared condescendingly at Serena. "Just barking aren't you?"

"Shut up! You're not getting away this time!" Serena yelled back. Just a bit taunt and it was enough to irk her like he has pressed the limit of her patience button. She won't let him get the advantage. She will finish him this Turn.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Eclipse Fusion! I can perform Fusion Summon by banishing the monsters in my Graveyard! Through this card's effect, I can treat one of the monster as the Fusion Material necessary for the Fusion Summon!" Serena banished Moonlight Black Sheep and Nekroz Joule treated as a Moonlight Monster, creating the Fusion Vortex.

"Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 7! Moonlight Cat Dancer (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Serena summoned her ace monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone next to Nekroz of Bifrost.

"I activate Road Showered in Moonlight's effect! When I control a Level 7 or higher Moonlight Monster, I can banish this card and negate the effect of a monster on my opponent's Field! However, in return, the monster targeted by a Moonlight Monster's attack cannot be destroyed this Turn!" Serena targeted her own Moonlight Azure Deer.

"Battle! I attack Azure Deer with Moonlight Cat Dancer!" Serena declared. Cat Dancer sliced Azure Deer with slices of her knives, causing the Moonlight Monster to kneel in pain from the attack and started to show a sign of trying to resist Slasher's control. Even though she could have just destroyed it, Serena has quite a hard time to send her own monster to the Graveyard that way. If she destroys Slasher, then she could take back Azure Deer later.

 **EMILIO LP: 6400 = 5000**

"Next, I attack directly with Nekroz of Bifrost!" Serena continued, once again motioning her Synchro Monster to aim its three arrows at Emilio. Three arrows once more went straight towards Emilio, but the man let out a small smile.

"As my opponent's monster attacked directly, I activate the effect of Glorious Growth to negate the attack then redirect that attack to a Sun Vine monster I control."

"What?!"

Emilio redirected the attack to Gardna, with the effect of Gardna reducing the battle damage he would take by 800 for every Link Arrow a Sun Avalon Link Monster that points to it has, in this case, three. And thus, Emilio took no damage from the attack even though Gardna was destroyed. Serena groaned in frustration at the close call.

"I set two cards and end my Turn." Serena concluded, intensifying her glare at Emilio.

"Your Dueling is too light." Emilio sighed with disappointment.

"Too light? Are you making fun of me?!" Serena questioned, growing angrier by the second. He didn't like the clear implication that her Dueling was weak compared to his.

"I merely stating the fact." Emilio replied calmly, completely ignoring Serena's fury, which he had expected. "A Dueling and cards' weight doesn't come from its maker. It's from the feelings within it. The strength of emotions becomes the weight of your Dueling."

Emilio pointed at Serena with eyes that was like looking at a bug.

"And you. Right now, whatever is driving you to Duel, is nothing more but a pest for me. It was nothing compared to my driving force, the feelings I have for Fana." Emilio's hand went to his chest. Behind his uniform was a pendant containing his photograph with Fana.

"Fana?" Serena repeated the name in question.

Emilio's face instantly darkened. "My fiancee who was taken away from me by the very Duel Monsters that she trusted." The mention of Duel Monsters coming out from his mouth was like he was spatting a disgusting thing.

"Taken away…?" Serena couldn't help but ask again.

"She has the rare ability to communicate with Duel Monsters like you. With that ability she spoke to them, listened to them, and she believed that they had reached mutual understanding. But then, one day, she got sick. And from that first day, her health deteriorated. Before long, she was dying." Emilio could never forget the dying face Fana was making. He could never forget the feeling of holding her thin hand that grew colder and colder by each day passed. The smile she forced herself to make just to make him stop worrying for her haunted him everyday like a curse.

"And then at the same time her Duel Monsters grew stronger…correct?" Yura suddenly joined the conversation. She knew how this story will end. She knew all too well because she had witnessed the same thing before her eyes thousands of years ago.

"Exactly. I'm starting to get suspicious when I noticed her Duel Monsters grew stronger the more Fana's condition worsen. Eventually I realized that all those times they have been sucking her life, treating her like a fodder." Emilio gritted his teeth as his anger piled up just by remembering those monsters who had eaten away his beloved's life despite her trust in them.

" _Just like the Earthbound God eating away Mom's life..."_ Yura recalled. She understood Emilio's pain. She and her brothers couldn't stop themselves from crying when they saw their adoptive mother suffered in front of them. They could remember Ryuji's cry when their mother finaly succumbed and died. It was one of the most painful experiences they ever had.

"By the time I realized this, it was already too late. Even after I discarded her Duel Monsters, she was already beyond saving. I could only held her hand as she lay weak on the bed until her last breath. That was when I decided. Duel Monsters should never have free will! They should have obeyed to the commands of the humans! If it were not for them, then Fana would still be here alive!" Emilio has set his goal the moment Fana died. He would never again trust Duel Monsters as comrades or family. They were nothing but tools for him to use in combat. But he knew it won't end with just this. There must be other Duel Monsters out there who were doing the same thing to other people. As long as those Duel Monsters exists, the same tragedy will happen again. He was powerless alone, but Heidel gave him hope to fulfil his goal.

"And that gives you the right to do this?" Serena asked back. For someone who said wanting to prevent tragedy to happen, he had caused a lot of tragedies himself by being a part of Heidel's group and following his given order without question.

"You really need to ask that? I should have expected from a half-hearted Duelist like you." Emilio sighed again in disappointment at the question with an obvious answer.

"Who are you calling half-hearted?!" Serena couldn't take the insult anymore. What did he see that he made him think her Dueling was half-hearted? She was seriously trying to defeat him in this Duel. And she was aiming for a thorough beating.

"I can clearly see your moves from the way you're dueling right now. So transparent and weak-willed. You may try to defend yourself by saying that you're doing this for the sake of your friends and the world, but in the end those are nothing but empty words."

"What the heck are you talking about?!"

"That is not your true driving force in this Duel! One who cannot see themselves can never protect anything or save anything!" Emilio pointed out and began his Turn.

"My Turn! I summon Genius Loci (ATK: 0 / DEF: 600)." Emilio summoned another copy of Genius Loci in Attack Position. He then used Genius Loci and Slasher as Link Materials, setting Genius Loci on the Left-Arrow and Slasher at Right-Arrow of the Link Markers.

"Link Summon! Sun Avalon Daphne (ATK: 0 / LINK: 2 / LM: Left, Right)!" Emilio summoned Daphne to the zone the bottom-left Link Arrow of Dryanome points to.

"I release Moonlight Azure Deer to activate the effect of Daphne, returning two Sun Vine monsters in my Graveyard to my Extra Deck." Emilio released Azure Deer, returning his two copis of Gardna back to his Extra Deck.

"Next I activate Magic Card: Sun Avalon's Twin Garden! I can Special Summon two Sun Avalon or Sun Vine monster from my Graveyard. One of the revived monsters is treated as two monsters to perform Advance Summon!" Emilio revived Slasher and Dyras. He chose and released Dryas treated as two monsters again to summon a stronger monster. From the ground, spider legs came out and started to crawl onto the earth, revealing a giant spider-like monster.

"Come forth and destroy them, Earthbound God Uru (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10)!" Emilio summoned his Earthbound God Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Just like your Nekroz of Bifrost, my Earthbound God can attack you directly! Battle! I attack with Earthbound God Uru! This is the end for you!" Emilio declared Direct Attack at Serena, using the same effect it has as Nekroz of Bifrost.

"Trap Card: Moonlight Duet! I release Moonlight Cat Dancer to increase my LP equal to its attack and draw 2 cards!" Serena added Cat Dancer's 2400 ATK to her LP and then drew 2 cards, reinforcing her resistence.

 **SERENA LP: 1200 = 3600**

"Useless struggle! It won't save you from my next attack!" Emilio stated. Uru sprout out spider webs that formed into a one web boulder that hit Serena, blowing her away.

 **SERENA LP: 3600 = 600**

"I attack Nekroz of Bifrost with Slasher!" Emilio proceeded with his attack. Slasher went towards the Synchro Monster, pointing its blade at it for a quick deadly pierce.

"I activate Moonlight Duet's second effect! By banishing Moonlight Cat Dancer from my Graveyard, I can reduce the attack to 0!" Serena banished her ace monster, creating a barrier for her that protected her from the backlash of Slasher's attack that destroyed her Synchro Monster.

"I end my Turn. You may have survived, but now your Field is not only empty, your LP is also at only 600. The only way to come out from this situation is by summoning a monster that can overpower my combo. Do you think you can do it in the next Turn?" Emilio questioned without wanting any answer from Serena. He was sure he was going to win anyway.

He would never forgive himself if he lost here. It is one of the most painful thing in life to miss someone. Everytime you miss someone,theres a silent ache in your heart which is definitely unbearable… Fana. She was always there for him. Even in her dying moments, she still thought of him. He wanted nothing more but to be with her. He vowed that he would always protect her. He failed to fulfil that vow, so at the very least, to atone for that, this time he will make sure no one will have to suffer the way he is.

"My feelings for Fana, would never lose against anybody! Especially not to you who can't see your own self and don't even understand your reason to fight!" Emilio declared.

Serena was still struggling to get back to her feet. That last attack from Uru damaged her more than she thought. Her body won't stop shaking from the pain. But that wasn't what on her mind now. Her reason to fight. That one sentence latched onto her mind. When she came here, she was determined to put an end to Heidel for good and then go straight for Apophis and Kurt so she can return Yuri's body. But then confusion came into her after Emilio talked about his deceased fiancee. And as much as she loathed to admit it, she could feel Emilio's feelings for his beloved in each of his attacks. That was when a certain question was brought out.

Why does she stand? Why does she duel? Why she is fighting so hard?

But yet, whatever reason she has in mind right now, she didn't think it would be enough against Emilio's.

" _For my pride as Duelist? For my friends? To return Yuri's body? That's not enough? I have my reasons for doing what I do. Lots of reasons. But Emilio's feeling over his beloved…can I win against that?"_ Serena could feel Emilio's feeling very clearly. His feelings for her were so sincere and the pain of losing her was so strong that it was as if his heart was forcefully ripped out from his body.

It was just as Emilio said. The way she was now, she couldn't win. She was so easily falling for his taunt, so easily reacting aggressively to a the most little of his insult. How could she let herself losing her composure like this.

" _I'm so pathetic. After all this. I'm not going have protected a thing… I can't even…fulfil my vow to him…to bring back Yuri's body…"_ Serena lamented. What was she actually doing? She made a stupid mistake at time like this. Even though she had vowed to retrieve Yuri's body and return it to him at all cost. She promised that she will save him no matter what…

Serena blinked then, coming into another question.

" _Why am I going this far for Yuri's sake?"_

Because he was her childhood best friend? No. She didn't feel that was the case.

"Do you know why I fought so long?"

Serena turned to Yura who remained standing on the same spot without making any move. She crossed her arms and looked calmly at Serena without any intention to help her. This was the time for her to speak. She secretly gave props to Emilio for pointing out everything that was wrong with the current Serena, which was ironic since it came from the enemy. Serena didn't realize this herself because she was always so close to her master that it feels natural for her. But Yura understood.

"It's not different from this guy. It's because of my feeling for a single person. Everything was for my most precious person."

Yura's word caused Serena's heart to beat hard.

"Precious…person…"

Serena never thought about it. Her friends were precious to her. But the precious feeling that Yura said sounded to indicate a different meaning of precious.

"My most…precious person…"

But above all, Serena now has many precious people in her life, and she never thought of which one is the most precious to her. She always thought all of them were equally precious. But that wasn't exactly the case? The more she thought about it, the more her heart beating faster.

"That's a pathetic face you're making, Serena."

Serena screamed in shock when Yuri suddenly popped out from her Duel Disk. She was so shocked that she fell on her behind again, looking incredulously at the holographic form of Yuri in her Duel Disk.

"Y-Yuri…?!"

Yuri smiled in amusement at Serena's reaction. "Hello. I'm bored, so I make a communication through network so I can speak with you through Duel Disk. To my disappointment, you're here making such a horrible moves here and there. Have you gone senile that you can't Duel properly?" He sighed mockingly at the Moonlight user, shaking his head to make his disappointment clear.

"S-shut up! I'll win this Duel soon!" Serena retorted, her cheeks went pink out of embarrassment.

"Hmm…even if you win, I won't be happy or satisfied at all. Not one bit." Yuri said, his smile disappeared from his face.

"What? Why?" Serena asked, blinking.

"I can't feel the real you the way you are dueling now. You're always straightforward and honest, your Dueling is always filled with your determination. But now, I just can't feel any of you in this Dueling." The expression Yuri made was neutral, but for someone who has been with him for years, Serena could see expectation and seriousness behind those eyes. And the longer Serena was staring at them, the faster her heart was beating.

"Just why are you dueling right now, Serena?" Yuri asked.

"Yuri…"

Serena asked herself again, why she was willing to go so far for Yuri. Not because he was her childhood best friend. It was more than that. She recalled every moment she has with him. Their first was a mess. Sarcastic, making fun of her at any given moment whenever he felt like it. They argued a lot and has difficulty in agreeing to something. But then she got to know him better, and she realized that he treated her as equal, seeing her for who she was instead of just the Professor's favorite pupil.

But then she got separated with him, forgetting about him. When she recovered her memories together with him, it was another round of mess. She found her childhood best friend was not the same as he was years ago that she knew. He was like a completely new person. At first, she tried so hard to make him return the way he was in the past. But after spending a whole year after the war, she realized something.

He was actually honest even if he looked faulty. He seemed unlikable but was actually friendly. He could be seemed immature, but he's actually earnest. Before she knew it, everything in the past, didn't matter that much anymore to her. She's just simply happy with him. Either fighting or quarreling, she enjoyed her present moments with him. She loved to see him smiling more than anything. When he gave her a new ribbon, she was so happy.

That's why, when she saw him suffering so much, when she saw him crying, she felt like she was being torn apart. When she saw his despair took over him…

She thought that she must protect him no matter what.

" _That's it!"_

Serena forced herself to stand. She ignored all the pain throughout her body, facing Emilio with even more steeled determination.

"Youre going to distract me, Yuri. Watch from Yura's Duel Disk. I'll show you, that I'll win." Serena told him without looking, eyes still focusing on her opponent. Yuri didn't say anything. He simply smiled in satisfaction and disappeared, moving to Yura's Duel Disk.

"My Turn! When I control no monster, I can Special Summon Entermage Star Singer (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 400 / LV: 5) from my hand!" Serena summoned the Monster given by Dennis in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"That's Dennis' monster." Yura noted. Serena gave one of her monsters to Dennis, so perhaps Dennis returned the favour by giving her his own monster.

" _This time, I'll be borrowing your strength, Dennis. I won't lose."_ Serena thought firmly. "From my hand, I summon Winged Kuriboh (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)!"

"Kurikuri!" Winged Kuriboh cheered, happy to be summoned and able to help.

"Yeah. We both want the same thing. Let's do this." Serena smiled at the little monster, giving it a pat before continuing her move.

"I activate Moonlight Azure Deer's effect! When I have no Moonlight Monster on my Field, I can Special Summon it from my Graveyard!" Serena revived Azure Deer in Attack Position in the Main Zone next to Winged Kuriboh.

"I activate Entermage Star Singer's effect! Once per Turn, I can change the Levels of the other monsters I control to the same Level as Star Singer!" Serena changed Azure Deer and Winged Kuriboh's Levels to 5, the same as Star Singer.

"Three Level 5 monsters..." Yura smiled in excitement. She knew where this was going.

"I overlay Entermage Star Singer, Winged Kuriboh, and Moonlight Azure Deer!" Serena opened the Overlay Network, sending the three monsters into the portal.

"Beautiful beast bathed in beautiful moonlight, bewitch those who oppose you with your alluring dance! Xyz Summon! Dance! Rank 5! Moonlight Wyvern Dancer (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2300 / RNK: 5 / ORU: 3)!" Serena summoned her first Xyz Monster. It has blue eyes, and its hair is indigo and relatively short. It was wearing a black and blue, high-collared halter top, two pink, intersecting belts over her chest, and black shorts. It wore a silver badge with Moonlight insignia. On its arms are white bell-sleeves and tan that resembled a dragon's wings, fingerless gloves. It also wore a small, segmented piece of armor on each of its upper arms. It wore black stockings which reach to about halfway up its thighs, leaving a small area of bare skin on its upper thighs that showed its tattoos. It also bore two strips of blue cloth that drape over either side of its hips, along with a smaller, white strip of cloth tied around its waist, draped in the same manner. Finally, on each sides were twin long swords that bore resemblance with Leo Dancer's sword.

"I activate Moonlight Wyvern Dancer's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can destroy all my opponent's Magic and Trap Cards!" Serena declared. Wyvern Dancer thrusted its blades into the ground, creating shockwave that destroyed all of Emilio's Magic and Traps.

"Also, for every card destroyed, my opponent receive 800 damage!" Serena added as Wyvern Dancer created a swinging force, sending Emilio several steps back.

 **EMILIO LP: 5000 = 3100**

"I activate Moonlight Wyvern Dancer's second effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can destroy one of my opponent's monsters with the lowest ATK and increase Wyvern Dancer's ATK by 500!" Serena chose Emilio's Daphne, destroying it and increased Wyvern Dancer's ATK to 3500.

"If Moonlight Wyvern Dancer is summoned using a Moonlight Monster as material, I can negate the effect of a monster my opponent controls and that effect will remain on that monster as long as it remains on the Field!" Serena explained, before Emilio could even think that his other monsters would be safe this Turn. She obviously chose the one whom she thought was the most threatening at the moment due to its bothersome effect of attacking directly: Earthbound God Uru.

Now that she has sealed Uru's effects, it can be targeted for attack and unable to attack her directly.

"Battle! I attack Earthbound God Uru with Moonlight Wyvern Dancer!" Serena declared.

" _That's right! More than anything else! More than anyone else! Yuri is the one I want to protect the most!"_ Serena thought strongly of Yuri.

She recalled every moment that she has spent with him. When they first met as children. When they played together at their secret garden. When they exchanged their cards and made their vow. When they were reunited for the first time in years. When they fought at Heartland. When she confronted him in his illusionary world. When they have their first Tag Duel together. When they argued over his distant behaviour. When she saw his sleeping face at the hospital after being rescued from the river. When he gave her a new ribbon. When they danced together.

She kept thinking about them, and the more she she determined to win.

Wyvern Dancer reached forward at the Earthbound God and gathered explosive energy in its palm, causing Uru to be blasted away. But not finished with that, Wyvern Dancer hurled a blue projectile in the air at the enemy, then thrusted into Uru with her blades and slammed the Earthbound God with its leg.

" _I want to protect him. From worrying. From sadness. From fear. From everything that will make him suffer!"_

She recalled the moments when Yuri was hurt that ached her heart. When he lashed out his hidden pain and jealous that he revealed in Zarc's mindscape last year. When he tried to hide what bothered him that caused him to distance himself from her and the others. When she saw his dejected face after Apophis defeated him and Kurt stole his body. When she saw his hollow eyes that seeked death as his redemption. When she felt his despair due to his overwhelming guilt. When she saw him crying for the first time from his bottled up sadness that he didn't wish for anyone to see.

She couldn't stand seeing him like that. She didn't want to see him like that ever again. She swore that she won't let the same thing to be repeated. She won't let Yuri suffering like that again. That's why she will never forgive Apophis who had tortured him and Kurt who stole his body. She won't let them hurt Yuri again.

" _Protecting my most precious person! Protecting Yuri! That's my reason to fight!"_

Just by remembering those moments she spent with him gave her strength. It didn't matter if Yuri couldn't return to the way he was anymore in the past. Just by having Yuri by her side as himself in the present was more than enough. Yuri didn't have to change back to when they were children. Because the current Yuri was even more important to her. She liked him even more than she ever had before. For a moment, she wondered since when Yuri became so precious to her. But then she quickly dismissed it. The reason didn't matter.

All that matters is that she fight to protect Yuri.

" _That's one feeling that won't lose to anyone!"_

Wyvern Dancer jumped above while raising its blades. It then thrusted its blades down, aiming towards the fallen Earthbound God.

"I won't let that happen! I activate Trap Card: Sonorous Bloom! I can activate this card from my hand by paying 1000 LP to negate my monster's destruction!" Emilio halved his own LP to create a barrier that protected Uru from Wyvern Dancer's blades.

 **EMILIO LP: 3100 = 2100**

"But you'll still take damage!" Serena reminded as Wyvern Dancer's blade waves managed to break through the barrier and partially slashed Emilio's side arms.

 **EMILIO LP: 2100 = 1600**

"I end my Turn. Earthbound God Uru is never part of your Deck. Those Sun Avalon monsters are your true power. If you call yourself a Duelist, then duel me with your true power! Or is that the extent of your feelings for your fiancée?" Serena challenged Emilio. Her mind has cleared up. Now she could fight Emilio on an even ground. And as a Duelist locked in battlefield, she demanded for Emilio to put the best of his skill for both their pride as Duelists.

Emilio glared at Serena, finally acknowledging her for the first time. "You ask for it...! My Turn! Appear, my Circuit!" He started his Turn, immediately performing Link Summon.

"Link Summon! Appear, Link 4! Sun Avalon Dryatrentiay (ATK: 0 / LINK: 4 / LM: Top, Bottom-Left, Bottom, Bottom-Right)!" Emilio summoned Dryatrentiay to the Link Monster Zone.

"Next I activate Continuous Magic Card: Sun Vine Shrine! I can Special Summon a Sun Seed monster from my Graveyard!" Emilio revived Genius Loci from his Graveyard in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Once more! Link Summon! Sun Vine Slasher!" Emilio summoned another copy of Slasher to the zone the bottom-right Link Arrow of Dryatrentiay points to. Emilio then activated the effect of Slasher, which let him increase its ATK by 800 for every Link Arrow a Sun Avalon Link Monster that points to it has, in this case four. Thus, Slasher's ATK was increased to 4000.

" _Just watch me, Fana. I won't let you down. I will create a proper world where people won't have to suffer like you did! I will bring the true peace that you desire!"_

Emilio could tell that Serena was not the same half-hearted person he fought a while ago. Just like him, she now has something worth fighting for, steeling her resolve. Perhaps it was the same as him. But regardless, he won't lose to this newfound resolve she has. If he loses now, then it would be truly over for both him and Fana. Everything he had done would all be in vain.

"Battle! I attack Moonlight Wyvern Dancer with Sun Avalon Dyratrentiay!" Emilio declared Battle Phase. Dyratrentiay unleashed its sharp vines, lunging straight towards the Moonlight Xyz Monster.

"At this moment, Dryatrentiay's effect activates! When it's battling, its ATK is increased by an amount equal to the combined ATK of all monsters it points to!" Emilio increased Dryatrentiay's ATK to 4000.

"I activate Entermage Star Singer's effect! When an Xyz Monster is targeted for an attack, I can Special Summon it and redirect the attack to it!" Serena revived Star Singer in Defense Position, shielding Wyvern Dancer from the stabbing vines. However, Serena has another trick behind her sleeves.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Single Tune! When a monster I controlled is destroyed by Battle, the opposing monster is destroyed as well!" Serena activated a card from her hand, prompting Star Singer to scream, unleashing loud sound waves that destroyed both itself and Emilio's Dyrantrentiay.

As there were no Sun Avalon monsters on the field, all of Emilio's Spell and Trap Cards that required a Sun Avalon monsters to be present on the Field were destroyed by their own effects. As there was no Sun Avalon monster that points to Slasher, it was also destroyed by its own effect.

"With this Emilio's Field is empty." Yura commented, impressed with Serena's new Xyx Monster.

"That's Serena for you." Yuri hummed happily from Yura's Duel Disk.

"Not yet! I activate the Continuous Spell: Sun Avalon Cursed Reborn! I can Special Summon a Sun Avalon monster from my Graveyard with its effects negated and increasing its ATK by its Link Rating x1000!" Emilio Special Summoned Dryatrentiay with its ATK increased to 4000.

"I told you, as long as my feeling for Fana is here, I won't lose! My feelings for Fana can never be defeated!" Emilio exclaimed.

"You're saying that, but aren't you using Earthbound God monster that is responsible for many tragedies to happen? You're not so different from them." Serena retorted calmly.

"What are you trying to say?"

"You can try to sugar-coat your reasons and everything else, but you're no different than those Duel Monsters who stole away your fiancée from you." Serena answered.

"I activate Magic Card: Drops of Miracle! I can return the Overlay Units of an Xyz Monster that have been detached back to the Xyz Monster I control!" Serena returned Star Singer and Winged Kuriboh from her Graveyard as Overlay Units for Wyvern Dancer.

Perhaps it wasn't wrong for Emilio to think the way he was since he witnessed it himself how it was like to be betrayed by Duel Monsters. But that doesn't excuse him to harm the people and the Duel Monsters who had done nothing wrong and stole their freedom. In the pursuit of his goal, he brought a different shape of suffering and despair to people whom he deemed in the way of his goal. He was no different. Although…

"Honestly, right now I don't give a damn about what you're fighting for. But if it comes to feelings for someone precious to you, if it comes to your bond with someone precious to you, then my feelings and my bond won't lose either!" Serena decreed. She has her own reason and goal to fight for. Even though she understood how Emilio feels, she has no intention to back down either. Not when the life of her most precious person is at stake. And she also couldn't agree with Emilio's view that all Duel Monsters were evil like he believed them to be.

"I activate Moonlight Wyvern Dancer's final effect! By detaching all of its Overlay Units, its ATK is increased by 500 and can attack twice!" Serena declared, detaching all of its three Overlay Units. Wyvern Dancer's body was covered in pure white flames.

For the first attack, Wyvern Dancer lept into the air while performing an upward kick with their right leg, conjuring a green whirlwind upon its first target, Earthbound God Uru, destroying it. For the second attack, it performed a front-flip while striking the Sun Avalon Monster with its dagger wings, clawing its body until nothing was left.

 **EMILIO LP: 1600 = 600**

"As long as I have LP, it's not over! If you think you'll win with just this, you're wrong! You have wasted your last chance to finish me off. On the next Turn, I'll put an end to this Duel." Emilio said.

"No. I'm not wasting my chance here." Serena replied, confusing Emilio. She knew that if she wanted to defeat Emilio, then this was her only chance. "When Wyvern Dancer succeeds in making the second attack, it gains additional one more attack!"

"What?!"

"This is the finale! Go, Wyvern Dancer! Direct Attack!"

Wyvern Dancer lept into the air, conjuring multiple crescent moon-shaped daggers pointing at the field in the target's close proximity. Wyvern Dancer then rained upon the General in rapid succession, each dagger conjuring a white energy blast upon contact with the ground. Emilio was thrown back, receiving the full brunt of the attack.

 **EMILIO LP: 1600 = 0**

Serena stared at Emilio's lying form for a second before turning to her companions. Yura simply gave her a thumb up and a whink that congratulated her victory. Yuri then motioned his ace monster to approach Serena, bringing him closer to the indigo-haired girl.

Yuri looked up, smiling proudly at Serena.

"You did well, Serena."

At the praise, Serena's heart all of a sudden started throbbing faster and stronger than earlier. She felt her cheeks went hot and her chest became warm. And Yuri was all that she could look at.

 _"Huh?"_

What do she call this feeling?

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The King of the Endings –** Reiji confronts Heidel who is holding his father hostage. To save him, Reiji accepts Heidel's challenge to duel Barrett. Despite facing the relentless attacks from Barrett's new Deck, Reiji determines to show the true power of his own new Deck.

* * *

 **From now on, not making any promises for fast update. I'm gonna be very busy soon. Until then, bear with this chapter for a while. Thank you for your understanding.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter.**


	84. The King of Endings

**SERENA'S GROUP – RAMSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Emilio felt his breathing grew weaker and weaker for each second passed. He had lost, and so the side effect of the Earthbound God he has used now was taking away his life. He wanted to wretch in disgust for his failure. Not only now he will die without able to see the ideal world he pursued together with Commander Heidel, his life was sucked out by the very Duel Monster he resents. Even though all these times his feelings for Fana enabled him to overcome any obstacle in his path. How could he face Fana on the other side in this pathetic state?

"To think...my feelings for...Fana...lost..." Emilio said between his coughs.

"In my view, you're hardly thinking of your lover anymore..." Serena said, hovering over the dying Emilio.

"What?"

"While it's true that you never forget your lover, but what mainly driving you is not your love for her. You felt so guilty for unable to save her, and you can't forgive the Duel Monsters who took her away from you. Your guilt and anger have blinded you from seeing facts in front of you." Serena told the General. She could understand. She was like that just a few moments ago. For most of the Duels she had let her guilt and frustration for her loss against Kurt got the better of her. If Yura and Yuri were not there to snap her out, she couldn't have won against Emilio. It was a good thing she realized at the last few Turns.

"I won't deny there are Duel Monsters who have hurt humans like the ones who killed your lover, but it doesn't mean you should deny the Duel Monsters who are willing to form bonds with humans. Just like humans, Duel Monsters are also capable of love..." Serena continued. Ever since she was a child, whenever she was with her monsters, she always felt they were watching over her, keeping her safe. Before, she thought it was just her childish imagination, but now that she knew that Duel Monsters were alive, she realized how much her monsters cares for her.

Yura stepped closer to Emilio and Serena. She then kneeled so she could face Emilio properly, the both of them meeting eye-to-eye.

"We have people who are precious to us, more than our own lives. I have decided that I will continue to protect those people I love...even if my love is unrequited." Yura said as her gaze for a moment locked on Yuri's holographic form in her Duel Disk. Before Yuri could turn to her and realized she was staring at him, she returned them to Emilio.

Following Yura, Serena also kneeled, placing a hand on Emilio's shoulder. "Emilio, I will show you that the world we're going to make would be a masterpiece where humans and Duel Monsters are able to live in peace. That's the least I can do to repay you." She said.

"Repay...me...?" Emilio questioned. He didn't remember ever helping her in any way.

"Thanks to you, I've realized a very important feeling. For that, I truly grateful." Serena replied simply.

Emilio was confused for a second until he saw Serena's eyes took a brief glance at Yuri when she said she realized an important feeling. That hit him. He understood. What Serena meant a very important feeling was…the same feeling he has for Fana. Just like him who fought so hard for Fana, this girl was also fighting for her most important person. But unlike him, she committed to those feelings without letting anything else to cloud them. While he, as much as he hated to admit it, has indeed let his emotions got the better of him. It was his complete lost.

"Very well... Try and show me...this world of yours. I'll watch it...together with Fana..." Emilio said. He was tired now. He just wanted to sleep.

"I won't make you disappointed. You can take my words for that." Serena replied.

"The Earthbound Gods...may seem disappear together with us, but they're not..." Emilio said as his body started disintegrating.

"What do you mean?"

"Should I or the other users of Earthbound Gods to be defeated, the Earthbound Gods will simply return to their leader, the strongest Earthbound God...at Commander's side..." Emilio revealed before he turned into dust and disappeared completely, leaving only his bracelet, which Serena picked up.

"Simply speaking, the Earthbound God that Emilio has is now in Heidel's possession." Yura deduced after hearing the information.

"If he has all the Earthbound Gods, he'll be more a one heck pain in the ass opponent to deal with." Serena narrowed her eyes. Heidel has Roget who had been revived as a Duel Monster with a troublesome effect. Having three Earthbound Gods in his possession when he fought Kiryu already made Heidel stronger than enough, but now assuming that Heidel has all of the Earthbound Gods…she didn't think strong would be the right word to describe how Heidel now became even more formidable opponent. In fact, by defeating the Generals, they actually have inadvertently helped making Heidel and Roget stronger.

Yuri clasped his hands, getting the two girls to turn back to him. "I know that defeating Heidel is important and all, but first, let's stop the reactor. It'll be over if the reactor activates first while we're too busy thinking about Heidel." He reminded them.

"What should we do about this bracelet?" Serena said while looking at the bracelet in her hand.

"Take it with you. Since it can protect you from the influence of the Earthbound Gods, probably it can be useful." Yuri suggested. He then smiled at Serena. "You did well, Serena. You better not letting anything else to bother you again until this is over."

Seeing Yuri smiling at her, Serena once again felt her cheeks burning up. Her heart was throbbing again that she looked away from the holographic Yuri who took his leave to inform the others of their findings.

" _Why am I feeling like this...? Just what's happening to me?"_

 **YUYA'S GROUP – RAMSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

On their way to their destination, Yuya, Yuzu, and Yuji were inspecting the bracelet left behind by Theo. It has the same materials as the four bracelets Yuzu and her counterparts used to have. It has blue-colored gem with design resembling a water. It was pretty.

"This bracelet does looks like the one I used to wear. Not only its appearance, I can feel that it has the same property as mine. Heidel was telling the truth about the bracelets." Yuzu commented while still inspecting the bracelet, also awed by its beauty.

As he watched Yuzu looked at the bracelet, the mention of the bracelet's property similar as the bracelets she used to have gave Yuya an idea.

"Speaking about the bracelets…do you…do you think we can make them into cards similar to the En Cards? We all know how powerful the En Cards are, so maybe we can make powerful cards to defeat Apophis from these bracelets?" Yuya raised the possibility, which hit Yuzu and Yuji as well. They have heard of the bracelets from Heidel, but they never thought about that until Yuya said it now.

"That's worth trying."

Yuri popped out from Yuya's Duel Disk, startling the three, especially Yuya who almost threw his Duel Disk out of shock.

"Yuri?!" Yuzu exclaimed while blinking at the holographic form of Yuri on her boyfriend's Duel Disk.

"Why are you in my Duel Disk?!" Yuya asked. His Fusion Counterpart almost gave him a heart attack!

"I'm not exactly in your Duel Disk. I simply sending a hologram of myself to communicate with you since I'm so bored over here." Yuri answered, ignoring their shocked faces, which was amusing for him to see.

"So, there's no enemy attacking the Rift?" Yuji asked.

"Unfortunately for me, none at all. But the good news is, everyone here has defeated every last one of the men sent by Heidel. We are safe and sound over here." Yuri delivered the good news, much their relief. At least that was one less thing to worry about.

"Thank goodness." Yuzu sighed in relief for her friends back at the base. She was worried that the enemies may outnumbered and overpowered them. She was glad her worry didn't come true.

"We would like to send reinforcement, but everyone is too exhausted. And Yukiya and Sara can't go either since we still have to protect the Rift just in case." Yuri informed.

"So far we're fine here." Yuya said.

"Yeah. I can see that. The rest have defeated the Generals as well when I asked them." Yuri added, having received an update from the rest of their friends who had faced the generals.

"Speaking about General...Theo is a spy planted by Apophis." Yuji informed the Fusion user, explaining Yuzu's earlier Duel against Theo who had escaped with Kamui after he was defeated. "He's most likely the one making sure we're doing our job of getting rid of Heidel."

"Without a doubt." Yuya said with a frown.

"But wait, based on your story, the generals all died when our friends defeated them due to the Earthbound God's powers. But Theo didn't die when I defeated him." Yuzu pointed out the exception in Theo's case who seemed to be fine despite having lost the Duel. He didn't show any sign of disappearing whatsoever like the other two generals.

"Since he is working under Apophis, that means he is also an offspring, right? Maybe it has something to do with that." Yuya guessed. Apophis' offsprings were not humans. They have powers beyond their imagination. It was possible that the Earthbound's power doesn't affect them, so they are safe from death at their hands.

"And almost forgot, Reiji is going ahead to meet Heidel." Yuri added again, surprising Yuzu and Yuji.

"Wait, by himself?! Won't that be dangerous even for Reiji?!" Yuzu exclaimed. Reiji was on his way facing the enemies' boss by himself. While Yuzu knew that Reiji is strong and won't get defeated so easily, Heidel himself is a formidable opponent. Not to mention there was Roget who became his ace monster with knowledge of their Decks and new dark power. Anything could happen to Reiji.

"Reiji will be fine."

Surprisingly, it was Yuya of all people who said that so calmly, not seem to be that worry for Reiji's well-being.

"Yuya?" Yuzu asked, clearly surprised by his lack of reaction. She expected him to be as much shocked.

Yuya smiled. "Reiji will be fine. He'll find a way to either win or survive. He is not someone who will do something reckless. I believe in Reiji. He must have a plan to face Heidel." He said with confidence. It wasn't that he was not concern for Reiji, but he knew more than anyone how strong Reiji is. He had dueled him many times before coming here, so he knew the extent what Reiji can do, and how much Reiji can still grow.

Looking at Yuya, Yuji began seeing his adoptive father's face overlapping with his master's. It was the same face Yuno would make whenever he showed his strong faith in the people he trusts. And whenever Yuno made that face, his faith was not unfounded. In fact, it went exactly as he said. When seeing his adoptive father making that kind of face, Yuji always found himself reassured. And now seeing Yuya making the same face, he couldn't help but feel the same.

"When you're like this, you're really looked like Dad. That's blood descendant for you." Yuji said with a chuckle.

"R-really? I still have a long way to go to be like Yuno-san though." Yuya said, scratching his head in embarrassment.

"Anyway, back to the topic about the bracelets, we'll conduct a bit research of them. Use the scanning program on your Duel Disk, that'll send the data of the bracelet to our database." Yuri instructed, showing the program.

"Got it. Tell us when you found something." Yuzu said, using the said program and scanned the whole bracelet, sending it through Yuri. The Fusion user then excused himself, ending the call and left the three of them alone again.

"I wish Dad is here. He usually knows more about this than us…" Yuji said.

Yuya looked at Yuji. He had heard about his past from Yuji's own mouth. But he felt he still doesn't know much about Yuji before becoming Duel Monster. And even though he has lived with Yuno for a whole month now, Yuya still wanted to know more about his ancestor. There were these certain times Yuno was looking at him and his counterparts with longing and loneliness. Even though Yuya knew that, he didn't have the courage to ask. After hearing the four dragons' story, Yuya thought Yuno saw his children in them. And he then became curious.

"Say, what kind of father Yuno-san is to you, Yuji?" Yuya asked. He knew this might be not the right time, but he wanted to know.

"He is strict but kind as you already know him. At times he may appear harsh and scary and his words may hurt us, but that only because he is concerned for us, wants to put us out of danger. He truly treated us as his children even though we are not related by blood, or let alone humans." Yuji spoke with genuine admiration and love for his adoptive father, remembering those family moments they had in the past.

"At first I have difficulty calling him 'Dad'. But whenever I called him by his name, his respond is always 'Didn't I tell you to call me Dad!' with reprimanding look. Mom also said the same thing too." Yuji blushed a bit as he remembered the time when Yuno and Claire told him and siblings to call and treat them as their real parents.

"When you said Mom, you mean Claire, Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon, right?" Yuzu asked, also getting curious.

"Yeah. Dad is scary with his Spartan training, but Mom can be even scarier. There are times that even Dad couldn't go against her." Yuji could still remember as clear as day the times Yuno was forced to sit in seiza style while Claire was standing in front of him with furious face, scolding the Oracle.

"Mom always told us that perhaps the time would come for Dad to be together with Lady Celica. We already knew the circumstances between them. But honestly, while I like Lady Celica, I wished that wouldn't happen because to us Claire is our mother. But now that Mom is gone and Dad and Lady Celica are like this…we'll be happy for the both of them." Yuji admitted. When he first heard the relationship between Yuno and Celica, he had always afraid that Celica might broke their family apart despite liking her. Fortunately, his worry was pointless because he soon realized Celica was not never that kind of person. She knew her place and their feelings even without them telling her. He felt ashamed for thinking badly of Celica. And now, he was more than willing to accept her into the family, being together with his father.

"The only problem is Yuno-san. He must take the initiative if he wants things to work out with Celica-san." Yuzu said. Even she could tell that Yuno was hesitating in regards of his relationship with her ancestor.

"I'm always worried about Dad and Celica-san. While others died, they are the only ones to continue living. Their curse just won't allow them to die naturally. I think there must be lots of times Dad and Celica-san feels lonely and afraid…" Yuji has always been worried ever since he left Yuno and Celica 1,500 years ago. Even with Jonouchi with them and the fact they have each other, he knew they were still worrying for the day may come they have to live in eternal solitude. That was the last thing ever wanted to happen to them.

Yuya bumped his fist gently on Yuji's chest, making his partner looking at him. Yuya was smiling again, that same smile of assurance that his adoptive father would give him whenever he was feeling unsure in dread.

"Don't worry. We'll figure out something together to break their curse." Yuya held both Yuji's hands in his to emphasize it. "I will help you. I'm sure everyone else will help too. We won't let Yuno-san and Celica-san go through more than they already had."

"Me too! We'll free them from their curse!" Yuzu also joined, holding both boys' hands together. She also felt the same. There were times she caught her ancestor making a lonely face even though she was surrounded by many people who cares for her. At first, she didn't quite understand, but slowly, she realized why she was making that kind of face.

Yuji couldn't be more grateful to the two of them. Just hearing them promised they will help releasing Yuno and Celica lift his worries from his back. Having them by his side, especially Yuya, like this, always made him at ease like his worries were non-existent. Everything will be all right. It will work out somehow.

"He may look young because of the curse, but Dad is still your great-great-great-great-great grandfather. You can just call him 'Grandpa', you know." Yuji said jokingly, brimming with good mood.

Yuya sweat dropped. "I have a strong gut feeling that I'll be signing my death certificate if I call him that." He said with a strained smile while imagining the bad thing that will happen should he refer to Yuno like that (which he will never do).

"There are just some people who wants to be treated younger as they look like despite their real age." Yuzu added. Ages and the sort was a rather sensitive subject for a woman in general.

"You're being too sensitive. You too, Yuzu. It won't hurt to call Celica-san 'Grandma' since you're her descendant." Yuji said dismissively.

"Oh my, that's the first time I heard you have the nerve saying that, Yuji."

Yuji instantly paled when he heard the voice from behind him. Yuya and Yuzu also shared the same expression when they saw Celica standing behind Yuji with such a strong menacing presence from her entire form. She was smiling so sweetly that it was so terrifying and Yuya and Yuzu have to step back in fear of receiving her wrath.

"C-Celica-san?!" Yuya uttered first while raising both his hands up to show he wasn't trying to offend her.

"W-why are you here?!" Yuzu asked while half-hiding behind Yuya.

"Isn't it obvious? To help you, of course. Everyone is still tired, so I decided to go alone. I'll help you stop this for good. But putting that aside for now, I would like to hear what you just said earlier about me, Yuji. Please. Kindly. Explain." Celica suddenly seemed bigger in everyone's eyes while Yuji was shrinking in fear and slowly fell on his knees, sitting in seiza style with his entire face covered in sweat, at a complete mercy of the Royal Adviser and possibly his future stepmother.

While leaving Yuji at Celica's mercy, Yuya thought of Reiji again.

Ever since he dueled Reiji, Yuya considered him to be his strongest rival, stronger than any opponent he had faced before the dimension war. When they dueled for the second time and he lost, this feeling and frustration went further. Reiji always looked so calm and calculative in every situation and he got an impression that he only viewed Lancers as disposable tools. Yuya hated him for that. But slowly, Yuya realized, that Reiji was no different from him and any of them in regards of the war. Furthermore, as the leader, Reiji bear more burden and responsibilities that Yuya and the other members of Lancers didn't have. On his back, Reiji shouldered the guilt coming from letting many Duelists being carded during the championship and anger from the ones blaming him for it. Reiji had prepared for that since the very beginning. At that time, Yuya was too wrapped up by his emotions that he couldn't see it.

Now that he understood, Yuya was able to see the true Reiji. If it were not for Reiji being there, he would have been trapped in his despair and self-pity back at Heartland when he dueled violently. If it were not for Reiji, he wouldn't even think of trying to understand his other self. If it were not for Reiji, he would have succumbed to Zarc's control faster when they dueled Leo together. Reiji had helped him grow a lot, both as a Duelist and as a person. Reiji trusted him. And now, it was his turn to trust him. As one of his strongest rivals and friends, Yuya knew that Reiji wouldn't be defeated so easily, even if his opponent were Heidel.

" _We're coming soon, Reiji."_

 **REIJI – RAMSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Reiji opened a huge door that he presumed to be the last one, the one that will lead him to his destination. Without a second thought yet prepared, Reiji opened the door. For some reason, he was not so surprised when the first thing he saw was a huge machine, similar to the reactor that his father built to create ARC-V. But instead of green-colored light, the light coming out from the reactor was grey-colored. Countless cards were there, again, similar as the one inside the reactor last year when he confronted his father.

The room, on the other hand, was not a throne room like his father's, but it was more like a laboratory. A huge one at that, filled with many tubes with Duel Monsters inside that it was a sickening view to behold.

"Welcome, Reiji Akaba."

Reiji turned to his upper-left and saw Heidel coming down from stairs, followed by his father who was being held at gunpoint by Barrett from behind.

"Dad! And Barrett?!" Reiji was shocked to see Barrett of all people here. The man was supposed to have died. The doctors retrieving his body had already made sure of it and they have given the man a proper burial in Academia Cemetery. Then how come this man was here, seemingly alive and well?

"Before you ask, this man, Barrett here, is nothing more but a corpse. An empty body controlled by the will of the Earthbound God." Heidel explained, answering Reiji's unspoken question. As if to prove it, Barrett raised the Earthbound God in his possession, the card letting out ugly dark energy that was visible for Reiji to see.

"Reiji, don't mind me! Just stop the reactor!" Leo told his son desperately despite the gun being pointed right at the back of his head. One trigger was all it took for the bullet to penetrate his skull. But Leo couldn't careless about that as long as the reactor could be stopped.

"How brave of you, Professor. You're willing to go that far for your son and the safety of Duel Monsters. Or you're simply doing this out of guilt for what you have done last year?" Heidel questioned, earning him a glare from the said man.

"Release my father, Supreme Commander Heidel Aberforth. If you refuse, then I have no choice but to use force." Reiji said while stepping closer to them with his Duel Disk ready.

"Do you not care for your father's safety?" Heidel asked back.

"You're holding my father at gunpoint, but I know that you still need my father to activate this reactor, so you won't kill him. If your intention is to make me lose my composure, ruining my concentration, then I'm afraid to deliver a bad news that your attempt only serves to make me all the more determined." Reiji replied, calmly fixing the position of his glasses for a second before locking eyes with Heidel to get his message across. This was not just a simple battle that could be settled by brute force, but it was also a battle of wit. One who lost his cool first was the first one to take the first step towards loss.

The Supreme Commander smiled wider, impressed by the young man's unflinching form.

"The stories I heard about you were not exaggeration. Now I can understand why Roget is very wary of you the most. You certainly live up to your name, Reiji Akaba. You have my utmost respect." Heidel admitted that he underestimated Reiji a bit due to his young age, but now there was none of that. He knew now for sure that Reiji must be dealt with carefully.

"In that case, Barrett shall take you first. If you cannot defeat him, you can't even hope of defeating me." Heidel motioned Barrett to go down and face the Chairman of Leo Corporation. While Barrett has removed the gun from Leo's head, Leo still couldn't do anything as the choker around his neck will stop him the moment he try to make a move.

Reiji and Barrett were facing against each other, their Duel Disks. From both Duel Disks, initiation announcement came.

{FIELD SPELL: EMPEROR'S THRONE}

Their surrounding became a throne room. It was almost similar as the one in Academia last year. Reiji saw his Duel Disk and realized the Action Cards program has been blocked, deactivating the Action Cards from materializing on the Field. The effect of the Field Spell allowed both Duelists to activate a card on the Turn it was set once. The Fields were divided into Link Monster Zone, Main Monster Zone, and Magic & Trap Zone.

"Aren't you glad that I decided not to go with this world's Duel rule? This way it'll make it easier for you to use your strategy." Heidel told Reiji.

"Even without that, I have prepared plenty of strategies to win." Reiji retorted, activating his Duel Disk.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I set 3 cards and end my Turn." Reiji concluded.

"My Turn. I summon Infernity Necromancer (ATK: 0 / DEF: 2000)!" Barrett summoned Necromancer in Defense Position in the Main Zone.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Barrett concluded.

"I activate the effect of DD Greedy Golem! I can Special Summon it as a Level 4 Effect Monster, and its ATK becomes the same as the ATK of the highest monster on the Field!" Reiji summoned Greedy Golem in Attack Position. Since Infernity Necromancer's ATK was 0, Greedy Golem's ATK was also 0.

"Next I activate the effect of DD Cold Golem! I can Special Summon it as a Level 1 Monster, and adds a Pendulum Monster from my Deck via its effect!" Reiji summoned Cold Golem in Attack Position next to Greedy Golem and then added DDD Supersight King Zero Maxwell to his hand.

"I release DD Greedy Golem and DD Cold Golem to Advance Summon DDD Supersight King Zero Maxwell (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 7 / PS: 4)!" Reiji summoned Zero Maxwell in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"Go! DDD Supersight King Zero Maxwell! Direct Attack!" Reiji declared. Zero Maxwell made a shot from its head cannon, striking Barrett who managed to endure it and remained standing on his position.

 **BARRETT LP: 4000 = 1200**

" _Despite receiving that damage, his expression doesn't change. He's not even showing a slightest bit reaction… He is an empty corpse."_ Reiji thought analytically. Even though Heidel already explained the Barrett in front of him was merely a corpse, Reiji was still not sure himself, and he admitted that he hesitated himself since the man was his father's most trusted subordinate in the past. But this confirmed it.

" _In that case, there's no need to hesitate, since the real Barrett is not there."_ Reiji steeled his resolve. Any hesitation he has a while ago has disappeared from every corner of his mind.

"I end my Turn." Reiji concluded.

"I set a card." Barrett started. Another thing that got Reiji's suspicion was Barrett accepting his attack. And from Heidel's face that was smiling the whole time, Barrett seemed to reduce his LP on purpose.

"And then I activate Reverse Card: Limit Impulse! I send two cards from my hand to the Graveyard to Special Summon two Soul Tokens (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)!" Barrett discarded Infernity Archfiend and Infernity Beast to the Graveyard, Special Summoning two Soul Tokens in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I release both tokens in order to Advance Summon Dark Tuner Nightmare Hand (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0)!" Barrett summoned Dark Tuner in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

" _A Tuner Monster. That means he's going to…"_ Reiji narrowed his eyes, preparing for what's going to come.

"I activate Dark Tuner's effect! I can Special Summon Level 2 or lower DARK Monster from my hand or Graveyard!" Barrett summoned Infernity Dwarf from his hand in Attack Position.

"I tune Infernity Dwarf with Dark Tuner Nightmare Hand! Synchro Summon! Appear! One Hundred-Eyes Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2500)!" Barrett summoned his Synchro Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate One Hundred-Eyes Dragon's first effect! It gains the effects of all DARK monsters in my Graveyard!" Barrett added all of his monsters' effects into One Hundred-Eyes Dragon, increasing its effects.

"Battle! I attack Zero Maxwell with One Hundred-Eyes Dragon!" One Hundred-Eyes Dragon unleashed black flame, directed at the DDD Monster.

"I activate Zero Maxwell's effect! I can reduce the damage to 0!" Reiji declared as Zero Maxwell stood in front of him protectively. The attack continued and Zero Maxwell was destroyed, however, Reiji's LP remained unharmed.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Barrett concluded.

" _Now his hand is empty. One Hundred-Eyes Dragon is a high level monster, but he should count the possibility of me having a monster to overpower it. His set cards most likely Traps."_ Reiji briefly stared at the set cards on Barrett's Field. To make sure those set cards won't get in his way, this was the only thing he could do with cards available on his hand.

"My Turn. I set DD Scale Surveyor (PS9) and DD Extra Surveyor (PS4) on my Pendulum Zones. With this I can summon monsters from Level 5 to 8. Pendulum Summon! Appear before me, my monsters!" Reiji revived Zero Maxwell from his Extra Deck.

"And now, since the total values of my Pendulum Scales exceed 12, I can perform a Transcendent Pendulum Summon!" Reiji Summoned the Level 12 DDDD Super-Dimensional Sovereign Emperor Zero Paradox (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 12) from his hand in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate the effect of Zero Paradox! When it was summoned, I can destroy all other cards on the Field!" Reiji declared. Zero Paradox was ready to burn down all the cards on the entire Field, including his own, but Barrett has prepared for that.

"Trap Card: Dark Domain! When I control a DARK Monster, I can negate the effect of my opponent's monster and then draw two cards!" Barrett sealed off Zero Paradox's effect, preventing it from destroying his cards before drawing two cards.

"I end my Turn." Reiji concluded. While he failed to destroy Barrett's cards, at least there was one lesser card on his Field. There were still more though, so he needs to be careful.

"My Turn! I set two cards. I activate the effect of Infernity Necromancer through One Hundred-Eyes Dragon! I special summon Infernity Archfiend from my Graveyard (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1200)!" Barrett summoned Archfiend from his Graveyard in Attack Position.

"I end my Turn." Barrett concluded, surprising Reiji.

" _He ended his Turn just like that? Is it because his dragon and my Zero Paradox have the same ATK? Or he's waiting for another chance?"_ Reiji grew even more suspicious. But there was only one way to find out.

"My Turn! I attack Infernity Archfiend with Zero Maxwell!" Reiji declared using Zero Maxwell, directing it to make another shot, but this time at Barrett's monster.

"Trap Card: Infernity Force! When an Infernity Monster I control is selected as attack target, I can destroy the opposing monster and Special Summon an Infernity Monster from my Graveyard!" Barrett destroyed Zero Maxwell and summoned Infernity Necromancer (ATK: 0 / DEF: 2000) from his Graveyard in Defense Position.

"I activate Zero Paradox's effect! When a DDD Monster leaves the Field, Zero Paradox's ATK is doubled!" Reiji increased Zero Paradox's ATK to 6000. "Battle! I attack One Hundred-Eyes Dragon with Zero Paradox!"

"I activate Dark Domain's effect! When a DARK Monster I control is targeted for an attack while this card is in Graveyard, I can reduce the damage to 0!" Barrett formed a black barrier around himself, protecting him from Zero Paradox's attack, though his dragon was destroyed as the result. But this was part of his plan.

"When One Hundred-Eyes Dragon is destroyed, I can add a card from my Deck to my hand." Barrett added a card from his Deck to his hand.

"I end my Turn." Reiji concluded. His eyes shifted to the card added to Barrett's hand. _"I can only think one card he would add to his hand at this time…"_

"My Turn. I release Infernity Archfiend and Infernity Necromancer in order to Advance Summon! Appear! Earthbound God Ccapac Apu (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2500)!" Barrett summoned Ccapac Apu in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

" _I knew it. It's coming!"_ Reiji tried to calm himself. Ccapac Apu has the same attack as Zero Paradox, so it won't work. And even if Ccapac Apu attacks him directly, his LP was still at 4000. He would still have 1000 LP left, enough for him to survive.

"I activate Dark Domain's final effect. I banish this card from my Graveyard and increase the ATK of my DARK Monster for every 1000 LP that I lost." Barrett revealed, increasing Ccapac Apu's ATK to 5000.

"What?!" Reiji couldn't hide his surprise. So that's why he didn't defend against his first attack. Barrett was aiming for this combo.

"I activate Ccapac Apu's effect. I can attack my opponent directly!" Barrett declared Battle Phase. Ccapac Apu raised its fist, ready to crush flat Reiji together with Zero Paradox.

Reiji quickly opened his Reverse Card. "Trap Card: Sovereign's Contraption! I reduce my DDD Monster's ATK to 0 and halve the damage!" Reiji reduced Zero Paradox's ATK to nothing as the monster protected him from Ccapac Apu's fist, catching the giant's hand with its smaller body to stop it from reaching Reiji. The shockwave almost blew Reiji away, but Reiji endured it.

 **REIJI LP: 4000 = 2500**

"When the monster affected by Dark Domain's effect inflicts damage, I can inflict additional 500 damage." Barrett added, inflicting another damage to Reiji.

 **REIJI LP: 2500 = 2000**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Barrett concluded.

"Reiji!" Leo called out for his son worriedly. While he was glad his son survived, the situation was not good for him.

"My Turn." Reiji returned to his feet, beginning his Turn. But not long he began his Draw Phase, Barrett opened his set card.

"Trap Card: Brilliant Shrine Art. Now when my opponent's monsters declare an attack, I can switch the attack target to Earthbound God Ccapac Apu." Barrett revealed. Now Reiji couldn't perform Direct Attack. Not that he could anyway since he just reduced Zero Paradox's ATK to 0.

" _At this situation my only hope is summoning that monster. But to do that I need more monsters on my Field. Until I can get them…I must survive until my next Turn no matter what…!"_ Reiji knew this was risky, but he had no other choice.

"With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Be revived from the Extra Deck, my Monster!" Reiji revived Zero Maxwell to his Main Zone.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Reiji concluded.

"My Turn." Barrett began, and this time it was Reiji who activated his card immediately.

"I activate Sovereigns Contraption's effect. I can banish this card from my Graveyard. With this, until the end of this Turn, I cannot be attacked directly, and my monster is switched to Defense Position." Reiji revealed. At the very least he was safe from Ccapac Apu's effect that can attack him directly this Turn. As for the rest…

"Battle! I attack DDDD Zero Paradox with Ccapac Apu!" Barrett moved the attack to Reiji's Level 12 monster. However, he then opened his other Reverse Card.

"Also, I activate Trap Card: Giant Blight! When I perform an attack that is not a Direct Attack, I can increase my monster's ATK by 600 and inflict piercing damage to my opponent with the damage doubled!" Barrett increased Ccapac Apu's ATK to 3600.

"Due to Sovereign's Contraption's effect, my Monster cannot be destroyed by Battle!" Reiji added.

Ccapac Apu crushed Zero Paradox, heavily damaging the monster, thought the DDDD monster still insisted on remaining standing despite its messed up appearance. Reiji, who finally got thrown back from the shockwave, slowly stood up again. The last attack gave him quite some bruises, but he won't let that stopping him.

 **REIJI LP: 2000 = 600**

"I end my Turn." Barrett concluded.

"You are cornered, but yet you're still refuse to give up. Do you still have the confidence to win, Reiji Akaba?" Heidel questioned, going down to get closer to the Duel.

"The victory is already in my hand." Reiji responded, causing Heidel to raise a brow.

"I activate Magic Card: Contract of the Supreme Demon. I halve my LP to Special Summon two Level 3 or lower DDD Monsters from my Deck." Reiji summoned DD Night Howling and DD Baphomet in Attack Position in the Main Zone. Now he has exactly 4 monsters on his Field. The condition has been met.

"Appear, the circuit that leads to the end!" Reiji opened the Link Summoning Circuit. He had prepared for this ever since he heard of Link Summoning. With Kino's help, he was able to create Link Cards for himself and the Lancers. With the new Duel rule in Cantidel, having Link Monsters was crucial if they want to survive and win this war.

"The circuit…! That means Reiji is going to…!" Leo was surprised and at the same time feeling hopeful for his son's victory.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least one DDD Monster. I set Zero Paradox, Zero Maxwell, Night Howling, and Baphomet on the Link Markers! Circuit combined!" Reiji set Zero Paradox on the upper-right arrow, Zero Maxwell on the upper-left arrow, Night Howling on the bottom-right arrow, and Baphomet on the bottom-left arrow of the Link Markers.

"Link Summon! Ascend to your throne, Link 4, DDDD Ultimate Doom King Ahura Mazda (ATK: 2500 / LINK: 4 / LM: Upper-Right, Upper-Left, Bottom-Right, Bottom-Left)!" Reiji summoned his Link Monster in Attack Position in the Link Monster Zone.

"I activate Ahura Mazda's effect! Once per Turn, I can equip a DD Monster in my Graveyard or face-up Extra Deck to this card, and it'll gain its ATK and effect!" Reiji chose Zero Paradox, equipping it to Ahura Mazda, which also granted it its effects.

"Using the equipped effect of Zero Paradox, I can destroy all cards on the Field!" Since Reiji has Special Summoned Ahura Mazda, following Zero Paradox's effect, all of the cards on the Field. Barrett seemed to ready for something to stop it again, but it wouldn't work this time. "Ahura Mazda's second effect! When it uses an effect from equipped monster, my opponent cannot activate any card effects in respond!"

Without anything to stop Ahura Mazda, the DDDD Monster wiped out the whole Field clean, only leaving Ahura Mazda itself left standing on Reiji's Field. Barrett's Field was wide open and his hand was empty. There was nothing left for him to defend himself.

"This is the end. I apologize for not be able to give you a proper burial, Barrett." Reiji apologized. Both to Barrett and his father who he no doubt wished for Barrett to have a proper burial. Reiji turned to his father, and Leo understood that there was no other choice. It wasn't worth retrieving Barrett's body if it means losing another life. This has to be done.

"Battle! I attack directly with Ahura Mazda!" Reiji declared the final attack.

Ahura Mazda unleashed a tower of energy. It then rushed through Barrett with a powerful thrust, followed by a quick turn to face the opponent that was now behind him. It then slashed upward at the enemy with its dagger. Not done, in the wake of this blow, he rose up and landed the finishing blow with a massive blast of energy that reduced Barrett's body into dust that was blown until it disappeared completely, not leaving any traces.

 **BARRETT LP: 1200 = 0**

"May you rest in peace, Barrett." Reiji said as the last dust of Barrett's remains disappeared. However, he couldn't relax yet. There was still one last thing to do to end this. He turned to his side, coming face-to-face with Heidel who has stepped down completely from the stairs, now on the same footing as Reiji.

The Supreme Commander has finally left his high throne to take action himself. His Duel Disk already on his wrist and ready to be activated at any gave moment. Reiji was quite damaged from the Duel just now, but he still has enough strength to take Heidel on. He won't let the man get away now that he has the opportunity.

"Let's settle this, Heidel Aberforth."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Higanbana –** After defeating the possessed Barrett, Reiji challenges Heidel to stop the activation of the reactor. However, before they begin, Reiji questions what is driving him to the point of enslaving the Duel Monster spirits.

* * *

 **Finally finished. I was supposed to finish this yesterday, but I fell asleep midway chapter. Sorry. I'm honestly not satisfied with Reiji's Link Summoning chant. Can someone give me an advise for his Link Summoning chant? Also, the next three chapters will be long one, so the update may take longer times too. Please be patient.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	85. Higanbana

**PRISONER QUARTERS – RAMSSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuno abruptly gasped and was sweating cold profoundly. He felt like he was as blind as if his eyes had been gouged. His body washed cold. He brought his fingers to his eye sockets; they were still there. This feeling he has and what he saw from deep within his mind, he just had a vision. Another terrible vision to make it worse. This was the second time he has seen a horrifying vision since the last one. Another vision that he wish to prevent from happening.

The gasp he let out has unintentionally caught the other occupants' attentions.

"Yuno-san, what's wrong? You don't look well." Reira asked worriedly, gently placing a hand on top of the Oracle's.

"I just have a vision…" Yuno revealed while trying take a breath. "Celica, Yuya, and the others are here right now…"

Hearing the news brought relief to Yusho, Reira, and the Emperor. Their comrades have come to rescue them. However, Yuno's face was saying their arrival won't be as good as what they thought.

"Lord Oracle, is there something else that you've seen?" The Emperor asked gently.

"It's–"

Yuno was cut off when the door of the room was literally blown away from outside, causing the occupants to be on alert. The Emperor pulled Reira into his arms, while Yuno and Yusho stood protectively in front of them. From behind the smoke, they saw several sillhouettes, and they readied their defensive stances even more.

"Yuno!"

Yuno blinked when from within the smoke, Celica came out in a bolt that Yuno almost fell when she hugged him so tightly. He managed to keep his footing, keeping her and Celica from falling.

"Celica!" Yuno exclaimed. For a second, he was in shock, but then slowly hugging her back. He never felt so relieved seeing her. Her presence always soothing her no matter how many years have passed.

"Dad!" Next, Yuya came out from the smoke. His face brightened upon seeing his father after a whole month apart. It was like when they were reunited back at Academia a year ago.

"Yuya!" Yusho opened his arms as Yuya ran into him for a hug. It did feel nostalgic.

Kuribohder jumped out from its card to snuggle at Kuribohrn who also jumped out from its card, both squealing happily for able to meet again at long last. Reira politely detached herself from the Emperor to hug Yuya, and then Yuzu. Yuji waited until Yuno and Celica pulled away from each after before giving his adoptive father his own hug, which Yuno also returned.

"I'm so glad to see you again! Heidel didn't treat you badly, didn't he?" Yuzu asked as she inspected them one by one for any sign of abuse or sort.

"Don't worry. We're all fine." Yusho assured them before frowning. "But I think Leo is still with Heidel."

At the mention of Leo, Yuno's face started paling again. He was quickly reminded of the vision he just had earlier. He turned to Yuji, holding him both by his shoulders, almost shaking him.

"Reiji is also here, right? Where is he now?!" Yuno asked in alarming tone.

"Y-Yuri said he is on his way to where Heidel is right now." Yuji answered, startled by his adoptive father's unusual behaviour.

"Damn, so it's already starting…!" Yuno cursed. He looked at everyone, making sure their attentions were all on him. "We must stop Heidel quickly! I can't explain the detail, but we must move fast right now!"

"Can you at least tell us the gist of it?" Yuya asked. He never saw Yuno this panicked before.

"I have a terrible vision. If we don't move fast, something bad will happen to Reiji!" Yuno said in hurry, and that was all they needed to make their decision to move fast like Yuno has told them. If the usually calm Yuno was like this, whatever he saw in his vision must be fearsome.

"Celica, you come with me to where Reiji is. Yuya and Yuji, you go to where the Reactor is being activated. Stop the machine from there. Yuzu, Yusho, and Reira, please escort His Majesty to safety." Yuno instructed them. They don't have much time left. This was the best course of action he could think of. And he was eternally grateful when none of them make any objection of his instruction.

"Once we're done, we'll go to where you are, Yuno-san!" Yuya said before he and Yuji left for the reactor.

"We'll meet again outside once this is over!" Yuzu said before going together with Yusho, Reira, and the Emperor.

Yuno and Celica looked at each other. Yuno has expected Celica to question him more about his vision, but instead, she nodded determinedly. She knew what he was thinking, and she understood they didn't have the time to talk about it even if they could talk while they were running to where Reiji was. They need to focus of what their first priority was at the moment.

"Let's go."

 **LABORATORY – RAMSSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Get down, Heidel Aberforth. Let us settle this." Reiji challenged the Supreme Commander.

Heidel smiled in respond. Wordlessly, the Supreme Commander accepted the challenge, descending the stairs until he was on the even ground, face to face against the Leo Corporation President. Leo was about to descend as well to his son's side, but a Field Spell then automatically activates, forming the whole room into a throne room that you would find in a castle.

"I'd love to have this Duel only between Reiji Akaba and myself. Therefore, I have to ask you to stay where you are, Professor." Heidel told Leo.

"Please do not worry, Dad. I won't lose this Duel. We'll go back home together." Reiji tried to assure his father.

"Tell me, Reiji Akaba, why a human like you, chooses to fight for the Duel Monsters' freedom of will? Do you not think it would be more convenient if they obey us without fail? That way, we have no need for worry of them becoming our race's enemies. It's only a matter of times before the Duel Monsters rebel and become the enemies of humanity. That's why we must prevent it before that happens." Heidel said. The way his body was unflinching all the while speaking his thoughts, and how smooth his words came out from his mouth for each sentence, it was obvious that the Supreme Commander truly believes that what he was doing was for the betterment of mankind. There was no malice, only certainty.

"Why are you going this far?" Reiji started to ask. "Do you have a terrible experience with Duel Monsters that you're willing to go to the point of enslaving them?"

Reiji placed down his left arm that was wearing the Duel Disk to his side for a while. He wanted to know first.

"I can understand if you're doing this out of hatred for Duel Monsters, but I don't feel any malice from you towards them when you spoke of your goal. Indeed there are cases where Duel Monsters pose a danger for people, but it seems there's more than that in your case, Supreme Commander." Reiji said.

"You are perceptive, Reiji Akaba. You do remind me of myself when I was young." Heidel started, smiling with newfound respect for Reiji.

"Very well. As a form of my respect, I shall answer that question. The origin of my belief and my vision."

 **10 YEARS AGO – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

A car pulled up in the driveway of a mansion, and Heidel Aberforth stepped out.

Even though he'd enjoyed spending the last holiday with his father and his friends in Amosis, he was happy to finally be back home. There was a spring in his step as he helped his mother out of the car. His mother on the other hand, was happy to have her one and only son back into their house. She couldn't remember how many times her grandchildren whining to meet their father. Now that he came home, they'll surely be happy.

As soon as they opened the door, the first thing Heidel and his mother saw was his wife and his two children. His wife has long deep blue-colored hair that she braided. His son was 7 years-old and has the same hair as his mother while his eyes were similar as Heidel himself. His daughter was 6 years-old, opposite to her brother, has his hair color and her mother's eyes.

"Daddy!" shouted the siblings, running up to their father.

Bending down, Heidel scooped them both into his arms and placed kisses on both their heads. "I'm back, Rolance, Kyrie, did you missed me?"

"Yes!" They responded together, and Heidel had to resist the urge to cuddle them to oblivion.

"I missed you too. A lot." He said to them before turning to his wife.

"Carla, I'm home." He smiled.

"I've been waiting for you for so long." Carla hugged her husband and gave him a peck on his cheek before facing him again with her arms still hugging him. "Starting tomorrow you'll start your first day as brigadier general after being promoted."

Heidel nodded. "I'll be busier, but I'll try my best to come home often."

"You must be tired, take a bath and go to your room. We'll call you once the dinner is ready."

"No, you don't need to. I already eat on my way here. I'm full." Heidel rubbed his stomach.

"Daddy! Let's play!" Rolance demanded, tugging his father's pants, followed by Kyrie who also demanded the same.

"Rolance, Kyrie, your father just arrived from long trip. He needs rest." Their grandmother said, earning whines from the little ones.

"It won't be long! Please~" Both younger children said with sparkling and pleading puppy-dog-faces.

Heidel chuckled and picked both of them into his arms.

"Okay then." He looked at his mother and wife, giving them an assuring smile.

"I'll take enough rest for sure. I don't want to skip my first day a commander." He said and then went to courtyard to play with his cute children.

The children each demanded different game, Rolance wanted to play hide-and-seek while Kyrie wanted to play with her toys and dolls. After some discussion, they finally decided to play pass ball with the ball that Heidel had bought for his son.

"Daddy, when will you take us to the amusement park?" Kyrie asked as she passed the ball to her father.

"I don't know yet. Daddy's still busy with work." Heidel passed the ball to Rolance.

The boy frowned. "But you promised that you will be back and play with us more!" Rolance whined, sitting on the grass while hugging the ball. "You promised us…"

"Now, now, Rolance. Mommy has told you to be patient, right? We'll go to the amusement park together. Daddy would never leave you and break his promise." Heidel reminded, rubbing his son's hair.

"But…"

Heidel sighed and smiled, picking his son up, the little boy squealed as he touched his father's face. Looking at this, Kyrie tugged her father's pants, demanding to be picked up as well. He smiled at his only daughter and lowered his height so Kyrie could ride on his back. Without being told to, Kyrie rode on his back and started playing with his hair.

"How about this then, tomorrow after school, I'll take you to pet playground. We can play with kittens and puppies there until your Daddy gets home. Okay?"

Heidel and his children were quite startled when they saw a young woman with rather androgynous appearance. She has light blue hair with turqoise eyes and tanned skin. She wore black long dress with red-colored scarf. When they saw her, they quickly sighed. That was quite a surprise.

"Yubel. Don't scare us like that." Heidel told the woman.

"I've been here the whole time. You're the one who were too busy playing that you didn't notice me." Yubel replied, shrugging. She then turned to the children. "How is it? Would you like to go?"

"After that, will you play with us again, Daddy?" Kyrie asked her father.

"Yes. We will." Heidel replied with his kindest smile.

"Promise?" Rolance and Kyrie asked.

"Promise."

"Pinky Swear?" Rolance and Kyrie raised their pinkies.

"Pinky Swear." The newly-appointed commander intertwined his little finger with his children.

"Dears, the foods are ready." Carla said, peeking her head out from the door. The news brightened the children's expression instantly who have been waiting to eat. They jumped out from their father's arms and rushed back inside with their mother, leaving Heidel alone with Yubel.

"You don't need to use that form in this house. We already know who you are and we accept you." Heidel told Yubel.

Yubel chuckled before her form started to shift. She became demonic. The most noticeable features were the sickly-pink skin, large black wings, heterochromic eyes, and a third vertically placed eye. Her clothing was bizarre; one of the legs was completely covered, while the other is mostly exposed. Yubel's hair was spiked up, each contributing to one half. She also has blue lips and pointed teeth resembling. Her entire appearance can easily be described as made up of opposites. One side was distinctly female, with a covered breast and a rounded hip. The other looks more masculine with a pectoral muscle, no breast, and a harder, less rounded hip.

"I just thought that it would be easier to blend in with that form." Yubel replied.

"I am proud of my ace monster the way she is." Heidel replied back. His expression then turned serious quite a bit. "I take it that's not the only reason as to why you're here?"

"There are people who caught wind of your growth and are displeased with it. The nobles, in particular, seems intent on throwing you down from your current position." Yubel revealed.

Heidel didn't look so surprise. His recent successes has caused tensions of Cantidel's traditional class society to grow. The strained relationship between nobility and commoners has slowly worsen. The ones that stood out the most were those of noble birth, who felt embarrassed and pressured by the rise of commissioned officers of commoner origin like himself. They felt threatened that their influence would greatly disminished. And even amongst the commoner-born soldiers within the military, there were people who were jealous of his high rank and he has no doubt they wishes to ruin his reputation so they could make a name for themselves.

"I figured that's going to happen. The higher your rank, the more enemies you'll make. I have prepared for that." Heidel stated. He knew this would happen, but it won't stop him. He had decided ever since he aspired to join military that he would make the lives in Cantidel better for the people who suffered unfair treatment.

"And yet doesn't seem worried about this." Yubel pointed out at her Duelist's calmness.

"Because I know I'll have you watch my back from now on. Am I wrong?" Heidel smiled at his ace monster.

"Fool. Do you reall need to say that?" Yubel said in amusement. "I'll continue to keep an eye on them and inform you if they're acting fishy."

"I'm counting on you, Yubel." Heidel responded gratefully.

Yubel was a Duel Monster that was given by his deceased old friend. It didn't take long for them to be perfect partners in Duels. He trusted her with his life. As the close friend of her old master, Yubel swore to protect Heidel from any and all perceived threats. She has failed to protect her old master, so she won't be making the same mistake this time.

 **5 YEARS AGO – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Heidel's rose to power and his spreading influence within Cantidel has finally grown so big that those who felt threatened by his position have decided to end his reign for good. Various death threats and assassination attempts constantly coming after him like plague, though Heidel managed to resolve them with his supporters and Yubel's help.

Even so, his daily life, both at work and home, were still happy. He thought it would continue this way until he meet his end.

However, he was too naïve. He was very wrong about that, and he knew that the hard way at the tragic day.

"My wife and children were kidnapped?!" Heidel exclaimed in horror upon receiving the news.

"Y-yes. We received anonymous message that showed the video of your family's capture. We have also checked your house to confirm whether this was real or not, and found your house in disorder, Sir. They have been kidnapped." The soldier explained while showing the said message and the report of the investigation.

"What is the demand for their release?" Heidel asked while trying his best not to lose his composure too much. It won't do any good if he panicks and make reckless moves to save his family. Their lives were at stake so he musn't make any risks.

"They…" The soldier said heistantly, trailing off before he could finally say the word. "He ask…for your head…in return, Sir... The ask you to come alone at the coordinate in this message. If you bring even a single person with you, they said they'll kill your family…"

Heidel pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't have a choice. He could have ordered someone to secretly follow him to the designated place, but their opponents must have some eyes to make sure he came alone. Wearing a tracker won't do good either because he has no doubt they'll perform body check once he arrived there. His opponent this time was smart enough to know where his family were and overpowered the soldiers he had placed to protect them.

"I'll take of this." Yubel suddenly appeared in spirit form beside Heidel, startling the soldier.

"Yubel…what are you planning?" Heidel asked in almost desperate tone.

"I will go to the coordinate. Don't worry, I'll make sure they won't notice me until it's the right time. I will settle this within 5 hours." Yubel told Heidel and the soldier with straight serious face.

"A-are you sure about this, Lord Yubel? We all know that you can freely roam between two worlds in both your aethereal and physical form, but there's no telling how strong the enemies' Duel Monsters are." The soldier asked worriedly.

"I won't fail. I'll make sure this would never happen again to you, Heidel. I have sworn that I will keep you safe no matter what. Trust me." Yubel gazed at Heidel and only at him, staring at him straight into his eyes and Heidel couldn't break his gaze from her. She was very determined.

Yubel never let him down.

What reason for him to doubt her now?

"Very well. I leave this to you, Yubel." Heidel agreed.

It wasn't that surprising for many people. The teamwork between Heidel and Yubel in particular has led them to continuous victories and eventually Heidel's rise to his current position. Yubel knew what she has to do to keep him safe and help him win even without him telling her.

Unfortunately, Heidel couldn't see how far his ace Duel Monster would be willing to go until it was too late…

After the promised 5 hours, Heidel received message from Yubel that the matter has been settled. He and several of his men came rushing to the coordinate once he received the message. He had expected to see his family safe and sound, wanting to pull them into his arms and never let go of them.

But when Yubel said the matter has been settled, it was completely different from what he had expected or imagined.

Heart pounding against his chest, he darted past the flower fields, trying to look under wreckage and broken piles of material, something, anything that would tell him where they were. Passing by another field, he finally saw Kyrie crying on the field, looking at prone bodies on the ground, covered in flowers and leaves and red staining the orange colored shirt.

His breath caught in his throat and his blood turned into ice as he realized who those people were.

"Carla… Rolance…?" He walked slowly towards his wife and son, his entire body trembling at the sight that he wished it was just a dream, an illusion.

However, Kyrie's continuous cries, and no matter how much and how many times she shook her brother's body to respond to them, he won't move. Heidel hover their bodies to look at them closer. And he saw their eyes. They were empty. They were lifeless.

Heidel sank to the ground, his knees had given up on him. He stared at them with wide, disbelieved, horrified eyes. He knelt limply on his spot. He can't believe this was happening. Just mere hours ago he departed from them, but now…!

Heidel's head slowly sunk as a single tear fell. He remembered their last smiles they gave to him. The last moment he saw them alive…

"This has to be done."

Heidel looked up at the familiar voice. He slowly raised his head, and to his disbelief, he saw her. His most trusted Duel Monster. Yubel was standing there. But what made him speechless was she was covered in blood. She was standing near his dead wife and son whose bodies were lying in pool of blood along with other corpses of the kidnappers, while she was standing there with her body, particularly her hands, covered in blood. And what she just said earlier…

"What…?" Heidel said while hugging his only daughter, the only child he has left.

"Without hostages, you won't have to worry for anyone trying to take advantage of you. You can take out all your enemies without hesitation." Yubel told him logically as if she has done nothing wrong.

"As long as your family is alive, there'll be other enemies who'll come for them to get to you. I have to stop that from happening. As long as they're around, they'll only hinder your goal. And this is also the best for them. This way, they'll be at a better place where no one can harm them." Yubel continued.

For the first time in his life, Heidel let despair overtaking him.

His own ace monster betrayed him. No. That's not right. She didn't betray him. If the hostages were dead, there would be nothing to stop him from taking action anymore. It was a logical thinking. Heidel understood that. But he refused to accept that. His family were the hostages and now he lost them forever. Even though Yubel was supposed to know how much he loved his family, how could she made this decision simply because it was for his sake? And didn't she feel anything at all for them when she had spent happy times with his family?

"You must understand, Heidel. This is for your own sake." Yubel added firmly, but by then Heidel has stopped listening.

Swirls of thoughts filled Heidel's mind like a storm. Without him realizing, he has been too dependent on Yubel. Not just him, but many people were. Duel Monsters have influenced humans so much without them even realizing that. They made decisions on their own even without humans' consent even though they were supposed to trust each other.

Or was there even a trust to begin with?

Perhaps there was their aim. Making humans trust them to be taken advantage.

No. Heidel didn't care either way about that.

There were still Duel Monsters out there with the same thinking as Yubel.

And he must stop them for good.

 **PRESENT TIME – LABORATORY – RAMSSES FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Neither Reiji nor Leo could hide their shock after hearing the story. To think such tragedy happened to Heidel like that. Knowing this, they couldn't blame him for developing the current ideology he has. From what they heard, in ancient times, Duel Monsters and humans were at war with each other until they reached agreement that gave birth to Duels. For millenias, they were at peace and no conflict had occurred that lead to another war. At least in the original dimension.

But here, in Cantidel, Duel Monsters have more free reign and were more capable interacting directly in the human realm, influencing human lives and environment. A single wrong action taken could create a spark of conflict between the two races. And everything started when Heidel's Duel Monster made the biggest mistake.

"What happened to your ace monster after that?" Reiji asked. He was sure that Heidel won't just stay silent and let Yubel off the hook like that.

"I banished her. She's still a Duel Monster that needed card as medium to manifest herself in human realm. All I need is ripping her card and she disappeared, never again appear in my presence." Heidel answered.

"However, as you said, despite what she had done, I do not hate her. Rather, I hate myself for unable to see the bigger picture faster than I should. If I had seen it earlier, my family would still be alive…" Heidel lamented. After he banished Yubel, he thought he could keep his daughter, the only one to survive, safe. But the incident was too much for her that a few years later, she took her own life. Again, he was too naïve. As long as Duel Monsters possesed free will, the same thing may happen again in the future. As the one holding power, he has the duty to put a stop to that.

"Reiji Akaba, if you remain true to your belief, you'll let the Duel Monsters using humanity in the future. It's no different than make yourself an enemy to humanity. Why must you insist on defending Duel Monsters so much?" Heidel questioned.

Reiji sighed and then fixed his glasses before facing the Supreme Commander.

"To me, the enemy is whatever hurts people who are precious to me. By itself, just being a human or Duel Monster could never be enough to make someone an enemy."

Reiji raised his Duel Disk once more, activating it.

"And right now, you are that enemy, Supreme Commander Heidel Aberforth."

Heidel hummed in satisfaction at Reiji's answer. No more words needed. He raised his Duel Disk, activating it as well, and thus beginning the Duel.

 **[MASTER DUEL!]**

"I'll take the first Turn! I activate Magic Card: DD Contract of Cavalry! I will draw two cards. If those two cards are Monsters, I can draw 3 more cards. Other than that, it'll be sent to Graveyard!" Reiji drew the card. It was DD Savant Newton, a Monster Card, which allowed him to draw 3 more cards to his hand.

"Using the Scale 1 DD Savant Copernicus and the Scale 10 DD Savant Newton, I set the Pendulum Scales! With this, I can simultaneously summon Monsters between Level 2 and 9! Immense power that shakes my very soul! Become the light that rends the darkness residing within me! Pendulum Summon! Reveal yourselves, my Monsters! The three transcendental deities who rule over all kings!" Reiji summoned three DDD Doom King Hell Armageddons (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 8 / PS: 4) in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate the Magic Card D/D/D Fusion! I can use this card and one Hell Armageddon as Materials to Fusion Summon! Fusion Summon! Reveal yourself! Level 10! D/D/D Ultimate Doom King Purplish Hell Armageddon (ATK: 3500 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10 / PS: 1)!" Reiji summoned his Fusion-Pendulum Hell Armageddon in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Next, I activate the Magic Card, D/D/D Synchro! I can treat this card as a Level 2 Tuner Monster, and tune it with the Level 8 Hell Armageddon! Synchro Summon! Reveal yourself! Level 10! D/D/D Ultimate Doom King Whitest Hell Armageddon (ATK: 3500 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10 / PS: 1)!" Reiji summoned his Synchro-Pendulum Hell Armageddon in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Then, I activate the Magic Card, D/D/D Xyz! I can Special Summon two Hell Armageddons from the Extra Deck! Then, I overlay the two Level 8 Hell Armageddons! Xyz Summon! Reveal yourself! Rank 8! D/D/D Ultimate Doom King Darkness Hell Armageddon (ATK: 3500 / DEF: 3000 / RNK: 10 / PS: 1)!" Reiji summoned his Xyz-Pendulum Hell Armageddon in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Finally, I activate that Monster's Effect! The Hell Armageddon in my Extra Deck will be attached to Darkness Armageddon as an Overlay Unit!" Reiji gave Darkness Armageddon an Overlay Unit.

"Going for Pendulum, Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz. You're not beating around the bush, President Reiji." Heidel praised, impressed by the sight of Reiji's three monsters.

"I know that you're not an opponent to be taken lightly. Therefore, I'll use everything I have to defeat you." Reiji answered.

"Fufufu. In that case, I'll go all out as well." Heidel replied.

 **LANCERS HIDEOUT – MOUNTAIN – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"And now we're done."

The nurse said as she finished bandaging Sawatari's wounded right arm. The rest have also finished being treated. They already have plenty of rest and the enemies have been taken into custody by Mai and the others who had received Celica's order. Believing everything on their side has been settled, now they could go and provide back-up for Yuya and the others who were still infiltrating the Ramssess Fortress.

"Everyone, stop lazing around and let's go already!" Sawatari said to his friends.

"Very funny, coming from someone who was whinning his wounds hurt and asking for rest." Sora snorted at Sawatari's enthusiasm.

"Now, now, Sora-kun, let's just ignore Sawatari and let's go already." Dennis said, before any argument could begin.

"That's right. Yuya and the others are waiting for us." Gongenzaka stood up, bumping his fists determinedly, ready to head to the next battlefield.

"I think we shouldn't go all at once. Let's–" Allen trailed off when he noticed something was amiss with their surroundings and themselves.

It didn't take long for the rest to notice what made Allen looked confused. Their surroundings and their bodies slowly were pixelating like they were some sort of data. The phenomenon itself didn't feel hurt or anything, but seeing their flicker bodies was obviously uncomfortable for them.

"What's happening?"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Price of Atonement –** Heidel's Reactor begins the digitization process. The digitization caused disorder within the fortress. Reiji and Heidel exchanges fierce attacks against each other until Heidel reveal his ace in hole.

* * *

 **Phew. Finally I was able to write and finished this chapter. I'm busier because the appraisal date is very soon so there are lots of things to do. Honestly, I think Heidel's past was too short. I may add more details later when I have more times, but for now please bear with this.** **Again, I can't make any promise that the next chapter will be updated fast. But I'll say this again, I'm going to finish fanfic no matter what.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter.**


	86. Price for Atonement

**10 YEARS AGO – AKABA RESIDENCE – MAIAMI CITY – STANDARD DIMENSION**

7 years old Reiji Akaba was sitting on the sofa staring at his father who was sitting across him. Leo was reading the report sent by the university that he just received a few minutes ago. After he finished reading the last page of the report along with a letter accompanied it, Leo put down his glasses on the table and finally turned to his son.

"Reiji, you left your test paper empty again and your grades are failing. They are concerned for you if this keeps up." Leo told his son.

Reiji was born exceptionally gifted. At the age of 6 he already got the grasp of high-school level education. The teachers agreed that staying in his current grade won't do well with the child. Leo was not too pleased with the decision since he wanted Reiji to have a normal childhood, but his wife Himika was more than delighted and pushed him to let Reiji start college already.

"You came just to lecture me, Dad?" Reiji asked passively.

"Not exactly. We both know that you're actually smart enough to handle any college class. In fact, during the first year, you're at the top of your class, beating all the grown ups. That is to say, that you're not pleased with your lessons it seems." Leo stated with a tinge of bemusement. It was clear that his son purposely left the test papers unanswered so he will be reprimanded and effectively gained his attention. Reiji made a low grumbling sound. Leo held on a snicker. Reiji realized that he knew his true intention.

"Dad, can't I just skip both school and college?" Reiji finally replied. Honestly, he admitted that he found both school and college boring. Every lessons they gave were too easy to be solved and answered for him. And his both of his parents were too busy handling the corporation. He wanted nothing more but to grow up quickly so he can help them.

"I can help you with the corporation business already." Reiji added.

"That won't be a difficult task to do. Your brain is something that anyone would eager to have." Leo stood from the sofa to sit beside his son on the other side.

"But you're still too young. There's no need to rush, Reiji. Don't be so rigid and only live in your own small world. Get to know people, form a bond with them. After all, no one can live alone in this world."

"But…I just can't find something that is fun…" Reiji replied uncertainly. He just couldn't find all normal games that children his age does fun. In fact, he found some of them too stupid and childish and refuse any part of it. He didn't find any fun in other grown up games either.

"Then how about you start attending LDS?" Leo suggested, handing LDS member card to his son who took it with interest.

"You mean…learning to Duel?" Reiji asked. He knew about Dueling and all, the majority of people in Maiami City are Duelists. There were children his age who also played the game and his parents' company focused on Dueling as well, but Reiji never paying too much attention to it because he was always ushered to focus on his current studies.

"Our company makes most profit through Duel Monsters. If you wish to succeed the company in the future, then learning Duel Monsters is the most crucial start." Leo reached for his bag, shuffling through the many items there until he got what he wanted. He pulled out, revealing a white-colored Duel Disk that he placed on his son's lap.

"This is a Duel Disk!" Reiji held the white Duel Disk, turning it around with curiosity.

"I made it myself. The most advanced I have made. Use this to learn Dueling." Leo told Reiji.

"You…made it for me…?" Reiji was almost speechless. This was the first time his father gave him a creation of his own. And the most advanced no less.

Leo patted his son's head, smiling down at him.

"I'm sure you'll be a great Duelist one day, Reiji."

 **PRESENT TIME – HALLWAY – RAMSSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Yuji! Look!" Yuya exclaimed as he made a stop.

Their surroundings started flickering. Seconds later, their surroundings were no longer hallway, but a vast landscape of data. And before Yuya knew it, his appearance has changed as well. He was now in his LINK VRAINS avatar form, Phantom.

"This is bad. The digitization process has began!" Yuji stated as he looked at Yuya's avatar form.

"We gotta hurry!" Yuya said. He almost went into panic, but was quick to refocus his mind to the task at hand. Panicking now won't help.

"Are you worried about Reiji?" Yuji asked, noticing that Yuya has been making his worrying face ever since they split up with Yuno and the others.

"Yuno-san's clairvoyance is always spot on, right? I know it can be avoided and I said that I trust Reiji, but since a whole ago I have this bad feeling that something is going to happen." Yuya said, holding his chest where it hurts. The throbbing that brought him anxiety won't stop. He couldn't stop thinking about what will happen to Reiji in Yuno's vision.

Yuji took Yuya by his wrist and pulled him as they started running again. He pulled Yuya to the front and then gave him a hard smack on his back. The smack was quite hard that Yuya hissed in pain, looking back at Yuji.

"In that case, we have to move fast and stop this before anything bad can happen. We'll stop Heidel and all of us will return home together. Okay?" Yuji smiled in assurance. While he was also worried, he must not show it to his master. When his master was feeling down, then he must be there to lit up his spirit. Now is one of such occasions. As he has hoped, Yuya was firing up again.

"Yeah! Without a fail!"

 **THRONE ROOM – RAMSSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"My Turn. When I control no cards, I can Special Summon Time Machine Priestess (ATK: 0/ DEF: 0 / LV: 1) from my hand." Heidel summoned Priestess in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"This card can be treated as two tributes. I release Priestess to Advance Summon Razion the Time Machine God (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 10)." Heidel summoned Razaion in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Next, I activate Continuous Magic Card: The Cursed Bible. As long as this card is on the Field, the effects of all Extra Deck Monsters that both players controls are negated." Heidel activated his Magic Card. A torn-up black-colored bible appeared. It started oozing out darkish purple smokes that filled the entire Field, sealing Reiji's Hell Armageddons' effects.

"But that means your Extra Deck Monsters won't be able to use their effects too." Reiji remarked.

"It hardly matters to me. The monster I summoned is from Main Deck, after all." Heidel responded, referring to Razion. He then pointed at Reiji's Fusion-Pendulum Monster.

"Battle! I attack Purplish Hell Armageddon with Razion!" Heidel declared.

"At this moment, Razion's effect is activated! When this card battles, I can reduce the damage to 0. Also, this card cannot be destroyed by Battle or card effects!" As Heidel declared, Razion returned to Heidel's side unschated after it finished its attack that was easily blocked by the targeted Fusion-Pendulum monster.

"And when this card battles, I return all monsters my opponent controls to the Deck and all cards in our Graveyard returns to our Deck as well." Heidel revealed his real intention.

"What?! All my monsters?!" Reiji exclaimed in disbelieve. His three monsters were shocked by Razion's strike, forcefully removing them from the Field back to Reiji's Extra Deck and the other cards in the Graveyard also returned to the Deck following them.

"I know full well that you're not someone that can be played with, Reiji. I cannot use the same tactic as I did with Kiryu, so I've planned to use everything I have from the very beginning." Heidel stated.

" _He removed all of Reiji's strongest monsters just in one Turn… Just how strong Heidel is…?"_ Leo thought warily. Just with one monster Heidel has succeeded in wiping Reiji's Field clean. If Heidel has other monster other that has high ATK, the direct damage Reiji will receive might corner him. Other than Zarc, Heidel perhaps was the most formidable opponent that Reiji have ever faced.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Heidel concluded.

"My Turn!" Reiji began his Draw Phase, but at that moment, Heidel also made his move.

"I activate Razion's effect! When my opponent draws a card during Draw Phase, I can inflict 1000 damage to my opponent!" Heidel declared, sending a strike at Reiji.

 **REIJI LP: 4000 = 3000**

"I activate Magic Card: Pendulum Clemency! I can add two Pendulum Monsters from my Deck to my hand, but on the Turn they are first added, the Pendulum effects are negated!" Reiji added Savant Copernicus and Savant Newton to his hand and immediately set the Pendulum Scales.

"With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Come forth, my monsters!" Reiji revived two of his three Hell Armageddons from his Extra Deck in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

Reiji was at loss at the moment. Because he knew that attacking Razion not only won't do any damage to Heidel but he would also lose his monsters again. And preventing their removal would put Reiji at quite disadvantage. In the meantime, he could only summon monsters so that he won't be completely defenseless during Heidel's next move…or so that was his plan.

"If you have no intention to attack, I'll make your monster take the initiative." Heidel opened one of his face-down cards in respond. "I activate Trap Card: Fool's Last Attack. My opponent must declare Battle Phase using monster with the lowest ATK he controls."

"What?!" Reiji was taken aback. He was powerless to stop his two Hell Armageddons from attacking. Against his will, the two of them make a shot at Razion who endured each shot.

"And due to Razion's effect, all of your Hell Armageddons returns to the Deck." Heidel said as Razion prepared to strike them again to remove them from the Field. However, Reiji at least has prepared for that one move, though not without a cost.

"Trap Card: Forbidden Contract of Abyssal Spirits! This card can be activated from my hand. I can prevent my monsters' desctruction by paying 500 for each monster's destruction that is negated!" Reiji immediately activated one of the cards in his hand, protecting his Hell Armageddons from the strike with barrier.

 **REIJI LP: 3000 = 1500**

"You keep your monsters on the Field. But with a great cost. Are you sure it's worth it?" Heidel questioned the LDS President with amusement.

"As long as my LP still remains, no matter how little it is, the Duel is not decided yet." Reiji replied before banishing his Trap Card from Graveyard.

"I activate Forbidden Contract of Abyssal Spirits' second effect. By banishing it from Graveyard, I can destroy any card my opponent controls and add 1 Spell Card from my Deck to my hand." Reiji destroyed Heidel's Cursed Bible, clearing the Field from the ugly smoke. Plus, he added one of the Spell Cards that has been returned from Graveyard back to the Deck in the previous Turn.

" _Good! With this Reiji can use the effects of his Extra Deck Monsters!"_ Leo thought in relief.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Reiji concluded.

"My Turn. Due to Razion's effect, it returns to my Deck during StandBy Phase." Heidel returned and shuffled back Razion to his Main Deck.

"I activate Continuous Trap Card: Nonexistence Machine – Ain. If I control no monster, I can Normal Summon Level 10 or higher monsters without tributing, but the ATK of all of my monsters becomes 0." Heidel opened his face-down card and summoned Zaphion the Time Machine God (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 10) in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"At this moment, I activate Continuous Trap Card: Demon's Chain! I target 1 Effect Monster on the Field and negate that face-up monster's effects and that monster cannot attack!" Reiji immediately opened his Reverse Card, stopping Zaphion from attacking. Considering what happened earlier, he won't let any Time Machine God monster to attack. Heidel didn't seem to be perturbed by this, and instead looked impressed by Reiji's move.

"I set two cards and end my Turn." Heidel concluded.

"My Turn! Battle! I attack Zaphion the Time Machine God with Hell Armageddon!" Reiji declared attack with his second Hell Armageddon. Since Zaphion's effect has been negated thanks to Demon's Chain, Zaphion was destroyed and Heidel took the full blow of the attack. However, with Zaphion destroyed, the Continuous Trap card was destroyed as well.

 **HEIDEL LP: 4000 = 1000**

"At this moment, Zaphion's effect is activated! When it was removed from the Field, I can draw 5 cards!" Heidel drew 5 cards at once to his hand. When he looked at the cards in his hand, the Supreme Commander's gaze sharpened, which he hid very well from the opposing side. Everything was in place now.

"Reiji, do I really have no chance to change your mind? Would you not join me?" Heidel asked for one last time despite knowing what the answer would be.

"I'm afraid that I trusts my monsters enough with my life that I refuse to steal away their freedom of will." Reiji replied as expected, making Heidel smiled in acknowledgement.

"You reminded me of myself when I was young. That's why I have to stop you from making the same mistake as I did." Heidel said before opening his Reverse Card.

"I activate Continuous Trap Card: Endless Machine – Ain Soph! By sending 1 face-up Nonexistence Machine – Ain to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon Level 10 or higher monsters from my hand!" Heidel sent his Trap, creating one wide portal on his side of the Field.

"Also, I can summon monsters, ignoring the effects of any Time Machine God monsters I control." Heidel added, much to the shock of Reiji and Leo.

"What?!"

Simultaneously, Heidel summoned Sadion the Time Machine God (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 10) and Kamion the Time Machine God (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 10) in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

" _He broke the restrictions and summoned two Time Machine Gods at once?! This is beyond my expectation. What kind of effects they have if I attack?"_ It took everything Reiji has to recover himself. He would be safe as long as he didn't declare anymore attack, but he knew too well that Heidel won't give him that luxury.

"I activate Fool's Last Attack from my Graveyard. By banishing it, my opponent must declare attack using the lowest ATK monster on the Field." Heidel banished the same Trap that had forced Reiji to attack in early Turn, forcing Reiji to continue his offense.

"I attack Sadion the Time Machine God with my Hell Armageddon!" Reiji reluctantly chose his second Hell Armageddon to attack Sadion. While he knew he was at disadvantage with this, he at least would know what kind of attack the targeted Time Machine God has. As the attack connected, Sadion's effect activates.

"When Sadion battles while I have less LP, my LP becomes 4000." Heidel fully recovered his LP, leaving Reiji must find a way to reduce it once more.

 **HEIDEL LP: 1000 = 4000**

" _My monsters are safe for now, but he recovered his LP. I'm in a bind. I still don't know what kind of effect that Zaphion has. If I carelessly attack it, it might be fatal for me…"_ Reiji stared carefully at Zaphion that was next to Sadion.

"If I may comfort you, you made the right target, Reiji. If you have attacked Kamion, you wouldn't have survived this Turn." Heidel told Reiji in assurance, which wasn't assuring at all for the DDD user.

"Reiji…" Leo's gaze hardened at his son's form. Even though it may fool most people, Reiji won't be able to fool him with his seemingly stoic and calm act. He knew and understood that his son was in difficult position in this Duel. Leo clenched his fists as his son's helplessness.

"I set two cards and end my Turn." Reiji begrudgingly ended his Turn.

"My Turn." Heidel began. Due to Sadion and Zaphion's effects, they returned to the Deck during Heidel's Standby Phase, leaving Heidel's Field empty, but not for long.

"I activate Trap Card: Nonexistence Machine – Ain." Heidel activated another copy of the Nonexistence Machine, but immediately after, he turned to his still-active Endless Machine card.

"And then once again, I activate Endless Machine – Ain Soph's effect, to summon Sadion and Kamion from my hand." Heidel summoned another copies of Sadion and Time Machine God Kamion from his hand.

"Battle. I attack the first Hell Armageddon with Kamion!" Heidel declared using his newly summoned Kamion. Reiji's right hand automatically reached one of his cards in his left hand. He had a feeling that this one attack would even be more dangerous than the other Time Machine God he has faced so far. And he was glad that he followed his feeling.

"When Kamion battles, all monsters my opponent controls return to the Deck and my opponent receive 500 damage for each monster returned!" Heidel declared as Kamion prepares to remove all of Reiji's monsters from the Field. Reiji quickly picked the card he had automatically held and activated it.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Contract of Forbidden Miracles! When an effect that will remove my monsters from the Field is activated, I can pay half of my LP to negate that effect!" Reiji sealed Kamion's destructive effect, saving his monsters from being removed from the Field. However, his LP decreased significantly.

 **REIJI LP: 1500 = 750**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Heidel concluded before smiling at Reiji again. "Reiji, I hope you can do more than this. I haven't even used any of my Extra Deck Monsters yet."

Before Reiji could even think of responding to the Supreme Commander's remark, an announcement from Duel Disk interrupted the two of them.

{DUEL INTRUSION: BATTLE ROYAL MODE}

Reiji and Heidel turned to see Leo joining the Duel, having started his Draw Phase.

"Dad!" Reiji exclaimed with mixed shock and relief.

"With Scale 1 Spirit Reactor and Scale 8 Spirit Gem, I Set the Pendulum Scale! With this I can simultaneously Summon Level 2 to 7 Monsters! Pendulum Summon! Appear!" Leo summoned two Monsters to his Field as two lights came out from the Pendulum Scale.

"Spirits of the heavens and earth! Cleanse my hands of filthy sins and become the cornerstone of the world! Pendulum Summon! Appear now! Spirit Tech Force - Pendulum Governor (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 7)!" Leo summoned Pendulum Governor and then followed by Spirit Crystal – Salamander's Core (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 2), both in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Spiritual Reflections. I can negate the effect of monsters as many as Spirit Tech monsters I control until the end of this Turn." Since Leo was controlling two monsters, he was able to seal both Heidel's monsters' effects.

"I activate Pendulum Governor's Effect! By releasing a Spirit Crystal Monster that was Pendulum Summoned from the hand this Turn that has not activated its Effect, I can allow Pendulum Governor to use that card's effect up to twice this turn!" Leo Released Salamander's Core, giving its Effect to Pendulum Governor.

"I can destroy two monsters and inflict 800 damage to the player! I destroy your Time Machine Gods!" Leo first pointed at Sadion, sending a blast that destroyed the yellow-colored Time Machine God. He then pointed at Kamion, sending the same blast and destroyed it as well.

 **HEIDEL LP: 4000 = 2400**

"However, due to Sadion's effect, I recover my LP." Heidel reminded of Sadion's effect as he regained his LP, but Leo didn't let it bother him.

 **HEIDEL LP: 2400 = 4000**

"I activate Magic Card: Spirit Xyz! When I have two Spirit Monsters in my Pendulum Zones with the same Levels, I can use them as Materials to Xyz Summon! I Overlay my Level 1 Spirit Reactor and Spirit Gem! Xyz Summon! Appear now! Master Spirit Tech Force – Xyz Ruler (ATK: 100 / DEF: 100 / RNK: 1 / ORU: 2)!" Leo summoned his Xyz Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Xyz Ruler's Effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can increase its ATK equal to half of my LP!" Leo increased Xyz Ruler's ATK to 2100.

"Battle! I attack directly with Xyz Ruler!" Leo pointed at the Supreme Commander. The four orbs around Xyz Ruler's body shot purple lasers towards Heidel. The Supreme Commander placed both his arms in front of him, partially protecting him from the lasers that dealing him considerable damage.

 **HEIDEL LP: 4000 = 1900**

"Next, I attack with Pendulum Governor!" Leo declared his second attack with his Pendulum Monster. Pendulum Governor shot its own laser towards the Supreme Commander.

"Trap Card: Time Machine Revival! When I'm being targeted for Direct Attack while there's Time Machine God Monster in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon one Time Machine Monster in Defense Position, but its effects are negated and it'll leave the Field during my next StandBy Phase." Heidel summoned the defensive Sadion with its effect negated, protecting Heidel from the second attack.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Government Synchronization! When I control a Special Summoned Spirit Tech Force Monster, I can Special Summon a Tuner Monster from my Deck and then use it and the Spirit Tech Force Monster I control to Synchro Summon!" Leo summoned Spirit Crack from his Deck in Attack Position in the Main Zone next to Xyz Ruler.

"I Tune Pendulum Governor with Spirit Crack (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 8! Master Spirit Tech Force – Syncho Ruler (ATK: 2300 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 8)!" This time Leo summoned his Synchro Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Battle! I once again attack Sadion with Synchro Ruler!" Leo commenced attack with his Synchro Monster. Synchro Ruler's laser went straight through the Time Machine God, striking Heidel who endured the blast that shoved him several steps back.

"Due to the effect of Government Synchronization, when Synchro Ruler battles, it can inflict 500 damage to my opponent!" Leo declared as Synchro Ruler made additional attack, pushing Heidel further back but still remain standing.

 **HEIDEL LP: 1900 = 1400**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Leo concluded.

"Are you sure it's okay for you to interfere, Professor?" Heidel questioned, wordlessly reminding Leo of the hostages in his grasp. Leo turned to his son.

"If you are here, then I have no doubt that you must have succeeded in rescuing Yusho and Reira. I have no reason to just stand and watch. I'm going to put a stop to this with my own hands." Leo replied without a shroud of hesitation. He has fully prepared for whatever will come at him in this Duel. There was no time left.

Reiji smiled at his father and nodded in agreement. "That's right. We will end your ambition in this Turn, Heidel Aberforth." He told the Supreme Commander with renewed resolve before starting his Turn.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Contract of Demon's Fairy Tale. By paying half of my LP, I can add 3 Spell Cards to my hand, but once they're used, those cards will be banished!" Reiji paid half of his LP again to retrieve DDD Fusion, DDD Xyz, and DDD Synchro from his Deck.

 **REIJI LP: 750 = 375**

"I activate all of the Magic Cards that I used on my first Turn! Descend once more! My three Ultimate Doom Kings!" Reiji repeated his first move, summoning Purplish Hell Armageddon, Dark Hell Armageddon, and Whitest Hell Armageddon back to his Field in the Main Zone.

"Supreme Commander, the tide has turned. You may still have Sadion on your side, but I'm warning you it won't last if you continue. My Contract of Demon's Fairy Tail will make sure of that. I ask for you to concede. It is not too late." Reiji warned the Supreme Commander, giving the man the chance to surrender. Sadly, as he has expected, the man refused to bow down in defeat.

"Losing here is not an option. That would mean abandoning the will of my fallen comrades." Heidel looked up and his face startled Reiji and Leo. There was no polite smile that he has the whole time. In its place was a confident grin that was almost close to frigid sneer.

"But more than anything, you were mistaken if you believe I have no means of defense at this point. Thanks to Zaphion's earlier effect, I now have all the cards I needed in my hand." Heidel's eyes glinted as he held up the cards in his hand, though he didn't reveal them yet. He meant it when he said it.

"But first, I activate Trap Card: Space Magnitude! When my opponent Special Summoned monsters, until the end of this Turn, only a Normal Summoned Monster can declare Battle Phase." Heidel effectively sealed Reiji's means to enter Battle Phase. He couldn't attack now even though the Time Machine God's effect has been sealed.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Reiji reluctantly ended his Turn. But he won't let this drop his spirit. Now that his father was by his side, the chances to win against Heidel has opened wider. Reiji's eyes met with his father's. They didn't need to speak outloud to know what they were trying to say. Leo will support him, and Reiji whole-heartedly accepted that support.

"For you to trusts your son this much, you must have raised him very well, Professor." Heidel suddenly commented, noticing the silent exchange between father and son.

"No. My son has grown up into a fine man on his own in my absence. In fact, as I am sure you already knew, I had abandoned him once for my own foolish selfishness. I'm regretting that I couldn't see his growth with my own eyes." Leo admitted. After he started reconnecting with his family again, he realized how much his son has grown up. Before the war, the last time he had seen his son, he was still a child. More mature than child his age, but still has childish side that he showed in his own intellectual way that bemused Leo as a father. And now, that little Reiji was no more. He regretted missing the moments his son growing up.

"However, there's one thing that has never changed even after we were apart. I'm always proud of Reiji. Even if our paths differs, I'm always proud of my son." Leo revealed. Even when they were at the opposing side during the war, despite the condescending things he said to his son, he was actually proud of him for becoming such a skilled Duelist and President of Leo Corporation. No ordinary person would be able to accomplish those achievements at his age. He respected his son and very proud of him.

" _Dad…"_ Reiji was speechless at his father's sudden honesty. His chest felt warm for every word that his father has spoken. Because he actually had been waiting for those words. When he was little, he strove to help his father and be someone that would fulfil his expectations and make him proud. Now, that childhood goal has came true.

Heidel nodded in understanding. "I can understand the feeling of being proud of your son. I was a father who had a son too in the past. Looking at the two of you, I feel guilty because this is the start and the end…for the both of you." Heidel's eyes narrowed dangerously as he picked the first card in his hand.

"I activate Magic Card: Time Machine Synchro Gate. I can Special Summon two Time Machine God monsters from my Deck or Graveyard and use them as materials for Synchro Summon." Heidel revived Sadion and Kamion that was destroyed by Leo. With Sadion being treated as Level 1 Tuner Monster, Heidel began tuning Kamion with Sadion.

"This is…!" Reiji's expression started to pale when he heard the card's name. It was similar with his and Yuya's cards…

"Appear! Level 11! Earthbound God Epunamun (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 11)!" Heidel summoned his strongest monster in Attack Position in the Extra Monster Zone. The Earthbound God hissed menacingly at Reiji and Leo upon its summoning.

"Roget!" Reiji exclaimed at the sight of the monster.

"I activate Earthbound God Epunamun's effect. Once per Turn, I can summon as many Earthbound Gods as I can from my Deck, but at the end of Turn, they'll be destroyed." Heidel summoned Earthbound God Chacu Challuca (ATK: 2900 / DEF: 2400 / LV: 10) and Earthbound God Cusillu (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2400 / LV: 10) in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"When Synchro Monster is summoned through Time Machine Synchro Gate's effect, I can activate Quick-Play Spell: Time Machine Fusion Gate. I can Special Summon two Time Machine God monsters from my Deck or Graveyard and perform Fusion Summon other than the Synchro summoned Monster." Heidel revived Sadion and Kamion again and then fuse them together.

"As I thought, those cards have similar effects as mine and Yuya's cards!" Reiji stated in alarm. He didn't like where this was going.

"Fusion Summon! Appear! First of the Dragons, Wyrm (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 9)!" Heidel summoned Wyrm in Attack Position in the Main Zone next to Epunamun, roaring at his master's opponents.

"First Synchro, and now Fusion. Then the next one would be…" Leo knew what the next one would be…

"When Fusion Monster is summoned through Time Machine God Fusion Gate, I can activate Quick-Play Spell: Time Machine God Xyz Gate from my hand. I special summon two Time Machine God monsters with the same Level from my Deck or Graveyard and perform Xyz Summon with other monsters I control!" Heidel revived Sadion and Kamion, and then opened the Overlay Network using them with the addition of Chacu Calluca and Cusillu, making the four monsters Overlay Units.

"Xyz Summon! Come forth, Rank 10! Chaos Numbers 92: Fake-Body Void Dragon, Heart-eartH Chaos Dragon (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 0 / RNK: 10 / ORU: 4)!" Heidel summoned his Xyz Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone next to Wyrm.

"It's useless! With the effects of my Ultimate Doom Kings, your monsters won't stand a chance against us–" Reiji's reminder was cut off by the Suprem Commander who explained his further move.

"I have prepared for that. By banishing the three spell cards from my Graveyard, all of my monsters' ATKs are increased by 800 and they are unaffected by monster effects until my next StandBy Phase." Heidel increased Epunamun's ATK to 3800, Wyrm's ATK to 3500, and Heart-eartH Chaos Dragon's ATK to 4200 (Who has the addition of its ATK increased by 600 for each Overlay Unit it has). To make it worse for his opponents, each of them were protected by invisible barrier that would deflect any effect that both Reiji and Leo's monsters have.

"Impossible!" Leo exclaimed in disbelieve.

Heidel turned to Reiji. "You only have 375 LP left, Reiji Akaba. I'm afraid that this is as far as you can go."

Heidel opened his mouth and pointed his finger at Reiji, preparing to commence his attack on the youth. However, before just as he declared Battle Phase, Leo opened his Reverse Card, turning the attention to himself.

"I won't let that happen! I activate Continuous Trap Card: Stealth Magnetism! When my opponent declares Battle Phase, I can choose the target of the attack!" Leo stated. He won't let his son fall here. Years ago, he failed to stop his daughter and as the result he lost her forever. He won't make the same mistake again this time. He won't lose his son. He couldn't lose another one of his children anymore. He will protect his son without fail so he can walk the path to the bright future with his friends and the other young generations.

"Dad?!" Reiji's face went completely paled at his father's action. With his current monsters against Heidel's monsters, he won't stand a chance.

Leo was blown back by the explosion as his Xyz Monster was destroyed by Heidel's Epunamun, which also injured him in the process.

 **LEO LP: 4000 = 2300**

"Stop it, Dad! You've done enough!" Reiji ran to his father, but Leo had his Synchro Monster to stop Reiji on his track, placing a distance between them as to not let Reiji get hurt.

"No. This is fine, Reiji… I have prepared for this to happen…" Leo said as a sad smile formed on his face.

"For a whole year I've been reflecting on my actions. On my sins. Even until now, the faces of those whom I had harmed keeps haunting me every time I slept." Leo's hand trembled as he remembered all the faces of the victims whom he had hurt. Their hatred-filled faces as they condemned him for his actions. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't get them out of his mind.

"I wanted to atone for events of the past even if no apology can undo the harm I have wrought. And this is what I've discovered." Leo pressed the screen of his Duel Disk, sending something to Reiji's Duel Disk.

"I thought should demise come for me, at least I ought to leave something behind…a strength…I hope can help you and your friends…"

Leo was blown away again as Heidel's Xyz Monster destroyed Leo's last remaining monster on the Field, and this time he hit his back on the mirror wall behind him where the reactor that connects to the various portals that was in the process of uniting into dimension could be seen. The mirror cracked from the impact of the hit.

 **LEO LP: 2300 = 1100**

"Once this is over, please take care of Yuri. I had hurt that child. For years I've made him suffer. And just when I decided to do something for him, this is what happened… This is my punishment…" Leo now regretted that he didn't confront Yuri earlier. If he knew this would happen, he would have act faster. After the war, after he decided to repent for his action, he always kept tabs on Yuri's progress, wishing to make up for what the boy had gone through. But he never had the courage to confront the boy directly. He was too afraid of the boy's rejection. And just yesterday he decided to finally go through with his courage he finally has, things became like this.

"I'm truly sorry. Even until now…I can only…trouble you with my…request…" Leo apologized as he started coughing out blood. The last blow did it. It took everything he has to just keep standing. He won't be able to deal with the next one. He knew that this was the end.

He had lots of regrets that he didn't get to resolve. He didn't get to repent and didn't get atone for his actions enough. He was ashamed of himself. His eyes shifted to the Duel Disk Reiji was wearing. It was the same Duel Disk he had given to him when he was still 7 years old. Even though there should be already more advanced Duel Disk, Reiji still decided to stick with the same Duel Disk he had given to him. He didn't know if Reiji just thought he didn't see the need to change because he could just update it himself or he held sentimental value of it, whatever the reason, Leo was still happy. He was sad that he won't have future with his son, unable to see him grow up into adult. But at least he could protect his son for one last time.

"You're still using that Duel Disk I gave you…I'm happy…and proud of you…" Leo smiled at his son for one last time before his body was engulfed in Wyrm's blast, breaking the wall behind him.

 **LEO LP: 1100 = 0**

Leo's body fell down from the broken wall. He looked at his son who desperately trying to reach for him. Leo used the last of his strength to give one final encouragement, even if his son couldn't her him.

"You can win…Rei…ji…"

Reiji's face was filled with pure terror as he saw his father fell down into the reactor and disappeared without a trace. Each moment he had shared with his father, both the good and the bad, all played in his mind at once like a broken record until it ended with his father's last smile.

"DAAAAAAD!"

Reiji couldn't take it anymore. The scream that was stuck on his throat, the tears that have been holding back at the corner of his eyes, all of them were finally unleashed as Reiji fell to his knees. Sacrifices were always necessary in war whether they like it or not. It was inevitable. It hurts to lose comrades. But losing his father, and worse he got killed right in front of his very eyes, the pain was cruciating. The pain was beyond what he had ever expected. The warmth he had from his father before was gone completely. There was nothing left in him.

Despair would have taken a hold of Reiji if not for one thing…

"It is unfortunate to lose a man of high caliber as the Professor."

Reiji flinched when he heard Heidel speaking behind him while Reiji was still staring at where his father has fallen.

"However, it is not in vain. His sacrifice shall be remembered as one of the greatest foundations for the new world that shall be created from here on. I'll make sure the story of his noble deeds be passed down to the future generations." Heidel stated, bowing as a form of respect for Leo.

While Heidel's words might meant to respect and comfort the death of the Professor, to Reiji, that was nothing but mockery. Nothing but gibberish. Reiji's body was trembling. His hands clenched into fists that they were bleeding. He rose back. His whole body felt hot. His father last moments kept replaying in him. Heidel's words was like poring oil into the fire. How dare him. How dare this man said that when he was the one who did the killing.

There's no way he would lose to this man.

"The only story that would be passed down, is the end of your ambition…!"

Reiji glared at Heidel with renewed vigor. While he was furious, he was still able to remain calm at the same time. His father has given him the opportunity for him to win. His father has given his life to protect him. He won't let his sacrifice go to waste. That was the only way for him to repay his father's last act.

"My Turn!" Reiji began his Turn.

" _Each of his monsters are protected by the Gate Spell Cards' effect that rendering my monsters' effects useless. I can increase my monsters' ATKs to overpower them, but the difference won't be enough to deplete his LP…"_

Reiji looked at the remaining cards in his hand including the one he just drew. He assessed his monsters on the Field and the cards he has in his Graveyard and Extra Deck as well. He thought up of strategies and possibilities whilst taking Heidel's Deck into consideration. From them, he reached one solution. One risky but yet could also be the most effective solution.

" _As I thought, with the cards I have now, this is the only chance I have…!"_ Reiji has made up his mind. It's now or never.

"With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Be revived, my monster!" Reiji summoned one of his Hell Armageddons in Attack Position in the Main Zone next to his Ultimate Doom Kings.

"I activate Magic Card: Contract of Demon Exchange! I target 1 DDD monster I control, and then give control that DDD monster to my opponent!" Reiji gave Dark Armageddon to Heidel, surprising the Supreme Commander.

" _He's giving me one of his strongest Monsters?"_ Heidel thought in confusion.

"Battle! I attack The First Dragon, Wyrm, with Purplish Hell Armageddon!" Reiji began his attack immediately with his Fusion-Pendulum Monster. Purplish made its shot at the dragon, but Wyrm was unschated while Purplish perished as the two monsters have the same ATKs.

"Wyrm can only be destroyed by Normal Monster. You've wasted your monster for nothing." Heidel criticized Reiji's move, but Reiji was undaunted and kept on.

"Magic Card: Purple Warp! When a Fusion Monster I control is destroyed by Battle, I can use that monster and a DD monster in my hand as Fusion Materials to Fusion Summon a monster that has the same Level as that monster!" Reiji fused Purplish with DD Spirit from his hand.

"Fusion Summon! Appear before me! Level 10! DDD Wave Oblivion King Caesar Ragnarok (ATK: 3200 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10)!" Reiji summoned King Caesar Ragnarok in Attack Position in the Main Zone next to Whitest Hell Armageddon.

"I activate DDD Wave Oblivion King Caesar's effect! I can return 1 DD card or Contract card I control to my hand and then equip 1 face-up monster my opponent control to this card and gains ATK equal to the combined original ATK of the monsters equipped with this effect!" Reiji returned Whitest Hell Armageddon to his Extra Deck and then equipped Dark Armageddon that increased King Caesar Ragnarok's ATK to 6700.

"Also, once per Turn, if a monster I control is destroyed by Battle or effect, Hell Armageddon gains ATK equal to that monster's ATK until the end of this Turn!" Reiji increased Hell Armageddon's ATK to 6500.

"I see. You gave me Dark Hell Armageddon so you can increase Caesar Ragnarok's effect." Heidel mused.

"I attack once more with King Caesar Ragnarok!" Reiji targeted Heidel's Xyz Monster. King Caesar Ragnarok easily strike down the dragon monster, burning it into ashes without leaving a single trace.

 **HEIDEL LP: 4000 = 1500**

With this, Heidel's monster with strongest ATK was out of picture. Only two more left. Even though Wyrm could only be destroyed by Normal Monster, it couldn't nulify damage. One attack was all it takes to bring Heidel down.

"Next, I attack with Hell Armageddon!" Reiji then targeted Heidel's Wyrm.

"That won't work! I activate Time Machine Revival's effect from Graveyard! When my LP is below 2000, I can banish this card to Special Summon a Time Machine God monster from my Deck in Attack Position, and my opponent must attack this card instead!" Heidel banished his Trap Card and revived Sadion back to his Field. It moved to block the incoming attack against Wyrm.

"But Time Machine Revival's effect negate the effects of your Time Machine God Monster!" Reiji reminded, still remembering the Trap Card's effect that Heidel used in previous Turns.

"That is only if I activate this card from the Field. From the Graveyard, however, is a different matter." Heidel revealed. The attack connects, Sadion successfully blocked Hell Armageddon's purple laser, protecting both Wyrm and Heidel.

"And due to Sadion's effect, I recover my LP." Heidel added as he immediately reganed the LP he has lost.

 **HEIDEL LP: 1500 = 4000**

"I praise your efforts. You are truly a first-rated Duelist. In fact, I think first-rate is not enough to describe how strong you are. It's unfortunate that you have chosen the wrong side and face against me. You have used up your last chance for victory." Heidel stated, feeling sorry for the youth. It was a waste that he couldn't recruit him into his side.

However, to the Supreme Commander's surprise, Reiji's lips curved into a smile. He fixed his glasses before facing Heidel again with more confidence than he had ever shown to anybody.

"No. I actually have been waiting for you to summon that monster." Reiji told Heidel as he picked the final in his hand and activated it.

"Quick-Play Spell: Fusion Cancel! I return my Fusion Monster to my Extra Deck and revive the monsters used as Fusion Materials!" Reiji returned Caesar Ragnarok to his Extra Deck, reviving DD Spirit. Since Purplish was partly Pendulum Monster, it was in the Extra Deck, so it could not be summoned back.

"What can you do with bringing that monster? Its ATK is nothing compared to any of my monsters." Heidel pointed out.

"I'll let you know that monster is a Tuner Monster." Reiji answered before opening his face-down card.

"Trap Card: Urgent Tuning! I can perform Synchro Summon during Battle Phase with monsters I control!" Reiji used the Level 2 Ghost to tune the Level 8 Hell Armageddon.

"Synchro Summon! Appear once more, Whitest Hell Armageddon!" Reiji revived Whitest Hell Armageddon back to his Field in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Whitest Hell Armageddon's effect. When this card is summoned, my opponent must choose 1 Pendulum Monster he controls. Other than the targeted monster, all other monsters' effects are negated." Reiji declared.

"My monsters are still protected by the Spell Cards that I used to summon them. Your effects won't do anything against them." Heidel reminded, but Reiji shook his head.

"You don't have any Pendulum Monster on your Field, so all of your monsters' effects are negated. Since Epunamun and Wyrm are protected by your Spell Cards' effect, Whitest Hell Armageddon's effect won't affect them, just like you said." Reiji confirmed, still remembering the effects well. But he then turned to Heidel's Time Machine God Monster.

"However, the same cannot be said to your Sadion that you've just summoned!" Reiji pointed out. The cards only affected the monsters summoned through the Spell Cards, not Sadion that was an effect monster, which means it was vulnerable to Whitest's effect, fully sealing its effects.

At that, Heidel finally became unnerved. He realized too late. Along with it, he came into realization. Reiji has been waiting for this. He summoned and used his earlier monsters to attack not with the purpose of depleting his LP right at that moment, but to lead him into summoning one of his Time Machine God monsters. It has useful effects, but its ATK was still 0. Without its effect, Sadion was nothing against Reiji's monsters. Reiji knew this and exploited that weakness.

"Due to DD Spirit's effect, Whitest's ATK is increased by 500." Reiji increased Whitest's ATK to 4000, exactly as Heidel's own LP.

Heidel smiled, slumping both his arms to his side against the insistent of Epunamun for him to fight back. He has no card left to get out of this situation. This was truly the end of him.

"Battle! I attack Sadion the Time Machine God with Whitest Hell Armageddon!"

Reiji declared the final Battle Phase. Whitest Hell Armageddon shot at Sadion that was standing in front of its master to protect him from receiving direct blow of the backlash. It was proven to be useless though at the face of Whitest Hell Armageddon's overwhelming power that was filled with Reiji's determination at its peak. Heidel could do nothing but stood still and being engulfed by the blast, closing his eyes in defeat.

 **HEIDEL LP: 4000 = 0**

Reiji saw Heidel's body lying on his back on the floor. Seeing the motionless form of the Supreme Commander, Reiji's legs finally given up on him and he fell on his knees, letting out all the stress that has been building up in him. His gaze fell on his Duel Disk, bringing back the childhood memory when he first received the Duel Disk from his father.

"It's over…Dad…"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Lavender and Daffodil –** Despite having defeated Heidel, Reiji noticed something was odd with Heidel's body. At the same time, Serena and Yura are cornered by a group of Duel viruses created by Heidel. Despite the odds in number, Yura challenge the whole group alone.

* * *

 **Finally done with this chapter! It's been so long since I've last written a chapter with this length. Although, I wrote it in hurry, so maybe there are lots of mistakes, and I'm very sorry for that. For the next chapters onwards, I've been itching to give Yuya and the others some actions after their absence lately.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	87. Lavender and Daffodil

**THE RIFT – LINK VRAINS – NETWORK – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Zarc, Ray, and Yuri were still standing on guard in front of the Rift. Zarc didn't want to admit it, but by now he agreed with Yuri that he was bored just standing and doing nothing. Rather than the Rift, he was worried about his friends who were infiltrating Ramssess Fortress. Sure, Yuri gave them updates of what was happening over there once in a while, but it still won't disminished his worries. But there's no way he could complain outloud. Anything could happen, so he must take his current assignment seriously.

Zarc was startled when he heard a thud on his right. Turning to the side, his face immediately contorted with another worry when his eyes saw Ray falling on her knees with trembling body while her arms were hugging herself. It didn't take a second for Zarc to quickly kneel down to check on his childhood friend.

"Ray? What's wrong?" Zarc asked gently with his hand on her shoulder. When he looked closer to her face, he was even more surprised when he found her crying, tears streaming down from her glassy eyes.

"Is something the matter? Are you hurt anywhere?" He asked again, cupping the right side of her face while wiping her tear with his thumb, trying to sooth her in any way he could.

Ray shook her head before holding Zarc's hand that was holding her face.

"I…I don't know myself…but…"

Ray placed a hand on her chest as tears continued to stream down. She didn't understand it herself, but she her heart was aching. Her heart was crying out. It was like it was about to be ripped out from her body. She felt she has just lost one of the most important things in her life, but yet she didn't know what it was. But the pain was evident. It won't stop. Her very being was close to falling into despair.

"The tears…just won't stop… It hurts…"

While Ray was trying her best to get a hold of herself with Zarc's help, none of them noticed Yuri's own stilled form. The violet haired boy was staring up at the blue space resembling the blue sky in the real world. A single tear fell from Yuri's right eye, and Yuri didn't realize it until he felt his cheek was wet. His hand automatically reached for tear track. He felt pain on his chest. The desire to go back to reality became stronger all of a sudden.

And to make it more confusing, Yuri suddenly thought of the Professor. The time when they first met. When he brought him to his care for a while. When he first introduced him to Serena. All the times he experienced the Professor's kindness, whether it was pretense or not, everything came back to him. He couldn't comprehend it. But for some reason, Yuri wanted to meet him. The person responsible for ruining him but at the same time also the first person to acknowledge him.

" _Professor…?"_

 **THRONE ROOM – RAMSSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"It's over..."

Reiji's eyes moved to his Duel Disk. The same Duel Disk that his father had given to him years ago. The last present he ever got from his father. Even though he could have replace it with a new one, Reiji just couldn't bring himself to throw it away. It was the only memento that he has to remember the busy but kind father he had. That time, when the war was still ongoing, there was one time that he thought of throwing it away after what his father had done. But he feared that doing so would make him forget that one precious moment he had with his father. He didn't want to forget that moment. He didn't want to forget the kind father he was. People may think it was foolish and naïve of him, but Reiji couldn't deny deep inside he still loved his father, his family.

They finally had the chance to start everything over. For this whole year they were mending their relationship. So why it has to end this way? Just when they finally became a family again, why must he lost his father? He couldn't even give him a burial.

Reiji couldn't erase the last smile his father gave him before his demise. He was furious of himself for unable to do anything but watch. The helplessness was like a corrosive poison that slowly consuming his entire body. He let his father died right before his eyes. For the first time Reiji felt so useless in his life. He haven't given his father anything or doing anything that help him.

" _Dad…why…? Why are you…leaving me again…? No, how can I be so useless? What President of Leo Corporation? What genius? I couldn't even save my one family…!"_ Reiji gritted his teeth and clenched his fists so hard. His body was trembling from the anger and sadness that he could barely contained.

BEEP

Reiji was snapped out when he heard a beeping sound from his Duel Disk. He looked at the screen and found a programmed has been sent to his Duel Disk. He then remembered that his father sent him something during his last stand.

" _I thought should demise come for me, at least I ought to leave something behind…a strength…I hope can help you and your friends…"_

His friends. That's right. This wasn't the time. It's not completely over yet. There was still something that he must do. He will grieve later, once this is over. Until then he must stay strong. He mustn't let despair take over him. Otherwise, he will lose even more people precious to him.

"I must stop the reactor or at least find a way to slow it down. I should be able to do something from here..." Reiji looked around the whole room, eyes shifting to the many machines on the side of the room. There must be something he could do with that.

Reiji ran towards the machines when a snicker stopped him on his track.

"Hehehehe..."

Reiji slowly turned back to the familiar voice that he thought he would never hear again. His eyes slowly widened when Heidel's body began to twitch as he was covered by thick black aura. It shouldn't be possible. The wielder of Earthbound God should have lost his life when he was defeated in a Duel. That was the consequence of using the cards. So how come Heidel was still alive after that last attack?

"You...have my gratitude, Reiji Akaba..."

"What?" Reiji was startled when the voice began to change. It wasn't Heidel's voice even though it was coming from his mouth. Reiji took a step back when the Supreme Commander stood up completely. For a moment, none of them say a word, and Heidel went still. Reiji took another step back when Heidel suddenly revealed his menacing smile like a madman.

"Thanks to you, I'm finally able to have this body!"

Strong shockwave was unleashed from Heidel's body. The glasses wall broke completely and several things were blown away. It took everything Reiji had to keep his footing while endurin the shockwave. It was then his eyes made contact with Heidel's, and Reiji instantly recognized those eyes that were not Heidel's.

"You're...Roget?!" Reiji exclaimed in shock. It wasn't hard to identify him. And remembering what happened to Yuri and the Four Heavenly Dragons, it was easy to figure out that the human-turned-Earthbound God has now possessed the Supreme Commander's body, and Reiji has unknowingly helped him in attaining it.

"Normally, those who used Earthbound God's power and lost would have disappeared into dust. But with my current power, stopping that and taking over this body is not a problem." Roget revealed while feeling his new body. He felt being alive again. Being alive as a Duel Monster and alive as a human was different to him. It was difficult to move as Duel Monster, but now that he has a vessel, he could anything as he please from now on.

"Now finally, I'll be able to fulfil my own ambition! I shall unite the dimensions and emerge as its rightful ruler!" Roget laughed madly, opening his arms wide as more power surging into his new body.

"But first, I'll have to get rid of you, Lancers, who had ruined and killed me!" Roget glared at Reiji. He would never forget what he had gone through after the whole trouble the Lancers had given him. All those years slowly taking over control of the City was destroyed by the interference of Lancers. If it were not for them, he would have became the king.

"That won't happen! Even if you do defeat me here, my comrades will reach the core and stop the reactor! Until then, I won't let you take one step out from this room!" Reiji stood his ground, once again on his battle stance.

"You think I'll let them? I have sent some guards to take care of them. Especially for Yuya Sakaki, I'll make sure to end the one who ruined my plan the most with my own hands!" Roget sneered.

"I already told you, I won't let you take even one step out from this room, let alone laying a finger on our leader." Reiji activated his Duel Disk, glaring at the former Security Chief.

Roget merely chuckled before activating his Duel Disk as well. While Reiji had successfully exposed his real motive to the entire City, Yuya was the one who united the entire City and destroyed any little chance he has left to win over the citizens. Of course, there was also Yuri who killed him. He would also kill that boy later once he found him. He will gave that one boy a slow painful death. But first, he'll take care of Yuya who was in this fortress.

"Oh, I'll be there to greet him… I'll make sure of that…"

 **1,500 YEARS AGO – YURA'S ROOM – THE BROTHERHOOD HQ – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ORIGINAL DIMENSION**

Yura was humming while reading through a book about plants, the fifth book that he read amongst piles of ten books he has. After discovering her love for planting like the real Yura did, Claire brought her various books about plants that she thought she would like. And true enough, Yura loved the books given to her and couldn't stop reading them. They were so interesting, and her monsters were also enjoying it the same way she did.

"Look here. Apparently we can use plants for communication. Plants have various symbolism that we can use as a message. With plants, we can create codes that only we knows and the enemies won't notice." Yura said to her monster spirits who were reading together with her by her side. Her mind quickly thought of various possible codes she could make and then use to help her in later battles.

"But we have to be thorough. Because there are many plants that have more than one meanings or have different meanings depending on the colors. I musn't make a mistake memorizing them." Yura stated while reading the list of meanings of different colored roses, completed with illustrations.

She flipped the paper to the next page and her eyes shined when she saw two illustrations of two certain flowers.

"Oh, look here! These are the flowers you two are based from!" Yura exclaimed at two cards beside her.

"Lavandula – Lavender. It means devotion or distrust." Yura said to her monster that resembled a lavender but with darker color coupled with fanged mouth spikes-like body.

"And then Narcissus – Daffodil. It means uncertainty, chilvary, respect, unrequited love, return my affections, and new beginning. Wow, you got a lot of meaning to memorize here, Narcissus." Yura said next to her monster that resembled a yellow-colored daffodil but has humanoid shape and another fanged mouth.

"Despite your name, you're not that much of a narcissist. How surprising." Yura commented, earning her what it seemed to be a pout from the said monster, making Yura chuckle.

"I'm just joking." She said before continuing to read the page.

For lavender, while the other meaning was distrust, she was leaning more towards devotion. Lavandula was devoted to her, always listening to every small thing she has in mind. Narcissus has lots of meanings, but if choosing the one the most fitting for her monster, that would be unrequited love. It was as clear as day that the monster has a crush on her. Not just some short childish crush. Even though she doesn't return its affection, it still didn't stop it from loving her, and she appreciated it for his love.

Little she knew that those two meanings eventually also apply to her in the future.

 **PRESENT TIME – WEAPON STORAGE – RAMSSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"First the digitization and now this huge door…" Serena commented while looking at herself who was in a form of her avatar, Artemis, before looking at the door in front of her.

After walking for who knows how long in the seemingly unending hallway, they finally reached the end of it, coming face to face with a huge wide iron door in front of them. Being an iron door, it took quite a strength from the two girls to push open the door.

What welcomed them was a wide room filled with various weapon that ranged from firearms to even missiles. They both thought they shouldn't be too surprised considering the fact that they were inside the biggest fortress in the whole empire.

"Now that I think of it, does Duel really necessary in a war? If they have these many weapons, there's no need for Dueling in the first place, right?" Serena questioned while looking at the weapons. With these many weapons, they could just attack without the need to Duel or the sort.

"After the last war 1,500 years ago, the use of these weapons are strictly limited because we don't want to the risk of breaking Apophis' seal. And since ancient times, us, Duel Monsters spirits, would agree to participate in human war only through Dueling. If we just participate directly, it will cause more casualties than necessary and it may spark hatred between two races." Yura answered. This agreement forced the humans who needs the power of Duel Monsters to settle things through Duel. Plus, through Dueling, the casualties and destructions were not so much, so humans, either good or bad, found it more convenient. But most of all, the peace treaty between humans and Duel Monsters was not disturbed. If Duel Monsters do the dirty jobs directly, that may drove the humans to hate Duel Monsters and another war like what happened in ancient times may occur again. But with this, that could be avoided.

"It would be nice if things here is as peaceful as back at ARC-V." Yura remarked. After the war a year ago, mainly after Yuya's final Duel against Reiji, a law was set that prohibited Dueling to be used as a tool of war and it can only be used purely for Entertainment purposes. The same also goes for the Real Solid Vision System. The technology can only be used for Dueling and other purposes that would help society and must not be used as weapons and the sort. Should any country break this law, they'll be severely punished.

"Although, with the invasion at ARC-V from both Apophis and Heidel's side, I don't think we have a choice but to put aside that law at least until this war is over…" Serena sighed in exasperation.

"No. We'll make sure that law be gone once and for all."

Serena and Yura gasped when the door slammed shut. Behind them stood three Obelisk Forces grinning wildly at them. However, even though the design were similar, especially the gems on their helmets, the color of their clothes were black-colored instead of blue. That could only mean one thing.

"I recalled many prisoners of Academia who committed severe crimes during the war were freed when Apophis invaded. But I see that Heidel has taken that opportunity to recruit some of those prisoners to his side." Yura stated condescendingly at the former Obelisk Forces.

"Commander has promised us everything that we deserve." The one with red gem said.

"And the best part is we'll be able to get our revenge on you guys!" The one with green gem said.

"Fools never learn their mistakes." Yura sighed with disappointment before turning on her Duel Disk. Serena was about to join as well, but Yura raised her hand to stop her.

"Step back, Serena. You're still exhausted after that Duel against Emilio. I want a piece of action myself. Besides, I'm alone would be enough to handle these weaklings." Yura said while licking his lips at her preys.

"Don't think that we are the same as before! We'll show you the power of our new Decks bestowed by the Supreme Commander!" The one with yellow gem said as he and his comrades activated their Duel Disks.

"Against you bugs, no need for Action Field. I can do just fine without Action Cards." Yura said, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm going first. From my hand, I summon Predator Plants Hoya Lavandula (ATK: 600 / DEF: 200 / LV: 3)." Yura summoned Lavandula in Attack Position.

"When I normal summoned a Level 4 or lower Predator Plants monster, I can Special Summon Predator Plants Carnosa Narcissus (ATK: 600 / DEF: 600 / LV: 3) from my hand." Yura special summoned Narcissus in Attack Position next to Lavandula.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yura ended her Turn.

"Oh, and before you can even think about it, I have already programmed the Battle Royal rule in my Duel Disk that all players cannot attack on their first Turn." Yura interrupted before her opponent could make his move. As expected, they were frowning in annoyance.

"Not very pleased, aren't you? Unfortunately for you, I have learned a lot in Academia, so I have anticipated the most basic strategy in Battle Royal Duel. Especially the one you, former Obelisk Forces, used. But at least you can still draw on your first Turn." Yura said with a giggle at their reaction. This would be fun.

"You'll pay for that! My Turn! I summon Giga-Tech Wolf (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1400)!" Red summoned his first monster in Attack Position.

"It's not the usual Antique Gear Deck… Must be the Deck that Heidel's men usually are using." Serena mumbled while looking at the unfamiliar monster.

"I activate Continuous Magic Card: Giga-Tech Catapult! I can discard three Machine-Type monsters from my hand to inflict 500 damage to my opponent!" Red discarded Ground Attacker Bugroth, Cyber Falcon and Oni Tank T-34 from his hand to the Graveyard. The catapult shot at Yura, pushing her back.

 **YURA LP: 4000 = 3500**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Red concluded.

"My Turn! I also activate Continuous Magic Card: Giga-Tech Catapult! I discard three Machine-Type monsters from my hand to inflict 500 damage to my opponent!" Green repeated the same move that Red used, inflicting another 500 damage to Yura.

 **YURA LP: 3500 = 3000**

"Heh! How do you like that?! We can't attack, but we can still inflict damage to you! With the three of us, you won't stand a chance in the next Turn!" Green said with mockery, followed by his two teammates snickering.

"At this moment, I activate Giga-Tech Hyena's effect from Graveyard! When this card is sent to the Graveyard through a Giga-Tech card effect, I can Special Summon it!" Green revived Giga-Tech Hyena (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 800 / LV: 4) in Attack Position.

"I release Giga-Tech Hyena to Advance Summon Machine King (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 6)!" Green summoned Machine King in Attack Position.

"I activate Machine King's effect! It gains 100 ATK for every Machine-Type Monster on the Field!" Since there were two Machine-Type Monsters, including Machine King itself, Green increased Machine King's ATK to 2400.

"I end my Turn." Green concluded.

Yura wiped a dust from her cloth from the last attack before speaking to Serena before turning to her.

"Serena, no matter what happen, don't interfere. As I said, I'll be fine alone. No need for you to worry." Yura told her, emphasizing don't interfere part to make her message clear.

"…Alright. You're Yuri's ace monster, so I know you won't be taken down by these guys." Serena crossed her hand and leaned her back on nearby wall, intending to watch the Duel to the end. She has faced against Starve Venom in her many Duels against Yuri, so she knew how strong of Duel Monster Starve Venom is. And becoming a human won't change that fact. She just knew it.

"Talk big while you can! I'm ending you this Turn!" Yellow declared as he began.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Machinator's Fulfillment! I can special summon a Level 6 or lower Machine-Type Monster from my Deck!" Yellow summoned Machine Knight in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I summon Robotic Knight (ATK: 1600 / DEF: 1800) from my hand!" Yellow summoned robot-like knight monster in Attack Position.

"I activate Magic Card: Card of Sanctity! All players must draw cards until they have six cards in their hand!" Yellow and the others, including Yura, drew until they have six cards. Yellow's grin widened when he saw the cards he drew.

"I also activate Continuous Magic Card: Giga-Tech Catapult! I discard three Machine-Type Monsters to inflict 500 damage to my opponent!" Yellow discarded Gradius' Option, Cannon Soldier, and Giga-Tech Hyena from his hand to Graveyard, inflicting another 500 damage like his comrades did to Yura.

 **YURA LP: 3000 = 2500**

"I activate Magic Card: Scrap-Iron Recycling Factory! I banish Machine King and Robotic Knight from my Field to perform Fusion Summon!" Yellow fused Machine King and Robotic Knight together into the Fusion Vortex.

"I guess regardless of the Deck, Fusion Summon is still inseparable part of them." Serena noted.

"Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! Perfect Machine King (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 1500 / LV: 8)!" Yellow summoned his Fusion Monster in Attack Position.

"I activate Continuous Magic Card: Mechanical Night – Clockwork Night! Now all monsters my opponent currently have become Machine-Type monsters and each of those monsters have their ATK decreased by 500 while all Machines that I control gains 500 ATK!" Yellow increased Perfect Machine King's ATK by 2000, making its current ATK at 4700.

"That's not all, I'm just getting started! I activate Perfect Machine King's effect! It gains 500 ATK for every Machine-Type monster on the field!" There were currently five Machine-Type monsters, so Yellow increased his Fusion Monster's ATK to 7200.

"An ATK of 7200…!" Serena's eyes narrowed at the strengthened Fusion Monster. If it attacks Yura's monster and it connects, that would be the end for her. But thanks to Yura's program, it couldn't attack. At least that's what she believed until Yellow proven otherwise.

"Furthermore, due to Clockwork Night's effect, Perfect Machine King can attack this Turn!" Yellow revealed as he pointed at Narcissus.

"Battle! I attack Predator Plants Carnosa Narcissus with Perfect Machine King!" Yellow declared battle. The Fusion Monster's right arm changed into a cannon, pointing at the Predator Plants Monster. It charged to its fullest energy before finally shooting it.

"I activate Hoya Lavandula's effect! When a Predator Plants monster I control is targeted for attack, I can release this card to add this card's ATK to the targeted monster and negate its destruction and halve the attacking monster's ATK until the end of Battle Phase!" Yura released Lavandula right before the shot connect, creating a barrier for Narcissus that increased its ATK to 1200 while lowering Machine King's ATK to 3600.

Yura was nearly blown away by the attack, but managed to keep standing on her feet.

 **YURA LP: 2500 = 100**

"I end my Turn. How do you like that? I praise that you manage to defend yourself, but your LP is only 100 and your puny monsters won't be match against any of us. You don't have what it takes to win against us." Yellow sneered at the Predator Plants user.

"Serves you right for looking down at us." Green joined in to mock her.

"And you're using the same archetype as that bastard Yuri. I heard that he got beaten up so badly by Apophis' goon, right? He finally fell fro his mighty throne to the lowest pit. A year being exiled made him weak, huh?" Red added, stifling a laugh to three of them.

Serena twitched at that. She couldn't let that one slide. She removed herself from the wall to give those former Obelisk Forces thrashes a piece of her mind. However, just as she took a step forward, a strong murderous intent came from Yura. The atmosphere dropped in an instant with that. The laughter from the three opponents stopped and Serena could have sword she saw the shadow of Starve Venom coming from Yura.

"You three have just crossed the line that you shouldn't have…" Yura muttered with a smile that was far too wide and sinister, giving shivers to those who saw it.

"Also, you're calling Lavandula and Narcissus useless? Let me get this straight; not a single card in my Deck is useless." Yura replied as she removed her cloak, placing it aside.

"I intended to hold back since it won't worth a time getting serious against you guys. But you have committed the biggest crime that warrant the strongest punishment." Yura stated.

 **24 HOURS AGO – THE RIFT – LINK VRAINS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Master?"

Yura blinked when she saw her master's new white avatar. It gave him different vibe. It wasn't bad, in fact it was even better than before. Seeing the color theme immediately reminded her of Odd-Eyes Venom. He just changed his avatar, but her master look more…refreshed. It was like he has been reborn.

"What do you think? Do I look good?" Yuri asked her.

"Yes. I think you look great." Yura answered honestly.

"I've decided to change from now on. I won't go back to the way I used to be. I don't want to suffer like that again. I don't want to be trapped in the past anymore." Yuri revealed. Starve Venom, his ace monster would always be the first one to know of something new from him or if there was something happening to him. Even though she was back in her human form, he still felt the same.

"I don't know what's ahead, but will you still accompany me as my ace monster like you always did as Starve Venom?" Yuri asked, eyes serious but his smile didn't fade away.

"That's a silly question, Master. I would never leave you. No matter what path you'll take, I will always be by your side. I'll always be your ally. That's a promise." Yura said while taking Yuri's hands into hers and then leaned closer so that her forehead hit with his.

"Thank you. I'm counting on you as always." Yuri replied.

For a while, they were simply smiling at each other. And then, Yura's hand reached out as if wanting to cup his face, but she stopped midway before she could even touch him and placed her hands back to her sides before pulling away from her master.

"I can't wait to see everybody's reaction when they see your new avatar." Yura said.

"Yeah. I can't wait for that too." Yuri said before reverting his avatar to the old one, not wanting to ruin the surprise later. He returned to the front of the Rift when Zarc and Ray called out to him.

"That was close…" Yura said with a soft sigh.

For a second there, she almost crossed the line she shouldn't have. She wondered since when she felt this way about her master. It was a different feeling when she was still with Zarc. When she call his name and when he call her name, she feel so calm and at the same time it feels like the inside of her chest heats up. She didn't know exactly since when she started to feel this way. It didn't really matter anymore now. All that matter was this feeling she has for him made her strong and allowed her to become his strength.

At the same time, there was also a dull pain that this feeling she has would never be reciprocated.

But it was fine. Even if it was unrequited, her devotion would never change. Even if having this feeling was a sin, if she can walk together with her master, if she can protect him, be it sin or impure desires, she will accept it.

 **PRESENT TIME – WEAPON STORAGE – RAMSSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Those who dares to insult my master, will receive my wrath." Yura glared at the three former Obelisk Forces, beginning her Turn.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Resurrection of the Dead. I summon back Hoya Lavandula from my Graveyard!" Yura revived Lavandula in Attack Position.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Super Fusion! I discard one card to perform Fusion Summon using monster on my Field with monster on the other side of Field or my opponent's Field as materials! I fuse Hoya Lavandula and your Perfect Machine King!" Yura dragged the Fusion Monster into the Fusion Vortex together with Lavandula.

"What?! My Perfect Machine King?!" Yellow was helpless as he watched his monster taken away from him, leaving him without any monster.

"Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 7! Predator Plants Byblis Anemone (ATK: 2400 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 7)!" Yura summoned a monster resembling an anemone but with purplish petal-shaped body and fangs.

"I activate Byblis Anemone's effect! Once per Turn I can increase this card's ATK equal to the combined ATKs of its Fusion Material!" Yura added Machine King and Lavandula's ATK to Anemone, making its current ATK at 5700.

"An ATK of 5100?!" Green exclaimed in disbelieve.

"Battle. I attack Giga-Tech Wolf!" Yura declared her first attack. Byblis Anemone stream of acid that melted Giga-Tech Wolf's entire body. The acid also hit a missile beside the monster, causing it to explode the half of the room, starting a fire. Red was blown away by the explosion as his LP was depleted.

 **RED LP: 4000 = 0**

"But there are still the two of us! On the next Turn, I will–" Green started as he watched Red was taken down, trying to calm himself by reminding himself that he still has his Continuous Magic Card's effect, but Yura interrupted him.

"I activate Narcissus' effect! I can use this card as Fusion Material to perform Fusion Summon with monster on the other side of Field! I fuse Narcissus and Byblis Anemone!" Yura continued to her next Fusion Summon, now fusing her newly summoned Fusion Monster with Narcissus that she has saved for this.

"Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 6! Predator Plants Lionel Philcoxia (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 6)!" Yura summoned a monster resembling a lion but with feature of an orbicular leaf shape and tall, stalked inflorescence.

"I activated Lionel Philcoxia's effect! During Battle Phase, I can make my opponent's monster ATK equal to the ATK of a monster with the lowest ATK in my Graveyard while this card gains ATK equal to the ATK!" Yura changed Machine King's ATK equal to Narcissus' ATK, making its ATK 600, while adding her own monster's ATK to 2600.

"I attack Machine King!" As Yura declared her second attack, Lionel Philcoxia swallowed Machine King a whole, crushing its body with its jaw and sharp teeth.

"Also, when it destroyed a monster targeted by its first effect, the damage would be doubled!" Yura added, allowing Lionel to opened its maw and howl a shockwave that blew away Green together with his LP.

 **GREEN LP: 4000 = 0**

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Fusion Cancel! I send back the Fusion Monster on my Field to my Extra Deck and Special Summon its materials from Graveyard!" Yura revived Byblis Anemone and Narcissus back to her Field while returning Lionel to her Extra Deck.

"I activate Predator Plants Byblis Anemone's effect! When it was summoned from Graveyard, I can Special Summon one of its materials!" Yura revived Lavandula again from her Graveyard.

"I once again activate Narcissus' effect! I fuse it with Lavandula! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! Starve Venus Dragon (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8)!" Yura summoned her ace monster in Attack Position.

"I activate Lavandula's last effect. When this card is used as Fusion Material, I can banish it to double the ATK of my Fusion Monster." Yura increased Starve Venus' ATK to 5600.

Yura grinned at the last standing former Obelisk Force. She has saved the best for the last.

"Say your prayer, scum. I attack directly with Starve Venus Dragon!"

Starve Venus opened the monstrous mouth on its stomach, shooting a deep violet colored blast that blew away Yellow's entire body, exploding the room even more, making it filled with a sea of flames.

 **YELLOW LP: 4000 = 0**

Serena was rendered speechless by the Duel. Yura's form who stood victoriously with the blazing flames behind her looked so beautiful and she couldn't take her eyes off. Yura gave her fallen opponents one last glance before retreating while waving her long hair.

"If I lose to mere pesky pests like you, I don't deserve to be Master's ace monster."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Red Dragon's Show –** Yuto and his group finds where the Duel Monsters were held captive, but the reactor still won't stop. Yuya and Yuji are closing to the reactor, only for their path to be blocked by unexpected adversary.

* * *

 **Due to time constraint, I decided to postpone Yuya and Yuji's Duel and switch it with Yura's. I personally love how Yuri defeated the six You Show students in episode 106 all by himself without breaking a sweat, and since I didn't include it in** _ **Bonds of Pendulum**_ **, I thought of making Yura do something similar with what he did in the anime. Sorry if you feel this Duel is boring.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter.**


	88. The Red Dragon's Show

**REACTOR – RAMSSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"This is it! The reactor!"

Yuto, Yuzo, Ruri, and Shun have finally arrived at the reactor, staring at the tall machine emitting green-colored light that processing the digitization. Small particles were dispersing from the light, and the more it disperses, the faster the digitization progresses. They knew they don't have much time left. Ruri heard a whimpering voices and turned to the right side. Not too far from them, she saw several wide capsules, and to her horror, the Duel Monsters were inside them, all lying motionlessly inside. They were dying.

"Over there! The Duel Monsters that are captured!" Ruri shouted while pointing at the Duel Monsters. She didn't wait for the boys to respond and made a dash towards the capsules.

"Shun, you and Ruri go free the monsters! Yuzo and I will stop the reactor." Yuto told his best friend who complied and chased after his sister. Yuto and Yuzo quickly went to the biggest computer, which they assumed to be the mother computer of the whole reactor. Yuzo brought out his own laptop, connecting it to the mother computer and began to type at fast rate.

"Got it!" Yuzo exclaimed as he began to enter the system. As he had thought, it's heavily encrypted and they need face scan to enter the system. Good thing that Sara taught him and his siblings the art of hacking and everything needed for this scenario.

"Alright! This should do it." Yuzo typed the last key. A few seconds later, the machine stopped emitting the green light and their surroundings started to flickering back to reality.

"It stops! We did it!" Yuzo exclaimed victoriously, which followed by Yuto who patted Yuzo's back while praising him good job.

However, their happiness didn't last long. Only a few seconds after they thought they have stopped it, the machine began activating again like it did a few seconds ago and their surroundings were also back to digital space. Realizing something was amiss, Yuzo turned back to the computer screen as it showed a new window that showed data appearing at accelerating rate.

"Oh no." Yuzo began to type as fast as he could while still being thorough to shut down the system. However, it only repeated what happened earlier.

"What's happening?" Yuto asked.

"Trojan virus. Someone from outside is using it to gain access to the system and reactivate the reactor!" Yuzo revealed while trying his best to follow and stop the virus.

"Can you stop it?" Yuto asked again, tightening his grip on Yuzo's shoulder.

"Yeah. I'm doing it now." Yuzo answered while still focusing on the task. But soon, he slammed his fist on the table out of frustration.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Yuzo hissed as the second he stopped the virus, another one kept coming one after another. He couldn't keep up with this non-stop incoming viruses.

"The virus keeps coming! I can't stop it!" Yuzo admitted as much as he loathe it. He couldn't even delay the progress no matter how hard he tried.

Yuto clenched his teeth before turning to the Kurosaki siblings who were trying to break through the capsules holding the dying Duel Monsters. If the Duel Monsters were freed, then the reactor wouldn't have energies to activate.

"Shun! Ruri! At least free the Duel Monsters! Now!"

 **HALLWAY – RAMSSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Jonouchi and Reid hastened their feet when the building was shaking along with the sound of explosion. From their Duel Disk, they could see that the entire fortress has been completely digitized and it'll be only a matter of time until the whole city and then the whole dimension being digitized. They were so hasty that they didn't pay attention to the sounds of other footsteps as they turned around the corner, causing Jonouchi to bump into someone.

Jonouchi rubbed his nose and was ready to lash out at whoever he has bumped into until he looked up to see the Emperor of Cantidel standing while looking at him with concern.

"Yo-Your Majesty! Pardon my rudeness!" Jonouchi stood up instantly and bowed down with Reid. He was glad his mouth managed to shut out any lash out he almost let out towards the emperor.

"Lord Jonouchi! Lord Reid!" The Emperor was both surprised and relieved to meet them.

"Pardon us! We are glad to see you safe, Your Majesty!" Reid said.

"Yes. Miss Yuzu and her friends protected me." The Emperor said as he inclined his head behind him, showing Yuzu and the others there on guard.

Upon seeing Jonouchi and Reid, Yuzu didn't waste time with long explanation and immediately went straight to the point, holding Jonouchi by both his arms tightly.

"Jonouchi-san! We have to get them out of here fast! This is Yuno-san's order!" Yuzu told him. Yusho placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down a bit before speaking to Jonouchi.

"The digitization that Yuto told us has begun. We have to hurry to stop the reactor. Yuno and Celica already went to stop Heidel. Yuya and Yuji also went to stop the reactor. I don't know yet how the others are faring, but I'm sure they'll be all right. Right now, we must evacuate His Majesty and the others to safety." Yusho explained, trying his best not to keept it too long or too short and got his main point across the Brotherhood Duelists.

Jonouchi looked like he wanted to argue after hearing Yuya and Yuji were not with them, but seeing Reira's small form clinging to Yusho and the Emperor was not in a good shape either, Jonouchi knew that they must evacuate them from the fortress. But at the same time, the thought of leaving Yuya and Yuji by themselves didn't sit well with him. Yuno's warning about a vision he has that involves Yuya's faith were worrying him. He couldn't leave his pupil behind.

"Reid, you go with Yuzu and the others, I'll go help Yuya and Yuji." Jonouchi finally made his decision. With this there shouldn't be a problem. They could still escort His Majesty to safety while making sure Yuya would be safe.

"Hold it, if you're going, then I'm going too!" Reid intruded, not liking to leave Jonouchi by himself. Jonouchi's respond was a hard clap on Reid's arm, causing the young man to wince in pain.

"You're still injured so forget it. I'm alone is more than enough. Try to contact our comrades to have transportation to pick us up and medical support ready outside. You, epspecially, need medical attention." Jonouchi repeatedly pointing at Reid between his eyes, emphasizing how he needs medical attention.

Reid was ready to refute and insisting that he would be fine, but the Emperor shook his head, agreeing with Jonouchi that Reid was in no condition to continue. It was an astonishment for Reid able to come this far through sheer force of will, but now he was close to reach his limit and the Emperor knew it. Not only him, but the rest thought the same. Getting the unspoken order from the Emperor, Reid has no choice but to relent. Who would say no to the direct order of the Emperor himself?

"You already done your part. Leave the rest to me. Don't worry, all of us we'll definitely come back!" Jonouchi promised and quickly made another dash, not looking back anymore despite hearing him being called by Yuzu.

"Be careful, Jonouchi-san!" Yuzu told him before ushering the others to proceed towards the exit.

Jonouchi's mind now solely focused on heading to where Yuya is. He had lost many friends and family during the previous war. He won't let the same fate to befall on his pupil in this war. While casualties were unavoidable, he refuses to let Yuya becoming a part of the casualties. Jonouchi liked his pupil. Funny and silly yet at the same time possesses courage and determination that could beat the best of warriors while still being kind and gentle to everyone.

" _I won't let it happen! I absolutely won't let that vision come true!"_

He could see Yuno in him, not surprising since Yuya was Yuno's descendant. He wanted to see Yuya grow further, both as Duelist and a person. The boy has a bright future awaiting him. From the very beginning, he shouldn't be dragged into this war. A boy like him should live a peaceful and happy life. Jonouchi swore he would give Yuya that life after this war is over.

" _Wait for me, Yuya!"_

 **LABORATORY – RAMSSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"According to the map, even though we're not at the reactor, we should be able to stop it from here."

Yuya and Yuji arrived at the hidden laboratory. They have to admit that the map given by Kurt was a super top secret map. A marauders map you could call it. It was a complete layout of the whole floor, including secret passages, within the fortress. They deemed it safer to split up and head to different rooms so it would be easier to stop the reactor in case one team or another has yet to reach the designted room. Seeing as the digitization still continues, they have made the right call to split up.

"Yeah. We can use that computer over there." Yuji pointed at the only computer inside. He brought out his laptop and connected it to the computer, opening the strict security system and took over the computer. "I just need to stop the reactor…"

Yuji began to type while Yuya was waiting rather nervously. He frowned when he saw Yuji's face starting to panic and the movements of his fingers became faster. He turned to the computer screen and saw many windows popping out repeatedly. That didn't look good.

"What's wrong, Yuji?" Yuya asked.

Yuji slowly looked at Yuya, his expression gave away his feeling of helplessness. "The digitization still continue… It won't stop…!" He replied.

"It is too bad, but Heidel and I have made a safety-measure in case some insects manage to sneak in to stop the reactor. We have our men from outside to take control of the system through the use of viruses to reactivate the progress."

Yuya and Yuji gasped when they heard that despicable familiar voice. It shouldn't be possible. They thought they were just hearing things. But to their dismay, particles of data that suddenly materialized in front of their eyes took form of the former Security Chief. The man who turned the already messed up society in City even more corrupted. The man who kidnapped Yuzu and Serena. The man who nearly swallowed the whole Synchro Dimension into the void between dimensions. The man who had harmed them. One of a few whom they would never forgive.

"Roget?!"

Yuya and Yuji were beyond shocked. It wasn't supposed to be possible, but there was no mistaking when they saw the man's feature. It was truly Roget standing against them.

"How is this possible? You're supposed to be with Heidel as Ephunamun!" Yuji questioned. Instinctively, he took a step forward with an arm protectively in front of his master. Roget placed a hand on his chest in respond while smiling so arrogantly at the two boys.

"This is simply a holographic body I made. I split a part of my soul into this body to take care of you. It's not difficult since this place has been digitized." Roget answered. The idea of splitting soul was ironically came when he learned about Zarc and Ray, who got split into four different fragments. Ma'at and Apophis themselves also had their souls split. This was convenient for him. With this he could personally end both Reiji and Yuya at the same time. That would give him immense pleasure.

"Then you're still with Heidel somewhere in this fortress." Yuya guessed, but Roget shook his head.

"No. Heidel is long gone after he lost against Reiji Akaba, and that gave me the opportunity to get his body to move." Roget replied, shocking both Yuya and Yuji.

"Reiji defeated Heidel?!"

"Why, yes. I am grateful for that because now I have Heidel's body as my own. It won't be long until Reiji Akaba falls into the pit of underworld following after the Professor." Roget snickered, eyes glinting maliciously at the two boys as he imagined every torment he could come up with for the boys in their Duel.

Yuya has a mixed feeling of the news. While it was good that Reiji has defeated Heidel, now in the Supreme Commander's place was an even worse enemy they must fight against. And since Reiji defeated Heidel, that means now Reiji is facing against Roget's real body. Yuya has no doubt in Reiji's skill, but they don't know about Roget. He was different from the man they fought a year ago. But Yuya's mind then noticed an uncomfortable phrase.

"Wait…'following after the Professor'? You…you don't mean…"

Yuya's face paled. Roget mentioned he would literally send Reiji to the afterlife. But him saying Reiji would follow after Leo to the afterlife was no doubt implying… Yuya's face became paler when he saw Roget smiled to answer the feeling of dread he has.

"Exactly as I meant. Leo Akaba tried to assist his son in defeating Heidel at the cost of his own life." Roget revealed, confirming Yuya's biggest fear.

Yuya and Yuji went still for a moment. They were both looking at Roget with eyes widened in disbelieve of what they just heard.

"Leo Akaba…is dead…?" Yuya repeated, still having a hard time to process the information. At that, Roget couldn't take it anymore and he laughed, his laughter echoing throughout the whole room.

"You should see the face Reiji Akaba was making when he witnessed his beloved father's death right in front of his very eyes! It was absolutely fantastic! Even now I can still sense his despair as he is dueling my real self! His heart is starting to break!"

The more Roget laughed, the more blood inside Yuya began to boil. He has no love or the sort for the Professor after what he had done last year. Truthfully, he has yet to fully forgive the man. But still, Leo genuinely regretted his every action and tried his best to atone everything he done wrong. He mended his relationship with Reiji and his family. Leo was sincere when he said he will took all responsibilities and repent even if no one would forgive him. Yuya respected that.

Yuya couldn't imagine what Reiji was feeling right now. He was devastated when he witnessed his father being carded. For Reiji, it must be even more devastating. His father was gone forever. He couldn't come back.

"Why you…!"

Yuya glared at Roget, barely able to contain his anger. Leo was ten times better than this son of a bitch. This bastard was a pathetic excuse of a human being and a Duel Monster. They didn't need words to know this man would never learn his wrong. This man would never regret his despicable actions. He is one man they would never forgive.

"Aah…what happened to the Professor is inevitable. A fitting punishment after everything he had done, no? Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth."

"Shut up! You're the last person that has the right to say that!" Yuya finally lashed out, activating his Duel Disk. That was it. He won't let this man insult Leo more than he has.

"You say it yourself. For your crime, we'll deliver the punishment befitting for you." Yuji also activated his Duel Disk, which activated the Action Field as the Action Cards being dispersed, beginning the Duel.

 **[ACTION DUEL!]**

"I'm taking the first Turn! I activate Continuous Magic: Heavenly Halo Belfry." Roget activated his Spell, summoning a female monster with bell-shaped body that changed their surrounding into that of a wide white-colored colisseum.

"As long as this Field Spell is active, players who Synchro Summon can draw 1 card." Heidel revealed before summoning a monster. "I summon Swordsman of the Heavenly Halo (ATK: 500 / DEF: 300)."

"As I control a Celestial Monster, I can Special Summon Archer of the Heavenly Halo (ATK: 300 / DEF: 200) from my hand." Roget summoned Archer in Attack Position in the Main Zone next to Swordsman.

"I activate Magic Card: Heavenly Rain. I can a number of cards equal to Heavenly Halo monsters on my Field." Since Roget was controlling two monsters, he drew 2 cards.

"I tune Swordsman of the Heavenly Halo with Archer of the Heavenly Halo. Synchro Summon! Appear! Tuner of the Heavenly Halo (ATK: 900 / DEF: 600)!" Roget summoned his Synchro Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone. Following Belfry's effect, he drew one card after Synchro Summon.

"I set two cards and my Turn." Roget concluded.

"My Turn! With Scale 1 Fantasy Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, I set the Pendulum Scale! With this I can summon Level 2 to 7 monsters! Swing, Pendulum of the Soul! Create an arc of light across the aether! Pendulum Summon! Appear, my monsters!" Yuya Pendulum Summoned Entermate Whip Viper (ATK: 1700 / DEF: 900 / LV: 4) and Entermate Odd-Eyes Synchron (ATK: 600 / DEF: 600 / LV: 2) and Entermate Sword Fish (ATK: 600 / DEF: 600 / LV: 2), all from his hand in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Synchron's effect! During my Main Phase, I can use this card and a card in my Pendulum Zone to Synchro Summon!" Yuya chose to tune Fantasy Magician with Odd-Eyes Synchron.

"From the peaceful depths of time, release the light throughout the wide world! Revive! Synchro Summon! Level 10! Super Magical Swordsman of Nirvana! Nirvana High Paladin (ATK: 3300 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 10 / PS: 8)!" Yuya summoned his Synchro-Pendulum Monster. Following Belfry's effect, he also drew a card.

"I activate Whip Viper's effect! Once per Turn, I can target one face-up monster my opponent controls to switch its current ATK with its DEF!" Yuya switched Tuner's 900 ATK with 600 DEF, making its current ATK at 600.

"Battle! I attack Tuner of the Heavenly Halo with Nirvana High Paladin!" Yuya declared. Nirvana High Paladin raised up its sword, charging its energies into the sword and then swung it down towards the opposing Synchro Monster.

"I activate Tuner of the Heavenly Halo's effect! I can double its ATK!" Roget doubled Tuner's ATK to 1200.

"But it's still lower than Nirvana High Paladin, so it's destroyed!" Yuya pointed out as Nirvana High Paladin's sword slashed Tuner into two, destroying it.

 **ROGET LP: 4000 = 1900**

At that moment, however, Roget opened his face-down card.

"I activate Trap Card: Rampaging Binary Stars Level 2! Since my Synchro Monster was destroyed by another Synchro Monster, I can Special Summon as many Level 2 monsters as possible with the same name from my hand in Attack Position!" Roget summoned 3 Black Magic Monk of the Heavenly Halo (ATK: 1400/ DEF: 100) in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"During the End Phase, these 3 monsters will be destroyed and you will take damage equal to their combined ATKs!" Roget revealed. Yuya has no monster left high enough to attack, so he has no choice but to end his Turn after Nirvana High Paladin finished its attack. The total of Roget's monsters' ATKs combined was 4200. If it hit him, Yuya would be doomed. Yuya knew that and he won't let that happen.

"I activate Entermate Sword Fish's effect! Once per Turn I can target 1 face-up monster my opponent controls and lower its ATK by 600 until the End Phase!" Yuya lowered one of Black Monk's ATK to 800, lowering their combined ATKs to 3600.

"You avoid instant kill, but you still take heavy damage." Roget pointed out at the same as his three Black Magic Monk self-destructed, nearly pushing Yuya away by the blast if it were not for Nirvana High Paladin protecting him.

 **YUYA LP: 4000 = 400**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuya concluded. He winced as he noticed his left arm got quite a burnt from the earlier blast.

"Are you okay?" Yuji asked concernedly.

"Yeah. I can still go on. As long as I have LP, I can still continue." Yuya tried to assure his ace, standing tall without a flinch. "But never mind me, he is certainly different from the Roget that we knew a year ago."

"According to Reiji, he used Antique Gear Deck like other Academia Duelists. Looks like he has learned a lesson and stop using the same Deck and tactic that would be pretty much predictable to us." Yuji deduced. It was a smart choice in Roget's part. Had he chose to keep using his Antique Gear Deck, he and Yuya would have an easy time with him. They knew the Antique Gear Deck like turning a back of the hand already.

"We can't take him as the same opponent we fought against a year ago. We don't know what he'll do next, so be careful, Yuji." Yuya warned his partner. He didn't want to admit it, but the current Roget was stronger. They have just begun, but he has already succeeded in reducing his LP to a red. Yuya was already at a big disadvantage with his significantly low LP.

"Leave this to me. I won't let him hurt you any further." Yuji replied. He glared at Roget. He always hated Roget. First he imprisoned his master, then placed an electric chip inside his master's helmet, and now he hurt his master. Unlike Yuya, he had long prepared to win this war even if it means he must carry the burden of lives.

"My Turn! With Scale 3 Entermate Gold Fang and Scale 7 Entermate Momoncarpet, I set the Pendulum Scale! With this I can simultaneously summon Level 4 to 6 monsters! Pendulum Summon! Come to me, my monsters!" Yuji summoned Entermate Swing Cobra (ATK: 300 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 4 / PS: 2) and Entermate King Bear (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 6 / PS: 7) in the Main Zone in Attack Position. Now that

"Battle! I attack directly with Entermate King Bear!" Yuji declared Battle Phase. King Bear ran towards Roget, raising its claws to give the former Security Chief a shred of its anger. Unfortunately, Roget has anticipated that.

"Trap Card: Heavenly Halo's Mirror! When I control no monster and there're two or more Celestial monsters in my Graveyard, I can negate the attack and destroy the opposing monster and draw 2 cards!" Roget opened his second facedown card, summoning a mirror that reflecting King Bear's attack. The Entermate Monster attacked the mirror instead, crashing it with its claws.

"King Bear cannot be destroyed by Trap or Spell effects as long as it's in face-up Attack Position!" Yuji revealed, allowing King Bear to return to his side.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuji finished.

"My Turn. I summon Undertaker of the Heavenly Halo (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0)." Roget summoned Undertaker in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Undertaker's effect. I can Special Summon a Celestial monster from my Graveyard." Roget revived Swordsman of the Heavenly Halo from his Graveyard in Attack Position next to Undertaker.

"I tune Swordsman with Undertaker! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Double Star Shaman of the Heavenly Halo (ATK: 100 / DEF: 800)!" Roget summoned his second Synchro Monster, allowing him to draw a card.

"I activate Double Star Shaman's effect to Special Summon Tuner of the Heavenly Halo and my three Black Magic Monk of the Heavenly Halo from my Graveyard!" Roget revived his destroyed monsters from the Graveyard, all in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"He revived all of them just like that?!" Yuya shouted out in shock.

"I tune my five monsters! Synchro Summon! Descend! Celestial Conquering Dragon Drago Ascension (ATK: ? / DEF: 3000)!" Roget performed another Synchro Summon, summoning his strongest monster to the Field in Attack Position.

"He tuned them all to Synchro Summon?!" Yuya has another shock again. Other than Yugo back when fighting Zarc, he never saw anyone else performing Synchro Summon with 5 monsters at once.

"And its ATK...He must have a plan to increase it!" Yuji stared suspiciously at its unknown ATK. Usually, monsters with that kind of ATK has an effect which allows it to increase its ATK significantly.

Roget applauded them for their sharp thinking.

"Correct. Drago Ascension's ATK equals to the number of cards that I have in my hand!" Since Roget has five cards in his hand, Drago Ascension's ATK was increased to 5000. Roget didn't waste any more second.

"Battle! I attack Nirvana High Paladin with Drago Ascension!"

Drago Anscension opened its mouth, charging a bright golden energies into one and then shot them into a single blast towards the opposing Synchro-Pendulum Magician. Yuya knew that he must act fast with his current LP. But before he could, Yuji got ahead of him. The Odd-Eyes jumped to a platform and picked the Action Card this Turn, immediately activating it.

"Action Magic: Battle Change! During my opponent's Battle Phase, I can change the attack target of the attacking monster to 1 monster I control until the rest of this Turn!" Yuji directed the blast from Nirvana High Paladin to his Entermate King Bear instead. King Bear used its cloak to cover its body from the blast despite knowing its inevitable destruction.

"King Bear gains 100 ATK for each Entermate Monster I control!" Yuji controlled two monsters, so King Bear's ATK was increased to 2400. King Bear was soon destroyed by the blast, pushing Yuji as well, scratching him quite hard, and he managed to lessen his damage.

 **YUJI LP: 4000 = 1400**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Roget concluded. Since the number of cards he has in his hand decreased by one, Drago Ascension's ATK bcame 4000.

"Yuji!" Yuya rushed to his ace monster, but Yuji halted him with a hand.

"Yuya, I still have more LP than you. Just take all the Action Cards. I'll be fine." Yuji told his master. Yuya's safety takes priority over his own. He would protect his master at any cost even if it means using his own life. It was a one vow he would never break. Not as long as he was still around.

This time, it was Yuya who stood protectively in front of his ace monster.

"There's no way I can just do that! I'll be okay from now on!"

Yuya won't just stand by and watch his best friend being harmed. He must do something that can turn the tide to their favour. With his current LP, if he can't destroy Roget's monster, then at least he must create an opening for Yuji to finish the Duel.

"My Turn! I set Scale 1 Entermate Gumgumouton (ATK: 900 / DEF: 2400 / LV: 5 / PS: 1) on my right Pendulum Zone, and Pendulum Summon!" Yuya summoned Entermate Net Hippo (ATK: 800 / DEF: 800 / LV: 2) from his hand in Attack Position.

"I release Net Hippo to Advance Summon Entermate Sleight-Hand Magician!" Yuya summoned a new magician in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Net Hippo's additional effect! When it was sent to Graveyard, it will Special Summon itself!" Yuya summoned back Net Hippo in Attack Position.

"I activate Sleight Hand Magician's effect! Once per Turn, I can I discard 1 card to destroy a face-up Monster on the Field! I choose your Drago Ascension!" Yuya pointed at the Synchro Monster.

"I activate Ascension's effect! I can negate its destruction by returning it to the Extra Deck and special summon its Synchro Materials!" Roget returned his Synchro Monster back to his Extra Deck before reviving Double Star Shaman of the Heavenly Halo, and 3 Black Magic Monk of the Heavenly Halo from his Graveyard.

"As long as Tuner of the Heavenly Halo is on the Field, only Synchro Monsters can attack." Roget revealed.

" _I can still attack with Nirvana High Paladin. Its ATK is higher than any of his monsters. But..."_ Yuya stared at Roget suspiciously. The man won't just purposely let Yuya's Nirvana High Paladin to attack, so there must be a trap behind his sleeve. His LP was already at red and he didn't want to trouble Yuji. This was the only alternative he could come up with.

"I'll do this then! Appear! The circuit of entertainment that enlightened the future!" Yuya opened the Link Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed! The summoning condition is at least 1 Magician-Type Monster! I set Nirvana High Paladin, Entermate Whip Viper, Entermate Swordfish, and Entermate Sleight Hand Magician on the Link Markers! Circuit Combine! Link Summon! Appear! Link 4! Decipher Paladin (ATK: 2400 / LINK: 4 / LM: Top, Bottom-Right, Left, Upper-Left)!" Yuya summoned his Link Monster in Attack Position in the Link Zone.

"I activate Decipher Paladin's effect! When it was Link Summoned, I can Special Summon a Magician-Type Monster from the Graveyard next to its Link Marker!" Yuya revived Sleight Hand Magician to the bottom-right arrow of Decipher Paladin's Link Marker.

"I activate Sleight Hand Magician's effect! Once per Turn, I can discard one card to destroy a monster my opponent controls!" Yuya reactivated Sleight Hand Magician's effect with Tuner as his target. But Roget smiled the moment Yuya declared so and pointed at his facedown card.

"Trap Card: Halo Circles! When an effect that would destroy a Celestial Monster I control activates, I can negate my monster's destruction and destroy the opposing monster instead and gain LP equal to its original ATK!" Roget opened his facedown card, protecting his Tuner while destroying Yuya's Sleight Hand Magician.

"What?!" Yuya watched in dismay as his magician was destroyed, and worse, Roget recovered his LP.

 **ROGET LP: 1900 = 4300**

" _Wait, he could have used that card earlier when I first summoned Sleight Hand Magician... Why using that card now? What is he after?"_ Yuya wondered. Roget was still having that arrogant expression on his face that it was infuriating. But there was nothing he could do now.

"I end my Turn." Yuya concluded. Black Monk's effect supposed to destroy themselves and inflict damage to him, but thanks to Net Hippo's effect, Yuya was able to negate an effect that would destroy and inflict effect damage to him, saving his very little LP left. But if his Net Hippo was destroyed, the Black Monks would be able to activate their effects again.

"My Turn! With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Appear!" Yuji summoned Entermate Star Elephant (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 700 / LV: 5 / PS: 2) and Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7) from his hand in Attack Position.

"I activate Star Elephant's effect! By releasing it, now all monsters on my Field cannot be destroyed!" Yuji granted Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon and Swing Cobra protections.

"Battle! I attack with Entermate Swing Cobra!" Yuji declared. Swing Cobra could attack directly, though when the Battle Phase is over, it'll change to Defense Position. Swing Cobra snapped its tail at Roget, causing the man to wince as it hit his face withoutmercy.

 **ROGET LP: 4300 = 4000**

"Next, I attack with Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon!" Yuji continued using his ace monster.

But unexpectedly, Roget revealed an Action Card in his hand. He didn't notice that Roget has one of his monsters pick the Action Card this Turn.

"Action Magic: Great Escape! I end the Battle Phase." Roget evaded the attack, ending the Battle phase.

"Tsk. I end my Turn."

"My Turn. I activate Halo Circles' second effect. When this card is in Graveyard while I control two or more Celestial monsters, I can draw cards equal to Heavenly Halo Monsters I control." Roget was controlling 5 monsters, so he drew 5 cards, making him holding 9 cards in total.

That move increasing the number of cards in his hand could only mean one thing, and Yuya and Yuji didn't like it the moment they remembered when Roget returned Drago Ascension back to his Extra Deck using its own effect.

" _Could it be…!"_

"I tune my five monsters to Synchro Summon Drago Ascension!" Roget summoned his strongest monster again. As he has Synchro summoned, he could draw 1 card, and Drago Ascension's ATK was increased equal to the number of cards in his hand, making its current ATK at 10000.

" _That's his aim! He intended to add more cards so Drago Ascension's ATK increased more!"_ Yuji cursed. It was a move beyond his expectation. But he and Yuya still have a chance.

"Battle! I attack Decipher Paladin with Drago Ascension!" Roget declared attack at Yuya, prompting the Pendulum user to jump and picked the current Turn's Action Card and activated it.

"Action Magic: Evasion! I negate the attack!" Yuya managed to evade the blast, though the blast burn the right arm of his jacket. He must get a new uniform when he get back.

"You bastard, why do you keep attacking Yuya?!" Yuji finally snapped. He wasn't stupid. Ever since the first Turn, no, ever since they were facing against each other, Roget has set his eyes on Yuya. He primarly targeting him for attacks at any given moment whether through Battle Phase or through effects.

Roget sneered. "He is one of the main factors that ruined my life just when I was about to grasp the highest throne. I have every right to exact revenge on him!" He narrowed his eyes hatefully at the said boy, angering Yuji further.

"You have no one else but yourself to blame! You brought your own demise!" Yuji retorted.

"I was clearly killed."

"Serves you right if you ask me."

Roget twitched at Yuji's respond. He covered his face with his hand and laughed softly before shifting his attention to Yuji. The odd-eyed body sure know how to push his button.

"Yes... You're right, looks like I have to deal with you first before dealing with Yuya Sakaki. I activate Halo Circles' last effect! By banishing it from Graveyard, I can make a second attack!" Roget declared Battle again, this time with Yuji as his target. But Yuji won't let him get what he wants.

"I activate Trap Card: Miracle of Shooting Star! When Odd-Eyes Monsters or Entermate monsters battles, any damage will be negated and I can add a Magic or Trap cards from my Deck to my hand for three Turns!" Yuji opened his Trap, protecting himself from receiving any damage for three Turns and added a card to his hand.

"Here I was wondering what you're planning to counter, but all you did is merely reducing my LP by 300 and add 1 card. I am immensely disappointed. This is not even a match any longer. This will be a massacre for both of you." Roget sighed condescendingly at Yuji, shaking his head to emphasize it.

"Yuji!" Yuya kneeled beside Yuji and helped him back to his feet. He scanned his injuries, and was glad that nothing was serious.

"Fufufufu… How is it? Powerless aren't you? Being reborn as a Duel Monster is not as bad as I imagined to be. In fact, I attained a power close to gods because I became one! And since I have Heidel's body in my possession, I'll take my rightful place as the ruler of the universe!" Roget laughed madly. His expression became more and more deranged for each time passed. There was no saving for this man. His heart has been fully corrupted by greed.

"I'll have to agree that being reborn as a Duel Monster is not all bad. But comparing your power to that of gods because of that…you're just being conceited." Yuji said firmly. He did gain incredible power that he could never have as an Apophis offspring. However, he won't go as far as saying his power was equal to gods. Humans and Duel monsters were mere mortals. They were imperfect beings no matter how strong they were.

"Once a mad man stays a mad man. You're nothing more but a narcissist fool who doesn't know his own place. We're not going to let you get away with this!" Yuya added. He will make sure this other half of Roget's soul won't ruin anyone's life or getting in his and his friends' way again.

"What a pointless struggle. I end my Turn." Roget finished.

"My Turn!" Yuya began his Turn, eyeing the whole Field carefully. _"To defeat Roget…I must either increase my monster's ATK higher than his or decrease the number of cards in his hand… No, every time Drago Ascension is going to be destroyed, he'll just activate its effect and repeat the cycle…"_

Yuya looked at his card. _"With my current cards, this is the only thing that I can do!"_ He made his decision.

"With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Come forth! Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 8)!" Yuya summoned Odd-Eyes Arc in Attack Position in the Main Zone from his hand.

"I activate Magic Card: Entermate Palm Breaker! I choose up to 5 Entermate monsters in my Deck and send them to the Graveyard!" Yuya sent 5 Entermate monsters from his Deck and then discarded them immediately. He pointed at the cards in Roget's hand. "And then my opponent must discard the same number of cards from his hand!"

Roget has no choice but to discard 5 cards from his hand as well, halving Drago Ascension's ATK to 5000.

" _With this at least Drago Ascension's ATK decreased. Roget won't be able to attack us!"_ Yuya thought trimphantly. He hoped that this would give Yuji better chances in delivering the finishing blow. But then Roget chuckled at Yuya's move, confusing him.

"You think I don't have a backup plan for that?" Roget opened his last facedown card.

"Trap Card: Windfall of the Heavenly Halo! I can draw double of a number of cards discarded from my hand!" Since Roget discarded 5 cards, the double of that number means he could draw 10 cards, making him holding the total of 15 cards in his hand, which increased Drago Ascension's ATK to 15000.

"An ATK of 15000?!" Yuji exclaimed in shock at the powered up Synchro Monster.

"No way…!" Yuya was unnerved. His plan has backfired.

"Hahahahaha! How ironic! Your effort to weaken my monster make it stronger instead! There's nothing you can do! You can never beat me! Surrender and I'll promise to make your death quick!"

Yuya couldn't hide his shame. He intended to support his partner, but he made it worse for the both of them. Now how could they defeat Roget's Drago Ascension? He didn't have the means at the moment to even fight at equal footing against the Synchro Monster. And even if they manage to find a way to overpower it, as long as its effect that prevent its destruction is still there, they don't have a chance.

"I'm sorry, Yuji. I made it worse…" Yuya apologized, clenching his eyes and fists tightly. He closed his eyes so tight and too busy reprimanding himself that he didn't realize Yuji has moved until he felt Yuji's arm around him.

"Making that disheartened face like that is not like you, Yuya." Yuji said, tightening his grip that almost choking Yuya, but it made Yuya to look at him.

"Tell me, is he tougher than Zarc? Both as when Zack was a Demon Duelist and Champion?" Yuji suddenly asked. Yuya was bewildered, but he didn't hesitate to answer.

"Of course not! Zarc was scarier and stronger! Far more than that guy!" Yuya gave his answer clearly with confidence and faith. He didn't care if he sounded boasting or exaggerating, to him, Roget was out of Zarc's league.

Yuji tightened his grip again. "Then don't get so worked up. Just remember Zarc, and this guy doesn't feel that much of a threat." He then smiled at Yuya.

"Besides, I told you that I got your back, so leave the next step to me." He whispered so that only Yuya could hear.

"You have a plan?" Yuya wishpered back.

"Yup. I won't say it's the best plan but it's worth a shot. I have you to thank for giving me the idea." Yuji let go of Yuya, giving him a hard pat on his back as encouragement.

"Let's show him our show. A show in which a bad guy never win." Yuji winked. The fun starts now for them.

"My Turn! At this moment, I send Miracle of Shooting Star to my Graveyard. When this card is sent to the Graveyard while I controls Odd-Eyes Monster, I can destroy one of my opponent's monster!" Yuji chose Roget's Drago Ascension, which Roget has expected.

"It's useless! I return Drago Ascension to my Extra Deck to negate destruction!" Roget returned Drago Ascension back to his Extra Deck and summoned back its Synchro Materials in its place. "How many times until you learn that I can negate destruction with Ascension's effect? And due to Tuner of the Heavenly Halo's effect, only Synchro Monsters can attack!"

Yuji didn't respond and continued with his next move.

"I release Odd-Eyes Flare Dragon to Advance Summon a new dragon! Appear! Dragon with beautiful different-colored eyes that shakes the earth! Odd-Eyes Advance Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8)!" Yuji summoned a brand new version of Odd-Eyes in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Advance Dragon's effect! When this card is Advance Summoned, I can destroy one of my opponent's monster and inflict damage equal to its original ATK!" Yuji obviously chose Roget's Tuner, destroying it and inflicting damage equal to its original ATK.

 **ROGET LP: 4000 = 3100**

"Now, I attack with Odd-Eyes Advance Dragon!" Yuji targeted one of the Black Monks, burning it into nothing with the red dragon's flame blast.

 **ROGET LP: 3100 = 1500**

"Have you forgotten that my Black Magic Monk of the Heavenly Halo will be destroyed during End Phase and inflict damage equal to their combined ATKs?!" Roget reminded of his remaining two Black Magic Monk's effects. These two combined would be enough to end Yuji's LP.

"Of course I remember. That's why I send my Magic Card to the Graveyard in the first place." Yuji replied calmly, smiling.

"What?"

"I activate Star Elephant's last effect. By banishing it from Graveyard, I can give control of one monster I control to other player and negate any effect damage." Yuji gave Odd-Eyes Advance Dragon to Yuya's control. Roget was unnerved by Yuji's move. He realized that the boy was planning something, but he tried to calm himself.

"No matter! I'll just finish you off by summoning back Drago Ascension in my next–"

"And finally, I banish Miracle of the Shooting Star to skip my opponent's Turn to the next one!" Yuji banished his Magic Card, skipping Roget's Turn to Yuya's Turn instead.

"What?!"

"I'm not foolish enough to give you another chance to repeat the cycle." Yuji said before turning to Yuya. He inclined his head to the two dragons now on Yuya's Field. "Now Yuya, I leave the finale to you."

Yuya's face slowly brightened. It was always like this. Ever since they were able to communicate with each other properly a year ago, Odd-Eyes was always helping him. Even though he now was in his human form again, Odd-Eyes still support him, giving him the opportunity he needs.

"Thanks, Yuji!"

With renewed vigor, Yuya began his Turn.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon's monster effect! By destroying an Odd-Eyes monster from my Field, I can add its ATK to another Odd-Eyes monster I control!" Yuya destroyed Odd-Eyes Advance Dragon. The red dragon became particles of energies that went into Odd-Eyes Arc's body. Slowly, the black dragon's body turned bright crimson. Its crystals were shining like the most beautiful gem on earth that lightened their path.

This is the finale.

"Battle! I attack with Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon!"

Yuya declared Battle Phase. The light from Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon's crystals intensified. The temperature of their surroundings heated up along with orb-shaped energies gathering into the dragon's mouth. The dual-colored eyes glinted, the dragon unleashed the fiery blast, incinerating Roget's monster that ended with a grand explosion, blowing away Roget's digital body.

 **ROGET LP: 1500 = 0**

"And with that, the show is over." Yuya bowed, marking the end of Duel. He then happily hugged his ace monster. "Thank you, Yuji! You did great!"

"I'm your ace monster! You can always count on me!" Yuji said as he hugged Yuya back.

The two boys let go of each other as they remembered they now must inform the others about Roget had said. They must find a way to stop the activation of the reactor from outside.

They were so preoccupied with that problem that they didn't realize Roget was standing up behind them. Yuya's gut feeling urged him to turn back and he was visibly shocked when he saw Roget jumping at them. His right hand turned darkish green, emitting a weird data particles. Whatever it was, Yuya felt it won't be good for them.

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY THAT EASILY!"

Yuji reacted too late to the shout. He was already pushed to the side Yuya who faced Roget. Yuji watched in horror as Roget's hand hit Yuya's arms that he has crossed and moved to the front to protect himself. A backlash happened, nearly blowing them away. When Yuji opened his eyes, this time, he saw Yuya kneeling while holding chest and panting hard, and Roget's digital body disappeared. Yuya's face looked pale and he fell.

"Yuya! Are you okay? Yuya!" Yuji pulled Yuya into his arms. Yuya tried to assure him that he was okay with a nod, but Yuya's pale face and wince didn't do much convincing.

"Don't push yourself. Sit down for a bit." Yuji leaned Yuya to the wall. He scanned his injuries, ready with his medical kit.

"Yuya! Yuji!"

Jonouchi arrived, panting and sweating heavily. No doubt the Red-Eyes user was running with all his might to reach this place. Jonouchi's attention quickly focused on Yuya. He kneeled down and check his pupil's condition, close to panicking when he saw Yuya's pale face.

"What's wrong? What happened? Are you okay, Yuya?" Jonouchi asked desperately.

"I-I'm fine… Anyway, we gotta stop the reactor…" Yuya told his mentor, pointing at the computer.

"The reactor won't stop because Heidel's men from outside sent viruses to take over the system and proceed with the digitization. We must find other way to stop it." Yuji informed him.

"I'll try to contact Yukiya and Sara. Maybe they can come up with something! You treat Yuya's injuries! If there's anything weird, tell me immediately!" Jonouchi instructed Yuji who didn't say anything more and focus on treating his master.

Yuya tried his best to open his eyes, but all of his energies have left him. He felt weaker than he was supposed to be. He felt so sleepy. He tried to focus on his mission at hand to keep himself awake. He must help his friends. It wasn't over yet. But Yuya's body couldn't take it. His body was giving up, and he finally couldn't take it anymore.

Yuya closed his eyes, falling into slumber.

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Knight Who Hides in Shadow –** Yuto, Yuzo, Ruri, and Shun succeeded in freeing the captured monsters. However, they are taken aback when the monsters started behaving strangely.

* * *

 **It seems my choice of this chapter's title has misled many to believe that the Red Dragon refers to Jack's Red-themed Deck. Honestly, I didn't mean it intentionally when I thought up the title. Yuya and Odd-Eyes' theme is red, so I thought you'll immediately know that it's referring to Odd-Eyes.**

 **Sorry for any mistakes in the Duel. I was quite in a hurry. Feel free to point out mistakes if you find one, but please don't forget to tell me how you feel about the chapter too, okay?**

 **Only a few more chapters left and we'll soon reach the climax of the battle against Roget!**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter.**


	89. The Knight Who Hides in Shadows

**1,500 YEARS AGO – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – UNITED WORLD**

Dark Rebellion was sitting on a tree branch. His figure covered by the darkness of the night and the leaves and branches from other trees. In his hands was a binocular, allowing him to look several distances away from his position. With the binocular, he was able to see and secretly following Odd-Eyes walking on the ruined street with caution.

Hiding and trailing people has always been Dark Rebellion's specialty since he was born. This specialty often made him receiving missions that involved ambush and information gathering. Spying the enemies, erasing all the trails as to not let his presence known to them, he was so good at it that he had never been caught red handed.

Never…

"Stalking your sibling? That's unexpected from you, Dark Rebellion."

Until now that is.

Dark Rebellion almost fell from the branch when he was startled by his foster father who popped out his head from above right in front of his face. Yuno, fortunately, catch him by his collar before he could fall on his back from the tree, steadying him back before sitting beside Dark Rebellion.

"Y-Yuno-san?!" Dark Rebellion finally exclaimed while staring incredulously at Yuno. How did he even get there without him noticing?

"I told you to call me 'Dad', remember?" Yuno replied while patting Dark Rebellion's back to calm his nerve. "So, what's with all this stalking?"

Dark Rebellion would love to know how in the world Yuno managed to sneak around him without him realizing, but he saw Odd-Eyes made his move again, so he would keep the question for later. He beckoned Yuno to follow him while keeping quiet. Dark Rebellion said with a hushed voice, making it clear that Odd-Eyes must not find out that he was being followed.

"Odd-Eyes said that he wants to try to go on a mission alone. The one who was ordered for the mission got injured, so Odd-Eyes offered to go in his place. But the place is very dark now at night, which would a problem." Dark Rebellion finally explained, which made Yuno blinking in confusion.

"Why? Odd-Eyes is not afraid of the dark and he is strong. I'm sure he can do it." Yuno asked again.

"At night, in dark environment, he has terrible sense of direction." Dark Rebellion answered.

Odd-Eyes was never good in finding ways when it was pitch dark. It has always been that way since back when they were still Apophis' servants. It was easy when it was still bright, but the dichromatic-eyed boy would 180 degree lost his sense of direction when it was dark. There was one time when Odd-Eyes was sent to scout at night, everyone became worried when he hasn't come back for five hours after his departure that Dark Rebellion decided to go after him. It turned out that Odd-Eyes had been walking around in circle because he said he couldn't walk well in the dark. Since then, everyone agreed that should they have no choice but to send Odd-Eyes in dark environment, at least one person must keep an eye on him from afar. This was something that was agreed on by everyone but Odd-Eyes himself who insisted he will one day conquered this one weakness…which he hasn't achieved to this day.

"Odd-Eyes is very insistent that he doesn't want to trouble anybody and want to overcome his weakness. We already gave him a map and compass, but I'm still worried. That's why just in case, I'll watch over and help him when it's necessary." Dark Rebellion said while continue to watching Odd-Eyes through his binocular.

"You are no doubt the oldest sibling, just like the real Yuzo." Yuno commented with a chuckle.

"You think so?" Dark Rebellion asked without turning his eyes from the binocular.

"You have all the qualities of the oldest sibling. I also recall that you were the first one who woke up when you were born, right? We can make it similar as when humans giving birth to multiple children, the one who come out first is the older one. In this case, you waking up first means you're the oldest." Yuno said. When the Oracle decided to adopted the offspring as his children, he heard how they were born at exact same time but woke up at different time. Since they were offspring originated from the same 'parent', Yuno came into conclusion that the four of them were blood siblings. Since he adopted them all, they would become siblings anyway.

"The concept of siblings is beyond my comprehension. I've seen how Yuzo and his siblings from his memories, but I still can't grasp the concept." Dark Rebellion responded. He had seen from Yuzo's memories left within him how siblings' interactions were. They fought, joked, played, doing everything normal like humans in general were. But he wasn't a human, merely taking over a human body. He didn't know what it means to be a brother let alone having siblings. Odd-Eyes, Clear Wing, Starve Venom, he no doubt cares for them, but Dark Rebellion didn't know if that could be considered as siblings love as Yuno would put it.

"That's not something you can understand with just words. It's something you understand through experience." Yuno ruffled Dark Rebellion's head, smiling down at his oldest adopted son.

"But if I have to put it into words…being the oldest sibling means becoming a role model for the younger ones. The things that the older child is doing will influence the younger much more compared to what you're doing as parents. That's why it's quite important the older sibling to be a good example for the younger with its behavior. He should guide them and help them deal with the difficulties that meets. It's an older brother's duty to always watch over his younger siblings, and you're doing exactly as that right now." Yuno snatched the binocular from Dark Rebellion's hand to use himself, watching Odd-Eyes looking around. This made Dark Rebellion to finally turn to the Oracle.

"You think so?"

"Your Deck also reflects it. You are like a Phantom Knight." Yuno pointed at the Deck inside Dark Rebellion's Deck Case on his belt. As if responding to him, the Phantom Knights monsters letting out cheery noises at their master.

"Me? A Phantom Knight?" Dark Rebellion pointed at himself, looking at Yuno and his monsters, blinking. Yuno nodded, smiling with a sense of pride at his oldest son.

"A knight who watches over and protects people from the shadows. A Phantom Knight. That is who you are, Dark Rebellion."

 **PRESENT TIME – REACTOR – RAMSSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Ruri and Shun summoned Assembly Nightingale and Rise Falcon, respectively. The two Winged-Beast monsters destroyed the last of the capsules imprisoning the Duel Monsters. Some of the Duel Monsters still have enough power to move out from the capsules. As for the ones who either passed out or too weak to move were helped by Ruri, Shun, and their monsters. They carefully picked them and took them out from the horrible capsules that has sucked out their life energies. Once the last monster was taken out, Ruri smiled in relief.

"We did it! We got the Duel Monsters out!" She exclaimed, letting out an exhausted breath.

"But the reactor still hasn't stopped even after we freed them even though they're supposed to be the fuel." Shun reminded, staring at the tall big machine that was still emitting lights that caused their surroundings to flickering digitally.

"Maybe they already took more than enough energies for the reactor." Ruri assumed, frowning when thinking so while staring at the weakened Duel Monsters. The little ones in particular were whimpering and crying, no doubt still feeling the pain. Ruri gently patted the one nearest to her. The poor things.

The whole floor started shaking, followed by a sound of explosion. The Duel Monsters shrieked, shivering in fear of what was going to happen next.

"Let's get them out of here. It won't be safe for them to stay here and they need medical attention." Yuto suggested, worrying for the Duel Monsters. He summoned a few more of his monsters to help carrying the ones who couldn't move. Shun and Ruri also did the same.

"Right. Let's go–"

Shun stopped when the Duel Monsters began to shake uncontrollably. Their eyes widened and huddle together as if being afraid of something.

"What's wrong?" Shun asked, but didn't get any answer.

"Is something hurt? Are you okay?" Ruri asked the one in her arms, but didn't get any respond either.

"Kuri…"

Rainbow Kuriboh suddenly leaning to Yuto. It was also reacting the same way as the other Duel Monsters. Even more so than them.

"Rainbow Kuriboh?" Yuto blinked questioningly, taking the Kuriboh into his arms in hope of calming it down. Seeing Rainbow Kuriboh, Shun and Ruri looked at their respective monsters and realized that the both of them were staring their surroundings as if on alert. Just what's happening to them?

Meanwhile, Yuzo's gut feeling has been going crazy for a while. Something inside him was practically screaming at him to immediately leave the place. The other Duel Monsters' reactions was all the more reason for him to follow his gut feeling.

However, it was already too late.

Yuzo activated his Duel Disk and took a fighting stance, alarming Yuto and the rest who moved auto-pilot to protect the Duel Monsters.

"Everybody, stand back!"

Yuzo shouted when a black portal suddenly came out. The Duel Monsters panicked even more when the portal appeared. A hand came out from the portal, but they noticed that it wasn't a human hand. And then slowly the body came out as well. Coming from the portal was a Duel Monster. It has sickly-pink skin, large black wings, heterochromic eyes, and a third vertically placed eye. Its clothing was bizarre; one of the legs is completely covered, while the other is mostly exposed. It also has blue lips and pointed teeth. Its body one side was distinctly female, with a covered breast and a rounded hip. The other looks more masculine with a pectoral muscle, no breast, and a harder, less rounded hip.

Yuzo's eyes narrowed. A nervous sweat was unconsciously formed on his face. It was not ordinary Duel Monster. It was on a whole different level. In fact, it was comparable to that of Earthbound Gods.

The Duel Monster didn't speak a word when coming out from the portal. Instead, it was looking around the room. Placing a finger on its chin, it made an understanding voice.

"This place… It's Ramssess Fortress. It's been years."

"A…Duel Monster…?" Yuto said with question. The Duel Monster was not captured like the others. He also didn't need anyone to tell him to know that this Duel Monster was dangerous. The aura coming from it, its mere presence felt overwhelming.

The Duel Monster seemed to be so deep in thought that it didn't realize they were even there until Yuto spoke. It finally facing them and smiled.

"Yes. I am Yubel. I am Heidel's Duel Monster." She introduced herself. The mention of Heidel prompted Yuzo and the others to be on guard even more.

"I can sense Heidel's presence here. Looking at the situation, the fortress is being attacked. And obviously you are the intruders." Yubel narrowed her eyes. A Duel Disk was formed on her left hand in respond.

"Anyone who gets in the way of my master shall be disposed." Yubel stated. The air dropped with that. It was almost freezing just by looking into her eyes. The way she was looking at them, she has every intention to kill every single one of them.

Yuto moved forward, placing a hand in front of Yuzo before the Duel could commence.

"W-wait! Hold on! Heidel is planning to enslave the Duel Monsters! He is going to rob off the Duel Monsters' free will including yours!" Yuto tried to reason with her. However, Yubel merely raised a brow.

"So? It doesn't matter to me." Yubel replied calmly. She wasn't slightest bit disturbed by the plan.

"Doesn't matter to you? You don't care if you lost your free will?!" Shun questioned.

Yubel shrugged. "What I'm trying to say is, I can pretty much guess how Heidel is going to enslave the Duel Monsters. But it doesn't matter to me. If something like that is enough to control me, I would have long lost my free will." She sneered, taking a glance at the still-active reactor.

"What do you mean?" Ruri asked.

"It doesn't concern you because I'm going to kill you all here." Yubel replied, activating her Duel Disk. She has no intention to speak any further, and by now everyone knew that she couldn't be reason with.

Yuzo pulled Yuto behind him, raising his Duel Disk while his eyes focused solely on Yubel. They don't have time to waste. If all of them were stuck here fighting her together, there might be casualties from the weakened Duel Monsters. They must be treated soon and Yuzo has strong feeling that dueling Yubel while the Duel Monsters were still here could be fatal for them. They couldn't endanger the Duel Monsters' safety. Not when they have finally been freed.

"Yuto, you go on ahead with Ruri and Shun. Get all the Duel Monsters out of here." Yuzo told his master without looking back.

"No. I'm staying too. Let's fight her together." Yuto refused. He raised his left arm, ready to activate his Duel Disk too, but Yuzo grasped his Duel Disk before Yuto could activate it. He stared at Yuto straight in the eyes.

"She's too dangerous. I can handle her. I'll follow you later. The main priority is to take these monsters to safety." Yuzo tightened his grip on Yuto's Duel Disk, not allowing him to activate it. He gestured to the Duel Monsters behind Yuto. Ruri, Shun, and their monsters won't be enough to escort all of the Duel Monsters to safety. With these many Duel Monsters to escort, they need at least one more person to guard them on their way. Yuto knew that. But he also knew how dangerous Yubel was and not willing to leave his ace monster behind to fight her alone.

"But–"

Yuzo didn't let Yuto finish. He pushed him back into the Duel Monsters, causing some of the little ones to cling to him in fear. Yuto looked down and didn't have the heart to leave them when seeing those pleading eyes filled with fear. They depserately wanted to get out from this horrid place. Yuzo placed a hand on Yuto's shoulder, gripping it quite tightly.

"Trust me. I'll come back to your side. I promise." Yuzo gave his words before facing Yubel again. It's not just words. Yuzo has every intention to get out of this Duel alive and regroup with them. He won't die.

"Go! Now!" Yuzo exclaimed.

Yuto gritted his teeth one last time before ushering the Duel Monsters to the exit together with Shun and Ruri. The two of them were also reluctant to leave Yuzo by himself, but they also couldn't jeopardize the Duel Monsters' safety after rescuing them. Yuzo's eyes didn't leave Yubel's form until Yuto and everyone else were out of the room. This was quite a surprise because Yuzo has expected for Yubel to do something to stop them from leaving, but instead she let them go.

"Sacrificing yourself for the sake of your master. I can understand that." Yubel suddenly said after seeing the brief exchange between Yuzo and Yuzo.

"Looks like you misunderstand me." Yuzo replied, raising his Duel Disk once more. "I'm not sacrificing myself. I will defeat you here and return to my master's side."

"The same goes for me." Yubel answered back. She activated her Duel Disk, beginning the Duel.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm taking the first Turn. I summon Sacrifice Lotus (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0) from my hand." Yubel summoned Sacrifice Lotus in Attack Position in the Main Zone before then setting a card.

"I activate Magic Card: Magic Chronicle. I can banish five cards from my Deck, and now each time you activate a Spell Card, Magic Chronicle will gain a Chronicle Counter." Yubel banished Super Fusion, Zero Sprite, Demon Rose, Cyclone, and Torch Golem from her Deck.

"And during each of my Main Phases, I can remove 2 Chronicle Counters on Magic Chronicle to make you select one of the five cards removed by its effect. The selected card will then be added to my hand." Yubel finished her explanation.

"With this I end my Turn." She concluded the first Turn.

"My Turn! Draw!" Yuzo began his Turn. He eyed Yubel's Field warily. A Monster with 0 ATK and DEF in Attack Position, a Reverse Card, and a Magic Card that uses Counters to add a card to her hand. She most likely would use her Reverse Card to defend herself or Sacrifice Lotus has an effect that could save her from his attack. She won't make herself defenseless.

" _To think that Heidel still has this kind of monster on his side. He must have placed her on standby in case something like this happens. She's not someone to be taken lightly. I must strike with everything I have!"_

"From my hand, I summon Phantom Knights Enraged Cloak (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 800 / LV: 4)!" Yuto summoned a black-cloaked monster with glowing red-colored eyes beneath the hoodie while blades sticking out from its arms. It was summoned in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"When Enraged Cloak is summoned from my hand, I can Special Summon another Phantom Knights monster from my hand!" Yuzo summoned Phantom Knights Guilty Steps (ATK: 500 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 3) in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Guilty Steps' effect! Once per Turn, I can change its Level equal to another Phantom Knights monster I control!" Yuzo changed its Level to the same as Enraged Cloak's Level, 4.

"I overlay Enraged Cloak and Guilty Steps! Xyz Summon! Ascend! Rank 4! Dark Parhelion Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 2)!" Yuzo summoned his ace monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Next, I activate Equip Spell: Xyz Lightning Sword!" Yuzo equipped Dark Parhelion with lightning blades on its wings. As Yuzo activated a Spell Card, Yubel placed a Chronicle Counter on Magic Chronicle.

"Battle! I attack Sacrifice Lotus with Dark Parhelion Dragon!" Yuzo declared Battle Phase. Dark Parhelion charged towards Sacrifice Lotus, its fangs and equipped blades shining as the dragon flew.

"Trap Card: Demon Balsam Seeds. I can reduce the Battle Damage I would take in multiplies of 1000." Yubel opened her Reverse Card, shooting seeds that weakened the impact of Dark Parhelion's attack. Sacrifice Lotus was destroyed, but Yubel gained little damage from the attack.

 **YUBEL LP: 4000 = 3500**

"And then, for each 1000 damage reduced, a Demon Balsam Seed Token (ATK: 100 / DEF: 100) will be Special Summoned." Yubel summoned two Tokens into her Field in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuzo concluded.

"My Turn! I release my Demon Balsam Seed Tokens to Advance Summon Split Demon Rose (ATK: 0 / DEF: 1500)!" Yubel summoned Split Demon Rose in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"When Split Demon Rose battles an Attack Position monster, its ATK will become equal to the battled monster's ATK during damage calculation. Also, when Split Demon Rose is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon two Split Demon Rose Tokens in Attack Position." Yubel explained before pointing towards Dark Parhelion.

"Battle. I attack Dark Parhelion Dragon with Split Demon Rose!" Yubel declared her Battle Phase. If the attack connects, both monsters will be destroyed. However, Yuzo's Field would be empty while Yubel will have two Tokens on her Field. Yuzo obviously won't let that happen.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Crawling Shadow! When an Xyz Monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can detach all of its Overlay Units to negate the attack!" Yuzo activated the card from his hand, allowing Dark Parhelion to stop Split Demon Rose's attack, pushing it back to Yubel's side. Since Yuzo activated another Spell Card, Yubel added the second counter on Magic Chronicle.

"I activate Magic Chronicle's third effect. I remove its two Chronicle Counters, so you must select one of cards removed by Magic Chronicle." Yubel immediately activated her card's effect.

"I choose your Zero Sprite." Yuzo chose, deeming the card the least useful for Yubel at the present situation.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yubel concluded.

"My Turn!" Yuzo looked at Yubel's Split Demon Rose. Its ATK was 0, but the moment Yuzo declared Battle Phase, its ATK will become equal to Dark Parhelion and it will summon two tokens. Yubel must have plan with those tokens and that's why he mustn't let his Field empty. This was when his Equip Spell would work.

"Battle! I attack Split Demon Rose with Dark Parhelion!" Yuzo declared Battle Phase.

"Have you forgotten Split Demon Rose's effect?" Yubel questioned.

"Have you forgotten I equipped Dark Parhelion with an Equip Spell?" Yuzo reminded back.

"At this moment, I activate Phantom Knights Night Merchant's effect from my hand! When an Xyz Monster I control is attacking, I can send it to the Graveyard to allow it to use its effect until the end of Battle Phase!" Yuzo sent his monster to the Graveyard, enabling Dark Parhelion to use its effect during Battle Phase.

"I use both of Dark Parhelion's Overlay Units to halve your monster's ATK!" Yuzo detached his ace monsters' two Overlay Units, reducing Split Demon Rose's ATK that was equal to Dark Parhelion to merely 625.

"Due to Xyz Lightning Sword's effect, I can recharge the Overlay Units when the Xyz Monster's effect was used on the same Turn and use it again!" Yuzo returned Dark Parhelion's Overlay Units and used both of them again, which further reducing Split Demon Rose's ATK again to merely 156.

With overwhelming power, Dark Parhelion strikes down Split Demon Rose, forming a huge hole on its body before it exploded. The blow of the explosion pushed Yubel back from her position.

 **YUBEL LP: 3500 = 1156**

Since Split Demon Rose was destroyed, Yubel activated its effect to Special Summon two Split Demon Rose Tokens (ATK: 1200 / DEF: 1200) in Defense Position in the Main Zone.

"At this moment, Xyz Lightning Sword is sent to the Graveyard. I end my Turn." Yuzo concluded.

Yubel smiled and laughed softly. She was visibly impressed. It has been a long time since she fought against a worthy opponent that was able to reach this far against her. Not to mention, she could feel the iron resolve and determination from each of the move made by Yuzo. It felt nostalgic.

"I can understand your feeling. I would also do anything necessary for the sake of my master. No matter how much blood I must spoil, no matter how dirty my hands become, as long as my master is safe, everything is okay." Yubel recalled the times when she had no choice but to kill Heidel's wife and son so that he wouldn't be burdened in the future. She was banished as the result, but she didn't mind. She was sure that her master would understand and accepted her decision one day. Casualties were normal in a war.

"Now is no different. I will kill all the intruders and return to my master's side. This time I won't let him go ever again. I will keep him safe in my arms forever." Yubel stated. She didn't know how a portal to the human world was opened. She didn't care either way. Now that she has returned to the human realm, she will appear before Heidel again. Even if he rejects her, she will keep staying by his and will keep watching over him. She will protect him at all cost.

"Only when he is always by my side, he'll be safe." Yubel has long decided. This time she'll make sure Heidel won't able to banish her again. She will continue to eliminate everything that get in his way and burden him until he attains his goal. It would be hard for him to understand her intention, but she will make sure he will understand it later. The end justifies the means.

"My Turn. I set a card." Yubel began her Turn again.

"I release my two Split Demon Rose Tokens in order to Advance Summon my other half!" Yubel released her two tokens. Her third eye glowed and her body unleashed sinister purplish-colored energy. The energy went to the Main Zone on her Field and began to take a form. Yuzo's face paled when the energy slowly formed into another copy of Yubel herself, but it has darker colors.

"There are two Yubels?!" Yuzo exclaimed in shock, completely dumbfounded. But he quickly recovered his composure. No. It shouldn't be so surprising. He and his siblings were also the same. They were able to split themselves into their human forms and dragon forms. Yubel was simply doing the same thing. This didn't look good for him.

"Battle. I attack Dark Parhelion with Yubel (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0)!" Yubel declared attack using her other half. Yubel easily crushed the Xyz Dragon, much to Yuzo's shock. Yubel's ATK was 0, so it shouldn't be capable to overpowerDark Parhelion, so how come it was able to overpower his ace monster like flipping the palm of hand and still remain unharmed? The Xyz user was thrown back from the blow of the attack.

"Due to the first two effects of my other half, it is not destroyed and my opponent takes the Battle Damage I would have taken." Yubel revealed, answering Yuzo's confusion.

 **YUZO LP: 4000 = 1500**

"On my End Phase, I activate Sacrifice Lotus' effect. It can revive itself in Attack Position." Yubel revived Sacrifice Lotus in Attack Position beside her other hald.

"I release Sacrifice Lotus to keep my other half in play." Yubel immediately released it to keep herself remain on the Field and then ended her Turn. "I have nothing against you, but for my master's sake, I'll have you die here."

Yuzo rose back to his feet, wiping the blood from his mouth. He chuckled before staring coldly at Yubel.

"We are different. You're far too twisted." Yuzo told her.

"What?"

"You and I have different belief and way in protecting our masters." Yuzo revealed.

"Oh? Do you not feel the same way?" Yubel asked with interest.

"Wanting to be with your beloved master forever is a normal feeling." Yuzo loved all of his masters. Every single one who had wielded him as Dark Rebellion. He loved them very much and of course it would be wonderful to be always by their side and he would give everything he has to protect them.

"However, you're going too far. This is not just about your master anymore. You're just being selfish."

 **A FEW WEEKS AGO – DEN ACADEMY – DEN CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuzo was sitting on a branch with his figure completely covered by the trees at Den Academy. He was watching his current master, Yuto, having a lunch with his friends. Yugo was eating his foods impatiently, causing him to choke that Yuto must help him. The result, as expected, was Yuto scolding Yugo together with Rin for not being careful and told him to eat properly. The scene made him chuckle.

"You're okay?" Shun was standing on the tree beside where Yuzo was sitting. He jumped to sit beside Yuzo.

"Of course I am. Why not?" Yuzo asked back, confused as to why Shun suddenly asked.

"I'm sure you want to join them. To be with Yuto." Shun said. However, Yuzo shook his head.

"No. I'm fine with this. Besides, rather than me, aren't you the one who wants to be with Yuto and Ruri the most? They miss you so much." Yuzo replied.

"I won't deny that. But I know what it means if I reveal myself now. Keeping them safe is more important than what I want." Shun answered, staring at his younger sister and best friend with longing. It felt like forever since he last saw them. He missed them. He wanted nothing more but to embrace them. But he knew that this wasn't the time yet.

"Exactly. I also want to keep them safe as much as you do. But unlike you, I don't really want to be with him that much at the moment." Yuzo confirmed.

"Why? If you care about him so much, don't you want to be with him?" Shun asked again. When people love someone, won't it be normal for them to want to be by that person's side?

"What makes me happy is not always being by his side. What makes me happy is to see Yuto happy. As long as I can see the smile on his face, even if I'm not by his side, that's enough for me." Yuzo explained, chuckling again when this time Yuto and the rest laughed at a story told by Yuya.

"Just seeing him smiling like this, makes my heart completely at peace." Yuzo smiled wider as he continued to see Yuto smiling with his friends.

That's right. His love is not something that must be embraced forever, but to let it go and find their own happiness because that happiness is his own.

 **PRESENT TIME – REACTOR – RAMSSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"If you truly love your master, then you should listen and consider his feelings first. But you're just being selfish and possessive, wanting to keep your master to yourself." Yuzo told Yubel. Loving someone doesn't necessarily means she have to always keep him by her side. Yubel was no different than a child selfishly wanting her parent's attention all to herself.

"What's the point of keeping your master safe if he's not happy?" Yuzo asked, and that one question stung the female monster who instantly narrowed her eyes at him. Looks like he has hit the jackpot.

"Letting them go doesn't mean you can't meet them again. It doesn't mean you can't do anything for them. You can still protect them. Seeing my master happy is rewarding more than enough to me. My master's happiness is my happiness." Yuzo continued. It would be a dream come true if he can stay forever with Yuto. But he also didn't mind if he can only watch Yuto from the shadows. If doing so will protect Yuto's happiness, then he will gladly continue to live in the shadows.

"That's what you believe?" Yubel questioned, lowering his Duel Disk a bit. Yuzo didn't answer, and he didn't need to. His eyes were silently telling her that he was serious in every word he said.

"If you believe so, indeed, we are different. But, are you sure you can continue like that?" Yubel questioned, crossing her arms.

"What do you mean?" Yuzo asked back, not understanding the question.

"Then, if your master is taken away from you, can you still say the same thing you just said now?" Yubel's expression became darker. Her smile was starting to fill with bloodlust.

"What?" Yuzo tightened his fists when he heard the question, understanding where Yubel was going to.

"If I kill your master, can you still continue living in the shadows?" Yubel made her point clear. Her smile widened when Yuzo's face slowly turn murderous.

"Is that a threat?" Yuzo's eyes became the coldest than he ever had. If this was just an empty threat, nothing but bark with no bite or a joke, Yuzo wouldn't lose his cool this much. But he fully understood that that wasn't the case. Yubel has set her eyes on his master.

"You're not going to lay your hands on Yuto…" Yuzo's voice was filled with so much venom. He placed his fingers on his Deck, ready to begin his Draw Phase.

Yuzo was halted when a familiar portal appeared not far from Yubel. It was different from Yubel's portal. It was the portal used by Apophis' offspring. Sure enough, Kamui came out from the portal, bowing politely to Yubel.

"You are a part of the Dragon of Calamity." Yubel instantly recognized the young man.

"Yubel, I came here to pick you up. Please leave this Duel for now. My Lord wishes to meet you. This is also concerning Heidel Aberforth." Kamui informed her. Yubel seemed contemplating her choice. She looked at Kamui then back at Yuzo. Her eyes rest on Yuzo for a while before nodded at Kamui who beckoned her to follow him.

Before entering the portal, Yubel turned to Yuzo for one last time, smiling like before.

"I've decided. I like you. I'm looking forward to our next meeting."

Yubel said and then entered the portal, disappearing with Kamui. Yuzo made no attempt to chase after her either. He must deal with the situation at hands first. Still, he felt frustration piling inside him.

"Dark Rebellion!"

Yuzo gasped when he heard Yuto's voice behind him. His master has returned and approached him.

"Are you okay? What about that Duel Monster, Yubel? Did you beat her?" Yuto asked worriedly, checking if his ace monster was injured in any way.

"No. She retreated with Kamui. I think she's joining Apophis now." Yuzo revealed.

"With Apophis?!" Yuto exclaimed with shock. He inwardly sighed. Great, more troublesome enemy to fight against.

"Let's get out of here and contact the others to regroup. We're not out of the smoke yet." Yuzo changed the subject. They will talk about the rest later. For now, stopping Heidel's plan comes first.

Yuto nodded. "Yeah. Jonouchi-san already sent a message for us to regroup. Let's go to the designated location." He said. Yuto was ready to bolt out, expecting Yuzo to do the same, so he was surprised when Yuzo's hand was holding his left wrist, stopping him.

"Dark Rebellion? No, I mean, Yuzo, what's wrong?" Yuto turned to his ace monster. He made a confusing look when he saw a frown on Yuzo's face. Something was bothering him. Furthermore, he was holding his wrist tighter than usual, as if not wanting him to go. Yuto was about to ask again, but Yuzo then let go.

"Sorry. It's nothing. Let's go." Yuzo said, bolting ahead of Yuto, prompting the latter to follow quickly.

Yuzo tried to put Yubel's words into the back of his head for a while until this was over. He mustn't let Yubel's threat to distract his focus. Besides, didn't he already decide? Even if Yubel will come for his master, he won't let her hurt him.

He will protect Yuto.

 **LABORATORY – RAMSSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Yuya! Yuya! Open your eyes!"

Odd-Eyes gently was shaking Yuya's body. While he knew that the last attack would render him unable to fight for a while, it won't be good if he were to fall unconscious in this dire situation. Even if he can't move, Yuya must wake up so if something happen, Yuya would be fully aware of it and knew what he must do.

"Urgh…" Yuya slowly opened his eyes. His head was dizzy. His vision was blurry for a minute before he could see Odd-Eyes' concerned face.

"Yuya!" Odd-Eyes sighed in relieved that his master has woke up.

"Yuji…? Jonouchi-san…? Oww…" Yuya felt a pang of pain on his head when he tried to get up.

"Don't move yet! Take it easy!" Yuji gently pushed Yuya back to lean on the wall.

"How long…I was out…?" Yuya asked. The last thing he remembered was receiving Roget's attack and then everything became black. He was worried that he was holding up his friends.

"About 30 minutes. Jonouchi-san is asking for Yukiya and Sara's help right now about the reactor. But anyway, how do you feel?" Odd-Eyes asked worriedly, adjusting Yuya into a more comfortable position.

"I just feel tired and dizzy. Other than that, I don't feel anything worse…" Yuya answered with a smile to assure his ace monster. Odd-Eyes, of course, was not convinced, but decided to leave it at that and let Yuya rest.

"Still, take it slow for a little longer. Sit here and don't move." Odd-Eyes told him.

"Okay." Yuya answered. He let Odd-Eyes go to Jonouchi to ask for Yukiya's answer.

He felt guilty for not being completely honest with his ace monster. He didn't tell him. When he passed out, he has a terrible nightmare. He was lying on a ruined ground. The sky was dark, enveloped by dark clouds with a pitch-black dragon roaring in the sky. He couldn't move. His whole body was injured. Worse, his left chest was bloody. Yukiya then came to him, holding him in his arms. He couldn't hear him, but Yukiya was having a desperate look on his face. Horrified and close to despair. It was the worst nightmare he has experienced.

At least that what he thought at first.

He winced quietly so he won't worry Odd-Eyes and Jonouchi. His body felt immense pain that he couldn't describe with words. It was almost cruciating. Yuya's thought was interrupted by a sudden coughing fit, making Odd-Eyes and Jonouchi to turn to him. He raised a hand, gesturing them not to worry and just focus back on finding solution. He removed his hand from his mouth, and his face paled when he saw his palm.

Blood.

And then, for a moment, he saw his left chest bleeding again like in the nightmare.

Or was it really a nightmare?

It felt far too real.

Could it be...a premonition?

Before Yuya realized it, his body was already trembling in fear.

" _Am I…going to…die…?"_

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Clear Mind, the Perfect Synchro! –** Yuhei reaches the core system that controls the reprograming process to stop the Duel Monsters enslavement, while Yugo and Rin reach hideout where Heidel's men are continuously sending the Trojan Viruses.

* * *

 **First of all, I know this is very late but, Happy New Year everyone! Wish you all the best this year!**

 **Now, to the chapter, I'm sorry for the short Duel, but I don't want this Duel to conclude just yet. There are still things that I want to keep as surprises in the future, especially regarding Yubel. Speaking of surprises, are you surprise seeing Yubel? I'm actually not so sure whether to include her or not in this fanfic, but in the end, I decided to include her because her role can expand certain things.**

 **Okay, some of you have been asking how many arcs left for this fanfic. I'm sorry to say that I can't answer that without spoiling things. I can only say that for this current arc, I estimate it'll take around 3 or 4 chapters left until it's finished. I'll inform you more after this arc is over, so please be patient with me.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter.**


	90. Clear Mind, the Perfect Synchro!

**1,500 YEARS AGO – THE BROTHERHOOD TENT – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"This suck…"

Clear Wing pouted. He has been sitting for almost two hours inside the tent at the refugee camp all by himself. That was because he was being left behind as a backup should the need arise for his siblings to be assisted, the said siblings were right now at the battlefield, fighting Apophis' army with the rest of the Brotherhood soldiers. Other than that, he acted as a communication tool for the Brotherhood.

Clear Wing, like his Deck and Dueling specialty, has the power of syhncronization. This ability allowed him to sync his mind or consciousness with someone else. His mind or the other person remained in their own bodies, but their consciousness would start to act like the same person. Their body gestures, their speech, everything would be totally in sync with one another. It also allowed Clear Wing to convey his thoughts like a phone to put in a simple way.

But like all power, it wasn't perfect. It still has several drawbacks. First would be the distance. Clear Wing could only synchronize his mind with his target as long as they were not so far away from each other. Secondly, he and his target must be on the same wavelength or else there would be a risk of one of them losing the attachment to their respective bodies.

When he was still working under Apophis, he was one of the generals of his armies, leading his men directly at the Battlefield together with his siblings. But now, ever since he joined the Brotherhood, he was more than often stuck as a backup and communication device for the armies. He felt restless and useless at this time and it irritated him.

"Damn it, why do I have to stay behind like this again?! That one last time is not enough?! I wanna get a piece of action too!" Clear Wing complained almost at the top of his lungs. He was growing too restless by now.

"While enthusiasm is good, the safety of our troops takes priority, Clear Wing."

Clear Wing almost fall from his chair had Yuno didn't yank the back of his collar and pulled him back to sit, making the boy to look up nervously.

"Dad!" Clear Wing exclaimed. Unlike his siblings, Clear Wing has no problem in referring Yuno as his father like the latter had told them to. He was totally comfortable and happy to have him as a father, related or not. Odd-Eyes and the others were honestly surprised by how quick Clear Wing got used to it.

"I know that it's frustrating to stay here by yourself, but I hope you're not slacking off. Your job is as much as important as the rest. You're our means of communication so that we can form the right strategy and deliver important information." Yuno said while ruffling Clear Wing's head. It was a bit rougher from usual since the Oracle was also reprimanding him.

"I know. I understand…" Clear Wing said, but he was still pouting. He knew that Yuno placed him in this position because he meant well, but he didn't feel this suit him.

Seeing Clear Wing's still pouting face, Yuno sighed. He leaned to the table, half sitting with his arms crossed and eyes on his adopted son.

"Did you always fight on the front lines when you were still with Apophis?" Yuno suddenly asked, which took Clear Wing off guard.

"Yeah. I relay information and report to Apophis in the middle of it too with this power." Clear Wing answered with confusion. Why was he asking this now?

"You have subordinates and the sort?" Yuno asked again, and Clear Wing answered it too with a nod.

"Not just me. All the four of us had." Clear Wing faced Yuno, blinking in question.

"So now you think that staying here as our messenger without fighting is an embarrassing thing to do?" Yuno asked with deeper voice, and this question shut Clear Wing's mouth. For a second, he opened his mouth to deny, but he couldn't. Because deep down he exactly was thinking that way. Yuno has made it clear to him now.

"Clear Wing, if you ask me, your subconscious thinks working in this position is somehow beneath you. You got full of yourself from your past experience. It's arrogant of you to think this job is unsuit for you. You're being shallow-minded since you used to be in higher position." Yuno said, making Clear Wing to bow down his head in shame. Yuno was not so surprised. Even though he looked like a teenager, Clear Wing was actually could be considered a child since it wasn't that long since he was born. There were still childish and immaturity in him. This is when a parent must guide his child.

"Listen, Clear Wing. For once, forget about positions and everything you have learned from the time you worked for Apophis. Right now, everyone's lives are at stake. If there's an ambush or our sides getting an intel, you're the only one who can relay the situation to us." Yuno shuffled through his backpack on the table. He brought out what it seemed to be a pocketwatch.

"Everyone is depending on you, especially your siblings. When the time comes, I'm sure you can and would use that power to save us from predicament." Yuno handed the pocketwatch to Clear Wing, placing it on the boy's palm.

Clear Wing's gaze softened when he saw what was behind the lid of the pocketwatch. It was a photograph of all of them together as a family. The first photo they took as a family. Jusis and Celica also joined them.

"Your desire to protect everyone. Just focus on that."

 **PRESENT TIME – CORE SYSTEM – RAMSSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Yuhei honestly wanted to just smash everything in front of him right now. Several moments ago, he, Yugo, and Rin received transmission from Yukiya and Sara. They must stop the virus that kept coming and reactivating the reactor. Because everyone else were preoccupied with other things, the Synchro trio were the only ones available to do this emergency mission. For this reason, they must split into two groups. Yuhei went alone to the core system while Yugo and Rin went to the place where whoever was sending the virus is at.

Yuhei has no problem going alone even though he admitted that he was feeling quite lonely. The problem was the core system in front of him. It appeared as a large, green hologram reverse pyramid. The projector that created the hologram and acted as its main body was a pillar that resembled a radio tower with a spherical tip.

Yuhei has always been good in fixing and tinkering with machines, but computer codes and the sort was different case altogether. He had learned quite a lot about computers, including hacking and the others, but this one was beyond him. Besides, just because he has learned and was capable at it, didn't mean he likes it. If it has something to do with D-Wheel or Duel Disk or anything related to Dueling, it was fun, but not this time.

How he wished this problem could be solved just by essentially going 'screw it' and blowing up the whole damn thing.

"Yukiya! I'm here already! What should I do now?" Yuhei asked through his Duel Disk.

"Wait there until Yugo and Rin take care of the hacker. Once they're done, I'll give you the instruction to change the program!" Yukiya replied from the other side.

"Wait, changing the program? You're not going to stop the reactor?" Yuhei raised a brow in confusion. What good it would be to change the program?

"I actually got a better idea that would benefit everyone." Sara's voice interjected, answering the question instead.

"What's this idea of yours? Spit out. I'm bored here, so talk to me until Yugo and Rin are finished over there." Yuhei asked curiously. Sara said of changing the program, but not stopping the reactor. Does that mean she was planning on using the reactor for a different purpose? Sara was undoubtly on their side, so he was sure she has good intention, but sharing her idea is still a must.

"In that case, how about you kill some time with me, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon."

A black portal was suddenly formed right in front of the core program. Yuhei halted his conversation with Sara to face whoever was going to appear from that portal. That portal was none other than the ability used only by Apophis and his offspring, so the one who'll come out would be one of them.

True enough, Kamui emerged from the portal with that usual passive look on his face.

"Kamui!" Yuhei called out. "I heard you left after retrieving that Hydradrive guy. Why are you here again?"

"I'm simply following order from His Excellency." Kamui answered plainly. His expression straight without a slightest bit of emotion.

"I thought you want us to get rid of Heidel in your place?" Yuhei reminded.

"As I said. I'm just following the order given to me. I didn't ask for the reason." Kamui answered again. Having no intention to talk more, the offspring activated his Duel Disk.

Yuhei smiled cockily. "Heh! This is better than just standing doing nothing but listening to a girl's talk, so bring it on." He activated his Duel Disk as well.

"Hey! What do you mean just a girl's talk?! You're being rude, Yuhei-kun!" Sara said from the other side, but she was ignored completely as the Duel began.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! I summon Tuner Monster Speedroid Gasing Cyborg (ATK: 1000/ DEF: 600 / LV: 4)!" Yuhei summoned a mechanical gasing-like monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"When a Speedroid is on the Field, I can Special Summon a Speedroid Car Turbo (ATK: 800 / DEF: 1200 / LV: 3) from my hand!" Yuhei summoned Car Turbo in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuhei concluded.

Kamui looked emotionless, but on the inside, he was actually confused. Yuhei's usual tactic was performing Synchro Summon during his early Turn. Either he was being cautious or he didn't have the Synchro Material yet.

Well, no point thinking it too deeply.

"My Turn. I summon Ghost Knight - Deathcaliber Knight (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 4)." Kamui summoned a zombie-like knight riding on a horse in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Battle. I attack Car Turbo with Deathcaliber Knight." Kamui declared Battle Phase. The horse let out a cry before charging towards the Speedroid monster with its rider raising its blade, preparing for a slash.

"I activate Gasing Cyborg's effect! Once per Turn when there are at least two Speedroids on the Field, I can negate the attack!" Yuhei declared. Gasing cyborg rolled, pushing Deathcaliber Knight away from Car Turbo, stopping its attack. Despite this, Kamui seemed unconcerned.

"I set two cards and end my Turn." Kamui concluded.

"My Turn! I tune Car Turbo with Gasing Cyborg!" Yuhei finally performed Synchro Summon. Gasing Cyborg couldn't be used as a Synchro Material on the Turn it was first summoned, so only now Synchro Summon was possible.

"Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 7! Clearwing Speed Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7)!" Yuhei summoned his ace monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Battle! I attack Ghost Knight - Deathcaliber Knight with Clearwing Speed Dragon!" Yuhei declared his first Battle Phase. The white dragon flew straight at the zombie-like monster, its body covered in whirlwind.

"Trap Card: Wall of Ghosts! When a DARK Monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can negate the attack and return it to my hand!" Kamui opened his first Reverse Card, summoning a pale-colored wall with black ghostly hands pulling Deathcaliber Knight into the wall, resulting Clearwing to hit the impenetrable wall instead.

" _He negated the attack, but in exchange he returned his monster to his hand. Is he going to summon it back in his next Turn? He won't be able to defeat my Clearwing unless he summons a higher ATK monster. Maybe returning his own monster back is a step to summon higher monster."_ Yuhei wondered. He knew that Kamui was strong, so he won't make a careless move.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuhei concluded.

"My Turn." Kamui drew a card. For a moment, his eyes stayed on a card, and then shifted to Yuhei and Clearwing. His eyes, again, stayed on their forms, making Yuhei feeling a bit unnerved by the attention. After what felt like an hour though it was actually only a few seconds passed, Kamui finally spoke.

"I set 2 cards and end my Turn." Kamui concluded, surprising Yuhei.

"You're not summoning any monster? Your Monster Zone is empty, which means I can attack you directly." Yuhei pointed out.

"Go ahead and try then if you wish." Kamui replied calmly.

Yuhei became wary now.

"My Turn! Draw!" Yuhei began his Turn again, eyeing Kamui with more guard.

" _If he is so confident to leave his own Monster Zone empty like that, he must have a Trap set between one of his four set cards. Perhaps all of them are Traps?"_ Yuhei speculated, eyeing the Reverse Cards on Kamui's Magic and Trap Zone. From what he heard, Kamui was specialized in Traps, mainly through the use of Mirror Force cards, to wipe out his opponent's cards to render them defenseless and then make his attack. The Reverse Cards he has most likely Mirror Force.

" _I won't fall to his Trap!"_ Yuhei fortunately has prepared precaution for Traps. "I activate Magic Card: Speed Protection! Until the end of this Turn, my monster cannot be affected by Trap Cards!"

Yuhei declared Battle Phase again, directing Clearwing to attack Kamui directly. Since Clearwing was protected by the Magic Card, any Trap Card effect won't work on his ace monster.

"As you suspected, my card is indeed a Trap, but it's not a Trap that you expected." Kamui revealed. He applauded Yuhei for having prepared to protect himself from his Traps, but he wasn't stupid as to use the same strategy as before when he has no doubt his enemies must have learned from it.

"Trap Card: Death Spirit Zoma. I can summon this card as a Trap Monster in Defense Position. When Zoma is destroyed, I can inflict double the ATK of the monster that destroyed it as damage to my opponent!" Kamui summoned a demon-shaped skeleton monster in Defense Position.

"Oh, crap! Stop! Clearwing!" Yuhei yelled out in vain as Clearwing has took off with super speed.

"You know it's too late." Kamui replied as Clearwing strikes down Zoma. A haunting spirit came out from the remains of the eliminated Zoma, becoming a ghost that charged towards Yuhei, its mouth opened wide as if ready to devour him.

"As if I'm letting that happen! I activate Gasing Cyborg's effect from my Graveyard! I banish it from Graveyard to decrease the damage I would take equal to its combined ATK and DEF values!" Yuhei banished Gasing Cyborg, combining its ATK and DEF, the damage he would take was decreased by 1600, lowering the damage he would take to 3400 instead.

Yuhei was nearly thrown off by the attack. The damage was already hurt enough for him to fall to his knees. His body went all sore.

 **YUHEI LP: 4000 = 600**

"I have studied your Deck, especially your ace monster, Clearwing Speed Dragon. I knew that inflicting monster effects to it would put my own monsters at risk due to your dragon's effect. That's why I have prepared Traps that can help in place of my monsters." Kamui revealed. After Odd-Eyes was revealed to have gained a physical body along with the rest of the dragons, Kurt has them studying their Decks to form countermeasure for when the time comes fighting against them.

"But you're not being serious yet, aren't you? I heard that you're using two archetypes for your Deck. You haven't used the other one, the Borreload. Are you underestimating me?" Yuhei questioned, returning to his feet.

"On the contrary, I'm being serious. I'm always serious in my Duels. The reason I'm not using Borreload is for two reasons: First, because it's not the time. Second, I want to show you more the true extent of what this current archetype can do to the fullest against you." Kamui admitted, revealing Deathcaliber Knight in his hand that he returned in the previous Turn.

"My Turn. I summon Deathcaliber Knight." Kamui summoned back Deathcaliber Knight in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"During either player's Main Phase, I can Special Summon Trap Monster Embodiment of Apophis (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 1600)." Kamui summoned an Egyptian humanoid monster with head of snake on its back.

"I end my Turn." Kamui concluded.

" _Looks like he doesn't have a monster to overpower Clearwing yet. He still has three Reverse Cards left. Another Trap monsters? Or a Mirror Force?"_ Yuhei was annoyed. He couldn't think of anything. And Kamui may do something to his disadvantage if he just ends his Turn without doing nothing.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Speedroid Chance! I equip a Speedroid Monster from my hand to a monster I control! With this, Clearwing Speed Dragon can attack twice!" Yuhei equipped Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice to his dragon, allowing it to make two consecutive attacks in this Battle Phase. There were two monsters on Kamui's Field, it's better to get rid of them before he could use them as materials for Special Summon.

"Battle! I attack Deathcaliber Knight!" Yuhei declared while hoping Kamui's Trap won't stop the attack this time. Fortunately, Kamui didn't make any move of opening his Trap, so the attack went well, destroying the zombie-like knight.

 **KAMUI LP: 4000 = 3400**

Yuhei was ready to declare the second attack, but right after Deathcaliber Knight was destroyed, Kamui opened his Reverse Card.

"Continuous Magic: Battlefield Tragedy. Each player who declares attack during their Turn must send 5 cards from the top of their Decks to the Graveyard. You have declared an attack, so throw your 5 cards." Kamui demanded, pointing at Yuhei.

"Since you can't destroy my dragon, your other countermeasure is to decrease the number of my cards until nothing is left of my Deck? Then I'm not going to let that happen." Yuhei said as he reluctantly discarded 5 cards from his Deck. He could attack again and destroy Embodiment of Apophis, but that means he must discard another 5 cards. That won't do him any good either eventually. He must stay low for now.

"If you think I'll let you slide just like that, you're sorely mistaken." Kamui knew what Yuhei was thinking, and he won't make it easy for Yuhei. He won't give Yuhei a choice in this.

"Trap Card: Rear-Guard Action. My opponent's monster with lowest ATK must attack." Kamui opened another one of his Reverse Cards, forcing Clearwing to attack Embodiment of Apophis with Yuhei powerlessly watching as the dragon destroyed his monster.

 **KAMUI LP: 3400 = 2700**

"And I activate another Battlefield Tragedy. Combined with my other Battlefield Tragedy, you must send 10 cards from your Deck to the Graveyard." Kamui opened the last of his Reverse Cards, doubling the amount of cards that Yuhei must discard from his Deck.

"What the hell?!" Yuhei was dumbfounded. Having to discard 5 cards was already bad enough, and now he must discard 10 cards every time he declares Battle Phase. Never mind LP, he would lose his entire Deck first!

"You only have one Turn to think of a way to counter my combo. I'll let you know beforehand that don't even think of trying to defend yourself by simply skipping the Battle Phase because I'll make you attack if you refuse." Kamui warned sharply, eyes narrowing at the Synchro user.

Yuhei gritted his teeth. As much as he hated to admit it, he was in a serious pinch here.

 **SHIP – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

It took quite a while, but Yukiya found the location of the hacker who continuously sending the viruses to reactivate the reactor. As expected, the hacker was not far away from the fortress. They were sending viruses from a boat a few metres from there. Yugo and Rin returned to the submarine with the intent of taking them by surprise through underwater by bumping the submarine to the ship.

The impact shook the submarine quite hard, but it was still in one piece without any serious damage. Yugo and Rin rose to the submarine to the surface so they could now ambush their enemies on the ship. Yugo quickly noticed one of them looking down at them just as he and Rin got out from the submarine.

"There they are! Let's go, Rin!" Yugo said, summoning his monster to get to the ship, Rin following behind him.

"W-what?"

Upon their arrival, however, Yugo and Rin were surprised to find their enemies sprawled motionlessly on the floor. All of them have bruises, completely beaten up. Rin checked the one nearest to them, placing a hand on the man's neck. There was still a pulse, so it could be assumed they were still alive.

"All of them are already beaten. Who did this?" Rin wondered, looking around for any other person besides them.

"I did."

Yugo and Rin jumped back when a body was thrown in front of them. Another beaten up man, fingers twitching from the pain. At least he was still alive like the rest, much to Yugo and Rin's relief. Enemy or not, they prefer lesser casualties. Yugo and Rin turned to the attacker and almost got a heart attack from recognizing the person responsible.

"You're Dante! You're still alive?!" Yugo's face almost paled, his mind half thinking that the Dante in front of him was a ghost.

"I thought Sara already defeated you!" Rin exclaimed. Sara was able to finally log out because she has defeated Dante. Since Sara also has Ma'at's blessing, her defeating Dante should have ended the offspring's life. But how come he was still alive?

Dante smiled healthily

"She only defeated me in my avatar in LINK VRAINS. Had she defeated me in flesh, I would have been a goner. Sorry to say that I am still well and most importantly alive." Dante answered.

"Why are you here? Don't tell me that you guys have second thoughts and now going to stop us?" Yugo questioned suspiciously. He never trusted them a single bit.

Dante shook his head in respond. "Fortunately for you, no. His Excellency ordered me to be here and not getting in your way. You are free to stop Heidel Aberforth since that would save us from trouble as well. However, I was also ordered to duel against one of you." He raised his Duel Disk to emphasize his mean.

"Only one of us?" Rin tilted her head in confusion.

"I'll let one of you go to the cabin and stop the virus. But one of you must stay here to entertain me in a Duel." Dante continued.

"What are you plotting?" Yugo asked again.

"I don't think we have the time to talk about that. You are in a hurry, no?" Dante merely smiled, gesturing them to pick which between them who will be dueling him.

"Rin, you go. Leave this guy to me. You're better with computers than I do." Yugo told the Wind Witch user, gently pushing her forward.

"But..." Rin looked back at Yugo with concern.

"You already have your action against Sergey earlier, so let me have this one. I'll be fine and you know it!" Yugo smiled confidently, giving her a thumb up to assure her. Rin was still reluctant, but she knew that they don't have time to waste anymore. They must stop the reactor now or else the digitization would be completed.

"If you lose, I'll smack you." Rin told Yugo before running pass Dante into the cabin, leaving only Yugo and Dante at the dock.

Both men activated their Duel Disk. From Yugo's Duel Disk, the Action Field was activated.

{ACTION FIELD ON, FIELD SPELL: OCEAN OF DATA}

Their surrounding changed darker in colour with several platforms around. They were still on the boat above the sea, but the color of the sea turned purple like the color of Data Storm while the sky turned red. Action Cards dispersed, beginning the Duel.

 **[ACTION DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! With scale 1 Speedroid Marble Machine and scale 6 Speedroid Hexasaucer, I set the Pendulum Scale!" Yugo set the Pendulum Scale, allowing him to summon monsters between Level 2 to 5.

"Pendulum Summon! Appear, my monster!" Yugo summoned Speedroid Passinglider (ATK: 2200 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 5) in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"And then I normal summon Tuner Monster Speedroid Domino Butterfly (ATK: 200 / DEF: 300 / LV: 2)!" Yugo summoned Domino Butterfly in Attack Position in the Main Zone next to Passinglider.

"I tune Passinglider to Domino Butterfly! Synchro Summon! Level 7! Clearwing Fast Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 4)!" Yugo summoned his first Synchro-Pendulum Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I set a card and end my Turn!" Yugo concluded.

"My Turn! I summon Umbral Ghoul (ATK: 1800 / DEF: 0 / LV: 4)!" Dante summoned Ghoul in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Isn't that the Deck that you used when you dueled Prince Carl? I thought you're not using it again because that time you're just testing it?" Yugo asked, recognizing the monster from Yuno's story.

"I took a liking to it and I know it'll be useful. Of course, it doesn't mean I have abandoned my old Deck. I'm going to improve my Deck even further with these..." Dante said with sinister delight, making Yugo got a goosebump just from seeing him.

"I activate Umbral Ghoul's effect. I can reduce its ATK to 0 and Special Summon two copies of Umbral Will o' the Wisp (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) in Attack Position!" Dante summoned two copies of Will o' the Wisp in the Main Zone.

"As they were Special Summoned, I activate their effects to target Umbral Ghoul and change the Levels of both copies of Will o' the Wisp to that of Umbral Ghoul!" Dante changed Will o' Wisp's Level to Level 4 monster, similar as Ghoul.

"I overlay Ghoul and two Will o' the Wisp! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Numbers 104: Masquerade (ATK: 2700 / DEF: 1200 / RNK: 4 / ORU: 3)!" Dante summoned his Xyz Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Battle! I attack Clearwing Fast Dragon with Masquerade!" Dante immediately declared Battle Phase. Masquerade pointing its blade at the white dragon.

"I activate Clearwing's effect! Once, during either player's Turn, I can negate your monster's effect and reduce its ATK to 0!" Yugo countered to render Masquerade powerless. Unfortunately, that's exactly what Dante was aiming for.

"I activate Masquerade's second effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, when my opponent activated a monster effect during Battle Phase, I can negate the opposing monster's effect and inflict 800 damage to my opponent!" Dante removed the first Overlay Unit, allowing Masquerade to seal Clearwing's power before sending a wave of slash at Yugo, inflicting 800 damage to him.

 **YUGO LP: 4000 = 3200**

Before Masquerade could eradicate his dragon, Yugo made a jump at the nearest platform where an Action Card was and activated it.

"Action Magic: Tenacity! I prevent my monster's destruction by Battle!" Yugo increased Clearwing's strength, giving it enough power to endure Masquerade's attack even though they still received damage.

 **YUGO LP: 3200 = 2700**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Dante concluded.

"My Turn!" Yugo began his Turn again. After looking at the card he has drawn, he made another jump to the platforms. There was only one Action Card per Turn, so he won't let Dante have it. Dante made no hint to move to get an Action Card, but Yugo wouldn't take even a slightest risk against Apophis' offspring. He mustn't take Dante lightly.

"I activate Action Magic: Voice of Sea! I increase my monster's ATK by 1000!" Yugo increased Clearwing's ATK to 3500.

"Battle! I attack Masquerade with Clearwing Fast Dragon!" Yugo declared. Masquerade could only activate its effect if he activates Clearwing's effect. If he attacks without using Clearwing's effect, then it shouldn't be a problem.

 **DANTE: 4000 = 3200**

"I end my Turn." Yugo ended his Turn, returning Clearwing's ATK to normal.

Dante let out a chuckle, staring at Yugo with interest. The stare was clearly uncomfortable for Yugo because it reminded him of a certain person that he refused to utter the name. But Dante spoke of it in his place.

"You know, Neon always talks about you." Dante started. The mention of the woman who made him suffered got on Yugo's nerve.

"Don't mention that dead bitch's name in front of me!" Yugo protested furiously. He was trying hard to forget that woman's influence on him, so he didn't anyone to remind him of her.

"You really hate her, huh? Then I have bad news for you, she is technically alive."

"Huh?"

"You see, she has been reborn...as Geist's Duel Monster."

Yugo went speechless. It took him several seconds before he could absorb what Dante has just told him and processed it in his brain. When it finally sunk in, Yugo's face instantly turned pale. His body was close to trembling from the trauma of remembering what the bitch had done to him.

"You gotta be kiddin' me! That bitch is still around to hunt me?!" Yugo's voice was almost shaking. His paranoia was starting to resurface. Dante found this amusing and laughed inwardly.

"As long as you don't meet Geist, then you won't see her. Although, she has been pestering Geist to target you for a while now." Dante added, which unnerved Yugo even more. While it would be amusing to tease Yugo more, he has a job to do.

"Anyway, back to the topic, from Neon, I have learned a lot about you, including your Deck. And so, I have prepared a countermeasure against you with her help." Dante revealed on the cards in his hand and activated it.

"My Turn. I activate Continuous Magic: Deadly Poisonous Wind. WIND Monsters cannot be Special Summoned and the ones on the Field have their ATKs decreased by 500." Dante decreased Clearwing's ATK to 2000.

"That card again!" Yugo groaned. It brought back that wretching Duel against Neon last time.

"As I control no monsters, I activate Magic Card: Glorious Numbers to revive Masquerade in Attack Position and draw a card." Dante revived his Xyz Monster and then drew a card. He immediately revealed and activated the card he just drew.

"I activate Rank-Up Magic: Limited Barian Force! I can target 1 Rank 4 or lower Xyz Monster I control to special summon a Chaos Xyz Monster that is 1 Rank higher than the monster I control by using it as Xyz Material along with this card!" Dante opened the Overlay Network, sending his Masquerade and the Rank-Up card into the portal as materials.

"Rank-Up Xyz Change! Appear! Rank 5! Chaos Numbers 104: Masquerade Magician – Umbral (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 1500 / RNK: 5 / ORU: 2)!" Dante summoned his Chaos Numbers Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Battle! I attack Clearwing Fast Dragon with Umbral!" Dante declared attack. The Chaos Numbers raised its staff, accumulating energies that form a dark crimson plasma. Before it could go any bigger, Yugo made his move.

"I activate Clearwing's effect! I negate your monster's effect and reduce its ATK to 0!" Yugo activated his monster's effect in haste. However, seeing Dante smirked in respond to his reaction, Yugo realized that he has made a big mistake. Dante was waiting for him to activate Clearwing's effect.

"That won't be happening because it has similar effect as Masqeurade! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can negate your dragon's effect instead! Not only that, you'll have to discard a card from your hand to the Graveyard and your LP will be halved!" Dante revealed, detaching an Overlay Unit that weakened the white dragon.

"What?!" Yugo was taken aback when one of the Overlay Units strikes him, halving his LP.

 **YUGO LP: 2700 = 1350**

"Now your dragon will be destroyed!" Dante continued with his attack. Umbral unleashed its plasma blast, destroying Clearwing and blew Yugo away to the edge of the dock.

 **YUGO LP: 1350 = 350**

"I end my Turn." Dante concluded. He waited until Yugo was back to his feet. He has been specifically ordered not to kill him so he held back in his attack, but looks like he still went a bit far earlier. He applauded the boy for able to keep standing even after receiving that attack.

"Since Clearwing is a Synchro-Pendulum monster, you can just revive it again through Pendulum Summon, but your Pendulum Scales are only 1 and 6, so that won't be possible. Even if you do manage to bring back Clearwing, I'll just use Umbral's effect again to negate its effect and halve your LP. So, what are you going to do, Fusion-kun?" Dante teased again. He couldn't hold it. The boy's reaction was just too amusing. He could understand why Neon took a liking to this boy so much.

"It's Yugo! Not Fusion! Don't copy that grinning bastard!" Yugo twitched angrily, stomping his right foot. Yugo growled hostily and prepared to begin again. However, he admitted that Dante has a point. He would be screwed if he stayed like this. What can he do? What he is supposed to now?

It was almost like when he dueled against Serena during Friendship Cup. When Serena cornered him because of his carelesness, he almost given up. But then he remembered Rin's words to him. His strongest point is how bad he is at giving up. And now, he found himself at quite similar position as that time. The difference would be his life is at stake. No, not just him, his friends too.

" _I'm not giving up! As if I will! I don't know what this guy is planning to do after this, but I'm not going to let myself be defeated in this Duel!"_

He can't lose.

He won't lose.

He must defeat Dante.

He will defeat Dante.

" _I will win!"_

 **CORE SYSTEM – RAMSSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"This is a bad situation. What should I do? At this rate I'm going to lose..." Yuhei didn't show it clearly to Kamui, but he was nervous and unnerved by this situation. He only has once chance to turn things to his favour.

"My Turn! Draw!" Yuhei looked at the card he drew. It was Tuner Gamble. Using this card, he can roll a dice, and then summon a Tuner Monster with the same Level as the result of the dice. His eyes widened a bit as he remembered a monster he has that could help him from this.

" _That's right. There's still a way. I can do it if I can summon that Monster! But...this will be a gamble. If I don't get the right number, I'll..."_ It's possible to defeat Dante if he can summon a Tuner Monster with the Level necessary to summon that monster. But again, this would completely depend on his luck. If he can't get the right one, then...

" _By totally in sync, we can find a way and overcome our enemies together."_

Yuhei gasped softly as the words together with the familiar voice crossed his mind. The voice of his partner.

 **TWO DAYS AGO – HIDEOUT – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Yuhei, there's something I want to ask you." Yuya approached Clear Wing who was on his way back to his room.

"What?" Yuhei turned to Yuya, stopping midway.

"During Friendship Cup a year ago, there were times when my mind seemed to become one with Yugo. I saw what he saw and felt what he felt. It was like I am himself. Yuri told me that Starve Venom reacted during Yugo's Duel against Serena, but he didn't experience the same thing as I did. So, I was wondering if you're behind it." Yuya asked. For this whole year he has been curious about it. When he asked Yugo, the Synchro counterpart himself didn't understand what happened either and he didn't care that much. They both assumed that their connection to Zarc and Clear Wing's own power was behind it. Now that he remembered, he could ask the person himself.

"Oh, yeah, I haven't explained that to you. My bad. On those two occasions, I synchronized my mind and Yugo's with yours and Odd-Eyes out of instinct." Yuhei answered.

"Synchronized our minds?" Yuya blinked in confusion, waiting for Yuhei to elaborate more.

"Yeah. To put simply, your mind for that moment became one with ours and dueling together. It's partially thanks to that we won against Sawatari. We were able to successfully got Action Cards that time because your skill in Action Duel synchronized with us as well." Yuhei explained. Yugo had no experience in Action Dueling when he dueled Sawatari. No matter how skilled you are in riding D-Wheel, getting Action Card was a different matter altogether. Yugo was able to perfectly coordinate his skill in riding D-Wheel along with getting Action Card thanks to Yuya synchronizing his mind with Yugo.

"I got the gist of it, but why didn't Yuri experience the same thing?" Yuya asked again. During the Duel between Yugo and Serena, Yuya was imprisoned by Roget at Security HQ, so he was at much farther distance than Yuri who was at the Duel Lane. But yet, Yuri didn't experience the same thing and it was only Starve Venom reacting to Clear Wing.

"That's because we are not in the same wavelength as Yuri and Starve Venom that time even if they were nearer. To achieve that state completely, I need to be in the same wavelength as the one I'm going to synchronize with. You and Odd-Eyes were happened to be in the same wavelength as us during those two instances." Yuhei continued. He was actually glad that they were not in the same wavelength at that time or else things could have gone ugly.

"I see..."

"Although, the synchronization is not what I would call perfect."

"It's not perfect?"

"Once, I have achieved the highest stage of the synchronization. A perfect synchronization. In that state, our minds became one, improving our focus and transmissing our very own wills to each other, fusing our minds together. But this also resulted in damages that I received will also be inflicted on the other whom I synchronized with and vice versa." Yuhei recalled the one and only experience in the perfect synchronization. At that one time, he managed to achieve it together with Yuno. They even did it unconsciously without themselves realizing. Only when they met and found they have the same wounds at the same locations and knew each other's situations they realized what had happened. Since then, he never experienced that perfect synchronization.

"It's not easy for myself to enter that stage. I and the person whom I synchronized with must be in a state of Clear Mind." Yuhei stated. This was the answer he finally got after remembering every single detail during the perfect synchronization.

"Clear Mind?"

"Psychologically speaking, our minds must be clear. We must free ourselves from all negativity in our mind and heart, and must maintain focus on the battle at hand and nothing else." Yuhei remembered the feeling he had that time. When he asked his adopted father about it, his theory was proven correct when Yuno confirmed that he also had the same feeling. But even if they knew the trigger, it was still difficult to perform it at will.

"Wait, doesn't that mean the damage you'll experience would be doubled? It's dangerous then!" Yuya realized. If they are synchronized to the point of sharing their pain, then the exhaustion and wounds they experience respectively would be inflicted to the other side, worsening their own condition if they were to be attacked at the same time.

Even so, Yuhei didn't look perturbed by it.

"Yeah. It's dangerous. But doing so would allow us to remove all limiters or delays when we're dueling. Sometimes we must take a big risk to achieve victory for everyone's sake." Yuhei didn't say this out of whim. He had talked about this with Yuno after the first experience, and they both agreed that they were prepared should they enter the state of perfect synchronization again. They were putting their lives in danger from the very beginning anyway.

"Death won't be an option though."

Yuhei was startled when Yugo came from behind him, rounding his arm around him.

"Yugo!" Yuya called out.

"You said your target must be in the same wavelength to perform this perfect synchronization, right? Since we are separated now, let's give it a try next time! We're always together, so we gotta be in the same wavelength, right? Even if we're far away from each other, with that perfect synchro, we'll be invincible together!" Yugo said excitedly. He wasn't that interested about the whole synchronization thing before, but now after hearing everything in detail, he felt pumped out. Sure, the possibilities of the pain would be doubled are there, but that also means they can share their powers, skills, knowledge, and excitement in Duels. And he would be more than happy to experience it with his partner.

"I don't think it's that simple..." Yuya said with a sweat drop. Either Yugo didn't fully understand or he has simplified the whole thing to make it sound easier.

"It'll be fine. I trust your skill and you trust mine. By totally in sync, we can find a way and overcome our enemies together. We are bad at giving up after all." Yugo patted Yuhei's back before extending his fist to his ace monster, waiting for a fist bump from him.

All Yuhei needed was seeing Yugo's bright assuring smile to convince him that everything would be all right. If it's with Yugo, Yuhei knew he can do it. Both of them can do it together.

With equal smile, Yuhei bumped his fist with Yugo's.

"Gotcha!"

 **PRESENT TIME – CORE SYSTEM – RAMSSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

" _That's right. We are bad at giving up. And that's what help us to win from time to time!"_ Yuhei's spirit has lit up. He was a fool to think of giving up even for a second.

" _I'm not giving up! I don't know what this guy is planning to do after this, but I'm not going to let myself be defeated in this Duel!"_

He can't lose.

He won't lose.

He must defeat Kamui.

He will defeat Kamui.

"I will win!"

Yuhei felt something exploded in his chest. It filled him with warmth. His mind felt refreshing. All of a sudden, his worries and fear have gone completely. It's as if all the suffering he has experienced was but a lie. It's like when he and Yugo were Riding Dueling together. They were freed from cages, caring nothing but feeling of the winds, savoring their freedom. For the first time in Duel, dueling could feel so liberating.

"I activate Magic Card: Tuner Gamble! When I control a Synchro Monster, I can roll a six-sided dice and Special Summon a Tuner Monster with Level equal to the result of the dice roll!" Yuhei activated the card he just drew, summoning a six-sided dice roll. Yuhei threw the dice down, beginning to roll.

"You're betting your victory on such risky gamble?" Kamui questioned, not comprehending the benefit from gambling.

"Luck is also part of Dueling!" Yuhei simply replied.

It was truly like the Friendship Cup all over again. He didn't think it was bad. The Duel against Serena was fun and he and Yugo enjoyed it. And even though it sounded strange, he was positive that the result would be the same as last time: The goddess of victory would smile at him.

And yes, she was.

The dice stopped at 1.

"Yeah! It's here!" Yuhei exclaimed victoriously, taking the card that stuck out from his Deck that showed a monster resembling a tank toy. "I summon Speedroid Block Tank (ATK: 100 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1)!"

"I tune Clearwing Speed Dragon with Speedroid Block Tank! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 8! High-Speedroid Kitedrake (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2800 / LV: 8)!" Yuhei summoned a mechanical dragon-shaped monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate High-Speedroid Kitedrake's effect! When this card is Synchro Summoned, I can choose one of its two effects: I can either destroy all cards on the Field other than itself or negate the effects of all face-up cards on the Field!" Yuhei revealed. He didn't need to think long, he knew from the very beginning which effect he should use if he wants to win. Obviously, he chose to destroy all cards on the Field other than Kitedrake itself.

The new Synchro Monster roared, destroying all cards on the Field, wiping them clean until it was the only monster standing on Yuhei's side while Kamui has nothing on his side.

"Now you're completely wide open without any single card on the Field! Battle! I attack directly with High-Speedroid Kitedrake!" Yuhei declared the finishing move.

Kitedrake, using similar movement as Clearwing, flew forward, striking down the defenseless Kamui who blocked and endured the direct attack, pushing him down together with his LP.

 **KAMUI LP: 2700 = 0**

At the same time, the digital space surrounding the whole room slowly dispersed. The static-like space began to revert to the original dull white room of the fortress.

 **SHIP – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

" _That's right. We are bad at giving up. And that's what help us to win from time to time!"_ Yugo's spirit has lit up. He was a fool to think of giving up even for a second.

Yugo felt something exploded in his chest. It filled him with warmth. His mind felt refreshing. All of a sudden, his worries and fear have gone completely. It's as if all the suffering he has experienced was but a lie. It's like when he and Clear Wing were Riding Dueling together. They were freed from cages, caring nothing but feeling of the winds, savoring their freedom. For the first time in Duel, dueling could feel so liberating.

"I activate Magic Card: Speed Raise! I can increase the number of Pendulum Scale of a Speedroid Pendulum Monster in my Pendulum Zone by two!" Yugo raised Hexasaucer's Scale from 6 to 8, allowing him to summon Level 6 and 7 monsters as well.

"Be revived from Extra Deck! Pendulum Summon!" Yugo revived Clearwing as Dante has expected him to. However, Yugo has another surprise.

"I activate Magic Card: Tuner Gamble! When I control a Synchro Monster, I can roll a six-sided dice and Special Summon a Tuner Monster with Level equal to the result of the dice roll!" Yugo activated the card he just drew, summoning a six-sided dice roll. Yugo threw the dice down, beginning to roll.

"A gamble? Are you sure you're okay with that?" Dante questioned.

"Luck is also part of Dueling!" Yugo simply replied.

It was truly like the Friendship Cup all over again. He didn't think it was bad. The Duel against Serena was fun and he and Clear Wing enjoyed it. And even though it sounded strange, he was positive that the result would be the same as last time: The goddess of victory would smile at him.

And yes, she was.

The dice stopped at 1.

"Yeah! It's here!" Yugo summoned Speedroid Drum Noise (ATK: 200 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) in Attack Position in the Main Zone and quickly tune it to his dragon.

"Obtain the shining wings of light and soar to the summit of supremacy! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 8! The shining dragon with piercing eyes! The Supreme King White Dragon – Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 8)!" Yugo summoned his second and strongest Synchro-Pendulum Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon's effect! I can destroy all monsters on the Field and it gains the total ATKs of the destroyed monsters!" Yugo activated the Supreme King White Dragon's first effect. Odd-Eyes Wing unleashed sharp gales, slowly cutting Umbral's body.

"I told you it's pointless! I detach an Overlay Unit to negate your effect and halve your LP!" Dante detached the last Overlay Unit on Umbral. However, this time, Yugo was the one who was smiling as having Dante activated Umbral's effect was his aim.

"Sorry, but Odd-Eyes Wing has superior effect! I activate Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon's second effect! During Main Phase or Battle Phase, I can target one of my opponent's monsters, that monster has its effect negated!" Yugo targeted Umbral who just activated its effect, sealing its power, making its last overlay unit to gone to waste.

"You don't have Overlay Units anymore. This is the end." Yugo smiled confidently, both his hands on his waist.

"Your dragon's ATK is equal to my Umbral's. Are you planning for mutual destruction?" Dante pointed out.

"As if! I activate Speedroid Train Tornado's effect from my hand! By sending it to the Graveyard, Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon cannot be destroyed by Battle until the end of this Turn and its ATK was increased by 600!" Yugo discarded Train Tornado from his hand, giving a boost in Odd-Eyes Wing's physical resistance during Battle as well as increasing its ATK to 3600.

"Next, I activate Action Magic: Wonder Chance! With this Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon can attack twice!" Yugo activated the Action Card he picked when he was thrown to the edge of the dock.

"Finally, Battle! I attack Magician of Masquerade – Umbral with Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon!" Yugo declared attack.

Odd-Eyes Wing Dragon flew up before twirling its body, forming green-colored whirlwind around its entire form. Eyes locked down at the Xyz Monster below, it shot down, the winds surrounding its entire body making it look like a tornado.

A few metres before the attack connect, however, the ship was shaking. Not only that, the digital space dispersed. Following the dispersion, both Yugo's and Dante's Duel Disks screen flickered, showing an 'Error' warning. The Action Field was deactivated, causing both monsters to disappear as well, stopping the Duel.

"W-what?! What the hell is going on this time?!" Yugo growled. He was so close in winning! Only one attack left!

"Oops. Looks like it's the time for me." Dante said before opening the portal. The time is up. Besides, he got what he was ordered to get, so his mission was pretty much accomplished even if he was about to lose.

"Hey! Don't run away you bastard! The Duel is not over yet!" Yugo demanded, which fell on deaf ears.

"I'll give you the win this time. And I'll be sure to tell Neon about our Duel. Later, Yugo-kun." Dante bid the boy farewell before disappearing into the portal, leaving Yugo alone at the dock.

"Damn, and I was so close! The bastard...!" Yugo punched the wall as he made his way to the cabin. He quickly tries to calm himself. No point dwelling on it now. He will let out his steam later after this was over.

"Rin, how is it?" Yugo said, entering the cabin. Rin was sitting on a chair, meddling with the only laptop inside.

"I have stopped the digitization. How about you?" Rin asked as she closed the laptop, facing Yugo.

"The bastard ran away right before I could finish him off. Anyway, we should call Yuhei now." Yugo raised his Duel Disk to make the said call, but then Rin's hand was at the top of his Duel Disk screen, making him to look at her. She was looking at him with concern.

"Yugo, is something wrong? You look a bit pale." Rin asked, placing a hand on the side of his face. Yugo tried to look away, but Rin's hand held his head in place, making their eyes met. Yugo couldn't escape from that.

"Well...that Dante guy...said that...the bitchy Neon has been reborn...as Geist's Duel Monster." Yugo finally admitted. He didn't want to tell her now of all times, but he did a sucky job at hiding his worry. As expected, Rin was as shocked as he did.

"What?! Seriously?!" Rin grasped him by his shoulders, shaking him a bit.

"I don't think he's lying. But really, just when I thought I have been freed from her..." Yugo looked down. He had won against her not only once, but twice, so why is he still afraid of her? He thought he has steeled his resolve, but looks like it was still not strong enough. How pathetic, for only over one Duelist...

Yugo yelped when Rin snapped him by slapping both of his cheeks with her hands. Rin has determined eyes that he has never seen before and it confused him. Rin took both his hands in hers, gripping them tightly.

"Then we just need to beat her senselessly again! This time, for good!" Rin decreed.

She won't let Neon getting near Yugo again. She won't let the Fabled to hurt let alone touching Yugo ever again. She won't lose the next time she meets her.

This time, she will be the one to protect Yugo.

 **CORE SYSTEM – RAMSSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Looks like you have stopped further digitization. Good work." Kamui congratulated him, wiping the dust from his torn clothes. He didn't win, but he already got what he was ordered to get from Clear Wing. He has accomplished his mission.

"Don't act cocky when you're being the loser here!" Yuhei exclaimed.

"My mission is done. I'll be taking my leave now." Kamui brushed him off, swiftly opening and entering the portal without a care.

"Don't you dare run away! Hey!" Yuhei shouted, trying to catch Kamui, but the man was faster in disappearing, leaving Yuhei alone with the core system. Yuhei cursed in frustration. He was about to interrogate him to gain more intel.

"Yuhei-kun, are you ready now? We need to reprogram it now." Sara called from the Duel Disk, confirming that the digitization has stopped, which means Yugo and Rin have succeeded. All that left was reprogamming the reactor.

"Got it. What should I do know?" Yuhei asked.

Instead of answering directly, Sara sent something to his Duel Disk for Yuhei to see. When Yuhei opened the message, from the top to middle of the message was the instruction to reprogram. From the middle to the end, however...

Yuhei's eyes widened in disbelief. Was Sara serious on doing this?

"Wait. This is... For real?!"

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **The Accursed Earthbound God –** Reiji commence a Duel against Roget who has taken over Heidel's body. Sensing Roget's huge change, Reiji goes all out. However, Roget then reveals the power he has hidden the whole time.

* * *

 **Hiya, everyone! Sorry for the long wait! It's very difficult to write this chapter since I'm writing two different Duels at the same time and also busy with work. I hope I did good enough. Only 3 chapters left and then this arc would finally end, and then we will start the final arc of the story!**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	91. The Accursed Earthbound God

**HARBOR – RAMSSESS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"Guys! I'm glad you're back!"

Reid exclaimed happily together with Yuzu, welcoming Jonouchi and the rest who have left the fortress. Jonouchi and the others regrouped with Yugo and Rin at the same place where they came to infiltrate and then escaped using the same submarine they rode to get there. Yuzu's relief was short-lived the moment she saw Yuya being carried by Yuji on his back, all beaten up. In a second, she was already by his side, Yusho and Reira following her.

"Yuya?! What happened to him?!" Yuzu asked worriedly, helping Yuji to lay down the injured Pendulum user.

"He protected me. Thankfully, his injuries are not life threatening. He still needs more medical attention though." Yuji said as he used his bag as a pillow for his master to make it more comfortable for him.

"Talk about reckless!" Yuzu scolded, but didn't say anything more and focus on scanning his body to be tended.

"Wait, where are Yugo, Rin, and Yuhei?" Reid asked, not seeing the three Synchro trio anywhere.

"They're still at the core system to reprogram the whole thing." Yuto answered. When they met Yugo and Rin, they were told to go back to the harbor ahead of them while the two of them will go to where Yuhei was. Clear Wing couldn't leave yet because he must follow Sara's instruction to reprogram the system. Because of this, other than Reiji, Yuno, and Celica, the Synchro trio were absent at the moment.

"Reprogram? I thought we just needed to stop the digitization and the unification of this dimension and ARC-V." Yusho asked.

"Looks like Sara has an idea in her mind. She won't share it now though. Still waiting for Yuno, Celica, and Reiji." Serena answered.

"Are the three of them going to be okay? Shouldn't we go to help them?" The Emperor suggested.

"No need." Jonouchi shook his head. "I don't know about Reiji, but Yuno and Celica together would be fine."

The voices and the feeling of someone tending his body caused Yuya's eyes to flutter open. He blinked a few times before his vision cleared, seeing his father and friends were gathering around him, particularly Yusho, Yuzu, Yuji, Yuto, Ruri, Serena, and Reira. He didn't need to ask that he was worrying them, so the tomato-haired boy tried to sit up, but his body just won't listen and it was still sore all over that he slumped back.

"Yuya! Don't move yet!" Yuzu reprimanded.

"Just lie down! Your face is pale and I can tell you're not feeling well!" Ruri said as well.

"Sorry... I got quite a nightmare..." Yuya replied before he followed as he was told, trying to relax his body.

It would be much better if he sleeps again, but he was afraid. He was afraid that he'll see that dream...that nightmare again. The nightmare where he was seeing a gigantic black dragon flying in the sky, he lying helplessly in someone's arms, and blood gashing out from his left chest. The pain was unbearable. His whole body beyond aching. He couldn't move a muscle. His consciousness was fading until everything became dark, and that was when he awoke.

It was terrifying.

Even though it was supposed to be just a dream...

" _Why...it feels so real...?"_

 **A FEW MINUTES AGO – THRONE ROOM – RAMSSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Reiji slowly turned back to the familiar voice that he thought he would never hear again. His eyes slowly widened when Heidel's body began to twitch as he was covered by thick black aura. It shouldn't be possible. The wielder of Earthbound God should have lost his life when he was defeated in a Duel. That was the consequence of using the cards. So how come Heidel was still alive after that last attack?

"You...have my gratitude, Reiji Akaba..."

"What?" Reiji was startled when the voice began to change. It wasn't Heidel's voice even though it was coming from his mouth. Reiji took a step back when the Supreme Commander stood up completely. For a moment, none of them say a word, and Heidel went still. Reiji took another step back when Heidel suddenly revealed his menacing smile like a madman.

"Thanks to you, I'm finally able to have this body!"

Strong shockwave was unleashed from Heidel's body. The glasses wall broke completely and several things were blown away. It took everything Reiji had to keep his footing while endurin the shockwave. It was then his eyes made contact with Heidel's, and Reiji instantly recognized those eyes that were not Heidel's.

"You're...Roget?!" Reiji exclaimed in shock. It wasn't hard to identify him. And remembering what happened to Yuri and the Four Heavenly Dragons, it was easy to figure out that the human-turned-Earthbound God has now possessed the Supreme Commander's body, and Reiji has unknowingly helped him in attaining it.

"Normally, those who used Earthbound God's power and lost would have disappeared into dust. But with my current power, stopping that and taking over this body is not a problem." Roget revealed while feeling his new body. He felt being alive again. Being alive as a Duel Monster and alive as a human was different to him. It was difficult to move as Duel Monster, but now that he has a vessel, he could anything as he please from now on.

"Now finally, I'll be able to fulfil my own ambition! I shall unite the dimensions and emerge as its rightful ruler!" Roget laughed madly, opening his arms wide as more power surging into his new body.

"But first, I'll have to get rid of you, Lancers, who had ruined and killed me!" Roget glared at Reiji. He would never forget what he had gone through after the whole trouble the Lancers had given him. All those years slowly taking over control of the City was destroyed by the interference of Lancers. If it were not for them, he would have become the king.

"That won't happen! Even if you do defeat me here, my comrades will reach the core and stop the reactor! Until then, I won't let you take one step out from this room!" Reiji stood his ground, once again on his battle stance.

"You think I'll let them? I have sent some guards to take care of them. Especially for Yuya Sakaki, I'll make sure to end the one who ruined my plan the most with my own hands!" Roget sneered.

"I already told you, I won't let you take even one step out from this room, let alone laying a finger on our leader." Reiji activated his Duel Disk, glaring at the former Security Chief.

 **[DUEL!]**

"I'm going first! When I control no monster, I can special summon Time Machine God Archiel (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 5)!" Roget summoned a monster with the same appearance as the typical Time Machine monsters, but its color is grey. It was summoned in Attack Position in Main Zone.

"When a Time Machine monster is summoned through its effect, I can special summon Time Machine God Raziel (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 5)!" Roget summoned another similar-looking monster but with purple color from his hand in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"And then I summon Tuner Monster Time Machine God Quinel (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)." Roget summoned the third one with black color in Attack Position in Main Zone.

"I tune Archiel and Raziel with Quinel! Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 11! Earthbound God Epunamun (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 3000 / LV: 11)!" Roget summoned the Earthbound God Synchro Monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

" _Summoning his ace monster right on the first Turn?"_ Reiji was alarmed. For Roget to summon his strongest monster right on his first Turn must mean that Roget was planning to finish everything in one fell swoop.

"When a Synchro Monster is summoned using Quinel as material, I can draw cards with an equal amount of the cards sent to the Graveyard this Turn." Since Roget discarded three cards for his Synchro Summon, he drew three cards from his Deck, making him holding 5 cards at the moment.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Roget concluded.

"You brought out your ace monster right on your first Turn. It seems you want to finish this quick or you have learned not to underestimate me." Reiji questioned.

"Both. But most of all, I want to make you taste the full extent of my power. I'll make sure that you'd suffer the same humiliation as I did before I send you to where your father is waiting." Roget spat bitterly. His displease visible both on his face and tone.

"Such an immature aim for the one who declared himself as a God. Ever since we first met a year ago, it didn't take long for me to know that no salvation shall be blessed to you. A misanthropic megalomaniac such as you must not be allowed to roam free in this world or any other." Reiji stated. The first time he lay his eyes on Roget, he knew that the man was ambitious, a narcissist who only care for no one but himself. From his speech and gestures, Reiji knew that nothing could sway this man to the better path. Roget was too corrupted. No one could save his soul from falling further. That's why Reiji had made up his mind that he would end Roget without hesitation right after discovering he has been reborn.

"My turn! Using the Scale 1 DD Savant Copernicus and the Scale 10 DD Savant Newton, I set the Pendulum Scales! With this, I can simultaneously summon Monsters between Level 2 and 9! Immense power that shakes my very soul! Become the light that rends the darkness residing within me! Pendulum Summon! Reveal yourselves, my Monsters! The transcendental deities who rule over all kings!" Reiji summoned two DDD Doom King Hell Armageddons (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 1000 / LV: 8 / PS: 4) in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I overlay the two Level 8 Hell Armageddons! Xyz Summon! Reveal yourself! Rank 8! D/D/D Ultimate Doom King Darkness Hell Armageddon (ATK: 3500 / DEF: 3000 / RNK: 10 / ORU: 3 / PS: 1)!" Reiji summoned his Xyz-Pendulum Hell Armageddon in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Darkness Hell Armageddon's effect! By detaching an Overlay Unit, I can target my opponent's monster that is not a Pendulum Monster and destroy it!" Reiji detached the first Overlay Unit. In respond, Darkness Hell Armageddon unleashed dark blast directed at the Earthbound God.

"I activate Time Machine God Archiel's effect in the Graveyard! I banish it to negate destruction by Battle or Effect until the end of this Turn!" Roget banished Archiel from his Graveyard, granting the Synchro Monster a transparent barrier that blocked the dark blast.

"Then, Battle! I attack Earthbound God Epunamun with Darkness Hell Armageddon!" Reiji declared. The four spikes on Darkness Hell Armageddon's both sides dispatched itselves from the main body, launching at the Synchro Monster.

"Even if it cannot be destroyed, you'll still take damage!" Reiji reminded as the four spikes stabbed through the Earthbound God, leaving four holes on its body.

 **ROGET LP: 4000 = 3500**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Reiji concluded.

"My Turn! I activate Raziel's effect from my Graveyard. By banishing it, I can draw 3 cards!" Roget banished Raziel, adding 3 more cards to his hand after his Draw Phase, making 8 cards in Roget's hand in total.

"When I have 6 or more cards in my hand, I can special summon Wicked Priest Chilam Sabak (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 0 / LV: 8) without releasing it!" Roget summoned Chilam Sabak in Attack Position in the Main Zone, next to Epunamun.

"Next, I activate Magic Card: Treasure Cards of Heaven and Earth! Since I summoned a Level 8 monster, I can draw two cards, however those cards cannot be used this turn." Roget drew 2 more.

"Now, Reiji Akaba, I'm sure you already knew what I'm going to do since I have summoned Epunamun." Roget smirked gleefully at Reiji whose stance took a defensive turn.

"I activate Earthbound God Epunamun's effect. Once per Turn, I can summon as many Earthbound Gods as I can from my Deck, but at the end of Turn, they'll be destroyed." Roget summoned Earthbound God Chacu Challuca (ATK: 2900 / DEF: 2400 / LV: 10), Earthbound God Wiraqocha Rasca (ATK: 100 / DEF: 100 / LV: 10), and Earthbound God Cusillu (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2400 / LV: 10), all three of them in Attack Position in the Main Monster Zone.

"I activate Epunamun's second effect. For each Earthbound God I control; my opponent's monster loses 800 ATK!" Roget declared as Epunamun howled, letting out sound wave that weakening Darkness Hell Armageddon, reducing its ATK to merely 300.

"Battle! I attack Darkness Hell Armageddon with Epunamun!" Roget declared Battle Phase.

Epunamun emerged from the ground before flying. It dived from the air, striking Darkness Hell Armageddon with its foot and sending the Xyz-Pendulum Monster airborne. It then unsheathed its claws and slashed Kiryu's dragon twice, knocking it down on the ground. Retracting its claws and releasing its axe made of its energies, Epunamun ended its attack by diving down and clawing the Hell Armageddon, destroying it. The impact of the explosion filled Reiji's Field with smoke. Roget expected to see Reiji's battered form. However, instead, Reiji emerged from the smoke unharmed with a Trap Card opened beside him.

"Trap Card: Contract Equation! When my opponent declares attack, I can banish one DDD Monster in my Graveyard with the highest ATK to make the Battle Damage 0 and then end the Battle Phase." Reiji explained, making Roget scowled. Good thing Reiji came prepared, otherwise Roget's remaining Earthbound Gods would have killed him.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Roget concluded. Since the Turn has ended, the Earthbound Gods, except Epunamun, were destroyed. His scowl deepened at Reiji. It wasn't like he didn't expect Reiji to have a countermeasure against Epunamun's effect after watching the duel against Kiryuu, but still, he never thought Reiji could counter it effectively right away.

"My Turn! With the set Pendulum Scale, I Pendulum Summon! Appear before me!" Reiji summoned his third copy of Hell Armageddon in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: Contract of Pendulum. I can special summon the Pendulum Monsters in my Pendulum Scales in Defense Position with their effects negated!" Reiji summoned Copernicus and Newton in Defense Position to the Main Zone from their respective Pendulum Zones.

"Appear! The circuit that leads to different dimensions!" Reiji summoned the Link Summoning Circuit.

"Arrowhead confirmed. The summoning condition is at least one DDD Monster. Circuit combined!" Reiji set Copernicus at the bottom-right Link Marker and Newton at the bottom Link Marker, combining the circuit.

"Link Summon! Ascend, Link 2! DDD King of Kings Xerxes (ATK: 2500 / LINK: 2 / LM: Bottom, Bottom-Right)!" Reiji summoned a humanoid monster dressed in armor of Achaemeneid dynasty warrior in the Link Monster Zone in Attack Position with its bottom-right arrow pointing to Hell Armageddon.

"Next, I activate Equip Spell: Demonic Link! I equip it to Xerxes!" Reiji equipped a golden robe that tied Xerxes' right arm to Hell Armageddon

"Battle! I attack Chilam Sabak with Xerxes! Due to Demonic Link's effect, it cannot be destroyed by Battle!" Reiji declared attack. Xerxes ran forward while raising its sword, swinging it down at Chilam Sabak with ease, slicing it to two. Since the two monsters have equal ATKs, both were supposed to be destroyed, but Reiji's Equip Card protected Xerxes from destruction by Battle.

"I activate Xerxes' effect! After it attacks, when this card's Link Arrow is pointed towards a DDD Monster, I can destroy monsters my opponent controls equal to the number of its Link Arrows!" Reiji pointed at Roget's only remaining monster, which is Epunamun. Xerxes swung its sword, creating a blade wave that sliced Epunamun in half, destroying it. This left Roget's Field without any monster.

"I activate Demonic Link's effect! I can perform Link Summon during Battle Phase using the monster equipped with this card! If the equipped monster's Link Arrow is pointing at another monster, that monster is treated as two! Once more, appear! The circuit that leads to different dimensions! Circuit combined!" Reiji used Xerxes and Hell Armageddon treated as two materials, setting them to the Link Markers.

"A Link Summon during Battle Phase?" Roget seemed surprised as the Link Circuit appeared above Reiji.

"Link Summon! Appear, Link 4! King of Endings Ahura Mazda (ATK: 2500 / LINK: 4 / LM: Upper-Right, Upper-Left, Bottom-Right, Bottom-Left)!" Reiji summoned his first Link Monster in Attack Position in the Link Monster Zone, replacing Xerxes.

"At this moment, I activate Xerxes' effect! When this card is used as a material for Link Summon, the summoned Link Monster gains 600 ATK!" Reiji increased Ahura Mazda's ATK to 3100.

Reiji seemed about to declare his next move. Already have an idea what Reiji would do next, Roget interrupted and declared his move first.

"When Chilam Sabak is destroyed, its effect activates; it is Special Summoned back from the Graveyard in Defense Position with its ATK reduced to 0." Roget revived Chilam Sabak in Defense Position in the Main Zone. "It's unfortunate. Now, you can't attack me directly and since Chilam Sabak is in Defense Position, I won't receive any damage even if you destroy it."

Reiji merely fixed his glasses at the move, didn't look slightest bit disturbed. In fact, this was already in his calculation.

"My thoughts exactly." Reiji stated, making Roget blinked in confusion. "Due to Xerxes' last effect, when this card is used as a material for Link Summon, the summoned Link Monster can attack directly the moment it was summoned!"

Ahura Mazda unleashed a tower of energy. It then rushed through Roget with a powerful thrust, followed by a quick turn to face the opponent that was now behind him. It then slashed upward at the enemy with its dagger. Not done, in the wake of this blow, he rose up and landed the finishing blow with a massive blast of energy that almost threw down Roget to the reactor had he not used his power as an Earthbound God.

 **ROGET LP: 3500 = 900**

"I end my Turn." Reiji finished. He eyed Roget, waiting until the man was back to his feet. A normal human would have lost consciousness by the attack, but Roget stood up like he just tripped and nothing more. The jacket was already a mess, so Roget removed it, throwing it aside.

"It seems you've gotten accustomed incorporating Link Summoning to your Deck." Roget said with frigid sneer.

"It's necessary to learn and understand the summoning method of an unknown world that becomes our battlefield, especially since our enemies are using that method. By learning and understanding them, we can make the right strategy to counter them." Reiji replied.

"Yes. Experience and learning are what humans need to grow. However, simply growing won't be enough against me. I have gone beyond growing like a mere human, I have evolved into a God." Roget said sharply beyond mere confidence. He truly believed himself to be a God.

"I always knew how arrogant you are, but to call yourself a God? That's beyond arrogance or narcissism, it's simply nothing more than foolishness and a severe complex. Human or Duel Monster, if all you ever do is look down on others, you won't be able to recognize your own weakness. That ignorance is precisely the factor that leads to one's fall." Reiji countered. He was honestly tired by now to listen to Roget's nonsense. This was the first time he ever met a madman who was so conceited.

"Hmph. Human philosophy is of no use for one such as I. But if you want to speak that way, then you know how strong humans become when fueled by vengeance. Or the adrenaline unleashed by cornered beast. Those factors, allows them to eradicate everything in their way."

Roget's fighting force increased ten folds along those lines. The air in entire room dropped instantly. Reiji didn't even realize how bad his body was trembling and the cold sweat dropping from his body. He knew that Roget was on a whole different level now that he became a Duel Monster. But the killing intent he was giving him surpassed his expectation.

Roget relished in Reiji's well-concealed fear. He won't let the leader of Lancers got away so easily. If only the Lancers didn't come to Synchro Dimension, then he wouldn't have died that torturous slow death. When he was trapped in the void between dimensions, a few days had gone by, but it felt like forever.

There was nothing at all there.

No food or water.

It was a living hell.

As hunger and thirst strikes, his sense of smell becomes very sharp, even as hearing and vision fail.

He was getting gaunter and flesh was dropping off around his shoulders. The temples and cheeks became sunken and his head looked narrow and shrunken. The collarbone became exposed and his hips disappeared into his bones. His spine and ribs became very prominent. Blood vessels started to break down in the arms and face; he could see small blue marks under his skin where they had burst.

At the third day the vision goes. He got blurred and double vision, then a mix of the two. Finally he got to the point where he didn't want to open his eyes because everything was blurred.

He was starving and thirsty.

That hunger and thirst deluded his mind that drove him mad even more.

He wanted to sink his teeth in a lobster tail, have a decent bite out of the white, tender, succulent and flavorful meat, give it a nice chew to allow its aroma to interplay with his tongue and then let it glide down his throat.

He wanted to grab hold of a roasted lamb leg, slice a chunk of brown, chewy, juicy and seasoned meat off the bone, give it a powerful chew to allow its fragrance to collide against his tongue and then swallow it with dreamy satisfaction.

He wanted to press his lips against a cup of quality wine, take a sip of red, sweet, mellow and aromatic nectar, give it a romantic twirl with his tongue to allow its poetic quality to soak his senses and then gulp it down with merry gratification.

But there was none of that.

There was nothing but him in this void.

He was all alone.

No matter how much he cried for help, no one was there to help him.

He was left in agony and despair until he finally walked into the death's door.

When he passed through the door, he saw it.

The spark of flame that granted him the second chance.

His dying will formed from the depths of his despair took over his body.

As the result, now he became the avatar of vengeance.

"I'll show what real fear is."

Roget's body was coated with black aura. His eyes turned black while his pupil glowed purple. For the first time in this Duel Reiji felt overwhelmed for some reason.

"My Turn! I summon another Chilam Sabak through its effect!" Roget summoned the second copy of Chilam Sabak in Attack Position in the Main Zone next to the previous Chilam Sabak.

"And then I Dark Tune Chilam Sabak dan Dark Tuner Chilam Sabak!" Roget declared.

"Dark Tuning?!" Reiji took a step back from surprise. This was the first time he heard of that kind of Synchro Summon.

"Fufufufuhahahahaha! Unlike normal Synchro Summon, as instead of requiring a Tuner monster whose Level is added to the Levels of a non-Tuner monsters to equal the Synchro Monster's Level, it requires a Dark Tuner monster whose Level is subtracted from the Level of a non-Tuner monster to equal the Dark Synchro Monster's Negative Level! This is the new power that I have attained as a God!"

The Defense Position Chilam Sabak turned into a black orb instead of the usual green and the Attack Position Chilam Sabak passed through black Synchro portal as the Dark Tuner Monster entered.

"Dark Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 0! The Ultimate God Ultimaya Tzolkin (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 0)!"

From the portal, crimson-colored winged dragon emerged, roaring. Its mere roar shook the entire fortress that Reiji almost lost his balance.

"Dark…Synchro Summon…? And a Level 0 Synchro Monster?!" Reiji was almost loss at words.

"I activate Ultimaya Tzolkin's effect! On the Turn it was summoned, I can special summon Heavenly Supreme Dragon – Dragoascension (ATK: ? / DEF: 3000 / LV: 10)!" Roget summoned Dragoascension in Attack Position in the Main Zone next to Tzolkin.

"Battle! I attack with Drago Ascension!" Roget declared attack. Since he has 7 cards in his hand, Dragoascension's ATK became 7000.

"I activate Trap Card: Contract of Demon's Telepathy! By banishing two DDD Monsters in my Graveyard, I can make my monster's ATK equal to the ATK of my opponent's monster!" Reiji banished Hell Armageddon and Darkness Hell Armageddon, making Ahura Mazda's ATK equal to the attacking Dragoascension. The two monsters clashed, pushing one another until they were blasted away and exploded, resulting in the two monster's destruction.

" _I don't have any monster left on the Field or any Spell or Trap. But my LP is still at 4000 and Roget's Ultimaya Tzolkin has 0 ATK. Even if his monster attacks I won't receive any damage. I can survive this Turn…"_ Reiji tried to calm himself, convincing that he would be okay. But Roget's grin blew away his attempt.

"I have expected that." Roget stated, opening his facedown card.

"Since my monster was destroyed, I activate Reverse Card: Reincarnation Sprout! I set 1 Spell or Trap Card from my hand." Roget set a card from his hand, making the cards in his hand 6.

"At this moment, Ultimate God Ultimaya Tzolkin's effect activates! Once per Turn, when a card is set, I can special summon Level 7 or more Synchro Monster from my Extra Deck!" Roget summoned the second copy of Epunamun in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Another copy of Epunamun?!" Reiji was stunned. He didn't have anything to protect himself from Epunamun's attack. He was powerless and defenseless.

"And due to Epunamun's effect, I can special summon as many Earthbound God monsters from my Deck!" Roget summoned Uru in Attack Position in the Main Zone. Roget smiled sinisterly at the paled Reiji whose life was now at the palm of his hands. This is the end.

"Kneel down before the new God of the universe."

Roget declared attack using both of his monsters. Uru crushed the floor Reiji was standing on, which the DDD user barely evaded. Distracted, this made him fail to dodge Epunamun's strike, sending him up to the air until his body hit the ceiling. Reiji coughed out blood from the strike. His body went limp and he fell down. He closed his eyes. The height probably won't kill him, but it would broke all of his bones. He cursed under his breath. He had failed everyone. Just when he was so close.

" _I'm sorry…Yuya…Dad…everyone…!"_

{INTRUSION PENALTY: 2000 POINT}

A few meters before Reiji's body could hit the hard floor, Yuno leaped and caught Reiji in his arms, landing safely just as Reiji's LP reached to 0.

 **REIJI LP: 4000 = 0**

Reiji could only see the blurry faces of his savior before his vision went completely black. Yuno carefully let Reiji lie down while Celica provided the LDS Chairman with a first aid before the two of them faced the possessed Supreme Commander.

"Look what we have here. The Oracle and the Imperial Adviser. You have come." Roget mockingly welcomed Yuno and Celica. The two intruders who have the same faces as Yuya Sakaki and Yuzu Hiragi gritted on his nerve. Unpleasant faces to see since it was a reminder of his suffering a year ago. The fact that they were ancestors of those two brats worsened his hatred.

"This is as far as you can go, Jean-Michel Roget." Celica stated.

"What? You think you can defeat me? Me, the greatest of the Earthbound God? Hahahaha! Save your joke for yourselves! Due to your interference, the Duel still continues, so I can activate my Reverse Card: Pain Absorption! I regain LP equal to the number of LP my opponent lost." Roget opened his last facedown card, recovering his LP

 **ROGET LP: 900 = 4900**

"I am the almighty being who is destined to rule the entire universe and no one can ever rival my power! I am a God! Furthermore, due to my program, you have received 2000 points penalty for intruding this Duel! What could you possibly do with so little LP left?" Roget laughed maniacally, not wasting the given moment to mock the two. However, much to his irritation, they were looking at him like they were superior to him.

"Indeed. This intrusion penalty is necessary…for you that is." Yuno started. He and Celica walked several steps forward, making a distance from Reiji so he won't be caught in the crossfire and it would be easier for them to protect him from any impact.

"2000 LP is more than enough. For a conceited brat like you, a big handicap is necessary to fight against us. Otherwise, you won't stand a chance. You won't even worth the challenge." Yuno's lips twisted into a sneer. Old habit sure dies hard. He couldn't help it. Against opponent like Roget, making him losing his head is the easiest way to win. Roget is a problematic child-type. All you need is provoking him a little bit with insults and his head would be in disarray in a short time.

"Why you…vermin…! That would be the last time you'll utter those words! I won't kill you immediately! I will send you all to the void between dimensions where you'll die of painful thirst and starvation that I had suffered!" Roget twitched, intensifying his murderous intent. Yuno smirked a bit at the expected reaction. Too easy.

Yuno raised his Duel Disk together with Celica. The two of them exchanged one last glance before Yuno began his Draw Phase.

"It's time to sever your lingering attachment to this world and return to the abyss."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Power of the Ancestors –** Yuno and Celica saves Reiji from the finishing blow and challenges Roget whose power causes further disruption. Despite at the disadvantage since Roget controls all the Earthbound Gods, Yuno and Celica refuses to back down. In the midst of the Duel, a strange phenomenon happens...

* * *

 **The next chapter will be the last Duel of the current arc, and then we'll finally start the final arc. Next chapter would be a long one, so it'll take a while until I can update, not forgetting I'm going to be busy even more in my work since there'll be an event. I'll try my best to update as soon as I can.**

 **I'm sorry if Roget seems overpower here, but I think it's necessary because the next chapter will show the true extent of how strong Yuno and Celica actually are! Look forward to it!**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	92. Power of the Ancestors

**RAMSSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"My Turn! I activate Field Magic: Vendead Night. Once per Turn I can discard 1 card to add 1 Vendead Monster from my Deck to my hand." Yuno discarded a card and then added a new Vendead Monster into his hand.

"I summon Vendead Anima (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1) from my hand!" Yuno summoned his monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone. It has a long black haired humanoid female monster with dark wing on its left arm, its abdomen and thighs to feet were separated.

"When I control exactly one Vendead Monster, I can Special Summon Vendead Delta (ATK: 1900 / DEF: 200 / LV: 5)!" Yuno summoned a zombified wolf-like monster in Attack Position next to Anima.

"Appear! The circuit that connects the past and present!" Yuno opened the Link Summoning Circuit.

"Arrow head confirmed! The summoning condition is at least one Undead Monster! I set Vendead Delta and Vendead Anima on the Link Markers! Circuit combined!" Yuno set Delta on the Bottom-Left arrow and Anima on the Bottom-Right Arrow.

"Link Summon! Appear! Link 2! Advendead Saviour (ATK: 1600 / LINK: 2 / LM: Bottom-Right, Bottom-Left)!" Yuno summoned a monster that resembles Revendead Slayer but with bigger arm blades in Attack Position in the Link Monster Zone.

"When Delta is used as a material for Special Summoning an Undead Monster, it was banished. But if Vendead Anima is in the Graveyard, I can banish it to Special Summon a banished Vendead Monster!" Yuno revived Delta in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Delta's second effect! When this card is Special Summoned from Graveyard, it's treated as two materials!" As Yuno declared, Vendead Delta howled, half of its flesh separated itself from the original and formed into a smaller Delta.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Vendead Hallow. I can Ritual Summon a Ritual Monster from my hand by releasing Vendead Monsters on my Field with Level equal or more than the Level of the Ritual Monster." Yuno banished the Vendead Delta treated as two monsters from his Field. Pentagram-shaped magic circle appeared with torches on each star. A portal began to open from the pentagram along with a roar coming from within the portal.

"Awake from your slumber and drag your enemies into deepest bowels of the earth! Ritual Summon! Appear! Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon (ATK: 2800 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 8)!" Yuno summoned his ace monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone. It was pointed by Advendead Saviour's Bottom-Left arrow.

"I activate Vendead Delta's final effect. By banishing it from Graveyard, I can add a banished Vendead card to my Graveyard." Yuno returned Vendead Anima to his Graveyard.

"I activate Advendead Saviour's effect! Once per Turn, I can add a Vendead Card in my Graveyard to my hand." Yuno returned Vendead Hallow to his hand.

"Battle! I attack Earthbound God Epunamun with Advendead Saviour!" Yuno declared Battle Phase. Advendead Saviour raised its right blade, running towards the Earthbound God at mach speed.

"I activate Advendead Saviour's effect! When this card battles, I can send one Undead Monster from my Deck to my Graveyard and lower the ATK of the opposing monster by 200 for each Level of the discarded Monster until the end of this Turn!" Yuno sent Revendead Executor (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 0 /LV: 8) from his Deck to the Graveyard, lowering Epunamun's ATK by 1600, making its current ATK at 1400. Advendead Saviour effortlessly slashed Epunamun into two, destroying it.

 **ROGET LP: 3900 = 3700**

"Next, I attack Ultimaya Tzolkin with Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon! Earthbound Chain blitz!" Yuno continued with his second attack. Mad Abyss summoned chains that bound Roget's monster, but before the Ritual Dragon could pierce its skeleton protrusions into the Tzolkin's body, the Synchro Monster's wings started to push back the chains, making cracks.

"I activate Ultimaya Tzolkin's effect! When this card battles while there's no other dragon on my Field, this card's ATK becomes equal to the attacking monster!" Roget revealed, making Tzolkin's ATK at 2800 like Mad Abyss's ATK.

"And unfortunately for you, while your monster is destroyed, mine won't! Once per Turn, if this card would be destroyed, I can negate its destruction!" Roget added with glee.

Ultimaya Tzolkin broke free from Mad Abyss' chains. The two dragons clashed their heads against each other, struggling to push one another. When their heads didn't work, they used their respective claws to attack, but having anticipated that, they respectively blocked each other's claws. Both were seemingly at stalemate until Tzolkin made a somersault move and strikes Mad Abyss' jaw with its tail before unleashing a blast from its mouth that destroyed the Ritual Monster.

"I end my Turn." Yuno concluded.

"Is this not enough to show how pale your powers are compared to I, the God?" Roget let out a frigid sneer, snickering in satisfaction.

"We'll see about that." Yuno said calmly. He turned to Celica and nodded at her and she nodded back. It's her Turn now to get a piece of action.

"My Turn! When I control no Monster, I can Special Summon Lydia, Nekroz of Chime (ATK: 1500 / DEF: 800 / LV: 4 / PS: 1)!" Celica summoned a female green-colored pixie-like monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I release Lydia to Advance Summon Black Magician Girl (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1600 / LV: 6)!" Celica summoned Black Magician Girl in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Magic Card: The Eye of Timaeus! I target one Black Magician monster I control to Fusion Summon Fusion Monster form my Extra Deck that lists that monster on the Field as Fusion Material!" Celica targeted Black Magician Girl, sending it to the swirling Fusion Vortex together with The Eye of Timaeus that was treated as Legendary Dragon Timaeus.

"Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 7! Dragon Knight Black Magician Girl (ATK: 2600 / DEF: 1700 / LV: 7)!" Celica summoned Black Magician Girl cladded in warrior armor while riding a greyish emerald-colored dragon in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Dragon Knight Black Magician Girl's effect! I can send one card from my hand to Graveyard and then target one face-up card on the Field and destroy it!" Celica discarded a Nekroz card from her hand and then targeted Ultimaya Tzolkin. Black Magician Girl's dragon roared before blasting the opposing dragon, exploding it without leaving any trace.

However, Roget seemed unaffected by the destruction. In fact, his smile gave away that he has been expecting that move.

"That's what I've been waiting for." Roget stated before opening his facedown card.

"Since Ultimaya Tzolkin is destroyed while I control no other monster, I activate Enshrined Duality! I can special summon two Level 10 dragons with their ATKs 0 and their effects negated!" Roget summoned Underworld Corrupted Dragon – Dragocytus and Devil King Super Dragon – Beelzeus, both in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Celica concluded. She eyed the two new dragons on Roget's Field. They were high-level monsters but yet Roget summoned them with their effects negated and their ATKs reduced to 0. Roget must have a plan for them. She could have attacked and destroy them with a card she has in her hand, but seeing Roget, she deemed it would be better to keep this later.

Roget snickered again at Celica's move. "That's it? For the bold declaration you have said earlier, you're playing it safe. What a coward. Pathetic." He made dismissive gesture as if telling the Imperial Adviser to submit. Celica inwardly sighed at the attempt to make her lose her composure. Seriously, she could only see Roget as no different from, to put it in rough words, a shithead brat.

"We call it proper strategy. Studying your opponent is one of the most basic strategies in Dueling. Have you been clouded by your foolish arrogance that you can't even think of it?" Celica finally replied. Keeping her poker face.

"Bark all you can. I'll kill the both of you with only one attack." Roget snorted before starting his Turn again.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Super-Harmonized Duality! I make Dragocutos a Dark Tuner monster!" Roget activates a card from his hand, coating Dragocutos with darkish red aura.

"It's coming." Yuno noted.

"Yeah. Not the first time." Celica responded. She and Yuno took a defensive stance, preparing for what's going to come at them.

"I tune Dragocutos with Beelzeus! Dark Synchro Summon! Ultimate Phantasm God Ultimitl Bishbaalkin (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 12)!" Roget summoned Ultimitl Bishbaalkin in Attack Position in the Main Zone. The Synchro Monster roared loudly. Its loud voice and force were so strong that the whole fortress was shaking. Several ceilings collapsed from the impact that Yuno and Celica must jump here and there to avoid them while making sure Reiji behind them was safe. If the building were not made with special foundation, it would have fallen into the sea by now.

However, following the earthquake, Yuno and Celica found their surrounding covered in dark crimson mist. At the same time, they felt their bodies seemed beginning to stagger. They didn't have the time to think further when Roget declared his next move.

"I activate Ultimitl Bishbaalkin's effect! I can special summon four Uchatsuimiime Token (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0) to my opponent's field and 4 others to my own!" Roget summoned four tokens on all Main Fields, including Yuno's and Celica.

"Ultimitl Bishbaalkin gains 1000 ATK for each monster on the Field!" Roget revealed. There were five monsters on each of their Field, so that made it 15 monsters in total. With 15 monsters on the field, the ATK of Ultimitl Bishbaalkin becomes 15000.

"Battle! I attack Advendead Saviour with Ultimitl Bishbaalkin!" Roget declared attack. Ultimitl Bishbaalkin raised its fist and brought it down at the Vendead Monster. Before Yuno could do anything, Celica opened her facedown card right away.

"Trap Card: Holy Drain Shield! When an opponent's monster declares attack, I can negate that monster's attack and gain LP equal to that monster's original ATK!" Celica opened her Reverse Card, negating the damage that would have finished Yuno. Since the Synchro Monster's original ATK was 0, Celica didn't get any LP addition, but it was better than having Yuno killed by the attack.

"But it still doesn't change the fact that none of your monsters are capable of rivaling my own! You can't summon any monster now since your Fields have been filled with Tokens, and even if you can, summoning more monsters to your Field would only strengthen Ultimitl Bishbaalkin!" Roget laughed again to the point of holding his stomach from pain of how funny he thought the situation was. He knew he got this. He was the one controlling the flow of the Duel. The victory would be on his side. He fully believed that.

"Even Apophis and his offspring were never this childish." Celica just had to let the words come out from her mouth. Keeping them won't be good for her health.

"They are arrogant, but this one is even worse. He is skilled, but this one is starting to get irritating." Yuno said in agreement. Apophis and his offspring were arrogant but they have their prides and won't yield so easily. Roget, on the other hand, Yuno have the feeling that the former Security Chief was not only arrogant but also downright foolish to the core. Reira herself also told him a bit about Roget, including the man's cowardice when he was cornered that he attempted to win back his way to the Professor. That part hasn't changed. In fact, it has gotten worse on a whole different level.

" _I guess this is one of the cases that the only cure for stupidity is death...permanently."_ Yuno thought, renewing his resolve. He must not let Roget coming out alive from this Duel.

"My Turn! I activate Advendead Saviour's effect to add 1 Vendead card from my Graveyard!" Yuno retrieved a card from his Graveyard back to his hand.

"I activate Vendead Anima's effect. I banish it to Special Summon a banished Vendead Monster." Yuno revived Vendead Delta and used its effect to treat it as two materials.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Vendead Hallow to perform Ritual Summon!" Yuno released the Vendead Delta treated as two monsters.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 8! Revendead Executor (ATK: 3000 / DEF: 0 / LV: 8)!" Yuno summoned a grey-colored Revendead Monster with red glowing cracks on its body and blue torn blue scarf.

"I activate Magic Card: Vendead Link! When a Vendead Link Monster's Link Arrow is pointed to another Vendead Monster, I can release the Link Monster to add its ATK to the other Vendead Monster!" Yuno released Advendead Saviour, increasing Revendead Executor's ATK to 4600.

"Only 4600? That's nothing compared to Ultimitl Bishbaalkin!" Roget mocked.

"When Delta is used as material for Vendead Ritual Monster, the Vendead Monster gains the following effects; during Battle Phase, it gains the opposing monster's ATK and I can negate destruction by effect." Yuno revealed as he made his attack.

"Battle! I attack Ultimitl Bishbaalkin with Revendead Executioner!" Yuno declared his Battle Phase, adding the Synchro Monster's ATK to Executor, increasing the latter's ATK to 19600.

"I won't let that happen! I activate Time Machine Armiel's effect from my hand! I can discard it to the Graveyard to reduce the damage to 0!" Roget sent Armiel to the Graveyard, creating a barrier for Ultimitl Bishbaalkin that blocked Executor's blade.

"And then I activate Ultimitl Bishbaalkin's effect! I can negate its destruction, and destroy all monsters my opponent controls and inflict 200 damage for each monster destroyed by this effect!" Roget added. The Phantasml God monster unleashed its flame, burning Yuno and Celica's entire Field. The tokens were burned to crisp instantly while Revendead Executor and Dragon Knight Black Magician Girl were still holding up against the flames.

"I activate Executor's effect gained from Delta to negate destruction by effect!" Yuno activated the effect that Executor inherited from Delta, allowing it to survive the burning flame.

"I activate Magic Card: Dragon's Justice effect in my Graveyard! I banish it to negate Dragon-Type monster's destruction and draw 1 card!" Celica banished the Magic Card she has discarded when using Dragon Knight Black Magician Girl's effect to destroy Tzolkin, protecting the Fusion Monster from destruction as well.

"But you'll still take damage!" Roget reminded as Yuno and Celica endured the hot burning flames.

 **YUNO LP: 2000 = 400**

 **CELICA LP: 2000 = 400**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuno concluded. He winced a bit from the burn he received. His clothes were quite burned too and he could see Celica was also in the same condition. If it were not for their experience, perhaps they already passed out from that attack. Although, even without that attack, they felt their strength was slowly leaving their bodies. And the more they felt it, the more they noticed Ultimitl Bishbaalkin's body and aura getting bigger.

"This red mist and your monster, could it be you're gradually absorbing our strength?" Yuno finally pointed out the question. Roget's smug smirk confirmed it. Fortunately, Roget didn't bother with the long explanation and simply confirmed it without having to say a word. Honestly, he didn't want to her his voice any longer. Steeling his resolve, Yuno straightened his stance. Celica also did the same.

"Still standing? I admire your persistence, but it would be less painful if you just Surrender." Roget suggested in condescending manner.

"That's coming from the guy who a while ago said won't let us die without suffering first? I'm gonna pass on that option." Yuno said dismissively. Surrender would be the last thing he does in battlefield.

"I'm with him on that. My Turn! I summon Erial, Priestess of the Nekroz (ATK: 1000 / DEF: 1800 / LV: 4)!" Celica summoned Erial in Attack Position in the Main Zone next to Dragon Knight Black Magician Girl.

"I activate Erial's effect! I can reveal any number of Nekroz cards in my hand and then reduce or increase Erial's Level equal to the number of cards revealed!" Celica revealed Nekroz Mirror in her hand, decreasing Erial's Level to 3.

"When I normal summon a Nekroz Monster, I can Special Summon Leafana, Archer of the Nekroz (ATK: 100 / DEF: 100 / LV: 1)!" Celica summoned Leafana in Attack Position in the Main Zone next to Erial.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Nekroz Mirror! I can perform Ritual Summon by releasing monsters from my hand or Field or banish Nekroz Monster from my Graveyard to Ritual Summon Nekroz Monster whose Level exactly equals to the total Levels of those monsters!" Celica released Leafana, Erial, and Dragon Knight Black Magician Girl. The three monsters turned into orbs of light. Three white-colored grails emerged from the floor. The three orbs set the flames on each grail that formed a mirror. A girl's face began to form inside the mirror and she gracefully came out from it.

"Mage who weave the power of the legendary monsters, clad yourself in the armor of light and darkness and descend to the battlefield! Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 11! Nekroz of Sophia (ATK: 3600 / DEF: 3400 / LV: 11)!" Celica summoned her ace monster in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"Hah! I already know about your monster! I have done my research on the Duel against Supreme King Zarc a year ago, and I know that monster is used when fighting against him! I know its effect already! It can lower opponent's ATK by 500 for each Monster used to summon that card!" Roget stated. Knowing they would be facing against the Lancers, he and Heidel had done a thorough research on the Lancers' Decks and their Duel records, including the battle against Zarc. Since Ray used Nekroz and Sephira cards, Roget already knew their effects now that Celica was using the Nekroz card. He had already made preparations in case he would be facing this archetype.

"At this moment, I activate Ultimitl Bishbaalkin's effect! I special summon the tokens on your Fields!" Roget interrupted, summoning the tokens to increase his monster's ATK back to 15000. No matter how much Celica used Nekroz of Sophia's effect, it still won't work on Ultimitl Bishbaalkin.

Celica then smiled and clasped her hands.

"You are correct. That was Nekroz of Sophia's effect…a year ago that is." Celica said, earning her a confused look from Roget.

"After Ray passed on and reincarnated, the Nekroz Deck returned to me. But not only it has returned, several of the Deck's cards have evolved, giving them different effects. And Nekroz of Sophia, is one of them." Celica revealed. When she first saw her Nekroz Deck back to her, she was visibly surprised by the fact not only it has returned, but it also has evolved significantly, becoming stronger. It must be influenced by the Ray's growth in her last Duels. Now, her Deck became stronger than ever.

"I activate Nekroz of Sophia's effect! When this card is Ritual Summoned, I can banish all other cards on the Field and in the Graveyard!" Celica unleashed Sophia's effect. The Ritual Monster merged the two black and white flames and unleashed them throughout the Fields and Graveyard, cleansing them completely but Ultimitl Bishbaalkin and Revendead Executor due to their effect that cannot be destroyed by effects.

"You may have destroyed the tokens, but Ultimitl Bishbaalkin won't be taken down by such puny effect! Say goodbye to your monster!" Roget shouted back, activating Ultimitl Bishbaalkin's effect to destroy Nekroz of Sophia. But before the Synchro Monster's fist could reach the Ritual Monster, Celica held out a card from her hand.

"I activate the effect of Palladium Priest Mana (ATK: 2000 / DEF: 1700 / LV: 6) from my hand! When my opponent activates a card or effect that targets a Magician Monster I control, I can Special Summon this card, and due to its effect, Level 7 or higher Magician-Type Monster cannot be destroyed by card effects!" Celica summoned Mana from her hand. The Palladium Priest appeared in front of Sophia and protected her from the incoming fist, preventing the destruction.

Since the tokens have been destroyed, there were only four monsters left on the Field, making Ultimitl Bishbaalkin's ATK at merely 4000. It was still stronger than Sophia, but Celica already has a plan for that.

"And then I activate Magic Card: Nekroz Gem! I increase the ATK of a Nekroz Monster I control by 1000 until the end of this Turn!" Celica increased Sophia's ATK to 4600, now higher than the Dark Synchro Monster.

"Battle! I attack Ultimitl Bishbaalkin with Nekroz of Sophia!" Celica declared battle. Nekroz of Sophia blasted her flame at the Dark Synchro Monster who survived the attack through its effect.

 **ROGET LP: 3700 = 3100**

"But this time you'll lose both of your monsters!" Roget pointed at Sophia and Mana who were caught in Ultimitl Bishbaalkin's hands. The Dark Synchro Monster tightened its grip to crush both Magicians to death.

"I activate Nekroz Gem's effect! By banishing it from Graveyard, the monster affected by its effect cannot be destroyed until the end of this Turn!" Celica protected Sophia, powering up the Ritual Monster to strong enough to break free from the tight grip. Mana, however, was destroyed in return.

 **CELICA LP: 400 = 200**

"I activate Palladium Priest Mana's effect! When this card is destroyed, I can Special Summon one Black Magician Girl from my Deck!" Celica summoned another copy of Black Magician Girl from her Deck, replacing Mana's position.

"I set a card and end my Turn." Celica concluded.

"No matter whatever effects or high ATKs you have, my Ultimitl Bishbaalkin can never be destroyed. Why are you still insisting on struggling so fruitlessly even though you have been cornered this much? I hope you're not going to say some nonsense like believing in the power of human potential." Roget sighed condescendingly. He did say that he will make them suffer first, but this became rather annoying.

"Now that you're a Duel Monster, you're going to say that human potential is meaningless? You were a human yourself." Celica didn't know what else to say about this man's madness. He was a human before and should learned from his mistakes, but the new power he has got too much into his head that he couldn't believe in his own potential that he once had as a human.

"And that is precisely why I knew how meaningless it is. On the verge of my death, I realized that humans would never reign supreme completely in the whole universe. No matter what pretty words one says and hard work they does, if one can't protect himself from enemies, he will only come to ruin. The two of you are the perfect examples of that." Roget replied. What he learned from his last defeat that led to his death was he lacked power. When he was reborn as a Due Monster, he came to realize that human beings were far too weak from the very beginning and their potentials were limited. Human beings couldn't afford to hold a great power that can only be wielded and endured by Duel Monsters. The fact that he was able to eliminate several humans in an instant with only a single flick of his power, as Duel Monster, was the proof.

"Should I remind how powerless you were that you lost people who were precious to you 1,500 years ago? Using your own power as a mere human resulted with deaths close to you. Only when you're actually borrowing the powers of Duel Monsters you emerged victorious." Roget shifted the subject to his enemies. He knew about their past and how sensitive it was for the both of them. Taking their sentimental feelings into account, he knew that bringing up their past would put a strain to their fighting spirits.

True enough, Yuno and Celica couldn't help but twitch a bit at the mention of their failure in the past. The both of them couldn't save their family and friends even though they were so close. To this day, their dying moments were still haunting them. They cursed their inability to save them. They always thought they could have done more. They should have done more. If only they were stronger, then they wouldn't have lost them. They have lost count how many nightmares they have experienced since that.

"The two of you couldn't do anything but watch your loved ones died in front of your very eyes. You stood there uselessly as light left their eyes while cursing your limitation as humans. This time would be the same. You'll lose this Duel and will watch helplessly as I take the lives of everyone precious to you until there's no one left." Roget added more. All he needed was for them to lose their head and they would be dancing on the palm of his hand.

As much as they didn't want to admit it, Roget's words hit them hard. It was a fact that they couldn't save their loved ones. Even though they have sworn to protect them, they were the ones instead being protected. Even though they were revived as Duel Monsters, the void and pain won't just disappear. In fact, it became the very reminder of their failure.

"… _But that's precisely why we won't let the same thing happen again…"_

"As of the moment, I loathe to admit that we can't lay a finger on him due to that one troublesome effect." Yuno told Celica without leaving his gaze from their enemy's form.

"You're not getting cold feet now, aren't you?" Celica asked teasingly.

"The opposite. I'm excited. It's been a while since I face quite a challenging opponent even if the opponent is a foolish little brat like him... And most of all, I can duel side by side with you." Yuno replied. He wondered when was the last time he dueled together with Celica as a pair. They made a pretty good Tag Duelist if he could be so boastful.

"The feeling is mutual. I have a plan, but I don't need to tell you, am I?" Celica said. She and Yuno have known each other for long times that if they were dueling together, they didn't feel it necessary to speak their plan together. They just knew what each other's thinking.

Yuno shrugged like saying it was obvious. "It has been a very long time, but I don't think our teamwork changed. We can do this together and go through with your plan. Although, I wish I can do something too, other than depending fully on your plan..."

Yuno and Celica have the same thought. They have lost their happiness once. But now, they have found another happiness. When Yuya, Yuzu, and their other descendants came, it was like they have their family back. It was like the old times. Gradually, however, they came to have ugly thoughts like wondering why their descendants were here but their families they have lost weren't. They were afraid that the children would sense their dark feelings and neither Yuno nor Celica wanted them to realize this ugly emotion. It was almost like a torture, having this kind of feeling while being around them.

But after the incident at Amenti, Yuno and Celica realized…

The weight of their existences, being close to their descendants, supported them. For the first time in their lives after 1,500 years, they felt so much happiness. It's because they were there, they were not swept away after losing the people dear to them. Their descendants gave them hope to find a way to end their curse. Their descendants helped them taking the first step to accept their painful past and truly move forward.

This time they won't lose them.

They will protect them.

Yuno felt warmth from his left arm. It was coming from his Duel Disk. There was a dim light coming from both his Deck and Extra Deck. He heard two dragons' were roaring. Before he knew it, he was within his own mind, facing Odd-Eyes Ragnarok Dragon and Odd-Eyes Valhalla Dragon. They were the two dragons that Yuya entrusted to him after he tried to help him to come into terms with his past when he killed the Doctor.

" _Yuya's cards...! They are reacting...!"_

Yuno's eyes slowly widened when the two dragons were covered in light. When the light dispersed, the dragons form were changing. The Oracle felt new power coming from inside of him and the two dragons. Ma'at's blessing and the power of the Pendulum were resonating with one another. The two dragons must have sensed his feelings, and they were responding to him.

" _I see. I understand. Let's fight together!"_

"My Turn! I summon Vendead Core (ATK: 0 / DEF: 0 / LV: 1)!" Yuno summoned Core in Attack Position in the Main Zone.

"I activate Ritual Spell: Undead Rising! I can perform Ritual Summon by using Undead-Type monsters whose total Levels are exactly equal to the Level of the Ritual Monster! I release Revendead Executor and Vendead Core!" Yuno placed Executor and Core onto the two pillars resembling dragons' head. They turned into spirits that swirled together, forming into a vortex right above the magic circle. From the vortex, dragon hands came out, pushing up to the surface.

"Ritual Summon! Appear! Level 9! Ancient Abyss Dragon (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7 / PS: 1)!" Yuno summoned a dragon that resembled Odd-Eyes Ragnarok Dragon, but it has blue skin instead of red, the blue gem on its chest changed to purple, and the golden armory turned white with its shape resembling more of a skeleton. The dragon roared, standing on the Field in the Main Zone in Attack Position.

"A Ritual Pendulum Monster?!" Roget expressed his shock. The monster bore resemblance to Yuya Sakaki's Ritual dragon, but this one was different.

"I activate Ancient Abyss Dragon's first Monster Effect! Once per Turn, I can return up to 3 banished cards to my Graveyard!" Yuno retrieved three of his cards that were banished due to Nekroz of Sophia's effect.

"I activate Ultimitl Bishbaalkin's effect! I can Special Summon four tokens to my Field and my opponent's Field!" Roget repeated the process, but Yuno won't let that happen.

"I activate Ancient Abyss Dragon's second Monster effect! Once per Turn, until the end of Turn, any Special Summon my opponent does is negated! This effect will last even if Ancient Abyss leaves the Field!" Yuno prevented the tokens from being summoned, leaving Ultimitl Bishbaalkin's ATK still at 4000.

"Battle! I attack Ultimitl Bishbaalkin with Ancient Abyss Dragon!" Yuno declared Battle Phase. Cient Abyss Dragon shot an indigo colored blast with black flames spiralling around the indigo flames.

"At this moment, I activate Ancient Abyss Dragon's effect! When this card battles, my opponent's monster's ATK is decreased by 700 for every card in my Graveyard while Ancient Abyss' ATK is increased by the same amount!" Yuno lowered the opposing dragon's ATK to 1900 while Ancient Abyss' ATK became 4600.

"Even if your monster cannot be destroyed, you'll still take damage!" Yuno pointed out. Ancient Abyss' blast pushed back the Dark Synchro Monster together with Roget, causing the former Security Chief to hit the ground for the first time.

 **ROGET LP: 3100 = 2700**

"But at this moment its effect is activated! Say goodbye to your dragon!" Roget immediately activated his monster's effect, destroying Yuno's Ancient Abyss. Celica, on the other hand, protected her monsters with Mana's effect by banishing it from her Graveyard, leaving her monsters intact on the Field. Although, she still received 200 damage since Ancient Abyss was destroyed and the damage applied to all opponents.

 **YUNO LP: 400 = 200**

 **CELICA LP: 400 = 200**

"But I actually have been waiting for that, Roget." Yuno stated as he revealed a card in his hand.

"When a Dragon Ritual Monster I control is destroyed in Battle Phase, I can activate Quick-Play Spell: Odd-Eyes Ritual Gate! I can Special Summon that monster and Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon from my Graveyard to perform Ritual Summon!" Yuno once again revived Ancient Abyss together with his ace monster, Mad Abyss, and the two dragons entered the ritual magic circle.

"Dragon of dual-colored eyes, heed the call of the kindred souls in the battlefield and grant them your power! Ritual Summon! Level 10! Dragon with empathy for the fallen ones! The Supreme King Blue Dragon – Odd-Eyes Abyss Dragon (ATK: 3300 / DEF: 2500 / LV: 10 / PS: 7)!" Yuno summoned another new Ritual-Pendulum Dragon. It resembled Odd-Eyes Valhalla Dragon with its blue, iron scales like armor. Its head is almost square in shape and its lower jaw has the appearance of being hinged. Its eyes are dichromatic like all Odd-Eyes Monster, beady and circular with no pupils and black sclera. However, instead of the original metallic wings jut out, its skeleton wings with two purple orbs at the tip of its wings.

"I activate Odd-Eyes Abyss Dragon's Monster Effect! When this card is summoned to the Field, I can inflict 500 damage to my opponent for each card in my Graveyards, but in return it cannot attack this Turn!" Yuno has returned 3 cards to his Graveyard using Ancient Abyss' effect, and with Ancient Abyss and Odd-Eyes Ritual Gate included; it became 5 cards in total, meaning Roget would receive 2500 damage.

Odd-Eyes Abyss Dragon emitted a sound wave, pushing Roget further into the back. The man quickly got back to his feet. There was no longer any smugness on his face, only frustration and hatred.

 **ROGET LP: 2700 = 200**

"I set a card and end my Turn." Yuno concluded. Seeing Roget's enraged face, Yuno couldn't help but being mean for a bit. "Your LP is red now. How do you feel about it, Mr. God?"

"Don't you dare looking down on me you piece of scum!" Roget yelled furiously, he was starting to breath heavily. Yuno and Celica could sense his uncontrollable rage towards them from the man. By now, he has let his emotion got the better of him.

"There's no saving him." Yuno commented.

"This is not the first time we encountered opponent beyond saving. We both know that finishing him off would be the only medicine for him." Celica responded.

"Are you going to do the honor?"

"He still has something behind his sleeve. I'll make him reveal everything."

"...and then I'll do the honor?"

Celica simply smiled at Yuno. The Oracle knew that smile. When she was smiling like that, that means good thing for them.

"My Turn! I activate Magic Card: Sage's Jewel! If I control one face-up Black Magician Girl, I can Special Summon one Black Magician (ATK: 2500 / DEF: 2000 / LV: 7) from my hand or Deck!" Celica summoned Black Magician in Attack Position in the Main Zone next to Black Magician Girl. Because of the addition of the monster, Roget's monster's ATK became 5000.

"I activate Quick-Play Spell: Black Twin Burst! I target Black Magician I control; it gains Black Magician Girl's ATK until the end of this Turn!" Celica added Black Magician Girl's ATK to the teacher, increasing Black Magician's ATK to 4500.

"Next, I activate Equip Card: Incantation's Book of Black Magic! I equip this card to Black Magician to increase its ATK by 1000!" She increased his ATK to 5500.

"I activate Ultimitl Bishbaalkin's effect to summon tokens to your Field!" Roget tried to increase his monster's ATK again since Black Magician's ATK was now above his, but Yuno, again, has anticipated that move.

"Not going to happen! Trap Card: God's Pronouncement! When a monster would be summoned or a Spell or Trap Card is activated, I can pay half of my LP to negate that summon or Spell and Trap's activation and destroy it!" Yuno opened his Reverse Card, stopping Roget from summoning the tokens for the second time at the cost of half of his LP.

 **YUNO LP: 200 = 100**

"Battle! I attack with Black Magician!" With nothing to hold her back, Celica declared Battle Phase.

Black Magician and Black Magician Girl pointed their staff together at Ultimitl Bishbaalkin. Together, they formed purplish black-colored sparking magic orb that became bigger and bigger until it was half of the opposing monster's form. Together, the teacher and student magicians unleashed the orb together, which Ultimitl Bishbaalkin caught with both its hands.

"No! It won't! I activate Trap Card: Devil's Massacre! I negate the battle and destroy all cards on my opponent's entire Field!" Roget opened his Reverse Card. Ultimitl Bishbaalkin threw back the black magic orb, obliterating Yuno and Celica's entire Field, leaving their Fields empty without a single card.

"Hahahahahaha! It's over for the both of you! You better say your prayers now because in the next Turn I would end both of your lives!" Roget laughed hard, demeaning the supposed last resort to defeat him.

"With this, Ultimitl Bishbaalkin is the only card left on your Field. You have used up all of your cards, Roget." Celica replied calmly, smiling confidently.

"What?" Roget's smile faltered. For a second, he thought they were just bluffing, but his intuition said otherwise.

Celica turned to Yuno, tilting her head to Roget. It was the time for the Oracle to do the honor, and Yuno would be gladly to do it.

"When Odd-Eyes Abyss Dragon is destroyed, I can banish its Ritual Material to Special Summon it back to the Field!" Yuno banished Mad Abyss Ritual Dragon, allowing Odd-Eyes Abyss Dragon to revive, entering the Field once more.

"Impossible!" Roget's face paled, taking a step back in shock. He still remembered Odd-Eyes Abyss Dragon's first effect. His LP was only at 200. If the effect hit him...

"W-wait! Stop it! Stop it! I-I'm...!" Roget pleaded, panic evident in both his face and voice. It was like his last moment as a human all over again. He failed to achieve his goal. Despair took over him. He once again stood on the death's door. The difference was, he knew that this time there would be no turning back. He would be trapped in death for eternity.

But Yuno won't hear any of it. This man was far too dangerous to be left alive. He was beyond redemption.

"And when Odd-Eyes Abyss Dragon is summoned to the Field, I can activate its effect to inflict 500 damage to my opponent for each card in my Graveyard." Yuno declared.

The Supreme King Blue Dragon's body let out white mist enveloping its body as it flew straight towards Roget, roaring all the way. Ultimitl Bishbaalkin tried to defend its master using its own body, but Odd-Eyes Abyss penetrated through the Dark Synchro Monster's hard body, striking the former Security Chief behind it that threw him back with a cry.

"Im...possible...! I am...a...God... I am...invicible...!"

 **ROGET LP: 1200 = 0**

Heidel's body fell hard on the cold floor along with Earthbound God Epunamun beside him. The Earthbound God card stopped emitting hostile aura, rendering it nothing more but a weak card lying powerlessly on the floor. Roget's presence disappeared from within the Supreme Commander's body, no doubt returning to the card.

"Go to sleep. This time, for eternity, Jean-Michel Roget." Yuno said as he picked Earthbound God Epunamun. He also confiscated other Earthbound God cards from Heidel's Duel Disk, putting them inside his Deck case around his waist. He would get rid of them soon.

"Both of you...did it..."

Yuno and Celica turned around, seeing Reiji tried his best to sit up. When he couldn't fully sit, he decided to use the wall as support, sighing in relief at their victory.

"Reiji!"

Yuno and Celica rushed to the Leo Corporation Chairman. Celica didn't waste any time to once again checking for any serious injury on Reiji. She was glad when she found nothing life-threatening, though there were several broken bones that must be treated.

"I'm fine. Thank you for saving me... And I'm sorry I couldn't help..." Reiji said while trying to assure the two that he was alright. Unfortunately, his aching body gave away his almost unbearable pain.

"No. You've done well. We won't be able to get this far if it were not for your help, Reiji." Celica expressed her genuine gratitude, holding Reiji's hand gently.

"And I think we should be the one apologizing. If we arrived faster, then maybe your father wouldn't have..." Yuno frowned upon mentioning Leo, clenching his fists.

"How do you know?" Reiji asked. He hadn't had the time to tell the others of his father's demise since Roget possessed Heidel immediately after.

"I had a vision. I ran as fast as I could to this place once I saw it... But...I was too late. I'm sorry, Reiji..." Yuno bowed down. The moment he had the vision, Yuno made up his mind to stop it from happening. He had done it before, so he was determined to put a stop to that vision from coming true. But he failed. He wasn't fast enough. He couldn't stop another tragedy from happening. Worse, Reiji had to witness it with his own eyes. The young man must be mourning greatly on the inside.

Reiji shook his head, trying to reach to Yuno, but pushed back by Celica who leaned him back to the wall, so Reiji settled to say it there.

"No. Please lift your head. My weakness is also at fault for what happened to my father. And even if you have that power, it's not easy to change the future. We, humans, are never a perfect being. There are just things that beyond our reach. It's hard and painful, but nevertheless we must accept it to move forward." Reiji told the Oracle and Imperial Adviser. He was sad. He hated it that it has to end like this, just when they have started to rekindle their bond as family. It was painful and it would take a while for him to accept it. But still, he was glad that he at least was able to reconcile with his father. Everything that his father has left unfinished, he would make sure he'll finish it to honor him.

"Urgh..."

Yuno, Celica, and Reiji tensed when they heard the fourth voice not belonging to any of them or their friends. Yuno was the first to notice and flashed his eyes to the unmoving form of the Supreme Commander. Yuno kneeled beside Heidel. True enough, the Supreme Commander's eyes were moving, opening to reveal eyes filled with life. Yuno checked his pulse. There was a beating. There was no doubt about it now.

"Supreme Commander...you're still alive...!" Yuno said with astonishment.

"But I thought he was supposed to die after he got defeated? Isn't that the consequence of wielding the power of the Earthbound Gods?" Reiji questioned, also as shocked as Yuno and Celica.

Heidel coughed, clearing his throat as he tried to speak, explaining in slow steady voice.

"Yubel's...protection... When she was still my Duel Monster, she granted me a part of her power. She said it would protect my life from dark forces for one time. It seems that even after I banished her, that power was still inside me... How ironic it protected me now..." Heidel chuckled humorlessly. He didn't know whether to be happy or angry to be alive thanks to the power left behind by his former ace monster that he detested with all his heart.

"Now that it came to this, you know what will happen next, aren't you?" Yuno told Heidel before turning to Celica. It was Celica's job now.

The Imperial Adviser left Reiji's side to also kneel beside Heidel. The Supreme Commander merely closed his eyes and smiled. They knew that he has resigned to whatever plan they have for him. That made things easier. And it wasn't like he was able to do anything in his current condition. They have dealt him plenty of damage. Celica brought out a pair of handcuffs, carefully equipping them around Heidel's hands.

"For the kidnapping of the Emperor and the Oracle, killing Professor Leo Akaba, and attempt to enslave the Duel Monsters, with my authority as the Imperial Adviser, I hereby placing you under arrest, Heidel Aberforth."

 **CORE – RAMSSESS FORTRESS – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

"What was that explosion and shaking? For a minute I thought this building is done for." Yuhei wondered, looking up at the cracked ceiling with Yugo and Rin. He almost panicked when things started to fall down, they thought they were going to be buried alive if they stayed. Fortunately, the shaking didn't last long and everything was okay since then.

"Is this not the time yet to activate Sara's program?" Yugo asked impatiently. It has been almost 30 minutes since they have arrived and waited, but all Yuhei said was to wait until the time is right.

"No. We must wait for Dad and Celica-san. They'll be here soon." Yuhei replied for who knows how many times already. He wanted to leave this place as much as Yugo did, but since Sara said that the fate of their dimension was at stake in this program, Yuhei, for once, was able to be more patient that he ever had.

"Speak of the devil." Rin said, pointing at the entrance. Yuno, Celica, Reiji, and Heidel came in in a minute.

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Yuno casually waving at them.

"Dad!" Yuhei rushed to his adoptive father, hugging him tightly before immediately pulling away to smile at him. He had heard that Yuno escaped and confronted Heidel. While he had no doubt in his father's skill and strength, it was still a huge relief to see him in person.

"Celica-san!" Rin also did the same, hugging Celica in relief. However, she soon noticed the fourth person that was clearly not their ally and she jumped in alarm upon realizing who it was standing next to Reiji.

"Wait! Isn't that Heidel?! Why did you bring him here?!" Rin questioned in defensive stance, preparing to fight as her eyes locked on their enemy. Celica quickly placed her hands on her shoulders, motioning them to relax and pushed aside her Duel Disk.

"Let's save the long explanation for later. There are much more important things we must do right away." Celica said, turning to the core system of the reactor.

Yuno stood in front of the computer and brought out all of the Earthbound God cards that he had confiscated from Heidel.

"You have them all. What are you planning to do with them? You haven't destroyed them?" Yugo asked. Nothing good would come from using those cards, so he preferred to throw those cards in the fire and burned until nothing was left of it.

"Of course, I won't let these monsters exist in this world any longer. But we'll have them disappear after making them useful for us." Yuno answered, placing the said cards inside the nearby tube before starting the computer.

"Making them useful for us?" Yugo repeated in question.

"This reactor that Heidel intended to digitize the realms to enslave the Duel Monsters, we'll use them to unite this artificial dimension with Arc-V." Yuno revealed without leaving his eyes from the monitor, ignoring the three Synchro users' shock.

"You're going to unite the two dimensions again?!"

"But it won't be possible unless it's fueled with a life force–"

"It's just as you said, we're going to use the Earthbound Gods as the fuel to reactivate this reactor. And then, with Sara's program, we'll change its purpose from digitizing the whole world and enslave the duel monsters to unite the two dimensions." Reiji answered in Yuno's stead.

Thanks to Sara's quick thinking, she was able to create the program that rewrite the program necessary to digitize the whole world and enslave the duel monsters. Through Sara's program, they were able to reactivate the reactor with the purpose of simply uniting the two dimensions. The Earthbound God cards have life forces equal to hundreds of normal Duel Monsters, giving them more than enough energies to execute this plan. Not only the two dimensions becoming one again, the Earthbound Gods will completely disappear. It's like killing two birds with one stone.

Yuno has finished installing the program. Only one more click and the program would run.

"Let's do this."

Yuno pressed the key, activating the program together with the reactor.

 **LANCERS HIDEOUT – MOUNTAIN – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

Sora, Gongenzaka, and the others were resting from the continuous duels when Sawatari suddenly barged in without knocking and urging them to come out. His tone was so urgent and his noisy voice gave them no choice but to do as he said. They understood Sawatari's shock when they looked up at the sky and saw the scenery of Maiami City there.

"That's...Maiami City! Wha-what's going on? Why are we seeing Maiami City from here?" Gongenzaka asked to particularly no one.

This was a similar phenomenon when Leo used the reactor to reunite the four dimensions into one. Earlier, their surroundings were also experiencing digitization, and now this. Does that mean Yuya and the others at the Ramssess Fortress have failed to stop the reactor?

"Don't worry, guys."

Yukiya came out behind them, smilling in assurance as he looked at the scenery of Maiami City that he only knew from Zarc's memory.

"This is part of Sara's plan. And since we're seeing Maiami City, that means Yuya and the others have done it."

 **HARBOR – RAMSSESS CITY – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARTIFICIAL DIMENSION**

After a few minutes, Yuya insisted that he has recovered and decided to sit at the edge of the harbor and wait for Yuno and the rest who were still inside the fortress. He pushed aside the nightmare he has, now worrying more for his ancestor and friends. Yuzu and Yuji didn't need to ask for his permission to sit by his side to keep him company, though they were also as much as worry as him. Despite that, they knew that Yuno and the others will surely come back. They have a strong feeling of it, so they were waiting expectantly for them to appear at any moment now.

Thankfully, they didn't need to wait much longer.

The submarine emerged from the sea. Opening the door, Yuno and the others came out, waving at Yuya and the rest before coming down to greet them, though neither Yuno nor the others from the submarine had the chance since they were tackled by group hugs.

"I'm glad you're back, Dad, Yuhei!" Yuji hugged his father and sibling, which the two returned. Yuji let them go to give Yuzo and Yura their turn too, though they were not as expressive as he was.

"Sorry we couldn't help much." Yuzo apologized while smiling in relief to see his family returned well, not counting their quite beaten up bodies.

"Idiot. Don't make us worry." Yura said with a huff, though she was as much as relief inside.

Yuno couldn't be happier right now. To be with his children again in flesh after 1,500 years. He pulled the four them into his arms again, hugging them all. He knew that their times together would only be temporary, so he would use the times they have together as much as he could to be with them. There were so many things he would love to do together with his children. Except this time...

"Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, come over here for a bit." Yuno motioned the three to come to him. He let go of his children, walking closer to his descendants who came to him as he asked them to.

"What's wrong Yuno-san?" Yuya asked.

Instead of getting an answer, Yuno, without any word, pulled the three of them into his arms like he did to his children earlier, hugging them all together, which startled the three descendants.

"H-hey! What's this?!" Yugo asked at the sudden affectionate move from his ancestor.

"Yu-Yuno-san?" Yuto was almost speechless.

"Well, I consider you as my children too, you know. You're my descendants, so we're technically a family. Once we got Yuri's body back, we're gonna have a group hug again like this." Yuno said with a wide cheery smile. It was the brightest happy smile that Yuya, Yuto, and Yugo have ever seen from their ancestor. Seeing their ancestor this way, there's no way they could reject his affection and push him away. They understood what Yuno was feeling right now.

"Geez...well, I guess...just once in a while is fine..." Yugo said with a blush, earning him a teasing look from the rest that caused him turned his face almost completely red. "But not always! It's embarrassing! Especially if you're doing it in front of everyone!"

"Aww...you're blushing. You're actually happy aren't you, dear Fusion-kun?" Yura teased in the way her master would do to Yugo.

"No, I'm not! And it's Yugo! Not Fusion!" Yugo, as usual, retorted, pulling away from Yuno to begin one-sided bickering against Yura.

"You're awfully quiet, Yuya. You don't like it?" Yuno asked when he realized that the tomato-haired descendant hasn't said a word.

"N-no. It's not that. I'm just surprised. I don't mind doing this. It's better to do everything we wish to do while we can before our time is up. Otherwise, we will regret it." Yuya assured Yuno, hugging him back to prove his point. He could understand why Yuno was doing this all of a sudden. He must have been overwhelmed by his feelings for his family whom he finally reunited with and the new family he has. And Yuya himself has long accepted Yuno as part of his family. Yuya respected his ancestor as much as he respected his father. With how hard their upcoming battle would be, they must cherish every moment they have together.

"Yeah... You're right..." Yuno responded, as if realizing something. His eyes shifted from Yuya to Celica who was surrounded by her own descendants.

" _That's right. I must do this now or never..."_

Yuno finally let go of his descendants to face Celica. Seeing Yuno approaching, Yuzu and her counterparts let go of Celica and gave the two some space so they could properly face each other. Yuno and Celica locked their gaze at each other while everyone watched in silence.

"After what happened with your grandfather, we went our separate ways and continued our bond as close friends. We both met people that we loved, got married, and have our own family. But even so, deep inside, I always felt there's something missing. No matter how hard I tried to fill that emptiness, it would always be there..."

Yuno was almost devastated when he couldn't be with Celica after they had no choice but to go separate ways because of her grandfather's threat. Even though he had met Claire and married her, having a son with her, his heart still couldn't let go of the one feeling he has for his first love. He was eternally grateful that Claire understood this and never once forced him to throw it away, accepting everything of him.

"Many would say to save certain moments for later after the war is over. I was one of those people. But while I was captured and heard you got kidnapped by Apophis, I couldn't stop thinking about you. When I heard you were saved and met you again, I was relieved. Truly relieved. When I reunited with my long-lost children and the two of us finally dueled side by side after 1,500 years... I couldn't think that way anymore..."

After reuniting with his children like this, Yuno remembered that anything can happen in a war. Things that was originally there could be stolen away from them in a flash. Time does not wait. He remembered his regrets, things he would like to do with his friends and family but he didn't get to because they were taken away from him first.

"I remembered the people I have lost, the moments I didn't get to have with them, the promises we couldn't keep... The more I remembered about them, the more I think about you... You're always the first person I would think of... It's only whenever I'm with you I can feel like I can carry on living and continue believing in myself. Even if we're apart, for the past 1,500 years, you're the only one who is always there for me. I can keep going without losing myself, because you're there for me."

Yuno slowly reached to one of his cases on his belt around his waist. He shuffled through until he got what he wanted, bringing out a silver ring with lavender-colored gem, and extended it to Celica.

"You remembered what you asked me back at the hospital? You're right, Celica...I... never forget it either. This feeling I have...it never changed... I want to be part of your life, and you be part of mine."

Yuno wanted to make things right this time. He didn't want to make the same mistake he had years ago. He thought of himself foolish for waiting so long to muster up his courage. Even though the both of them knew their feelings for each other. This time, Yuno won't let her go. He would always stay by her side.

"Until death do us part?" Celica couldn't hold her tears to fall from her eyes as she looked at the ring on Yuno's palm. Her hands were trembling from so much happiness that she has a hard time moving her body.

"No. Whoever goes first, eventually, we'll be together in death too." Yuno replied, slowly lifting Celica's hand and slipped the ring to her finger. She bit the inside of her cheeks to make sure whether she was dreaming or not. When she still saw Yuno with the ring on her finger of her, she realized how real this was.

"I have always been waiting to hear those words. What took you so long, dummy?" Celica asked, finally looking up at Yuno while tears continued to streaming down.

"That means, yes?" Yuno asked with a raised brow, though he already knew the answer but he still wanted to hear it directly from her mouth.

"Obviously yes, you idiot!" Celica said as she jumped and hugged Yuno tightly, crying out her reply several times as Yuno hugged her back.

Everyone watching were happy for the both of them, clapping and whistling to congratulate the two newly engaged couple. After 1,500 years, they were able to be honest with their feelings again. There was nothing to stop them from being together anymore. They can finally attain their happiness as a true family. They were still in the middle of war, but for a moment, no one cares about that. They all agreed on one thing:

"We're going to need to prepare for the wedding soon."

* * *

 **NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW:**

 **Our Vow –** A week has passed since the artificial dimension merged into Arc-V. Exhausted from the whole battle and not seeing any moves from Apophis, Yuya and his friends take several days off. However, sensing something wrong with Yuya, Yuno approach his descendant.

* * *

 **Finally, this chapter is finished! And… Do you like the surprise here? I've been patiently waiting to write this particular chapter! I'm glad I finally got to finish it!**

 **And about the Duel, you may have realized it, but there are some effects that I changed a bit. And for Nekroz of Sophia, you may have forgotten about it, but in** _ **Bonds of Pendulum**_ **, I changed its effect too before changing it back to this one as explained in the chapter. Once the next chapter is over, we'll finally move to the final arc.**

 **Please don't forget to review this chapter!**


	93. Our Vow

**DRESSING ROOM – SECOND FLOOR – EAST WING – CANTIDEL PALACE – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARC-V**

Three days have passed since the battle at the Ramssess Fortress.

The announcement of Yuno and Celica's engagement spread at fast speed like a plague. Their always-faithful comrades in particular were overjoyed by the news. They have been waiting for years for the two of them to be together. The two of them having feelings for each other was no mystery to them after all. They didn't want to delay the happy day any longer, so they have decided that the wedding would take place in a week. With their various resources, it won't be difficult to prepare the perfect wedding for Yuno and Celica.

Yuno and Celica have chosen the beach at their hometown for their wedding. Most argued that they should choose a place more befitting like in the palace's grand garden, but Jonouchi revealed that the beach was where Yuno's late parents were married. Hearing that reason was enough for everyone to shut their mouth and conceded. With the place and date settled, all that left was the preparation.

Both parties for the groom and the bride now focused on getting the right outfit for the couple for their wedding. While choosing the suit for the groom was not difficult, choosing the dress for the bride was not easy, especially when the bride-to-be has many girlfriends insisting to choose the dress. And unfortunately, their different tastes in dresses didn't help making it faster.

"How about this one? This dress describes everything about you, Milady!" Lilac showed a white ball gown, a princess-inspired dress that featured a fitted bodice and a very wide, full skirt, similar to the dress styles you would see in fairytales. Plus, it's great for any bride who may want to camouflage their hips (not that Celica needs to).

"No. Even though she appears so young, she's already an adult more than any of us! That's why we should pick more mature outfit like this one!" Mai showed mermaid dress that more slightly than a ball gown, a figure-hugging wedding dress silhouette, the mermaid style is extremely fitted, and flares out below the knee. It's also a great option for brides looking to show off their curves in a luxe and flirtatious way.

"An Imperial Adviser must preserve her dignity and refinement, especially in such important ritual as marriage! This dress would be perfect!" Rio showed a sheath-wedding gown that skims the body and falls straight to the floor. Its light and airy fabric made it typically thought of as a romantic wedding silhouette and look best for bride with tall, slim, figures.

"That's too formal and stiff, it'll be difficult for her to move in that dress! Most of all, the design is so boring and plain! Mature woman should show some of her sexiness to charm her partner." Mai pushed the dress that Rio chose away while proudly raised the dress she has picked to Celica.

However, Rio refused to lose either. She pushed Mai along with her dress and raised her own in return.

"Imperial Adviser must show more modesty in the eyes of the public! Wearing that dress would only tarnishing her image!" Rio voiced her disapproval. Celica always appeared in public as an elegant lady like a royalty she was. If she were to marry with such a vulgar dress, people's opinion of her would sour and she may be stamped as a shameless woman. Furthermore, if a member of the Imperial Family to be viewed badly, the consequence would also befall on the rest of the family, including the Emperor. Even though Mai was supposed to be one of the Imperial Adviser's closest aides, how could she still bold enough to suggest such a dress?

"But being all too stiff won't be good! That's why she should wear a dress that shows cutesy while still remaining mature like this one!" Lilac interrupted between the two women while pushing her dress forward to Celica.

The Imperial Adviser was sitting with a rather uneasy smile at the three young women in front of her with their respective dresses. She was the one who asked for help to pick a befitting dress, but now she was starting to regret it. Having three different people with contrasting tastes to pick her dress was a mistake on her part. Why didn't she think of it before?

"I'm the one who's going to get married, so shouldn't I have the right to pick my own dress?" Celica tried to dissuade the argument, but unfortunately her words fell on deaf ears. They were too busy defending their choices in dresses. Another mistake on her part was she didn't put the three's stubbornness into consideration.

"They're not listening to me…" Celica said with exasperated sigh.

Thankfully, her saviors came right on time, Yuzu, Serena, and Rin barged into the room, turning Celica and the others' attention to them.

"Time for you three to get out." Yuzu said, clasping her hands. She and her counterparts started ushering the three out of the room. She gently put down the dress Lilac was holding before pushing her from behind towards the door.

"Just leave this to us, her descendants, to pick the wedding dress." Serena said while pushing her mentor, ignoring her protests. While Mai was certainly older and taller than Serena, the Moonlight girl has more strength than her mentor. Her fierce training in Academia for years has paid off.

"We'll know what's the best for her that you won't be able to say no when you see it." Rin said as she pushed Rio, followed by the other two, out of the room. Before they could hear another round of complain, they slammed the door shut and locked it to prevent them from entering.

"You really saved me." Celica said with relief. Her descendants also have differences in taste, but at least they're more willing to hear her out. She was right in inviting them to help her as well. However, she then realized they lacked one person.

"Where's Ruri?" Celica asked, not seeing the Lyrical Luscinia user.

"She's visiting Aoi-san, so she'll be coming later." Rin answered. Aoi called Ruri that she was allowed to be discharged from the hospital today, so Ruri decided to give her a visit before she goes home with her brother.

"Now, let's pick up the perfect dress for you. You must be very happy right now. In a week, both of you are going to get married." Yuzu commented, giggling as she saw Celica's face. Ever since the proposal, Celica's entire steps were nothing but flowers and butterflies. Her humming brought spring to her entire being like she was in her own little world. Everyone who saw her was practically smiling happily for the Imperial Adviser.

"My face is saying it all, huh? I'm sorry if I make such a weird expression. I-I almost can't believe this is really happening. After all these years, we will finally become a real family…" Celica's smile widened, only for a moment. Her eyes began to get teary and she looked down. She pressed her hand to her chest as a tinge of sadness began to leak out.

"I wish…my brother is here to see it…" She mumbled, loud enough for her descendants to hear.

Celica had wished for her beloved brother to accept her relationship with Yuno. And once he was, if they were to get married, she wanted her brother to either be the best man or accompanying her to the altar. She remembered when they were little, she told him about her dream to one day becoming his bride and he said that she would make the finest bride in the whole world. Now she found it funny and adorable remembering her and her brother saying that when they were little. She had no doubt that her brother would praise her if he sees her in wedding dress. She could imagine the face he was making while saying so.

But he's not here anymore because of her powerlessness.

Without him here, a part of her dream goes unfulfilled.

Before she knew it, she was crying, and he descendants were hugging her. Yuzu, who was hugging from the front, wiped her tears with her thumbs and smiled encouragingly.

"I'm sure he's watching. If he's here, he'll be happy for the both of you. I only knew Jusis-san from your story, but I bet he'll cry tears of joy seeing you in wedding dress." Yuzu told her.

"Yes. That's exactly what I imagined." Celica said, smiling back albeit weakly.

"Who knows, maybe his ghost is watching you from somewhere like a stalker and try to find a way to cancel the wedding because his sister complex is overwhelming him." Rin said jokingly, still remembering how overprotective Jusis could be from the story. As she has hoped, this made Celica giggled.

"Maybe I'll ask for Rio's help to convince him to accept it if we can meet his ghost." Celica replied, causing them all to laugh. She then stared at her descendants, one by one, before smiling wider. "Once all of you are old enough, I would be looking forward for your marriage with your respective partners."

The remark caused the three girls' faces to go red as if they were going to combust.

"C-Celica-san!" Yuzu flailed at the implication. While she and Yuya have confessed their feelings to each other, they were still too far from _that_.

"It's too soon for us to expecting that!" Rin said as if reading Yuzu's mind.

"Indeed. Yuzu and Ruri are already secured, but Rin, Serena, and Sara still need to make progress with Yugo-kun, Yuri-kun, and Yukiya-kun." Celica added, making them redder even more.

"Wait! Why do you bring them up?!" Rin and Serena said together. Rin was flustered, wondering if she was truly like an open book while Serena flat-out denying having that kind of feelings for Yuri.

"My, it's obvious you like them as more than friends." Celica added, thoroughly amused by her descendants' reaction. It never bored her. And having them by her side was comforting. Her brother might not be here anymore, but now they were with her.

"I'll save the teasing for later. Let's pick up my dress."

 **GO'S ROOM – HOSPITAL – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARC-V**

Yuya came to visit Go when the latter suddenly called him, saying there's something important that he must tell him. Yuya had to excuse himself earlier while helping Yuno picking his wedding suit. When he entered Go's room, the Charisma Duelist seemed quite dejected while looking at his legs. Yuya has braced himself to whatever Go was going to say, but he still hoped that what he was hearing was wrong.

"My legs…can't feel anything." Go revealed. Yuya's expression hardened upon hearing so.

"What?" He could only utter, hoping he was just mishearing things, but Go's answer proved him wrong.

"My legs are paralyzed. I can't walk." Go admitted, clutching the blankets tightly.

"P-paralyzed?! That means you can't walk anymore?!" Yuya exclaimed, almost in panic at the bad news. He was relieved that Go was alive, but the impact from his duel against the Hydradrive user was to this extent?

"No. I'm not giving up. The doctor told me I could get back the feeling in my legs if I follow a rehab. It'll take a long time but if I follow it thoroughly, eventually I can walk again." Go assured the younger boy who seemed to be more affected by the news than he himself. That's just showed how kind Yuya is and Go appreciated that.

"I see. I'm glad that it's not permanent…" Yuya said with relief, but was still disturbed by the news.

"But this means I can't fight together with you for a while…" Go lamented. He promised that he would help Yuya in any way he can, but then it came to this. He cursed himself for being so weak that now he was rendered useless in the real battlefield.

"Onizuka-san…"

"It frustrates me that I can't fight. But I'm aware if I push myself, I'll only be in the way…"

Go raised his fist towards Yuya, grinning at the Entermate user.

"You better kick that Apophis guy's ass. Fight for my part too. Once my legs are healed and the war is over, let's have a rematch, Phantom." Go encouraged. If he were being his old self, he would have stubbornly insisting to keep fighting. Now, he knew full well that disabled person would be no different than expendable personnel in a warzone. He won't let his pride to hold back his comrades. Not when the fate of their world at stake.

Yuya stared at the fist extended to him for a few seconds before returning it with his own, bumping it gently.

"In that Duel, I lost. But next time, I'll be the one to win." Yuya replied, trying his best to return the smile.

"It's a promise then. A true man must never back down on his promise." Go said back, grinning wider.

"You sound a bit like Gongenzaka. But yeah, I promise. I will beat Apophis, end this war, and then we'll have a rematch. I'll show you a next level of my Entertainment Dueling!"

"I'm looking forward to it."

 **CAFETERIA – HOSPITAL – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARC-V**

Ruri helped Aoi packing up her things before going with the older girl to the cafeteria to talk. Aoi was still not fully yet recovered, but she was discharged from the hospital thanks to her older brother's arrangement. It doesn't mean she's allowed to fight. Her brother deemed it's for the best for her to be moved nearer to their home so he could personally take care of her and it would be easier for the two siblings to meet. And Aoi agreed to this because she has made her decision after fully considering her condition.

"You're going to help your brother, Aoi-san?" Ruri said while sipping her tea.

"Yes. He's appointed as temporary leader after Heidel was arrested. The company and the army are still trying to get a hold of themselves since the loss of their commander. There are not many who support my brother, so I want to be there to help him. Blue Angel has a good reputation, so using my influence, we'll manage somehow." Aoi explained. Her brother was in difficult position. Despite showing support to the Brotherhood and the Emperor and both sides were the ones who personally appointed him, many were still distrustful of him since he used to work under Heidel. Her brother understood and tried is best to prove his good will through actions than mere words.

"Whether as Aoi Zaizen or Blue Angel, I'm sure you'll be doing fine. But if you need any help, just tell me. I'll try my best to support you too, Aoi-san." Ruri placed her hands on top Aoi's, assuring her friend that she's on her side. She understood how it feels of wanting to help older brother, and Aoi knew this.

"Thank you. By the way, how is it going with your brother?" Aoi asked. She has heard that Ruri was fighting together with her brother now, but she was wondering how things were between them. She was worried that they were still distant with each other remembering the last time they met in LINK VRAINS. Ruri's smile answered her question.

"We're okay now. We're finally able to spend more times together. I can tell there are still some things that he's hiding, but I'll wait for him. I believe in my brother. Yuto also feels the same. Just as you said, Aoi-san." Ruri said without a doubt. She has proven herself to her brother that she's no longer a frail girl he thought she was. He knew that she has prepared to hear what he has to say, but not him. He wasn't ready to share his secret to her. But she won't force him. She has proven herself, so she knew that her brother would tell her one day. She'll wait patiently.

"I would like to meet your brother properly someday." Aoi said. She has been curious after hearing so much about Shun from Ruri. She considered of introducing her older brother to him too and hoped they'll get along like she did with Ruri.

"Sure. I often told him about you, Aoi-san. It would be a pleasure for him to meet you." Ruri agreed.

 **LEO CORPORATION – MAIAMI CITY – ARC-V**

Reiji was overseeing his men while they were trying to see any hint of activities from Apophis' group. Three days have passed since they defeated Heidel, and there was no sign of Apophis doing anything. While it was a good thing that Apophis was nowhere to be seen for the past three days because they truly needed a good rest after that hard battle at the fortress, that fact also worries him. Reiji has expected that Apophis would take action while they were at their vulnerable state after the battle, but no, there was no sign of his whereabouts. He had warned everyone as well to be on alert and even have some men to watch over from afar just in case while they were taking a break.

Aside from taking caution on Apophis' group, Leo Corporation also have their hands full on bridging the new relationship between the countries of ARC-V and the newly merged Cantidel Empire. Similar with what happened a year before, with now the addition of Cantidel Empire in ARC-V, there were talks about border between the empire and other countries, a new census and constitution, etc. Reiji didn't have much a break as the corporation's chairman. His mother has insisted for him to at least have one full day off, but he was still uneasy leaving his post.

"Any luck?"

Reiji briefly shifted his attention to the door where Shun was standing with his arms crossed.

"Kurosaki. I thought you're with your sister and Yuto." Reiji said. Ever since the battle at the fortress, Reiji noticed that Shun has started to be with his sister and best friend like before. There was still a time Shun was distancing himself about something, but he was starting to open up again.

"Ruri is visiting Aoi Zaizen and Yuto is with the Oracle. But we'll meet after their businesses are over. I decided to come here." Shun replied, now standing next to Reiji.

"Why are you here then? You should be using your times to relax considering everything you went through since a month ago. Now that you can be with your sister and best friend, you should go to their side and talk things through." Reiji suggested without taking off his eyes from the monitor.

"I could say the same to you. You're hardly resting ever since the dimensions became one. I know your position, but it won't hurt to leave some of your works to your subordinates and get a bit of free time."

"I'm too worried about Apophis to get a free time."

"You're too preoccupied with Apophis that you forgot about your sister."

That got Reiji's attention fully to the Raid Raptors user. Sensing Reiji finally was fully looking at him, Shun turned to him as well. He tilted his head towards the door, urging Reiji to look. The Leo Corporation chairman turned and saw the retreating figure of Reira, shyly hiding behind while clutching her stuffed teddy bear.

"It's an older brother's duty to take care of his younger sister. You can't expect her to understand you all the times and you can't make your work as an excuse to avoid her. Ignoring your little sister too much and then you'll miss how grown up she has become during those times." Shun said.

He admitted that he had treated Ruri like a little girl. He was too focused on doing his best to protect her and Yuto, avoiding speaking with her, that he failed to realize how much she has grown for the past month since they were separated. It was different from when they were separated during the interdimensional war, this time, by the time they fought together at the fortress, he could see that Ruri has matured, maybe even more than himself. She's no longer a little girl who needs to be protected by his older brother all the time. He was the one who wasn't ready.

"Speaking from your own experience?" Reiji asked, though he knew the answer.

"Precisely. Especially, since both of you are mourning. Rather than trying to cope it alone, at a time like this both of you should be together." Shun reminded.

When his comrades got carded, Shun had stopped depending on his other comrades including his own best friend and shoulder everything alone because deep down he was afraid of experiencing another feeling of loss. When he thought Yuto was gone, it furthered this belief. He fought and fought without a care but to save his sister and destroy Academia. It was his way to cope with the pain of losing his comrades and family. But after dueling against Crow and fighting together with Yuya and his friends, he understood how foolish he was and how his other comrades were suffering as much as he did. Only by opening up your heart with people close to you that you'll be able to overcome that pain.

"If you can't do it a whole day, then at least one or two hours should suffice for the two of you. In the meantime, I'll handle things here. I have observed Apophis more than you do, so if there's anyone who can pick up even a slightest bit movement from him, that would be me." Shun said, offering to replace Reiji for the time being. He couldn't stand seeing Reira being all gloomy and Reiji trying to forget his pain by overworking himself. He already had plenty of times to refresh his mind, now it's their turn to have it.

Reiji fixed his glasses while flashing Shun a calm smile. "I have to say, it's rather uncharacteristic of you to tell me this. But I appreciate your concern for Reira and would gladly accept your offer." He didn't say it clearly, but he was grateful of the Raid Raptors user.

Everything was just like Shun said. He was too busy to notice that Reira and his mother was as sad as he was after losing his father. Just like how they were trying to help his father overcoming the pain of losing Ray, now they must help each other to overcome the pain of losing him. His father gave up his life so they could have a bright future. That wish won't come true if they give in to despair.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting, Reira." Reiji said, smiling down at his little sister, making her looking up at him and removed herself from her hiding place.

"It hurts losing Father…but there's no need to be hurt alone. I'll share your pain, Brother. We can overcome this and move forward together… This is also what Father wanted." Reira slowly reached for her brother's hand and held it gently. She was surprised when Reiji held her hand tighter but still gentle.

"Yes. We'll have to do our best and live in his place too…" Reiji agreed before guiding Reira to where their mother is. He prayed to God. Just for today. Just for this one day, he's allowed to let out all of his feelings that he has bottled up for the past three days and shared a moment with his family.

Shun watched the retreating back of the two Akaba siblings while hoping for the best of them. A hand patted his back, startling him a bit.

"How nice of you." Yuzo said proudly.

"Yuzo? Didn't you go with the Oracle and the others to pick his wedding suit?" Shun asked.

"Already done. Unlike the bride's dress, picking the groom's wedding suit is not complicated." Yuzo replied.

"That still doesn't answer why you're here instead with Yuto and the others." Shun asked again, though the answer literally came in front of him seconds later.

"As a matter of fact, I'm with him, Shun." Yuto said, appearing from the other side.

"Yuto!"

"I figured you'd be here, so Yuzo and I decided to come." After hearing that Ruri left to meet Aoi, Yuto figured Shun would go to Leo Corporation because he was also curious of Apophis' next action. Fortunately, so far, there was nothing.

"The three of us really need to speak. I know both of you are hiding something from me. It's about time to stop avoiding the question and give me the answer…" Yuto began and noticed that Shun stiffened. Even though Shun has spent more times with them and opened up like he always did before, Yuto could tell there was still things that he was hiding, and that involves him and the four dragons. He wanted answers, but...

"At least, that's what I would say normally." Yuto finished, chuckling inside when seeing Shun's expression that was close to dumbstruck in his eyes. He was sure that Yuzo also thought the same judging from his smile.

"You have gone through a lot. Whatever you're hiding, you're just trying to protect me. I know at least that much. If me knowing whatever you're hiding would bother you so much, then I'm not going to pry. It's a simple thing for you not to tell me because you don't want to involve me. I get that feeling too. All I ask is that for you to trust me more. You'll watch my back, and I'll watch yours. If you're worried or troubled, I want to help. Don't forget that." Yuto didn't know what Shun was hiding from him. And usually, even if he was hiding something, Yuto would at least have an inkling of what was it. But for the first time he couldn't think of anything. Still, he would trust him. He won't let his curiosity and frustration of not knowing what Shun was hiding from him to lose his trust in his best friend.

Shun looked down, his eyes shadowed. He was very happy to hear that. He had to admit that he also felt guilty for hiding things from him when Yuto was trusting him this much despite how he wanted to know the truth. But Shun was still not ready to tell his best friend. He still needs a bit more time to collect himself. But at least...

"Then, promise me that you'll survive this war. Promise that you'll never choose death to save people. You must never sacrifice your life. Promise me that." Shun's expression turned serious as he faced Yuto. This would at least give Yuto an idea of what kind of secret he was hiding from him. He knew that Yuto would understand the severity of the secret and why he was so reluctant to tell him. His best friend would understand.

"Yuno-san also told us the same thing before. That we must try to find a way where no one has to give up their lives. I understand what he meant, so without you telling me, I've determined that I won't throw away my life no matter what. In exchange, the two of you must promise me the same. You won't sacrifice your lives in this war. We will survive together until the end." Yuto replied not only to Shun but also Yuzo. He had enough of feeling the pain of losing his comrades during the war a year ago, and he didn't want to feel that again in this war. He'll make sure he won't lose either of them.

Yuzo looked at Yuto and Shun, turning back and forth before he clasped his hands before taking of their hands in his.

"Follow me." Yuzo said while pulling them together.

"To where?" Yuto asked while trying to keep up with his ace monster.

"To the training room. Let's have a little Battle Royal. We gotta get stronger if we want to win." Yuzo said and then let go of their hands.

Yuto and Shun didn't need to be pulled to go to the training room. They understood. Their enemies were strong. Each time they meet again, they got stronger than the last time. They have no doubt it would be the same the next time they fight them again. And when that time comes, they must be stronger so they won't lose.

 **THE LANCERS SERVER – LINK VRAINS – ARC-V**

Yukiya logged into LINK VRAINS, this time deciding not to use his avatar and instead came as himself. When he arrived, he found a strange sight. Yukiya was staring at Yugo and Yuhei with bewilderment. The two Synchro duelists were sitting with their eyes closed as if they were meditating, only that they were making these grumbling voices and their brows furrowed together like they were having a serious case of stomachache.

"What the two of you are doing?" Yukiya finally voiced his question.

"We're trying to perform perfect synchronization like before, but so far we're unsuccessful." Yugo answered.

"Maybe that's something that can only happen during a Duel? Besides, this meditating-like thing you're doing is so not like both of you." Yukiya commented. He had seen of synchronization from Zarc's memory fragment, and from what he saw, this synchronization only happened through intense duels. And the ones synchronizing was usually in hype while doing so.

"But this ability would be useful if we ever fight Neon again!" Yugo argued.

"Please don't tell me that paranoia of yours is back again…" Yukiya said with exasperation.

Back when Neon was still alive as Apophis offspring, Yugo's paranoid was hard to watch and roughly speaking was quite a pain in the ass since the Synchro user would be overly cautious and hiding behind them even when they were in their own hideout as if Neon would just pop out of nowhere. He remembered when Yuri once teased that he saw Neon Yugo was almost shrieking like a girl while blindly punching and kicking the air. That one moment was amusing, but over time it became frustrating.

"No, it's not. Don't worry, I won't be afraid of her again. The next time we meet, I'll end her for good!" Yugo stated. This time, he said with full certainty. While there was still a bit fear in him, Yukiya could feel the determination that Yugo has to face Neon and put her behind him. Yukiya was glad and proud seeing Yugo like that. No need to worry about that now.

"By the way, why are you still here? I thought you're with Yuya taking a walk around Maiami City." Yuhei asked.

"Yuya said he wanted to be alone for a while. Ever since the battle at the fortress, he seems pondering about something. He stills smile and all, but I know something is troubling him. Whenever I asked, he always told me that he's not ready to tell me yet. Looking at his face, it must be something that's really serious, so I decided to give him some space." Yukiya answered. Honestly, he was worried with Yuya's condition. After the battle three days ago, Yuya was behaving unusual. He often spaced out. He didn't eat even half of the amount of his foods. He seemed afraid of something. But whenever he asked what was bothering him, Yuya would just smile and avoid the question with something else.

"The five of you are pretty much the same in that department." Yuhei commented.

"Excuse me?" Yukiya blinked.

"Yeah. You, me, Yuya, Yuri, and Yuto. The five of you are alike when it comes to that. Yuya is basically doing the same thing you do when don't want to give trouble to anyone. Not to mention that we're preparing for Yuno-san and Celica-san's wedding, everyone is happy and excited until the day. We wouldn't want to ruin the moment with our problems, right? Not when we're finally able to relax after we fought so hard." Yuhei explained. He had observed them, so he knew. Zarc also used to be like that. There were times that Yugo also hiding things from Rin. He tried to act tough, but Rin knew him too well and has her way to make him spill out everything.

Yugo knew what Yuhei meant and didn't make any argument about it. It was the truth. Yuri was also like that not too long ago, hiding his insecurity and guilt using the mask of indifference and arrogance. To put it simply, they were always acting normal when something troubles them.

"So not only our faces, but we're similar when it comes to this kind of situation." Yugo commented. He didn't know whether to be happy or sad about this. He looked up at Yukiya. "You should try talking to him again."

"You're not coming? Aren't you worried too?" Yukiya asked. Knowing Yugo, he thought he would stand up and flat out suggesting to make Yuya spill the beans, but now he was being strangely calmer of it.

"Sure, we are. It's only been a few months since we met, but I can see that you and Yuya are very close. Closer than us. I think he'll open up more to you." Yugo said, surprising Yukiya.

"I don't think so. Yuya considers us all the same. He often talked about you guys." Yukiya replied. Ever since he befriended Yuya, most of the conversations they had involved his counterparts even if they hung out with them almost every day. Yukiya didn't know if it was Yuya's attempt to restore his memories as Zarc or because he has been spending much more time with them since they arrived at Cantidel, but Yukiya knew that Yuya cares a great deal of them. They were technically brothers after all.

Yugo shook his head. "Not only that. You also understand him more than us. You're always the first to notice if there's something wrong with him even in the slightest. There are often times it took us a while until we notice. You can start with sharing your own problem to him and then he'll naturally confess his own." He reasoned.

Yugo could see that Yuya and Yukiya were very close with one another despite only just met for a short time compared to them. He noticed certain expressions that Yuya made only when Yukiya was around. And when he thought Yuya was doing fine while he was actually not, Yukiya would notice before him. If people were to say they were brothers, Yukiya was more of a big brother for Yuya than either him, Yuto, or Yuri.

"Your advice is actually very smart. It's brilliant and so unlike you." Yukiya was beyond stunned. He never thought to hear such mature words from Yugo of all people. He was so astonished.

"Shut up, you have one word too many there! You think that I'm just an idiot, but I got some brain! How else I survived this far?!" Yugo angrily protested. He knew he could be a slow and insensitive, but why people always got the impression that he was a genuine idiot?!

"Strangely, you know the way to make him talk but you're leaving it to me. Yugo, Yuya needs all of us by his side. Sharing his problem to more of us will ease his burden. The more the support, the safer he will be. That's why all of us will talk to him later. Deal?" Yukiya told them. Yuya is constantly thinking about them. And many fought hard to save him when he was consumed by Zarc's darkness. But it's still not enough. The fact that some of them haven't noticed Yuya's strange behaviour means that now they must understand him more.

"You heard him, Yugo. When you're concerned about something or for someone, you'll always go straight up asking the said person. Why make it any different now?" Yuhei slapped Yugo's back, encouraging him.

"Well, I'm worried I'm gonna mess up 'cause I'm insensitive and too straightforward like Rin always said… Yuya look unusually more depressed..." Yugo was afraid that him being so straightforward would make it harder for Yuya to tell his problem or make his mood worsen.

"Yugo is reflecting his insensitivity?! Is this a bad omen?!" Yukiya was even more shocked.

"Just how much of an idiot you're taking me for?!" Yugo protested again, his face twitching with annoyance.

"We're just kiddin' buddy. Still, we're gonna talk to Yuya together later, deal?" Yuhei rounded his arm around Yugo, urging him to do as Yukiya said.

Yugo sighed. "Since it came to this, might as well we grab the others too and start a counseling session." He suggested. Since he was the one who suggested it, he'll have to take the initiative too.

"But before that, let's do something that will make Yuno-san and Celica-san happy at the wedding! How about we do some show?" Yugo changed the subject. While he was worried for Yuya, he wanted to do something for Yuno and Celica's happy day as well, and there's little time left.

"A show? Like what?" Yukiya asked.

"A D-Wheel stunt!" Yugo proposed with face brimming with childish excitement.

"We'll place some amazing obstacles that will blow them away from hype!" Yuhei added, agreeing with his partner.

"Denied." Yukiya flat out rejected their idea. He wondered if Yugo ever get married, instead of a car, he and his bride would ride a D-Wheel as they took off after the wedding, or entering the altar in flashy way riding his D-Wheel. That would be one heck of a wedding.

While Yukiya was dealing with Yugo and Yuhei's pouting at his rejection, Sara noticed Yuri looking up at nothing in particular. However, she knew pretty much what he was thinking. Back then when Ray's soul inside her sensed her father's death, Sara noticed Yuri was making a pained face, his eyes reflecting inner sadness starting to leak out in full that he managed to suppress. Now he must be...

"Wondering about Leo Akaba?" Sara gained the courage to approach him. She wasn't sure if it was okay for her to talk with him about this since they never spoke much before and she only heard from others about him, but maybe this would be a good opportunity to know each other.

Yuri stared at him in silence for a moment, his face neutral, but Sara was nervous if she messed up. Fortunately, Yuri started speaking to her.

"I take it that Ray is crushed learning about the Professor's fate?" He asked back.

"I feel very hurting even until now, so that may be the case. It's her father after all. Losing your loved one is always hurt." Sara answered, clutching her chest. The pain that Ray was having, she felt it too as if it was her own.

"Loved one, huh… I don't know about myself though." Yuri admitted, he smiled, but it looked hollow. "That man wiped my important memories, separating me from my only friends, training me into a Duel Soldier, simply put he stole my happiness."

"I know. I heard a bit about it from Ray. But despite that, you're upset when you learned that he has been killed. Am I wrong?" Sara knew what Yuri's problem was. He was confused, and she understood why.

"That's because you cared about him. True, that he wiped your memories and separated you from Dennis and Serena that led to your fall. But at the same time, he is also the only person who acknowledged you. Being acknowledged and appreciated by him, you carded many people because you wanted to be praised by him. Receiving his praise made you happy. In the end, you can't hate him, even if you want to." Sara explained. There are just some people who even knowing they were being used, they would still do as they were told simply because they care for the one using them. When everyone else would just push them away, that certain person accepted them and even encouraged them to use what make them isolated from everyone else. Yuri, perhaps, was like that too. He has mixed feelings. Even though he knew what the Professor had done to him, he couldn't bring himself to hate the Professor.

"Is that…so…" Yuri looked even more in pain.

He has acknowledged it.

That's right.

When the Professor first approached him, he was happy. He became even happier after the Professor told him that he could do duels that he likes and card his opponents. He encouraged him to duels as he like, like he always did. For the first time someone encouraged and praised him like that. Others avoided him because they thought his dueling was too rough or he was too strong, but the Professor accepted it. He urged him to do more. That alone gave him happiness, a sense of accomplishment, something that he never had prior meeting Serena and Dennis and after losing his memories. Even after knowing the truth, those feelings didn't disappear.

"You don't need to think too much about it right now. You'll understand in due time." Sara assured him. She blinked when Yuri kept staring at her. It made her felt nervous. Did she say something out of the line? "Is something wrong with my face?"

"No. I'm just surprised that you're talking to me like this even though we barely knew each other. Did Ray tell you about me?" Yuri asked.

"Not much, but I got the gist of it at least. I'm sorry if it's impertinent of me to speak with you like this when we just know each other." Sara apologized. Yukiya always said that she has a habit of meddling into other people's business, which more than often got her (and Yukiya) into trouble (though they always found a way to solve it in the end). She tried to be careful now, but maybe she was being annoying or insensitive after all?

To her relief, Yuri didn't mind it.

"I didn't say I hate it…" He replied.

That answer put Sara more at ease.

"Yura mostly told me about you while I was still trapped in LINK VRAINS. There's never a day she talked without mentioning you." Sara revealed. It wasn't a lie. Whenever she talked with Starve Venom, Yuri's name would always come out from her mouth. There was one time she teased her how much Yuri means to her, Starve Venom got embarrassed that she spewed out incoherent comeback.

"You talked too much there." Yura came between them, startling Sara. However, seeing Yura's cheeks became a bit pink, Sara just has to tease her more.

"Expressing your love and adoration for your master is nothing to be ashamed of, Yura-chan. Take a page from your siblings. They expressed their love for their master as clear as crystallized water." Sara urged her. Unlike her siblings, Yura was strangely rather subtle in expressing her love for her master. It was like she was trying to make it clear to everyone that she is an ace monster while Yuri is her master, nothing more and nothing less than that. She didn't get it. Sara knew that Yuri wouldn't mind if Yura treated him like her siblings did to their masters and she was sure that Yura knew this as well, so why didn't she do it?

"Listen here, I–"

Before Yura could finish, Yuri placed a hand on her head, ruffling her hair like Ryo usually did to him. This surprised and stunned Starve Venom who looked at her master questioningly at the sudden form of affection.

"If you missed me so much then you could have just told me, Starve Venom. I missed you too. You're my one and only ace monster after all. Whatever form you have, stay by my side. That's an order from your master." Yuri said with a smile. His smile was kinder, one that is a very rare occasion.

"If Master says so." Yura complied with her cheeks reddened a bit. In her dragon form, she has no qualms doing it, but in her human form, it took everything she has not to hug her master.

"I'm a bit bored lately, maybe we should pull some pranks on Yugo and Yuhei later. It'll be fun." Yuri and Yura started snickering, bad intents oozing out from them so clearly that Sara flinched a bit. At the same time, she found it funny.

Hearing her giggles, Yuri and Yura turned to her.

"You're exactly how Ray and Yukiya described. Moody and just do whatever you like without being bound. Like a cat. Although, you can be a bit creepy that make you not as cute as cat." Sara commented.

"Do you really need to include the last part? Oh well, I'll still take that as a compliment." Yura sweat dropped at her somewhat contradictory comment, but being likened to a wild cat was not bad since it perfectly described him.

 **BRIDGE – MAIAMI CITY – ARC-V**

Yuya was sitting on the fence of the bridge, his usual spot when he felt like clearing out his mind. He was glad that choosing the wedding suit didn't take long, because he was not really in the mood for it. He felt guilty though for leaving so hurry like that when it was very important for Yuno. Three days have passed since the last battle and he finally got a break. But even so, he still couldn't get out that nightmare from his mind. He couldn't relax at all. Not in the least. He was sure that Yukiya, Yuzu, and the others have realized it too. He was grateful that he didn't need to ask them to give him some space alone.

He was afraid.

Even though it was supposed to be just a nightmare. Why it felt that it was going to happen to him soon? For the first time he was so afraid in his life. Yuya looked at his hands, and it won't stop trembling in fear.

"Found you."

Yuya was so startled that he almost fell from the bridge if not for his reflexes. He turned and found Yuno was the one who called him with Yuji by his side.

"Oh, Yuno-san…Yuji..." Yuya sighed, a hand on his chest from a near heart attack.

"I've been wanting to talk with you." Yuno said, walking closer to Yuya while motioning Yuji to stand back for a moment, to which Yuji complied.

"What is it?" Yuya asked nervously. He wondered if Yuno was going to ask about his recent behavior. His ancestor has sharp mind, so he must have realized that he was behaving unusual.

"First of all, it's about the cards you entrusted to me. They changed." Yuno brought out the cards, namely Ancient Abyss Dragon and Odd-Eyes Abyss Dragon. He explained what happened during the duel against Roget in which the cards have evolved. When he finished his explanation, Yuya was smiling.

"I think these cards belongs to you now, Yuno-san. They want to fight alongside you." Yuya handed back the cards to Yuno's palm, pushing it to him.

"But these are your cards and I'm simply hold onto them until you're ready." Yuno tried to push it back to him, but Yuya kept his hand.

"No. It's not necessary anymore. I have accepted it now. The fact that I killed the Doctor is something that I have to carry for the rest of my life. Trying to forget about it is not right. I don't want to run away from my responsibility. If I do that, then I'm no different than a cold-blooded murderer." Yuya said. After the duel against Tsukasa, he realized that never forgetting his action and tried his best to create a better future is the least he could do to atone for the lives he had taken. Everything would be meaningless, everything would be for nothing, if he forgets them.

"You're the one who helped me understand that, Yuno-san. That's why I want you to keep them. Just like how you helped me, I'm giving them to you so that they can help you in my place even if we are separated. Please." Yuya genuinely wanted Yuno to have his cards. He didn't throw them away because they were the reminder of his sin. He gave them because they now have become his connection with his ancestor, his family.

Yuno saw nothing but admiration, faith, and endearment from Yuya. He was giving him these cards not because he refused to face his past, but because of their bond. Just like he wants to protect everyone else, Yuya wants to protect him, he wants to fight together with him. And Yuno was happy to know those feelings for him.

"I understand. Thank you, Yuya." Yuno placed the cards back into his Deck Case. He will cherish them. He will fight together with them from now on. He smiled for a bit, but then turned serious once more.

"And now, for the other matter that I wish to talk with you…what's in your mind, Yuya?" Yuno asked. As he expected, Yuya's body stiffened immediately. The boy was about to open his mouth that he no doubt would try to dodge the question, but Yuno won't have it.

"Don't give me 'I'm okay', I know well that there's something bothering you ever since the battle at the fortress. Did Heidel or Roget do something to you?" Yuno interjected, silencing him. Judging from Yuya's miniscule reaction, he was spot on. The boy's body started trembling and his face paled. Just what happened to him?

"Yuya, if it's something that you can't share with everyone, then at least tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone. I meant what I said that time. You are my family. Do you not feel the same way?" Yuno reminded what he said right after he returned from the battle, when he hugged his descendants, telling them they are his family. He didn't doubt that Yuya trust him, but he wished the boy won't try to keep his trouble to himself just because he didn't want to ruin the mood of his upcoming wedding.

"No! I also think of you as my family, Yuno-san! I...it's just..." Yuya finally couldn't take it anymore. There was no point in hiding it from Yuno. It was difficult to say no to his ancestor. He finally revealed everything to him. About the nightmare he has ever since he defeated Roget's fragment, a nightmare in which he was killed.

Yuno and Yuji's expression turned into horror upon hearing the story.

"That's…" Yuno couldn't hide his expression. There was no doubt about it. That nightmare Yuya saw was not a dream. It was a vision. The same vision that he has. The vision that he only told to a very few people and one that he tried to prevent at all cost. Yuya's death.

"Yuno-san?"

"Yuya, I know this would be hard for you to take, but…what you said just now, that nightmare of yours…it's not a bad dream…it's a vision…"

"A vision? You mean like yours?"

"I…I've seen the same vision…"

Yuno didn't want to say it, but now that Yuya has seen that vision, he couldn't hide it either. Not from Yuya himself. The terror in Yuya's face was unbearable to see. The boy was scared greatly. He couldn't blame him. True, he had participated in a war before, he had fought and survived, but that won't change the fact that he was still a child. A 15 years old child who wasn't supposed to be standing in the battlefield. Child his age should be in a safe place.

"So…I'm going…to die…?" Yuya asked, both his body and voice were trembling. There were many times he risked his life and ended up in a situation where he was almost got killed, but he always survived one way or another, he was never this afraid because he believed his friends would be there for him to help and subconsciously the fragment of Zarc's soul assured him that he won't die until he became one with his counterparts.

This time it was different. He was feeling so sure that he is going to die for real.

Yuji couldn't take it anymore. He pulled Yuya into his embrace, gently patting his back until his trembling eased up. He understood. When he received the mortal blow that he eventually succumbed to, for the first time he was afraid of death. At that time, he didn't want to die. He still wanted to live. He was so scared that he would never be able to see his friends and family again. He thought he was ready, but he didn't. He understood Yuya's fear right now.

"Being afraid of death is a human feeling. Especially, if you know you're going to get killed. You don't need to feel ashamed. It's a normal reaction. Even though we know that death is inevitable, there are still times that we have difficulties to accept it." Yuji told Yuya, gently pulling him from him while trying his best to smile so Yuya would feel more assured. He must protect him. He won't let him worrying and making that kind of face again. That was his duty as Yuya's ace monster.

"But this is different. We have a choice. We can change this death." Yuno said, placing a hand on top of Yuji's hand and Yuya's shoulder. He has changed countless visions before. Not always, but from that, he knew that he could change fate. This vision, he won't let it come true.

"Yuya. I won't let you die. This future, we'll definitely change it. I absolutely won't let you die no matter what. I swear on my life. I'll protect you." Yuno vowed to himself and to his descendant. He won't let Apophis steal the people he loves again. He will become stronger than ever and this time end Apophis' life and reign for good, to create the future where Yuya and the others can smile.

If it was his child self, he would have used his goggles to hide his pain, escaping to his own little world. But he won't do that now. Yuya didn't care if he looked so pathetic. He didn't care if anyone else saw the tears falling from his eyes. He was still afraid, but he was also happy. He has decided.

He will conquer this fear and change his future.

"Thank you..."

 **A WEEK LATER – CANTIDEL BEACH – CAPITAL – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARC-V**

The beach was bursting with people. Over two hundred guests were there. Because they were married on such short notice, there wasn't time to make many arrangements, and people came out of the woodwork to make the day as special as they could, simply by showing up to support the two couple.

The wide sand is cascading across the land. There is a small breeze that offers a slight chill, which provides relief from the warm, setting sun. The water crashes against rocks in the distance. Seagulls squawk overhead. Nature is in tune with today's event.

The warm, smooth sand moves through the bride's and groom's toes as they approach or leave the altar. The fresh air expands smoothly within the lungs. Everyone stared in serene awe as the bride and groom emerged. They have no doubts that they want to spend the rest of their lives together after marrying in paradise.

"It took you so damn long for this. Still, I've never been so proud of you...! If your father and Jusis are here, I'm sure they'll..."

"I know. I hope they are watching us from up there."

"Thank you for being by my side the whole time, Jonouchi, especially today."

"It's the least I can do for you and your father. I'll have to bear witness to the most important day of your life directly in his place."

Yuno saw everyone he knew.

Yuya, Yuto, Yugo, and Yukiya were sitting in the front row. Yuya was holding a Duel Disk so that Yuri who was in LINK VRAINS could still attend the event. Across the boys in the same row were Yuzu, Serena, Ruri, Rin, and Sara. Yuzu and Ruri were dabbing their eyes with their handkerchief when the wedding march began. In the second row were his children. In the third row were his and Celica's close aides...except Ryo. Yuno was a bit sad that the Kaiser was not present. Otherwise, it would have been completed.

There wasn't a dry eye in the place when the entrance music began.

Yuno saw Celica, slowly turning to him with a smile. With the Emperor accompanying her, Celica slowly made her way down the aisle, while everyone sat silently in wonder. When she finally reached his side, there were gasps of joy and everyone spontaneously began to clap. All business now, he seemed to have abandoned his role as the Emperor and Celica's descendant to something more distant, where he could keep his emotions in check. Yet Yuno and Celica could see him struggling as he stood before us. He perched his glasses on his nose and opened the Bible, then looked at Yuno and Celica. The Emperor towered over them, and for a moment he stood before them before he nodded, signifying he would start. Celica smiled and reached for Yuno's free hand, linking them together.

The Emperor began the ceremony in the traditional way, then read the passage in the Bible.

"May God's blessings be with you both."

It was then that he set aside the Bible. He reached out, offering his hand to Yuno's, and the Oracle took it, completing the circle.

With that he led the two of them through their vows. Jonouchi handed Yuno the ring his descendants had helped him pick out, and Celica gave him one as well. They slipped them on their fingers. The Emperor watched them as they did so, and when they were finally ready, he pronounced them husband and wife. Yuno and Celica kissed softly as many began to cry, then held Celica's hand in his. In front of God and everyone else, they promised each other's undying love and devotion, in sickness and in health, and that will reunite them even when death comes.

The party was held soon after the reception. There's no safer bet for a next-day shindig than a laid-back afternoon of food, drink and banter, with a few lawn games and an epic music playlist thrown in for good measure. Everyone gave the newly wed couples a congratulation toast, some of them gave their own speech and prayer for the couples, singing their favorite songs, dancing together, and enjoying the meals presented for the guests. The closing of the happy day, the most important one to remember this day, was taking a picture together.

Yuno and Celica couldn't ask for nothing more.

It was the most wonderful moment of their life.

 **APOPHIS TEMPLE – CANTIDEL EMPIRE – ARC-V**

"The outcome is as you have expected, Your Excellency."

"Not really. They actually went beyond my expectation. I am more than satisfied." Apophis said, grinning menacingly.

"Are you sure it's okay to lose the Earthbound Gods like that? They could have been some good pawns."

"No need. Our current power is more than enough to take down the Oracle and his comrades. And with Heidel Aberforth out of the picture, we can proceed to the next stage of our plan."

"If I may ask, Your Excellency, we could have gone to the Rift to open the path to the Duel Monster realm while they were fighting, but why didn't you implore us to go?"

"Because it's not the time yet."

"Not the time?"

"I'll open them once I regain my full power. And in addition, I'm preparing a good sacrifice to open it..."

TO BE CONTINUED IN…

 _Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V: The Last Supreme King Dragon_

* * *

 **First of all, I apologize for the sudden notice. I never intended to make this a trilogy fanfic, but due to family financial problem, I must work extra hard, so I have no choice to make it like this. I thought it's better to end the fanfic and then make a continuation rather than putting it in a long hiatus. I estimate that I'll publish the final arc around May or June 2019.**

 **Once again, I'm sorry that it has to be like this just when it's finally going to reach the final arc, but please understand.**

 **After finishing the sequel of this fanfic, I'm thinking of starting another fanfic (And I'll start writing new one only AFTER the sequel is over). But I don't know which one to start. Doing more than one fanfics at once is difficult to me, so I would like your opinion which one to choose first. I open the poll in my profile. For those who don't have an account (anonymous reviewer), can write their choice in the review. You can only choose one and only the choices in the poll.**

 **Please don't forget to review and look forward for the sequel later!**


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